3 Meal Prep Delivery Services to Help you Explore Cooking

Cooking at home is always a great idea, but in the past year, we’ve grown to love it more than ever. For some, it’s easy to take some ingredients, put them together and come up with a delicious meal off the cuff, but sometimes giving it all that thought is kind of a drag. It’s easier to have someone else come up with the meals and send you the ingredients. That’s where meal prep delivery services come in. 

These subscription services will send you a box every week filled with all the ingredients and recipes you need for the following week. Typically, the only things they leave out are the staples that they assume you already have like eggs, flour, and, of course, La Española Olive Oil. We’ve tried three of these services and are here to report on how each of them can help you get excited about cooking again!

1. Blue Apron

Starting at around $7.49 per serving, Blue Apron is definitely not the cheapest box, but it has some of the best recipes involving ingredients that you may not have ever even heard of before. But don’t worry, there’s something for everyone including the not-so-adventurous eater. Besides the quality of ingredients, they also prepare perfectly-portioned ingredients so there is no waste. They also take your diet and/or allergies into consideration with each order. A typical serving, however, is $9.99, so, while we love Blue Apron for its quality, you may want to keep looking if you’re on a budget.

2. HelloFresh

HelloFresh is the best middle-of-the-road service. It offers all your favorite meals at a good price: $7.49 per serving. You’re more likely looking at $9.99 per serving with Blue Apron. Although, to be fair, Blue Apron has free shipping, whereas HelloFresh charges $8.99, so depending on how many meals you get per box, it may not be that much better a deal after all. Regardless, HelloFresh has a wide variety of delightful recipes that cater to every diet, completely flexible schedules, and fresh ingredients. Besides all that, HelloFresh is committed to minimizing their carbon footprint in whatever way they can including perfectly-portioned ingredients in sustainable packaging.

3. Dinnerly

Dinnerly is billed as the affordable meal kit, and at $4.69 per serving, we’re not here to argue! They offer easy, delicious recipes with a focus on fewer ingredients and less cleanup while still feeding everyone. Another way they set themselves apart is by offering their recipes exclusively online either on their website or their mobile app instead of sending a paper insert in the box. If you’re a novice cook that just wants to dip your toes into the world of cooking or a busy parent that just needs to get dinner on the table, these recipes will be perfect for you. Sometimes there are even a few ingredients leftover that you can use for lunch or breakfast.

There are many other meal kits out there to choose from, so if you’re interested in the idea, we suggest looking around a little before landing on one in particular. Whichever one you choose, you’re sure to have a better time in the kitchen while learning new skills that you can practice on your own special recipes (or ours!) in the future. And while you’re digging into these boxes and planning your next meal, don’t forget the olive oil!