Life in the average household is often very busy. Even with children at school, there is always some sort of chore that needs to be done or activity to take a child to. As a result, when coupled with full-time work, it is common for busy parents to look for time-saving hacks across a variety of tasks. Getting a cleaner is an obvious one, but getting some help in the kitchen is also a great help.
Previously, people may have thought that that would come in the form of a cook which would be out of budget for many. However, there is now an increasing amount of meal kit delivery services that can materially reduce the amount of time spent buying and preparing meals. Here, we look at the best meal delivery services for families and why.
What Makes a Good Meal Delivery Service For Families?
When looking for meal kit delivery services specifically good for the modern family, it is good to ensure that the following characteristics are present.
# Variety
Children are notoriously picky eaters. There will often only be one or two types of meat they like or veggies. What is great about meal kit delivery services is that chefs and dietitians are able to come up with far more ideas about what can be done with just one ingredient – whereas you may only have one or two. As a result, you can eat a lot more variety in types of dishes, while your fussy eater is still appeased with the inclusion of their favored ingredients.
# Ease
The best meal kit delivery services for families will have a wide range of recipes that can prepped and make in no time at all. While that can mean totally premade meals in some instances, it also means recipes that include minimal input from you. As a result, there needs to be a good selection of dishes that can be on the table in under 30 minutes – quicker if possible.
# Generous portion size
While some children are not big eaters, there is often a time when they go through a massive growth spurt when they seem to eat everything under the sun. As a result, it is so crucial for a meal kit delivery service to have generous portion sizes if they are to be of any use to families. Teenagers will often want seconds or thirds of everything, so it is great if what you make has enough to cater to those hungry appetites. Plus, doing so means that they are not going to attack the biscuit tin or cookie jar within 10 minutes of leaving the table. Instead, they have had a delicious and nutritionally balanced meal that fills their stomachs.
# Added extras
Because of those hungry appetites, it can also be very helpful for meal kit delivery services to have added extras that can easily include in just one weekly box. It means that parents can bulk out meals with side dishes that add an extra nutritional punch as opposed to having to rely on fillers like bread for example.
# Budget
Finally, these meal kit delivery services have to be affordable and provide value for money. While they will no doubt come out, at a headline level, more expensive than a grocery store shop, that does not take into account food wastage or time spent at the supermarket. You will find that you are paying a little more to have more spare time with your family without having to rush around getting food on the table. Meal planning is a breeze, and no food is left to go off in your fridge, as these kits only provide what you truly need.
The Best Meal Delivery Services For Families And Why
# Mindful Chef
When you look at the recipe options on the Mindful Chef website, your mind will blow by what it has to offer. Better still, they have an easily navigable site, so that you can quickly search for recipes according to type. So if you are looking for a particular food group or you simply just want to fill your weekly box with healthy recipes, it is easy to do so. Meal planning has never been so quick and you can simply prepare meals safe in the knowledge that your family is getting a delicious dish each night that still answers their dietary needs.
# Home Chef
We rate Home Chef as it has a highly professional and slick operation, which results in its customers being offered some of the best products out there. That helps a family with healthy eating as better produce is tastier and loaded with more nutritional benefits. We also love that it has such a wide variety of meal options so that you can really have an interesting diet every week – even if you have any restrictions like being a Vegetarian or a Pescatarian.
HelloFresh
HelloFresh was one of the first meal kit delivery services out there and as a result, it really knows what it is doing. When it comes to suitability for families, it is one of the best as it provides such a vast range of options to choose from each week. Meal planning is therefore a doddle – even if you have a difficult eater in the house. In terms of budget, it is affordable, with portions equating to around £3.25 each. When coupled with the convenience of what it provides, that is exceptional value for money.
# Gobble
Gobble is the ultimate time-saver. It sends meals to you fully prepped, straight to your door. It means that buying a meal-delivery kit box from Gobble is little more than reheating food in the microwave – that is just as wholesome as a home-cooked meal. At best, you may have to assemble a meal on a plate. All meals are therefore quick to serve and take 15 minutes at most to prepare. Plus, the company has a heavy onus on quality ingredients so you know you are only serving the very best to your family.
# Meal Kit Delivery Services For Families
There is no doubt that meal kit delivery services offer a whole host of benefits to time-strapped families. It means that you can produce a well-balanced meal for your kids while not feeling harassed. Instead, you get to sit down with them at a table and enjoy a wholesome family supper as many days a week as their often busy schedules allow.