How To Choose A Meal Plan Delivery Service

Disclosure: This blog post about ‘how to choose a meal plan delivery service” is sponsored by Snap Kitchen and contains affiliate links. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Because of sponsors like Snap Kitchen I am able to continue to bring you all the content I feature here.

Looking to eat healthy? Have no time to cook? Then a meal plan delivery service might be right for you! Today I’m sharing some helpful tips and information about How To Choose A Meal Plan Delivery Service and why you should consider it!

The last few months have been a whirlwind. Moving and getting ready to welcome our new babe; and then, of course, finally meeting our little love bug and all the joys and adjustments having a new baby brings.

We’ve had plenty of sleepless nights; both from her not sleeping due to needing to eat and me not sleeping due to being a protective Mom. And there have been many times we’ve questioned if we are doing things right; but I feel like we are settling into this new life of ours just fine.

With so many major life adjustments in such a short amount of time; you have to learn to just roll with things and let some things take a back burner. For me, one of those things was cooking (and accidentally this blog… oops… but more on that another day).

Obviously since I am a chef and food blogger, cooking is a major part of my life and usually we only eat out a few times a month. But after having our little love bug, I was so exhausted and cooking became the LAST thing I wanted to do.

After eating out way too much and getting sick of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches I started to look into meal plan delivery services. I wanted something where I didn’t have to spend much time at the grocery store, didn’t have to cook and was healthy. That’s when I discovered Snap Kitchen’s new meal plan subscription service.

Snap Kitchen is a health food restaurant that provides healthy, made from scratch, pre-made meals. In the past you could go into one of their 35 stores and quickly grab a fresh prepackaged meal to go or heat and eat there.

However, they recently launched a meal plan delivery service where you can choose daily meal plans based on your needs. So, whether you are looking to try Whole30, need to eat low carb or are simply someone who doesn’t have time to cook and wants quick and healthy, no cook meals, they’ve got you covered.

For me, Snap Kitchen’s meal plan service has been a huge life saver several times since having our love bug. There have been a couple of times when I was too tired or didn’t feel like cooking and my husband had to be gone for work, where I relied on Snap Kitchen’s meal plan delivery service. I simply created an account, set my daily number of calories, chose my meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks AND drinks, if needed) and then magically all my meals were delivered right to my door!

Then when it’s meal time, I simply heat and enjoy! Easy right?

If you are looking to eat healthy and are struggling to cook but don’t want take out, then a meal plan delivery service, like Snap Kitchen, might be right for you.

After trying Snap Kitchen, I thought I would share some tips on how to choose a meal plan delivery service that is right for you.

How To Choose A Meal Plan Delivery Service:

Is the food fresh and do you have to cook it? – So many meal delivery services, especially those labeled “diet meal plans”, send frozen meals or send fresh ingredients and then you have to spend a couple of hours cooking and cleaning up. However, Snap Kitchen’s meals are prepared fresh by local chefs and never frozen. In fact, to ensure freshness, you can only get three days’ worth of meals at a time.

Does the meal plan offer a variety of meal options? – If you are looking to try a specific diet (ie: low carb, Paleo, Whole30) or have specific dietary restrictions (ie: gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, etc.) then you want to make sure the meal plan delivery service you are trying can meet these requirements. When selecting your meal plan through Snap Kitchen, you can choose the type of diet and then make meal selections based on the recommended meals for that diet and your personal preference. However, you have to look at each meal on their menu page to make sure it is gluten free, reduced sodium, etc. as this information is not listed within the meal subscription app.

Cost – Of course any meal plan subscription is going to cost more than going to the grocery store and cooking for yourself. BUT, the ease and convenience can definitely be worth the expense. In fact, if you eat out frequently a meal plan subscription may even save you money since you wouldn’t be dining out at pricey restaurants as much. And if you pick up meals from Snap Kitchen often, using their meal plan subscription actually saves you 10-15% off their store prices. Plus, if you are a first-time customer you can save $20 by signing up HERE and using code SNP-2482 at checkout.

Shipping cost or delivery fees – In addition to the cost of the meals, another thing to consider is the shipping cost or delivery fees, as these fees will be an additional charge. Snap Kitchen offers free delivery to select locations or you can pick up your meal plan in stores.

Cancellation requirements – As with any subscription service, read the fine print to know how and when to cancel your subscription.  

How often do they deliver and how far in advance do you have to place your order? – I would say the one down fall to using a meal delivery service is you do have to plan in advance. Some services it takes a week or more to have your order shipped and Snap Kitchen requires 72-hour notice to have an order delivered or picked up; which if you are hungry right then or trying to plan for the next day or two; you will have to make other arrangements in the meantime. Also, like I said, since Snap Kitchen meals are super fresh, they only delivery three days’ worth of meals at a time; meaning, you would have to arrange for your other meals to be delivered at another time.

Who should get a meal subscription service? – So now that you know how to choose a meal plan delivery service you maybe wondering if this type of service is for you. One thing I really liked about Snap Kitchen’s meal plan service was that I could really customize my plan. So, if I only wanted breakfast and lunch and then had other dinner plans, I could only get the meals I needed. I think this is a meal plan subscription is great if you work a lot and maybe want to cut down on all the lunches you eat out, you are trying to eat healthier and get into better shape, you have a small family, or maybe you will just be busy for a few days (or have a spouse out of town) and don’ have the time or desire to cook. 

OR for someone who just had a baby, gifting the new parents a few days of meals to get them by until they can function a little better, would be a fabulous gift too. Just saying.

By the way, in case you are wondering, I’ve been loving Snap Kitchen meals for years and some of favorite menu items are the bison quinoa hash, the spicy dan dan noodles (pictured above), the crispy salmon, the shrimp scampi and the “naked” beef (pictured at the top of this post).

Snap Kitchen currently has 35 stores and provides its meal plan delivery service in the Austin, Houston, Dallas and Philadelphia areas. If you are a first-time customer you can save $20 by signing up HERE and using code SNP-2482 at checkout.

And for more information about Snap Kitchen’s new meal subscription service check out their FAQ on their website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!