The holidays are here and so are the busy days that go right along with them. A festive gathering here, a last minute stop at the mall to pick up a gift there. The one store that you may not get to is the supermarket. Before you know it, you finally return from your long day to find you don’t have a dinner plan or the food on hand to create one. What you need is someone to shop for you, someone who ideally knows your preferences, and who can make sure you are staying on track with your nutrition goals. Well, with snack and recipe delivery services it’s like you do have someone doing just that.
If you don’t know what food delivery services are, they are personalized programs that send snacks or pre-measured ingredients for dinner directly to your home, based on what you’re inclined to like. Not only do these companies’ help you avoid last minute take out, they also introduce you to new foods and flavors. A subscription for yourself or someone on your holiday gift list may be just what you are looking for this season.
For Snacks
When company’s coming, a road trip looms or you are just plain tired of the same old, these snack boxes, which are delivered right to your door, are exactly what you need. With great variety in their offerings, these companies focus on providing their consumers with fun, flavorful snacks.
Graze.com: With trail mix names like Salted Fudge & Peanut Cookie and Deconstructed Carrot Cake as well as a plethora of wholesome seed mixes and homemade granola bars, Graze.com, prides itself on offering you savory and sweet snacks that will “delight your taste buds”. Depending on your subscription, you may receive a weekly box or one every other week. The bars are homemade and reviewed by their in house nutritionist. If you are interested, I recommend viewing their site and the nutrition facts for each snack to assess which snacks are best for you to ensure that you are staying within your daily diet goals.
Naturebox: Similar to Graze, Naturebox offers a variety of unique snacks, trail mixes and more developed by the company. You pick your plan (they offer 50% off the first box) and receive a box of snacks when you want them. Reviewed by a registered dietitian, they are proud of the ingredients used in their snacks. Of course, when browsing their site it is important to empower yourself just the same as in the supermarket and consider what snacks suit you best and the role they can play in your day.
Recipe Delivery
When life gets busy or you are struggling to answer the question “what’s for dinner”, recipe delivery companies have your back. With pre-portioned ingredients and complete recipes, each meal is designed to easily go from “box to table”. The concept is great and the recipes offered by these companies sound terrific, however, I always encourage people to examine the nutrition facts to ensure it is appropriate for their own nutrition goals.
BlueApron.com: Not sure what to cook tonight? Wish you could try something new like Creamy Sweet Potato and Kale Casserole with Spiced Coconut Béchamel and Ginger? The culinary team and guest chefs at BlueApron.com want to you help you do just that. Most dishes can be made in about 30 minutes and feature farm fresh ingredients along with preparation tips and recipes for two or four people. The plan can be adjusted to your household, cancelled any time and has no shipping charges. New customers can enjoy their first two meals for free!
HelloFresh.com: With a traditional recipe box or a vegetarian option, HelloFresh.com, wants to turn you into someone who can cook from scratch. Their flexible subscriptions that will allow you to prepare dishes like Rosemary-Basted Steak with Roasted Parsnip Wedges and Garlicky Creamed Spinach in your home kitchen. HelloFresh is seeking to turn more of us into chefs… the kind that know exactly what they need and waste nothing, which is generally not an easy thing to do when you shop for ingredients for a unique recipe. They offer delivery plans to fit your needs and first time customers a special deal of $20 off their first order.
When life gets busy, recipe and snack companies may be just what you need to stay on track with wholesome cooking. For more advice on how to make healthful, homemade meals, check out our webinar, Healthier Home Cooking! Or tune in for our upcoming webinar, Here’s to Your Health: Balancing Entertaining and Nutrition.