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By Lindsay Boyers

If you want healthy, ready-to-heat meals with zero preparation time, Trifecta is the meal delivery service for you. All chef-created meals arrive fresh and pre-cooked; all you have to do is heat them up in the microwave, oven, air fryer, or stove (your choice). 

You can choose from several meal plans, including Whole30, paleo, keto, vegan, vegetarian, and a general clean-eating. Regardless of the specific plan, all meals are gluten-free, GMO-free, and low in sugar, salt, and saturated fat. Choose to have 5, 7, 10, or 14 entrées delivered each week with options to add on breakfast.

The only downside of this plan? You can’t select the specific meals sent your way. However you can choose to exclude up to two ingredients from your order, such as mushrooms, red meat, or white fish.

Example meal:

-Chicken pesto pasta

-Beanless chili con carne

Sustainability & Quality: Trifecta uses organic and locally sourced ingredients whenever possible, and animal-based proteins come from farmers who prioritize good animal welfare practices. In addition to providing high-quality meals, Trifecta’s goal is to massively reduce its carbon footprint. Right now, all packaging is 100% recyclable, but the company is working toward 100% biodegradable packaging by 2023. 

HelloFresh isn’t just convenient, it’s one of the most affordable delivery services, especially for the high-quality ingredients. While it does take some preparation—this is a meal kit and not a box of prepared meals—most entrées come together in 20 to 35 minutes. Each meal is labeled with its prep time, plus additional qualifiers like “easy cleanup” and “easy prep” so you can choose accordingly when you’re browsing the online menu.

For the quickest prep-to-table options, the brand offers a quick-and-easy meal plan, but there are five additional options as well, including meat and veggies, veggie, family-friendly, pescatarian, and fit & wholesome. We recommend selecting the fit & wholesome menu for an option that best resembles a Mediterranean diet, prioritizing vegetables and proteins like fatty fish.

Luckily, you don’t have to commit to one specific plan; mix and match your selection as desired. Each recipe can serve two or four people, with up to six meals per box.

Example Meal:

-Sesame soy pork bowls

-Italian chicken and pepper sandos

Sustainability & Quality: HelloFresh uses some organic ingredients, but its main focus is sourcing local and/or seasonal produce at its peak freshness. A representative from the company travels to each meat vendor to double-check that they’re following proper animal welfare guidelines. All packaging is recyclable, with the exception of the winter liners and gel pack contents.

All of the meal delivery services on this list provide quick meals, but Freshly’s sheer variety of options is what makes it stand out. There are three main meal plans, including the signature collection, a plant-based option, and a lower-calorie menu called FreshlyFit. Each plan can accommodate different dietary preferences with low-carb, dairy-free, low-calorie, and gluten-free options. Bonus: The gluten-free meals are made with certified gluten-free kitchens, so they’re actually safe for those with gluten allergies and Celiac disease.

Meals are pre-made and arrive fresh in single-serve packages. You can heat them directly in the containers for minimal cleanup time, or transfer them to a plate if you want to fancy it up—either way they’ll only need three minutes in the microwave. Because Freshly doesn’t use any preservatives, the meals do have a limited shelf life; they’ll stay fresh three to five days in the refrigerator, but you can freeze them as-is for extended storage.

Example Meal:

-Cuban mojo shrimp

-Romesco grilled chicken

Sustainability & Quality: While Freshly doesn’t use a lot of organic ingredients, the company does make its meals sans processed sugars and artificial ingredients. Most of the packaging is recyclable, but you may have to find a local drop-off location since some of the plastics aren’t eligible for curbside pickup.

Fresh N’ Lean is ideal for those nights when you have just enough energy to throw something in the microwave, and you never have to feel bad about it. While the ingredients aren’t 100% organic, all meals are made with locally grown, organic ingredients whenever possible. The entire menu is gluten-free and GMO-free, and meats are high quality (think: grass-fed beef, free-range poultry, and sustainable fish).

If you’re overwhelmed by decision-making in the early days of parenthood, this service has you covered. Choose between a keto, paleo, mediterranean, high-protein, vegan, or keto vegan menu with enough entrées to cover up to 21 meals per week. Fresh n’ Lean handles the rest for you, selecting the meals to send your way for a complete diet. Don’t worry! You can still choose up to three ingredients to avoid in your meal plan (and allergens don’t count), but this service definitely isn’t for picky eaters.

Anyone seeking more flexibility should opt for the bulk plan, which provides an array of prepared proteins and sides to let you build your own meals.

Example Meal:

-Cajun style rice with shrimp and chicken sausage

-Herb roasted cod with walnut basil pesto and vegetables

Sustainability & Quality: Fresh n’ Lean uses organic produce, grass-fed beef, and sustainable fish whenever possible—and meals are built around seasonal items, which helps contribute to sustainability. Everything is packed in recyclable trays and wrapped in recyclable plastic. The insulation used during shipping isn’t recyclable, but it is biodegradable.

Technically Home Chef is cheaper than HelloFresh, but the real appeal of the brand’s is its Fresh & Easy Plan. It emphasizes low-prep recipes that can go from fridge to table in as little as 10 minutes—and many are one-pot meals that require minimal cleanup.

When building your box, you can mix and match meal types and sort by dietary preferences, like low-carb or low-calorie. There are also options to filter for specific foods that you want to avoid, including some major allergens. Another perk? You’ll never get bored with new menu drops each week.

One small thing to consider: Although the brand employs several chefs, there’s no mention of a nutritionists or registered dietitians on staff. While postpartum needs are individual—and best addressed with your health care practitioner–it’s still important to note that meals may not be as well-balanced from Home Chef versus other options on the list. But they’ll still be high quality and quick to prepare!

Example Meals:

-One pan chicken and mushroom stroganoff

-Acapulco-style pork tacos

Sustainability & Quality: Home Chef prioritizes locally sourced and seasonal ingredients, and uses organic ingredients whenever possible (although not all the time). Most of the packaging is recyclable and/or made with recycled materials. Any packaging that can’t be recycled is nontoxic and reusable.

Many meal delivery services offer a few gluten-free recipes, but Epicured has a 100% gluten-free menu (and they’re low FODMAP, too). In addition to naturally gluten-free ingredients, the meals also incorporate gluten-free rolls and pastas, so you never feel like you’re missing out. All appliances, cooking equipment, and surfaces are also cleaned and sanitized regularly and tested for gluten by the company’s team of registered dietitians to ensure there’s no cross contamination.

When signing up for Epicured, you can choose from a curated meal plan or build an à la carte box from fully cooked, ready-to-heat entrées, soups, bowls, salads, breakfasts, sides, and snacks. To make things even easier, you can filter by dietary preferences, allergies, and/or nutritional needs, like low-fat or low-carb.

Example Meal:

-Tuna nicoise salad

-Thai green curry

Sustainability & Quality: While Epicured doesn’t have a fully organic menu, the company does prioritize sourcing organic versions of all produce on the Dirty Dozen list. Outside of that, ingredients are non-GMO and locally sourced when possible. Meats are free of antibiotics and hormones, and beef is grass-fed, chicken and turkey are organic, and fish is wild-caught.