I love cooking. There is something so therapeutic and rewarding about preparing a meal from scratch that you just don’t get with a takeout container. What I do not love is meal planning and grocery shopping. Inevitably dinner ends up being the same exact thing every week; tacos, baked chicken and grilled steaks. Efficient yes, but not very exciting. And after spending the past year traveling every weekend, the last thing I wanted to do was come home on a Sunday night and worry about what my husband and I were going to be having for dinner all week. Insert subscription meal delivery, my new hero.
These subscription services send you all of the pre-portioned, fresh ingredients you need to prepare gourmet dinners throughout the week and they really don’t cost any more than a trip to the Taj-ma-Teeter. For as little as $59, you get three delicious, easy to prepare meals that far exceed anything I would ever whip up in the kitchen. Many of the services also offer options for a range of household sizes, from singles to families of 4 or more. Best of all, the calories and portions are completely controlled for you. I’ve tried all of the services available with delivery to Charlotte, from national to local, to give you the scoop:
For the “meat & potatoes” peeps (and my personal fave)
Home Chef ($30 of free food for the first 100 readers!)
Each week you choose from ten different meal selections for as many meals and servings that fit your family’s needs. This is also the only service I have found that sends you all meat-based meals and has quickly become my go-to. I have yet to dislike one meal I have received (and I’m pretty picky, actually) and the meats and vegetables have all been very high-quality.
For the Vegans & Localvores
Nourish Charlotte
Nourish Charlotte offers a multitude of locally-sourced, vegan meal options and best of all, they are a Charlotte-based company! The meals I received were super tasty, even for this non-vegan, and consisted of various breakfast, lunch and dinner options like rice bowls, creative salads, and vegan lasagna. Unlike the other meal delivery services, the Nourish Charlotte meals are generally ready to eat or simply need to be warmed in the oven.
For the indecisive or adventurous eaters
Blue Apron (two free meals for the first 50 readers!)
Blue Apron has a limited selection of meals each week, six options for their 2-person plan and only four option for their family plan. Blue Apron chooses three meals for you every week, then you have the option to login and switch out a meal if it doesn’t meet your taste preferences. It’s also one of the most affordable choices, $59 for a 2-person plan with 3 weekly meals. So if you’re indecisive or simply want to be surprised each week, Blue Apron is the service for you.
For the sophisticated palate
Plated (two free meals for the first 50 readers!)
If you want to explore your taste preferences, Plated is the service for you. Each week offers nine different meal choices, ranging from lamb chops to crispy fish with coconut bok choy, and you have the choice of 2, 4 or 6 plates per meal. This is the most expensive of the choices, $12 per plate or $24 per plate for chef’s table meals. Plated also offers several vegetarian options each week.
For the Vegetarians
HelloFresh (Get $40 credit when you use offer code 57VWEX)
HelloFresh offers delivery options for both omnivores and vegetarians with 3 meals for families of 2 or 4 people. I did find HelloFresh to have the most limited selection in terms of meal choices, only five each time versus six or more with the other services, but all of the meals I received were tasty and relatively simple to prepare. Prices range from $10.75 per plate for meat-based meals and $9.08 for vegetarian meals.
Happy cooking!
