11 Best Meal Prep Plans & Recipes
Key Takeaways
- The older we get, the busier life seems to be. Between work, what seems like never ending to-do lists, and other obligations, eating healthy can suffer when youāre strapped for time.
- Cooking meals is one thing, but you also have to figure out what you will eat for each meal, make a list, go shopping, and put it all away.
- It can add up to several hours of your time each week. If you donāt have the time, you could make poor food choices just for something quick.
- Choosing a meal prep plan or using a delivery service can not only save you time, sometimes it can also save you money.
It can be frustrating to find the time to eat healthily and get in a solid workout a couple of times a week. All the time and effort needed to cook daily meals can derail the best healthy eating plans.
If you struggle with eating healthy because youāre strapped for time, creating a meal prep plan could help. You can save time by having others do some or all of the work for you.
Whether you just need help with creating a meal plan and grocery list or want it all done for you, thereās help available.
Today, we discuss meal prep delivery services and plan guides that can help you save time while eating healthy.
Best Meal Prep Delivery Services
Some people would rather not go through the trouble of
- Finding recipes
- Making a grocery list
- Shopping for groceries
- Putting them away
- Meal prepping
If youād rather spend your time doing other things, meal prep delivery plans may be the way to go.
Here are some companies that offer the best meal prep plans with recipes and step-by-step cooking guides.
1. Fresh nā Lean
If youāre looking for fresh, healthy, and organic meals, Fresh nā Lean has you covered. You can have prepared meals delivered right to your door. Their meals are never frozen and are all gluten-free.
You can choose from the following diet options:
- High protein
- Keto
- Low-carb vegan
- Vegan
- Bulk (meal prep plans for muscle gain)
If youāre bodybuilding and looking to bulk up, the bulk meal prep plans might be the perfect choice for you.
You can order a la carte or choose between breakfast, lunch, and dinner prepared meals. Once delivered, store them in the fridge until youāre ready to eat, then microwave and eat.
The average cost per meal is $9.33 depending on the meal plan you choose. They will deliver nationwide to the entire United States, as long as itās a physical address (no P.O. boxes).
2. Muscle Meals 2 Go
Muscle Meals 2 Go is said to be the #1 Fitness Focused meal delivery service. All meals are macro balanced and you can select from meals to keep you lean, maintain your weight, or build muscle.
They have Keto, classic, and vegan options to choose from. This company does not lock you into a contract or subscription like some of the other meal plan companies. You can pause, change, or cancel your plan as needed from week to week.
You can reheat meals on the stove, in the microwave or in the oven. Shop by goal or meal type to get exactly what you want to be delivered fresh whenever you need it. You can even email them your goals and they will customize a nutrition plan specifically for you.
Each shipment is delivered by FedEx Overnight to ensure top quality and available in all 48 continuous states. The meal plans average about $120 weekly for two daily meals.
3. Freshly
Freshly is a subscription-based meal plan service that delivers fresh food to your doorstep. Each individually packaged meal can be made based on your dietary preferences, including:
- Gluten-free
- Peanut-free
- Dairy-free
You can choose from over 30 different meal options each week, which changes with the season. This enables the company to provide the freshest ingredients at a good value.
Meals have a shelf-life of five days but can also be frozen for long-term storage. To cook your meal microwave for a few minutes or reheat in the oven.
Freshly is available in all the contingent United States. Their pricing varies from $7.99 each for 12 meals to $11.50 each for four meals.
4. Metabolic Meals
This meal prep delivery service provides healthy, chef-created meals backed by nutrition research. If youāre looking for weight loss meal prep but arenāt necessarily on a strict budget, this could be a good choice.
They design each meal to control blood sugar, aid in weight loss, and improve health. Heat in the microwave or oven when youāre ready to eat; there is no prep work involved.
You can skip meals any week if you choose and cancel your subscription at any time. Choose from a regularly changing menu option based on farm availability where the chefs are based.
The appeal to Metabolic Meals is that they grow organic ingredients with grass-fed and free-range protein options.
Metabolic Meals can be delivered to all 48 contingent states. Meals in My Choice start at $10.25 per serving and $25.42 per day for the Chefās Choice option.
5. Home Chef
Most people have heard of Home Chef. The company gets its name by providing the ingredients and recipes to you so you can be your own home chef. If you like cooking but donāt want all the work leading up to it, Home Chef might be for you.
If you donāt want to wait for delivery, you may find Home Chef meals in your local grocery store. They also have different options you can choose from:
- Classic meals, ready in about 30 to 45 minutes
- Quick meals, ready in 15 minutes or less
- Slow cooker meals
- Oven-ready meals
- Entree salads
- Culinary collections for the adventurous cook
This is subscription-based, but you can skip weeks if you donāt want to order, and customize each meal. You can also add meals or edit servings each week to meet your needs.
Each meal starts at $6.99 and varies based on the type of meal requested and serving size.
