Meal kit delivery businesses are thriving and Baby Boomers, looking for ways to simplify their lives while staying focused on health and nutrition, are jumping on-board. Companies providing home delivery of chef-prepared meals or meal kits have been around for years but the 2020 coronavirus pandemic along with shelter in place orders have made them even more popular.
In fact, many American Boomers are taking advantage of meal kit delivery services and making them part of their weekly dinner plans. Rather than settling for fast food or something from the freezer, they’re enjoying easy to prepare, delicious, and nutritious meals that someone else shopped for and in many cases, prepared.
While many of us enjoy preparing our own meals as often as possible, some nights, we know it’s just not going to happen. The good news is with so many great options available we can always eat well.
So, which meal kit delivery providers are the best match for you? Are you interested in a service that delivers fully prepared meals that you can just pop in the microwave? Would you prefer a plan that delivers simple recipes along with all of the necessary ingredients?
In this guide, I’ll run you through a few things to consider when choosing the best meal kit delivery service. And to save you a little time, I’ve listed a handful of quality meal prep companies that offer affordable, tasty, healthy food.
Meal Kit Delivery
There are over 150 meal prep providers to choose from, with a variety of meal plans for you to choose from, and varying prices and delivery schedules.
Let’s start with 4 meal kit services we like, then we’ll dive deeper into meal kit services in general. Hopefully, we’ll answer most of your questions!
Tip: When visiting a meal provider website, the first thing you’ll want to do is confirm that the service is available where you live. Most services have a simple zip code search widget on their websites allowing you to quickly find out if they deliver to your area.
Freshly is an excellent meal delivery service for Baby Boomers. The price per serving varies from $8.99 to $12.50 per meal, depending on which meal plan you opt for (for example, four meals a week or 12 meals a week), so you can save yourself a bundle of cash by going for a larger plan.
Most Freshly meals come fully prepared. They require no cooking – just heat and eat.
with White Beans & Kale
They offer free shipping on their orders, all of which are sent via FedEx Home Delivery.
What we like about Freshly:
Most meals just need warming up – Most of Freshly’s meals come pre-cooked and require very little prep work – you simply need to warm them up before enjoying.
Simple recipes – For the dishes that do require some prep work, the recipes they provide are simple and very easy to follow without any guesswork whatsoever.
Scheduling – You can pick the day you want your meal packs to arrive to best suit your schedule and allow you to plan all of your meals accordingly.
Great variety of delicious meals – Freshly has a tasty variety of meals for you to try out and enjoy. Some of their most delicious deals include their bruschetta chicken with roasted potatoes and veggies, and their BBQ pulled pork with squash cakes and carrots.
Silver Cuisine is the only meal delivery service on our list – and one of just a handful in the world – set up solely to help seniors conveniently eat a balanced diet. Founded by Dr. Caroline Cederquist who is board-certified in bariatric medicine, Silver Cuisine’s meals have been developed with the nutritional needs of people 50+ and seniors in mind.
What we like about Silver Cuisine:
Part of a well-established company – Silver Cuisine forms part of bistroMD – a meal delivery service launched back in 2005 – so the company’s management clearly knows what they’re doing and how to keep customers happy since they’ve been in business for over a decade.
Great tasting meals specifically developed for seniors – Their meal plans are crafted explicitly for Boomers and seniors.
A vast range of meal plans for different diets – Silver Cuisine has a great selection of meal plans and over 150 different dishes from which to choose from. Check out their Heart-Healthy, Diabetic, Low Sodium, and Gluten-Free specialty diets. Silver Cuisine even offers diabetic friendly and menopause plans.
Easy to order and prepare – Their website is very intuitive and easy to use, so even Boomers who aren’t tech-savvy shouldn’t have any trouble placing an order in no time. And, if you’d prefer, you can place your order by phone.
Excellent coverage – You can use their meal delivery service if you live anywhere in the US except Alaska and Hawaii, so they are an excellent option for the vast majority of American Boomers.
Eco-friendly packaging – Their meals are all sent in 100 percent recyclable packaging, which is a great bonus for eco-conscious Baby Boomers.
What we don’t love about Silver Cuisine
Limited Delivery Windows – As they only ship orders from Monday through to Wednesday, you have to carefully plan your deliveries to ensure you don’t run out of meal kits and snacks during the rest of the week.
Price – Their per meal prices vary depending on what you choose, but you’re looking at anywhere from $9 to $14 for most dishes. This is roughly in line with the industry average, but it’s nevertheless still more expensive than preparing and cooking your meals yourself.
Shipping Charges – Silver Cuisine charges sizeable delivery fees on all orders. Standard shipping costs $19.95, while expedited shipping will set you back $39.95.
If you’re looking for a way to save time and simplify meal prep, Green Chef is a great option. They will deliver fresh produce, meats, pasta, seasonings, and everything else you’ll need to prepare meals using the recipes they provide.
Green Chef launched in 2014 and is owned by an established meal kit delivery service called HelloFresh.
They have a fantastic selection of dishes and snacks to choose from and are made from high-quality ingredients. The cost is anywhere from $9.99 to $12.99 per serving.
They offer an impressive array of meal plans which were put together specifically for specific diets, such as plant-powered, keto, gluten-free, and pescatarian diets.
What we like about Green Chef
Delicious food for every diet – You can pick a meal plan for a particular diet, such as a plant-powered or gluten-free diet, or, if you want a mix of everything, you can go for their omnivore meal plan.
