Meal delivery boxes on a blue background

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If there’s ever a time in your life where you need easy, healthy meals that take minimal time to cook and serve, it’s now while you’re dealing with a crying, sleep-resisting, cute-as-a-button infant.

Not only are you walking around in a zombie-like state with little-to-no free time, but your arms are almost always tied up — either breastfeeding, bottle-feeding, cradling, burping, or playing with your new baby.

If you had a live-in chef that would cook for you every couple of hours, right?

“The good news is that the concept of home-cooked meals that can be ready to eat in minutes isn’t a long shot. Thanks to the influx of meal delivery subscription services, it can become reality.”

We narrowed down our choices to the least labor intensive and most satisfying since there are so many options.

These recommendations are subscription services that offer well-balanced and healthy meals for you and your family.

A note on price

“Meal delivery services can be tailored to your needs. Some subscriptions charge a fee per week. We listed the current starting price for basic subscription options, but you can find the most accurate pricing on each company’s website.”

Best for well-rounded meals

Gobble

  • Price: starting at $67.96/week
  • Number of meal options: 2 to 5 per week
  • Diets: gluten-free, dairy-free, low carb, and vegetarian

Meal subscription kits leave you with enough chopping and grating to make you feel like your kitchen is from the show of Top Chef.

Every ingredient is diced, peeled, puréed, seasoned, and measured in individual portions so there is nothing left to do but heat it up.

Every recipe is made to be table- ready in 15 minutes, and you can choose from three meals a week.

Pros

  • Prepared ingredients are ready to go.
  • There are many vegetarian, dairy-free, and low-cholesterol recipes available.
  • You can view the menus up to 4 weeks in advance.

Cons

  • on the more expensive side.
  • Some meal kit options have less vegetarian options.
Get started with Gobble

Best for homestyle meals

What a Crock

  • Price: starting at $65.99
  • Number of meal options: 6 to 30 portions delivered at the frequency of your choice
  • Diets: gluten-free, low calorie, low carb, dairy-free, and vegetarian

As a new parent, cooking a meal all day is the last thing you want — unless, of course, you have a slow cooker.

What a Crock takes the ease of a slow cooker to the next level by doing all the prep work for you. Except, you know, putting the food in the pot itself.

They deliver homestyle meals that come ready to be thrown in the slow cooker, including favorites like chicken pot pie, jambalaya, and cheesy chicken. You can customize the pricing, too, based on how many people and how many meals per week you’d like to get.

Pros

  • The ingredients and recipes are labeled.
  • All ingredients have been prepared.
  • generous portions of food
  • You can change your order at any time.

Cons

  • Slow-cooker meals are limited.
  • Shipping can be expensive and varies from location to location.
Get started with What a Crock

Best for your fitness plan

Trifecta

  • Price: starting at $99/week
  • Number of meal options: 5 to 28 per week
  • Diets: gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free, paleo, keto, vegetarian, vegan

If your menu preferences are a bit more narrow or you’re focusing on your macronutrient intake as part of your postpartum fitness routine, you might want to consider Trifecta.

They deliver fresh, never frozen food that’s designed to complement your fitness or weight loss goals, so every meal is intentionally minimalistic.

Trifecta meals are all organic, soy-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free, and they cater to just about every style of eating out there, from paleo and keto, to vegetarian and vegan. Plus, their customizable à la carte section operates pretty much like an online grocery store, so you can be choosy when it comes to what you get.

Pros

  • Doctors, chefs, and partners.
  • Breakfast, lunch, and dinner can be included in the plan.
  • The app and guidance are offered.
  • Food is fresh.

Cons

  • The meals were bland.
  • The price per meal is higher.
Get started with Trifecta

Best for breakfast or lunch

Daily Harvest

  • Price: $6.99/cup for 24 cups a month
  • Number of meal options: 9 to 24 items
  • Diets: gluten-free, high protein, keto, low cal, low carb, low sugar, paleo, and vegan

The great thing about Cup O’Noodles is that it’s ready to go in minutes — all you need to do is add water. The bad thing? They aren’t really packed with a lot of nutrients and are often loaded with more sodium than the recommended daily upper limit.

Daily Harvest takes the same The cup concept is easy to fill.but adds clean, nutrient-dense ingredients designed to make you feel energized throughout the day. They deliver soups, oat bowls, smoothies, and more in pre-portioned bowls.

Choose how many items you want to be sent on the regular (and how often) and boom — delicious food arrives at your doorstep.

Pros

  • The ingredients are organic.
  • The packaging is not harmful to the environment.
  • Free shipping.
  • The cup concept is easy to fill.
  • Low-fat, low-cholesterol, and vegan.

Cons

  • Some items need overnight refrigeration.
  • Some meals may not be enough for some.
Get started with Daily Harvest

Best for produce

Misfits Market Mischief Box

  • Price: starts at $22
  • Number of meal options: delivery boxes come in small or large sizes
  • Diets: choose from organic or non-organic produce

While this isn’t a meal delivery service, it’s worth mentioning as new parents might find it tough getting to the grocery store as often as they did pre-baby.

Misfits Market makes it easy to have fresh fruits and veggies at the ready — delivering 100 percent organic produce at up to 40 percent less than grocery store prices.

