Meal delivery services

SpaceCowb0y

Hi all

Im planning to do a version of "The Whole 30" paleo plan next month and am thinking of using one of those meal delivery services to sort out my meals (well monday - friday anyway as its hard to find time to cook mid week)

Just wondering if anyone has any experience with these and if they are worth the money, some of them are quite expensive! The main thing is they need to cater for the paleo diet.

The ones i've been looking at are

http://www.paleomealdeliveries.ie/ (3 meals x 5days = €93)

and

http://www.fighterfood.ie/ (3 meals x 6days = €125)


They both seem ok i guess, the first option says its 3 meals give you 120g protein, 50g fats, 70g carbs daily the second one doesn't specify which is a shame.

Either way id still end up needing to cook at least one extra meal daily so its not cheap. Does anyone know of any other similar setups that are cheaper/seem better for one reason or another? Really like to get some opinions from people who use/have used this type of service.

Or am i mad thinking of shelling out that much for meals? I could probably whip some bland boring meals (4 meals x 7 days) together on a Sunday for about 90 quid for the week? I know that sounds like a no brainier but i'm very lazy when it comes to cooking and will wind up eating the same thing for 30 days if i'm left to it myself.

Alkers

It's extortionately expensive tbh!
Get up an hour early and cook your food for the day while having breakfast.
I have fish, some nuts and a smoothie for breakfast.
While this is cooking or I'm eating, I cook 2x portions of turkey/chicken or lean beef to bring to work. One I eat with a salad and the other I eat with some steamed vegetables.
Then cook a dinner when I get home, although this isn't always as healthy as I eat with my OH.
This costs me approx €60/week

jester77

Maybe something like joylent

Hanley

Here's the thing I always find funny.. people complain about the price.

How much money do we also waste on other bull**** during the week we could do without.

Some weeks I HATE prepping food, and because food is such a huge part of me achieving my goals and being productive in work, I'm happy to throw 50-100 on top of what i'd normally pay to solve the problem.

...it's better than legging it to Diep 3x per week.

It's about what you value and what your priorities are - and only you can answer that.

My only concern is the guys who prep meals and you only get like 2,000kcal and 120g protein. You STILL Have to go elsewhere for food and supplement. Makes no sense buying a half solution to something imo.

Lombardo86

I am actually looking at doing something like this myself in a few months to meet a specific goal and probably would have posted the exact same thing in a few weeks.

I have heard mixed reviews re: fighter food. So of the two you've listed i would go paleo meal deliveries.

My own conclusion was that i will just need to prep in advance - i do now and it stands to me but in the rush up to my goal i expect to quite busy and was looking for an alternative (which i was willing to pay for given what i wanted. which is line with the previous posters opinion).

Long run, getting into the prep routine is the best (and most affordable) way in my opinion

Kurn

Hanley wrote: »

Here's the thing I always find funny.. people complain about the price.

How much money do we also waste on other bull**** during the week we could do without.

Some weeks I HATE prepping food, and because food is such a huge part of me achieving my goals and being productive in work, I'm happy to throw 50-100 on top of what i'd normally pay to solve the problem.

...it's better than legging it to Diep 3x per week.

It's about what you value and what your priorities are - and only you can answer that.

My only concern is the guys who prep meals and you only get like 2,000kcal and 120g protein. You STILL Have to go elsewhere for food and supplement. Makes no sense buying a half solution to something imo.

Can you say which service you have used in the past and found good?

Hanley

Kurn wrote: »

Can you say which service you have used in the past and found good?

I've only ever used Clean Lean Foods and it was great value.

The portions were too small for my needs (1 chicken breast, small portion of rice and veg) but given the price the value was dead on.

I'd happily have paid more for bigger portion sizes tho.

SpaceCowb0y

Simona1986 wrote: »

It's extortionately expensive tbh!
Get up an hour early and cook your food for the day while having breakfast.
I have fish, some nuts and a smoothie for breakfast.
While this is cooking or I'm eating, I cook 2x portions of turkey/chicken or lean beef to bring to work. One I eat with a salad and the other I eat with some steamed vegetables.
Then cook a dinner when I get home, although this isn't always as healthy as I eat with my OH.
This costs me approx €60/week

I already normally cook for three days in advance as it is but my diet is so dull and bland. Brown rice/Spinach and chicken for 3 meals a day, eggs for breakfast, almonds for snacks. some red meat throughout the week also.