Simple and easy to follow recipes – The recipes they provide for each meal are simple and easy to follow, even for Boomers with little to no cooking skills.
A focus on the environment – Green Chef is a “Certified Organic Company.” They are the only meal delivery service I found that is committed to both responsibly sourcing their ingredients and sending their meals out in 100 percent recyclable packaging.
Easy to get started – You can place your order and get started in a matter of minutes. You simply need to go to their website, create an account, pick your meal plan and individual meals, and pay for your order.
Blue Apron is another increasingly popular meal delivery service in the US. Their meal price is as little as $8.74 per serving if you opt for a family plan, and like many of their rivals, they offer free shipping on all orders.
Similar to Green Chef, Blue Apron will deliver everything you need to prepare meals using their recipes.
Their meal plans aren’t structured in the same way as Green Chef’s (by diet), but they offer a great selection of delicious dishes and cater to specific dietary requirements.
What we like about Blue Apron:
Blue Apron is another increasingly popular meal delivery service in the US. Their meal price is as little as $8.74 per serving if you opt for a family plan, and like many of their rivals, they offer free shipping on all orders.
What we like about Blue Apron:
Affordability – Starting from as little as $8.74 per serving, their meals are considerably more affordable than many of their rivals.
Detailed and easy to follow recipes – The recipes and instructions they provide for each dish are thorough and easy to follow, even for Boomers with virtually no cooking experience or cooking skills.
Good selection – Blue Apron offers a great range of tasty dishes and snacks for Boomers to choose from, across various cuisines. They can also cater to different dietary requirements, including vegetarians and vegans.
Easy to get started – You can get started with Blue Apron in a matter of minutes by signing up for a meal subscription plan through their website.
What we Don’t Love About Blue Apron
Ingredients aren’t separated by meal. This removes some of the convenience from their service. It means you have to organize the ingredients for each meal for yourself.
Full nutritional info isn’t provided. Blue Apron doesn’t state the nutritional value of each meal, making it a bit more challenging to make sure you’re eating a balanced diet. Instead, they only say how many calories are in a serving of each meal.
How Do Meal Kit Delivery Programs Work?
Different meal delivery providers and individual plans work in different ways. For some, you simply order pre-cooked meals online and warm them up when you’re hungry. With others, you’ll be provided with meal kits, which essentially consist of all the ingredients required to make a meal using their recipes. For the latter, the instructions and recipes are typically simple and easy to follow.
Why are Meal Kits Great For Baby Boomers?
Meal kit plans are attractive to most Baby Boomers because they are a very convenient way to enjoy delicious, nutritious food. But for many aging adults with mobility constraints, for example, meal deliveries are life-savers.
And remember, you don’t have to make using meal kits something you do long-term. For example, if there are seasons where you are particularly busy, a meal delivery service can keep you on track for healthy eating, so you do not resort to fast food.
Things To Consider When Choosing a Meal Prep and Delivery Service
There are quite a few things to consider when deciding which meal delivery service is best for you.
Price
As with anything, price is an important consideration when picking a meal delivery service. Set a realistic budget you can afford and compare the per-meal costs for various services, but be sure to factor in any delivery fees.
Ingredients and Dietary Requirements
You’ll need to confirm that any meal delivery company you’re considering can cater to your dietary requirements (such as vegan or gluten-free meal plans). And you may also be interested in checking out how a company sources its ingredients, and whether or not they are organic.
Menu Options
Each meal delivery provider has several dozen dishes to choose from, so you won’t be able to browse and compare all of them, but it’s still a good idea to have a look and see if you find anything particularly appealing.
Be aware that menus evolve and change regularly with new items being added and old ones removed.
Delivery Schedule
While some companies ship and deliver meals seven days a week, others have much more limited delivery schedules. This is an essential fact to keep in mind, as restricted delivery schedules mean you have to plan your meals much more carefully to ensure you don’t run out and have to wait several days before receiving your next delivery.
Availability
Checking whether or not a meal delivery service operates in your area is something you should do pretty early on in the research process, so you don’t waste lots of time checking out a service that doesn’t deliver meals in your area.
Some companies operate throughout the US and Canada, while others only serve a limited area.
Final Thoughts
As you’ve probably figured out by now, I’m a big fan of meal kit delivery services. Choosing one can be complicated but it’s likely that it’s going to come down to personal preference, so you won’t be able to know for sure until you try out one or two providers.
Regardless of which company you end up using, I strongly encourage you to take advantage of the great new customer discounts all of these companies provide so you can test them out at a lower cost per meal.
A Quick Meal Preparation and Delivery Summary
- Eating a balanced diet and enjoying a good selection of the foods you love is very important
- Preparing all of your meals from scratch can be a challenge – and with convenient meal delivery services available throughout the US and Canada, it’s certainly worth giving them a try.
- Keep an eye out for things such as delivery schedules and times, per meal cost and delivery fees, and coverage.
- Some services provide prepared meals, which just need warming up, while others provide the ingredients in so-called meal kits. The latter requires some prep work to turn the ingredients into a great meal.
- You’ll typically be spending anywhere from $8 to $14 per meal, depending on whether it’s for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and what plan you’re on (the per-meal cost on a 16 meal a week plan is cheaper than on a five meal a week plan.)
- Home delivery meals generally cost more than the ones you shop for and prepare yourself, but for many Boomers, the convenience is well worth the extra few bucks.