Each box includes a mix of 12 different kinds of fruits and veggies, from mangoes, apples, and peaches, to kale, zucchini, and eggplant. They’re called “misfits” because they source produce that, while perfectly fine to eat, doesn’t meet the beauty standards of most grocery stores. So not only are you getting quality produce, you’re helping eliminate food waste.

Pros

  • The groceries are high quality.
  • It helps to eliminate food waste.
  • 100% organic produce.

Cons

  • excessive packaging was reported.
  • The store has a broad selection.
Get started with Misfits Market

Best for a quick meal

Freshly

  • Price: starting at $46 per box for 4 meals
  • Number of meal options: 4 to 12 meals per week
  • Diets: gluten-free, dairy-free, peanut-free, plant-based, low-calorie, and low-carb

With Freshly, order healthy and fuss-free meals to be delivered to your door on a weekly basis. Meals come frozen and all you have to do is pop them in the microwave for about 3 minutes. Yes, seriously.

The best part about Freshly is that these aren’t your average microwaved meals — they’re meals you’d actually want to eat after an exhausting day, like beef chili, steak with peppercorn sauce, and chicken teriyaki.

Most meals are gluten-free and created with a food philosophy centered on less sugar, less processing, and more nutrients.

Pros

  • Microwavable meals are very easy to prepare.
  • No chemical or artificial ingredients.

Cons

  • Not for people who enjoy cooking.
  • Some people said that meals became hysterical after a while in the fridge.
Get started with Freshly

Best for baby

Tiny Organics

  • Price: starting at $4.66/meal in a box of 24
  • Number of meal options: choose between a 12 or 24 pack of meals
  • Diets: organic and free of all Big-8 allergens

If you thought feeding yourself a well-rounded meal was challenging enough, just wait until you have to do it for your little one (around 6 months). While for starters they’ll stick mostly to purées, before you know it, they’ll be interested in some of what you’re having too.

That’s where Tiny Organics comes in handy. They deliver food for your little eater that’s 100% organic, plant-based, and free of all Big-8 allergens with a shelf life is 6 months.when stored in the freezer as directed. All you have to do is select a meal plan that’s suited to your child’s developmental milestones.

Pros

  • 100% plant-based food.
  • shelf life is 6 months.
  • No preparation required.

Cons

  • Does not offer purees.
  • You need to heat up the meals when serving them.
Get started with Tiny Organics

Best for the whole family

Nurture Life

  • Price: $7.99-$9.49/meal, minimum order of $39
  • Number of meal options: 6 to 15 meals per order
  • Diets: gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, soy-free, dairy-free, and egg-free

Although it might seem far away, your little one will eventually start joining you for meals at the table. When they do, you might want a meal delivery subscription that can feed the whole fam.

In addition to adult meals, Nurture Life delivers fresh, never frozen, veggie-forward meals that your child will (hopefully) like, made specifically for their age range — babies (10 months–24 months), toddlers (1–4 years), younger kids (5–10 years), and older kids (11–18 years).

They’re on the pricier end, but the meals for kids are meant to be just as appetizing as the adult offerings. After all, how often do you look at a toddler’s meal and think that looks good?

Pros

  • It also includes options for the whole family.
  • There are no artificial flavors or colors.

Cons

  • “It’s more expensive than some delivery options.”
  • Not available in all states.
Get started with Nurture Life

Pricing Best for Cancelation/pausing process
Gobble $67.97 per week well-rounded meals you skip a delivery or cancel at any time
What a Crock starting at $65.99 homestyle meals pause, cancel, or change your meal plan at any time
Trifecta starting at $99 per week full wellness plan give 7 days advance notice to skip a delivery or cancel
Daily Harvest $6.99 per cup breakfast or lunch cancel or pause your subscription at any time
Misfits Market starting at $22 per order produce cancel, skip, or pause your subscription at any time
Freshly starting at $46 per box quick meals cancel, skip, or pause your subscription at any time
Tiny Organics starting at $4.69 per meal baby food cancel, skip, or pause your subscription at any time
Nurture Life starting at $6.89 per meal kids of all ages cancel, skip, or pause your subscription at any time

Meal delivery is an option that is available for almost everyone. You can choose the right delivery service for you and your family.

If you enjoy cooking and meal prep, you will probably want to look for kits that have fresh ingredients and fun recipes. If you are short on time, a quicker heat-and-serve option is probably the best option.

There are lower-cost options, but pricer services usually provide better ingredients. If you want to provide baby food or toddler food for your family, a service that includes it is a good place to start.

What is the average cost for a meal delivery service?

The price for a meal delivery service is between $8.49 and $12.49 per meal.

What is the easiest home meal delivery?

Freshly and Daily Harvest are some of the easiest options. Freshly needs a quick spin in the microwave and Daily Harvest needs hot water.

Will meal delivery services save me money?

“Delivery meal services will usually save you time, but they won’t save you much money. If you are looking for convenience after the baby is born, a meal delivery service might be right for you. Meal delivery services may be cheaper than getting takeout, but it depends on how you spend your money.”

If you are short on time or bored of your home-cooked meals, a delivery service can be a great option. If you have budgetary concerns, these meal kits are helpful.

Meal kit delivery services can easily take the stress out of shopping for food and preparing meals if you have just returned home with a baby.

You can try out many different services that allow you to skip deliveries, pause or cancel your membership at any time, so you can see how they work for you.