Half the reason for looking at one of these services is because i want to go full paleo for the month and with my lack of enthusiasm to do much in the kitchen (pure lazyness) i thought something like this would help keep me on track.

Might even do it for 2 weeks out of 4 just to give me some ideas?

jester77 wrote: »

Maybe something like joylent

Please tell me people aren't living on this alone??? :eek:

Hanley wrote: »

Here's the thing I always find funny.. people complain about the price.

How much money do we also waste on other bull**** during the week we could do without.

Some weeks I HATE prepping food, and because food is such a huge part of me achieving my goals and being productive in work, I'm happy to throw 50-100 on top of what i'd normally pay to solve the problem.

...it's better than legging it to Diep 3x per week.

It's about what you value and what your priorities are - and only you can answer that.

My only concern is the guys who prep meals and you only get like 2,000kcal and 120g protein. You STILL Have to go elsewhere for food and supplement. Makes no sense buying a half solution to something imo.

This is my main concern, ill still be short 100g in protein, 40g fats and 70g carbs on their 3 meal plan so i'll definitely need another meal for after training in the evenings so on top of say 125 quid for the week ill be spending another 20 at least for that extra meal each day, starts to add up!

i wish i wasn't so lazy when it comes to cooking. But i guess that's why these guys are in business:rolleyes:

SuppleLeopard

Admin Edit: Spammy McSpammyperson.

SpaceCowb0y

Yep the menu looks great but it's only half of what i need daily

Now i can get almost 100 g protein from my two shakes a day, make up the fats with Udo's oil and almonds to snack on the main issue i have is i need an extra meal a day for after i train in the evening. so after forking out €125 for 7 days food ill need to drop about another 20 on food for that extra meal each day.

All in all we can round it up to €150 a week on food, for one person? Like i said i could probably make 4 meals for 7 days for about 90 quid. Albeit my food plan will most definitely be bland and unvaried. Soooo... is variety and time worth 60 quid or 240 quid over the 4 weeks?

Decisions...

MagicMarker

Oooor you can just prepare a varied diet yourself instead?

Invest 40 quid in a few cook books instead

SpaceCowb0y

MagicMarker wrote: »

Oooor you can just prepare a varied diet yourself instead?

Invest 40 quid in a few cook books instead

I could, yes! But again you miss the part when i say i am extremely lazy and uninterested in spending hours in the kitchen.

Plus i live in share accommo and things like food processors and other kitchen gadgets are non existent.

Alf Veedersane

SpaceCowb0y wrote: »

I could, yes! But again you miss the part when i say i am extremely lazy and uninterested in spending hours in the kitchen.

Plus i live in share accommo and things like food processors and other kitchen gadgets are non existent.

If you don't have enough interest to cook the food you'd like to eat, invest in the service.

If you don't have the money to invest in the service, make the effort to cook the meals.

If you choose the former, I'd suggest learning how to make similar meals easily. You don't need to be kitted put like Inspector Gadget to make a few different meals that fit your kcal and macro requirements

Dotcomdolly

I think it'd be hard to stick to W30 guidelines and not prepare your own food.
But you can keep it simple & fend for yourself, lots of people turn from non-cooks into competent ones doinga w30.

WHIP IT!

Hanley wrote: »

Here's the thing I always find funny.. people complain about the price.

How much money do we also waste on other bull**** during the week we could do without.

Some weeks I HATE prepping food, and because food is such a huge part of me achieving my goals and being productive in work, I'm happy to throw 50-100 on top of what i'd normally pay to solve the problem.

...it's better than legging it to Diep 3x per week.

It's about what you value and what your priorities are - and only you can answer that.

My only concern is the guys who prep meals and you only get like 2,000kcal and 120g protein. You STILL Have to go elsewhere for food and supplement. Makes no sense buying a half solution to something imo.

This x 1000

I've bought from Fit Food Ireland before and have no complaints. I think if you need to buy meals for every single day then you need to sort your organisational sh*t out... but meals from places like FFI or similiar are perfect 'in case of emergency' meals to have in the freezer...

