Freshly Meal Review
Let Freshly Meal Kits Wow Your Family
With a husband who loves seafood and never gets to eat it because of me (I’m allergic), and a kid who eats about 10 things in total, dinners can be complicated. We usually have to make separate dishes, at least for the kids. Add to that the fact that, at 7 years old they already have things that keep us busy each weeknight and you’ve got a combination for poor eating habits.
Freshly to the Rescue
Enter Freshly. I’ve tried other meal kit delivery services before, and while I loved them, we still had to do the prep and cooking to get the meal on the table. This worked if we had time, which was only about one or two nights a week. With Freshly, I discovered nutritious food that I could feed my family quickly. They’re a little different than other meal subscription box services because these meal kits come pre-cooked and ready to eat in just three minutes. I never knew that you could just heat and eat a fresh, chef-cooked meal, and it would be healthy on top of that.
This meal kit delivery option is great for people on the go, like us. If you don’t have time to grocery shop or cook but still desire to provide a healthy meal to your family, this option is fantastic. Let’s look at the reasons behind the awesome that is Freshly.
The Right Price, The Most Choice
Each meal is meant for one person. It comes pre-cooked and pre-packaged like a TV dinner would, except these meals are fresh and made with the best ingredients. My favorite thing about Freshly aside from the fact that it’s pre-cooked is that you can choose any combination of meals you’d like. So, if we order a meal for four, it can be all the same dish or four separate ones to make each of us happy. That is so perfect for our family.
You can get four, six, nine, or twelve meals a week. For four, you’re paying $12.99 a meal, $9.99 for the six or nine options, and $8.99 for the twelve meal option. They have 30 meals each week to choose from, and those rotate so that you won’t be bored. Shipping is free, which is a nice bonus. You’re not committed either, because you can skip a week or cancel anytime. And they help you remember to update your weekly order with a reminder email, so there’s no worry about forgetting and getting the same meals two weeks in a row.
Inside Our Week
Like I mentioned earlier, we love that we can each choose the meals we want. I don’t do this for every meal, but once a week, I let the kids pick whichever one off the list that they want to try. I like doing this because it gets them involved in their food selections, which helps establish good eating habits. Here’s what we got last week:
- Meal One: Steak Peppercorn with Sauteed Carrots & French Greenbeans – this meal was amazing. The steak was tender, and we could lessen the cooking time if we wanted to have it a little less well-done, as with my husband. The steak is on a bed of mashed potatoes, and this dish was plenty to fill us up. My kids probably could have shared a meal with this one.
- Meal Two: Sicilian-Style Chicken Parm with Broccoli – this lower-calorie meal was a hit. Anytime the kids can feel like they’re eating pizza (cheese and red sauce), they like the meal. My husband and I appreciated the adult feel of chicken parm, and the taste was terrific. These don’t feel like TV dinners or reheated leftovers.
- Meal Three: Homestyle Chicken with Butternut Mac & Cheese, Kids; Turkey & Sweet Jalapeno Relish with Sorghum Pilaf, Me; and Wild-Caught Mahi with Cilantro-Lime Rice & Romesco, Hubby – For this one, we each chose one to try. All were delicious and met the needs of our palates with food we don’t get as often (well, except for the kids, they get mac & cheese a lot).
More About the Meals
Freshly says their meals are about 10% larger than competitors, and while I haven’t weighed them to verify, I can say the portions are very generous. They also maintain a gluten and peanut-free menu. They don’t have a specific menu for dietary preferences like paleo, but with their large variety of meals to choose from each week, there’s something for everyone. Here’s a breakdown of how they select their meals:
- 20+ meals under 500 calories
- 8-10 meals under 35 grams of carbs
- 8–10 dairy-free meals
- About 4 Paleo-friendly meals
- About 4 vegetarian meals
How to Prepare
Preparing the meals is easy. They’ve already been cooked, so you just heat them in the microwave. For most meals, it’s about three minutes, but you can play with that time, as long as the inner meat temperature reaches 165° F. You can heat them in the oven, but you have to use your own dish because their trays aren’t made for the oven.
Shelf Life
Because Freshly has a promise of not adding any artificial or chemical preservatives, the freshly-prepared meals can stay in the refrigerator for about 4-5 days. Each meal will have the use-by date as well as nutritional info to help guide you. And they can be stored in the freezer for later if need be.
Allergy Cautions
With gluten-free meals (they’re certified gluten-free), and the fact that their facility doesn’t handle or store any of those products, it’s pretty safe. They also use organic and non-GMO ingredients when they can, which we liked. And they do guarantee that all of their ingredients are high-quality and always free of additives, chemicals, artificial ingredients, and refined sugars.
Nutrition Info
One of the reasons we chose this particular meal subscription box was because they take nutritious meals seriously. They try to provide real, whole foods and have a banned food lits of things like hydrogenated oils. Their meals have badges on them to let you know which meals are paleo-friendly or under 500 calories, for example. They work their meals around veggies, proteins, and healthy fats to create balanced meals that are wholesome and full of taste. They even have a specialized tool to sort by nutritional attributes so you can find exactly what you’re looking for in a meal, which has come in pretty handy.
Freshly is Worth a Try
If you’re a family on the go, you’ll want to try out these meal kits. They’re so convenient, and they aren’t bad for you like fast food or other options you might turn to in a hurry. Check them out to see for yourself!