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<\/figure>\ncoronavirus<\/a><\/span> lockdowns have made grocery and alcohol deliveries and prepared meal delivery services more popular. If you’re apprehensive about shopping in a store at the moment, or you want to make sure you’re eating in a well-balanced way, a prepared meal delivery can be a helpful stress-reliever.<\/p>\n Personally, I’ve been a fan of having fresh ingredients and nutritious meals shipped right to my door for a while now. And it’s been key to helping maintain a healthy lifestyle during lockdown. I actually began to research this list of the best meal delivery services before COVID-19 hit and am happy to present it to you now in hopes that receiving healthy meals and ingredients from a prepared meal delivery service without having to brave your local market will relieve a bit of stress during this highly stressful time — regardless of whether you’re a foodie, a picky eater or something in between. And, because the meals are prepared, you don’t have to be a professional chef to eat something delicious.<\/p>\n Before we dive into the list of prepared meal delivery services, let’s answer some questions. First, how are these set apart from our favorite meal kit delivery service options<\/a><\/span>? While the meal kit revolution — which led to household meal kit delivery names like Blue Apron and Hello Fresh — was all about providing you with the basic ingredients and instructions on how to pull it all together into a delicious fresh meal, we’re betting you no longer have time or patience to do that. Pandemics are exhausting, and truth be told, setting up a meal plan, going through the process of meal prep and then cooking are really only fun when you’ve got the time to develop your recipes, go to the grocery store to shop for your own ingredients and otherwise flex your chef muscles. <\/p>\n That’s why these oven-ready meal kits and healthy prepared meal services have emerged as a solution when you need quick, easy and delicious meal options on the menu, but your budget for your favorite meal for takeout is running thin. Newer healthy meal delivery services such as Veestro<\/a> and Freshly<\/a> have taken note of modern healthful eating habits and there are prepared menus tailored for every dietary preference, including carnivores, vegetarians, vegan and others on a plant-based diet, as well as those keeping to a keto<\/a><\/span>, paleo<\/a><\/span>, low sodium, gluten-free, organic, low carb, low-sugar or low-calorie diet. Basically, no matter your dietary restrictions — or if you’re a picky eater or have food allergies — there is a meal kit service for you.<\/p>\n While most of the meal plan services we sorted are ready-made meals — that is, prepared, precooked and with ingredients ready to pop into the oven or a hot skillet to be heated<\/em> — meal delivery company services such as Home Chef<\/a> and Gobble<\/a> are not yet cooked<\/strong>. These “oven-ready” meal delivery plans, which fall somewhere between a classic meal kit and meal delivery, are uncooked but pre-assembled to be thrown together and baked, broiled or stir-fried with no major prep required. In short: Please don’t eat any raw chicken. You don’t need food poisoning on top of everything else that’s going on!<\/p>\n Most of these meal subscription companies ship their pre-portioned and precooked meal options frozen or partially frozen. Since they arrive in shipments of four or more, most meals are designed to be popped right into the freezer so you can defrost and eat them over the course of the week or longer. Even if you don’t plan to eat the fully prepared meals every day — or even every week — having a prepared meal dish or two or even snacks stashed away in the freezer for emergencies can be helpful when you need them, or when you just don’t have it in you to even boil water for pasta. And let’s not even get started on what having a stash or meal options does for our peace of mind.<\/p>\n While I wasn’t able to try every meal from every one of the meal kit and delivery services listed, I did get a chance to try at least one meal option from each. As you’ll read, some of these meal delivery services and meal kits are centered around a particular healthy recipe meal concept. Home Chef, for instance, has simple meal kits down to a science with fresh ingredients and recipes that are already prepped and can be finished in as little as 15 or 20 minutes. Others, such as Veestro, specialize in premade or prepared vegetarian and vegan meals for those going meatless or dairy free in 2020, but still looking for an alternative to cooking. Seriously, people on special diets need to check out their meal delivery program options — there is sure to be one for them.<\/p>\n There’s still nothing quite like a home-cooked fresh meal, but some of these simple and affordable meal services just might be the thing to lighten your load during the challenging times we’re currently living through. And, perhaps most important, these meal delivery companies don’t require a trip to the grocery store.<\/p>\n Read more:<\/strong> Wine, beer, alcohol delivery: How to get alcoholic beverages delivered to your door<\/a><\/span> <\/p>\n Note that ready to eat meal delivery kit service Freshly is currently at capacity and not taking new orders so I’ve moved them to the bottom of the list. I’ll work to keep this list of the best prepared meal delivery service options up-to-date, but please check each service to ensure they are operating normally and with reasonable delivery times before placing an order. I’d also like to continue to encourage you to support your local restaurants<\/a> when you’re looking for prepared meals by ordering takeout when you can, as so many restaurants are struggling mightily.<\/p>\n Here are the best prepared meal delivery services and oven-ready meal kits in 2020.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cnet1.cbsistatic.com\/img\/i_eY-_2BU1PSQCHHb7Re1HQ8r9k=\/196x110\/2020\/04\/21\/ec672715-3cd3-4c63-b8a7-9f9ab719684e\/foodpicfinal.jpg\")
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