Here was my reasoning for using their service: I work in two different jobs. If I don't get a chance to bring a pre-prepared meal in to work with me, I usually go for a) A Carvery (which I absolutely love!), massive portions, carb-central and costs €10.50... or b) Boojum for a burrito in a bowl (tasty as bejebus, with extra guac) which I think costs €7.50....

The meals from FFI are paleo, extremely (surprisingly) tasty and work out at, I think, €7.20 each... it's a no-brainer really... I also get the 'treat box' which is f*cking superb...

As Hanley said in his later post, the portions are on the small side and, like H, I'd sooner pay ~8.50 or 9 quid a meal for more satiating portions... but it's definitely something you should look at having in your freezer.

SpaceCowb0y

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

If you don't have enough interest to cook the food you'd like to eat, invest in the service.

If you don't have the money to invest in the service, make the effort to cook the meals.

If you choose the former, I'd suggest learning how to make similar meals easily. You don't need to be kitted put like Inspector Gadget to make a few different meals that fit your kcal and macro requirements

Makes sense. I think what i will do is maybe try it for one week with paleomealsdelivered.ie see how i get on and i guess i'll find out the value of it for myself then.

Dotcomdolly wrote: »

I think it'd be hard to stick to W30 guidelines and not prepare your own food.
But you can keep it simple & fend for yourself, lots of people turn from non-cooks into competent ones doing a w30.

Also true enough, i've been looking at simple recipes online and there's a few things that don't seem too time consuming that i could cook in bulk.

Caroline150

I have seen a few people ordering from these services and in general the food looks great but very simple and with very little info (if any) on calories and macros (protein carbs, fats). This may not be an issue for you but something to be aware of.

I am a massive fan of preparing meals in bulk. I used to make 5 day worth of meals (15 meals) in about an hour. Each day I would hit strict calorie, protein, carbohydrate and vegetable goals. I usually spent 30 euro a week. Every meal was great quality, I was eating low calorie meals and even still could barely eat all of the food I made.

When I first started I was blown away by the value and quality attainable by this method and how easy it is. Just take a small bit of planning 1 day a week which is better than having to plan for 15 meals throughout the week...

Mellor

SuppleLeopard wrote: »

Spam removed
...

First post om boards, very "paleo" username.
I wonder why <snip company name> was the clincher that made you sign up? :rolleyes:

SpaceCowb0y wrote: »

All in all we can round it up to €150 a week on food, for one person? Like i said i could probably make 4 meals for 7 days for about 90 quid. Albeit my food plan will most definitely be bland and unvaried. Soooo... is variety and time worth 60 quid or 240 quid over the 4 weeks?

'
I think that's the factor that most people overlook when they call these things expensive. The time element.
How long will it take you to make those meals, how much is your time worth? That's what it comes down to for me. The options for me here are about $13 per 500cal large meal - so I do it myself.

I spent 2 hours yesterday batch cooking lunches while I did last night dinner.

Portioned a whole chicken, made stock from the carcass.

4 portions of kangaroo chilli,
4 portions of thai chicken curry
2 thai chicken soups
2 pan roast chicken breasts with butternut (last night dinner).

Apart from dinner, those 10 meals when into the freezer for when I'm in a rush. I try to make extra dinner each day for the next days lunch, grab one of them if Im stuck. I've never worked out the cost, but its probably onlt a few dollars each.

Skippy :eek:

Connorzee

I've often wondered why something similar isnt available in Cork. Obviously i know some of the dublin ones deliver nationwide but the second biggest city in ireland you would hope would have one (Unless i'm mistaken?).

Also amazed the likes of Marks and Spencers which is known for its quality and array of food hasnt targeted the protein audience. Or even one of the other shops that do readymade food.

WHIP IT!

Caroline150 wrote: »

I have seen a few people ordering from these services and in general the food looks great but very simple and with very little info (if any) on calories and macros (protein carbs, fats). This may not be an issue for you but something to be aware of.

