I Got Three Different Meal Delivery Services — Here’s The Best One
Dinner is the chore I dread above all others. After a long day, the last thing I want to do is wash and chop vegetables, measure rice, or simmer a pot of pasta sauce. Nor do I want to do everything that comes before that: scrolling through Pinterest to find the perfect recipe, taking that Saturday-morning trip to the grocery store that’s packed with frazzled moms and antsy kids…no, thanks. I’m hitting the snooze button.
So I decided it was time to get a meal delivery subscription. Over the course of three weeks, I got deliveries from Sun Basket, Freshly, and GoReadyMade. Before I reveal which service topped all the others, one important point: GoReadyMade and Freshly are services; Sun Basket is a kit. With meal kits, you get a bunch of recipes and ingredients that you have to chop, measure and cook yourself.
GoReadyMade and Freshly eliminate those first two steps — the food is either mostly prepared, or completely prepared, so it’s less time-intensive.
Now that we’ve got that distinction outta the way, here’s what I loved and loathed about each service — and which one I think you should subscribe to!
WEEK 1: Freshly
I was prepared to love Freshly even before my box arrived. All their meals are pre-made and cooked and I was already fantasizing about no more trips to the grocery store.
Unfortunately, the service disappointed me from the get-go. I opened the box to find that the packages the meals come in had gotten soggy. If first impressions are everything, this one wasn’t great.
The meals tasted ok. But to cook them, you just stick the whole tray in the microwave — so it’s basically a TV dinner for grownups. Personally, I think I deserve better than that. For me, Freshly is a hard pass.
WEEK 2: Sun Basket
I was looking forward to Week 2. Because Sun Basket is a meal kit, I anticipated savoring some truly fresh flavors.
Unfortunately, though I enjoyed the meals, my pleasure was overshadowed by the amount of time I spent preparing them. I still had to chop, mix, and bake — so, Sun Basket only eliminated one of the two dinner-related responsibilities I’m looking to avoid.
Because each meal serves two people, and I usually am only cooking for myself, I ended up with leftovers I didn’t want. And, because of all the packaging involved in making sure the ingredients arrive in peak condition, it felt like the box produced a lot of waste.
Overall, Sun Basket was just too much cooking, too much waste, and too many leftovers.
WEEK 3: GoReadyMade
I was so thankful to get to week 3, hoping that GoReadyMade would be the meal delivery service that checked all my boxes.
Well, spoiler alert: It did just that!
GoReadyMade offers a more premium experience than Sun Basket and Freshly, from delivery all the way through cleanup. When my first box arrived, I opened it to find all the meals carefully packaged, still chilled and damage-free. This was a far cry from my soggy Freshly experience.
Depending on the GoReadyMade meals you select, you might cook part of them in the oven or microwave, or in a pan on the stove. This extra touch means your GoReadyMade dinner is much fresher than Freshly (ironically!). And the cooking takes just minutes — so it’s still way easier than Sun Basket.
Plus, GoReadyMade offers a wide variety of meal options, which is great for my lifestyle. Some nights, I might want something higher-calorie after a big workout; other evenings, I stick with a leaner option.
And overall, those options are much tastier than what I’d had during the previous two weeks. My favorite dish is the Chicken and Balsamic-Fig Sauce, which comes with a healthy side of sweet potatoes. There are plenty of vegetarian meals, too, like the Veggie Buddah Bowl.
Now, I get eight dishes each week, but you can order more or less than that; their plans are super customizable. My plan costs only $8.99 a meal — which is a serious bargain, considering that I’m not spending money on groceries or even gas to get to the supermarket. I also haven’t found myself being super lazy and ordering $40 takeout from PostMates!
GoReadyMade even makes for easier cleanup. The meals come in oven-safe trays. So, not only are you eating tasty stuff, but there’s very little mess. It’s such a different experience from Sun Basket’s packaging overkill.
THE VERDICT
I was looking to take something off my plate (grocery trips and prep work) and replace it with something much better (delicious, easy meals!). GoReadyMade delivered — and I’ll never go back to grocery shopping and preparing ingredients again!