6. Budget Bytes
Budget Bytes is a website that has a mix of recipes, meal prep, and meal plans included. If youāre just looking for recipes that fit your budget, you can find them there. If youāre looking for ideas for meal prep with a grocery list and step-by-step instructions, theyāve got that too.
They also have dinner meal plans available, which include grocery lists, recipes, and instructions. You get daily dinners included for four weeks per plan, for $12. You can choose which type fits your preferences:
- Omnivore
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- One-pot dinners
- No pasta, no rice
- $10 dinners
They also provide a freezer guide for freezing extra portions and leftover ingredients to use later.
Budget Bytes is one of the cheaper options available and has more flexibility compared to others. There are no subscriptions to monitor and no need for delivery, simply download the meal prep plan pdf and get started.
Best Meal Prep Planning Apps
If you like doing your own grocery shopping and cooking, a meal prep app might be more your style.
Using an app can help you find recipes, organize your grocery list, and make quick work of meal prepping.
7. Mealime
If youāre looking for meal prep dinner ideas or a way to get a weekly meal prep menu, consider Mealime. Itās available on iOS and Android and is pretty easy to use, though you canāt upload your own recipes.
The app creates a meal plan based on the recipes available in their database. The grocery list is generated from the meal plan and you can remove items you already have. Now, youāre ready to go grocery shopping.
You can set your preferences in the settings to customize the meals including:
- Menu type: Classic, low carb, Keto, Paleo, vegetarian, pescetarian, vegan, or flexitarian
- Any allergies or restrictions
- Ingredients you donāt like or canāt have
- Meal size
This is all offered in the free version of the app. You can upgrade to the Pro version for $49.99 annual or $5.99 per month. The Pro version lets you filter nutrients, grocery prices, and cook time, plus access to more recipes.
Use Mealime if meal prep delivery is too pricey or you prefer to do your own grocery shopping.
8. PlateJoy
PlateJoy is a meal planning app that helps you create a meal plan based on your weight loss goals and dietary preferences or limitations.
The app will build a meal plan and grocery list. Remove the items you already have on hand and send the grocery list to InstaCart if you donāt have time to shop.
Like Mealime, you canāt upload your own recipes into the app. It will sync to your Fitbit or Jawbone to help you track your nutrition.
PlateJoy is available on both Android and iOS at a cost of $69 for a 6-month subscription and $99 for 12-months.
9. Paprika
If youāre looking for a meal prep planning app to upload your recipe choices, Paprika may be the right fit for you. Find recipes on the web and enter the URL to save, then start creating your meal plan and grocery list.
One of the nice features of Paprika is that it can detect when more than one recipe has the same ingredient. It will consolidate the ingredients in your grocery list, making it easier and quicker to shop through your list.
Nutrition information is only provided if itās included in the recipe or if you enter it yourself. However, if youāre just looking for an app to aggregate your recipes to build your meal plan and grocery list, consider Paprika.
There is a one time fee of $5.99 to download the app and itās available on both Android and iOS platforms.
10. Veganized
If youāre looking for a meal plan app with a social networking aspect, Veganized might be the one for you. As the name suggests, this is a plant-based diet planner that helps you create, find, and share recipes.
Each recipe comes with ingredients, instructions, and complete nutrition information. You can chat with the community to share recipes and support each other through your plant-based lifestyle.
You can even get personalized recommendations based on your:
- Age
- Weight
- Gender
- Activity level
Build out your meal plan into a grocery list to make shopping easy. Create a new recipe from over 300 ingredients in the database to share with your network. Keep track of your macros so you know youāre on track with your goals.
This app is free and only available on Android.
11. MealPrepPro
Use this app alone or with a partner, set your goals, and get ready to crush them. This app allows you to customize your meal plan based on your dietary preferences:
- Keto
- Plant-based
- Vegetarian
- Mediterranean
- High protein
- Pescetarian
If you have specific allergies, you can filter for them to ensure they donāt end up in your meals. Meal plans are created by nutritionists and can be adapted to your macros and calorie goals.
If you like watching videos when cooking, this app gives you step-by-step video instructions. Save money on groceries and time on meal prep using the app. Their Pantry Staples Plan uses six ingredients or less, so is perfect for those on a budget.
MealPrepPro is only available on iOS and integrates with Apple Health. You can start with a free 7-day trial, and then the cost is $5.99 monthly or $47.99 per year.
Final Thoughts
Meal prepping can seem overwhelming, but it doesnāt have to be. With the options provided, you can do as little or as much of the work as you want.
Some companies do all the work so you just have to heat the food. Others will provide the ingredients and recipes so you can cook each meal. If you like doing all the work, you can still save time with a prepared grocery list and recipes.
Creating a meal plan or doing meal prep is a great way to eat healthily and balance your macros. If you have goals to meet, meal prepping can help you get there while saving time in the kitchen.
Do you meal prep or get meals delivered? What company do you prefer and why? Have one we didnāt list you think others should consider? Let us know about it in the comments.