I am a massive fan of preparing meals in bulk. I used to make 5 day worth of meals (15 meals) in about an hour. Each day I would hit strict calorie, protein, carbohydrate and vegetable goals. I usually spent 30 euro a week. Every meal was great quality, I was eating low calorie meals and even still could barely eat all of the food I made.

When I first started I was blown away by the value and quality attainable by this method and how easy it is. Just take a small bit of planning 1 day a week which is better than having to plan for 15 meals throughout the week...

Tell me how.... please!!

Dotcomdolly

I got a 1 day trial of paleo meal deliveries last year when they had a deal on living social or the like, the food was pretty bad - included a *defrosted* cucumber salad,and the treat bar had peanuts in! But what bugged me the most was the lack of reply to my feedback/comments.
I'd say Conor McGregor it'd have to eat 4 days worth, I was left hungry at 5'3/60kg!

O.P if you are interested in doing a simple W30 I can try dig out some rescources from my bookmarks for you.

SpaceCowb0y

Dotcomdolly wrote: »

I got a 1 day trial of paleo meal deliveries last year when they had a deal on living social or the like, the food was pretty bad - included a *defrosted* cucumber salad,and the treat bar had peanuts in! But what bugged me the most was the lack of reply to my feedback/comments.
I'd say Conor McGregor it'd have to eat 4 days worth, I was left hungry at 5'3/60kg!

O.P if you are interested in doing a simple W30 I can try dig out some rescources from my bookmarks for you.

Hey that would be great, thank you

I've found a few recipes that look super simple, sweet potato chips, turkey burgers, different ways to add flavour to chicken. I really want to avoid anything that is going to be time consuming. if it can be made in bulk in under 20 minutes then its the kind of thing i'll make.

Mellor

bluewolf wrote: »

Skippy :eek:

Front left :eek:

Dotcomdolly

SpaceCowb0y wrote: »

Hey that would be great, thank you

I've found a few recipes that look super simple, sweet potato chips, turkey burgers, different ways to add flavour to chicken. I really want to avoid anything that is going to be time consuming. if it can be made in bulk in under 20 minutes then its the kind of thing i'll make.

One of the best paleo (and mostly w30) foodie sites is the clothe smake the girl, love it.
What I think might work for you is her "hot plates" , see at the bottom of this page, but you might enjoy a look at her week by week W30 plans. I find all her recipes very tasty, but she tends to be heavy on salt/spices so you may want to bear that in mind

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2014/01/04/whole30-2014-week-2-food-plan/

SuppleLeopard

Admin Edit: Spammy McSpammyperson.

Dotcomdolly

"apparently"
Good to hear things have improved.

MagicMarker

This has actually peaked my interest, it would be nice to not have to spend time buy/preparing food. So I had a quick look at the Paleo Food Deliveries website... €127.50 for 7x3 meals!!!!

They don't even try and incentivize a monthly subscription either, the 7x3 meals over 4 weeks still works out at €124.50 a week, a whopping €3 saving.

For what are essentially microwaveable dinners (albeit healthy blah blah), that is quite frankly ridiculous. Especially when you'd have to buy snacks on top of that.

SpaceCowb0y

MagicMarker wrote: »

This has actually peaked my interest, it would be nice to not have to spend time buy/preparing food. So I had a quick look at the Paleo Food Deliveries website... €127.50 for 7x3 meals!!!!

They don't even try and incentivize a monthly subscription either, the 7x3 meals over 4 weeks still works out at €124.50 a week, a whopping €3 saving.

For what are essentially microwaveable dinners (albeit healthy blah blah), that is quite frankly ridiculous. Especially when you'd have to buy snacks on top of that.

So you think its a complete rip off?

I had already figured snacks and an extra meal i'd need to cook into things but id snack on nuts, and i have 2 protein shakes a day already to make up the protein i require. All in all probably about €150 a week for food but the effort is taken out of it. plus ill be sitting in al month so ill save on that side of things as i usually spend at least 80+ on a night out once a week

Mellor

SuppleLeopard wrote: »

I was very impressed personally, and portions were perfect, found I was actually eating less calories

What about people will high energy needs, trying to maintain or even gain weight

Mr E

Sitebanned SuppleLeopard for being an obvious shill for that company.

I've had to delete/edit a few replies to maintain the thread flow. Sorry!

SpaceCowb0y

So as an update i decided against using one of these services... well for the moment anyway. I said i'd give it a week of cooking for myself and see how i got on.

I went shopping earlier and my bill came to a total of €82 that includes €12 on tupperware and condiments that i won't need to buy each week.

I've spent all morning cooking and i've surprised myself.

For Post workout meal around 8:30pm

I've 3 large portions of Paleo chili which i found a recipe for online, could probably get 4 out of this but i wont.

2 x 200g homemade spicy turkey burgers

Lunch & Pre workout meal (1:30pm & 5:30pm)

400g of chicken breast each day split over two meals (5 days worth)

Late morning meal 10:30am
Eggs x 5 per day

Breakfast 8am
12 steak burgers (will eat two per meal, comes in at roughly 200g a portion)

I've also bought salad and made a huge amount of roasted sweet potato so i will alternate between these to have with each meal.

Wish i could post a photo as i am delighted with myself but my phone is in getting fixed and im using an old nokia for now!

It was a fair bit of effort but i feel good for it and considering i wont be doing much for the month it might be a way to keep busy.

Alf Veedersane

Fair play. You'll find you get quicker and more efficient at the prep the more practice you get

MagicMarker

Burgers for breakfast?

You've made the right decision. :cool:

SpaceCowb0y

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Fair play. You'll find you get quicker and more efficient at the prep the more practice you get

I hope so, it wasn't so bad really but then again i didnt have much to do today, if i was busy i wouldnt have had the time for it. Plus nobody was home today so had the kitchen to myself which helped. How long do you reckon i can store all this food in the fridge for?

MagicMarker wrote: »

Burgers for breakfast?

You've made the right decision. :cool:

Ha well the diet says to eat lots and lots of meat and they are steak mince burgers rather than just your average beef burgers so im assuming the quality is a good bit better and have less fat etc so hopefully it wont be too unhealthy :rolleyes:

PowerToWait

Nice work. Where'd you get yer steak burgers? DIY?

I keep beef and chicken in airtight containers for up t 4 days no prob. Reckon you could get 5. Sniff test is the ay to go.

I should really get organised and do meal prep as well

Making a banoffee is the extent of my activity for today


good work op!

Dotcomdolly

Good on ya!

SpaceCowb0y

PowerToWait wrote: »

Nice work. Where'd you get yer steak burgers? DIY?

I keep beef and chicken in airtight containers for up t 4 days no prob. Reckon you could get 5. Sniff test is the ay to go.

Nah just in the butchers. Cooking was one thing but grinding my own steak mince....:pac: one thing at a time ha

SpaceCowb0y

Just as an update on this, since starting 2 weeks ago yesterday i've dropped a stone exactly. as of this morning i'm 14St 2lbs i started at 15.2

Not sure how i fell about that, drastic weight loss! Finally starting to feel the energy benefits though after a tough first week or so of feeling extremely fatigued. I've also been out of training for quite a while now with a busted rotator cuff that i'm in physio for so i'd imagine i'm losing quite a bit of muscle (in fact i can see i have) so i'd say that is bringing the numbers down quicker than hoped or expected.

Lombardo86

SpaceCowb0y wrote: »

Just as an update on this, since starting 2 weeks ago yesterday i've dropped a stone exactly. as of this morning i'm 14St 2lbs i started at 15.2

Not sure how i fell about that, drastic weight loss! Finally starting to feel the energy benefits though after a tough first week or so of feeling extremely fatigued. I've also been out of training for quite a while now with a busted rotator cuff that i'm in physio for so i'd imagine i'm losing quite a bit of muscle (in fact i can see i have) so i'd say that is bringing the numbers down quicker than hoped or expected.

I think the mods my vote against you keeping this as a tracker for weight loss - but great going!

How is the food prep coming along? Have you mastered it yet?? Would you ever consider meal services again?

SpaceCowb0y

Lombardo86 wrote: »

I think the mods my vote against you keeping this as a tracker for weight loss - but great going!

How is the food prep coming along? Have you mastered it yet?? Would you ever consider meal services again?

Ah i won't be keeping track of anything, just thought i would let others know that i was still going with the whole30 but to answer your question no i doubt i'll ever use a meal provider (well not any of the ones i can see online, if i come in to money and can get fresh food made daily then maybe ha!)

Is it me or do these seem very expensive? I mean, unless I read that wrong on the paleo website, then they're charging €370 a month..?

SpaceCowb0y

Lombardo86 wrote: »

I think the mods my vote against you keeping this as a tracker for weight loss - but great going!

How is the food prep coming along? Have you mastered it yet?? Would you ever consider meal services again?

Very expensive!! I've managed to do it on a much lower budget myself, but obviously my point at the beginning was that it cuts out the 2 hours or so i spend preparing the food on a Sunday which is a bit of a pain in the hole! So you're paying for convenience.

I also decided against it because the idea of freezing and defrosting salads with some meals didnt seem appealing either

Hanley

Deleted User wrote: »

Is it me or do these seem very expensive? I mean, unless I read that wrong on the paleo website, then they're charging €370 a month..?

370 a month for all your food prepared is expensive?!

Am I missing something here?

I couldn't prep my own food for that, never mind paysomeone else to do it.

SpaceCowb0y

Hanley wrote: »

370 a month for all your food prepared is expensive?!

Am I missing something here?

I couldn't prep my own food for that, never mind paysomeone else to do it.

Ive managed to do it for 3 weeks now for about €230 so far with much bigger portions than i imagine id get from one of these.

most days

150g steak meat (burgers or sirloin) + 3 eggs: meal 1
180g chicken breast + salad: meal 2
180g chicken breast + salad/Sweet potato & other veg: meal 3
200g turkey burger/300g paleo chili + sweet potato: meal 4

4 meals vs 3 with much more protein for considerably less, the first weeks shopping cost me 90 quid but i also bought condiments and tupperware that i haven't needed again since so the last two weeks bill have been about 70 so i expect the same again for the last week.

Mellor

SpaceCowb0y wrote: »

Ive managed to do it for 3 weeks now for about €230 so far with much bigger portions than i imagine id get from one of these.

So that's about €305 per 4 weeks, and €325 per 30 days. So slightly cheaper, more food. But;
How long have you spent getting the food ready? What's your time worth?

SpaceCowb0y

Mellor wrote: »

So that's about €305 per 4 weeks, and €325 per 30 days. So slightly cheaper, more food. But;
How long have you spent getting the food ready? What's your time worth?

Well obviously the more food is massive, as i would have had to make an extra meal on top of the delivery for each day so you can add another 30 quid on to their price there. But as i said, that was exactly my reasoning for looking into these services in the first place, i can't be bothered in the kitchen at all really but i haven't found it too bad. i usually do all my prep sat/sun morning for the week.

frag420

I have quickly skipped through the thread but could not see a mention of Musclefood.co.uk.

I have been using them for over a month, great selection of high protein ready meals and they taste awesome (just has there beef chili for lunch) as well as selling sups, fresh meats and veg and loads of other high protein foods. I find them great value, fantastic service and awesome products. For example there chicken breasts are huge, not pumped with water and trimmed so all the gung and bloody bits are removed.

To clarify, I don't work for them. I have a referral code if I am allowed say that........

frAg

Darrenon91

frag420 wrote: »

I have quickly skipped through the thread but could not see a mention of Musclefood.co.uk.

I have been using them for over a month, great selection of high protein ready meals and they taste awesome (just has there beef chili for lunch) as well as selling sups, fresh meats and veg and loads of other high protein foods. I find them great value, fantastic service and awesome products. For example there chicken breasts are huge, not pumped with water and trimmed so all the gung and bloody bits are removed.

To clarify, I don't work for them. I have a referral code if I am allowed say that........

frAg

How long does delivery take? Do you order a bundle usually or ready made meals? Looks decent but website aint easy to work around.

frag420

Darrenon91 wrote: »

How long does delivery take? Do you order a bundle usually or ready made meals? Looks decent but website aint easy to work around.

I live in London, usually next day delivery. Their customer service is great so maybe send an email about Ireland delivery times.

I buy ready meals as my cooker is fooked but my colleague buys the bundles and swears by both the quality and value!