Don’t feel like cooking or need a break but want to stay on track? We got you! The meal preparation landscape is changing quickly to keep up with consumer demands and the latest nutrition trends. It seems as though every month there is a new company touting meal kits as the solution to busy schedules, meal planning challenges or lack of motivation in the kitchen. BUT the question is do these meal kit solution live up to the hype and can we rely on them to give us the same or even more nutrition and satisfaction compared to doing our own grocery shopping, planning and cooking?
We took a deep dive to review Vancouver’s top ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat meal kit solutions. Be sure to note our dietitian’s favorite and ordering tips under each one to get the most bang for your buck!
Inspired Go - Vancouver and Kelowna
Based on 222 Google Reviews
Subscription-based?
Order as needed or 5% off for subscribers.
Meal Offerings
The main categories of food they carry are salad bowls which are available in individual or family sized portions – they offer dairy free, gluten free, and vegan salad options. In addition to salads, they offer a few other add on items including chicken, snack packs, breakfasts, and juices.
Delivery zones in BC
A wide range of locations within the Lower Mainland (Abbotsford, Aberdeen, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Delta, Langley City/Township, Maple Ridge, New Westminster, North Vancouver, Pitt Meadows, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Richmond, Surrey, Tsawwassen, West Vancouver, and White Rock.) and the Okanagan Valley (Kelowna, West Kelowna, Vernon).
Cost
The cost is quite reasonable for salads costing $10-13 or individual or $20 for family sized portions – comparable to a take out meal. There is a $40 minimum order requirement but you do get free deliveries on orders of $65 and up!
PROs and CONs from a Dietitian’s perspective
PROS :
We have tried and love many of the Inspired Go salads. They are always coming out with new flavors and combinations which makes eating salads much more exciting! It definitely make eating vegetables easy on the go. Their online support is amazing and responsive at dealing with any issues with your orders. Nutrition information is available for all the foods they offer ! Overall, the foods Inspired Go carries are fresh, nutritious salads packed with fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
CONS:
As with all fresh fruits and vegetables, the meals don’t stay fresh very long. Some of the toppings do tend to go bad fast from our experience (ie. onions, corn, edamame beans). Their website states that meals will stay fresh 5-7 days in the fridge; however, we find that depending on the salad you order, they may only stay fresh 3-5days.
The individual portioned salads have such a wide range of calories (380-740kcal), protein (7-30g) and fiber (4-9g). Most salads are lower in protein and fiber compared to what we would recommend in general (>10g fiber per meal). Some of the choices may not be suitable as a complete meal on its own or may be too much as a meal, depending on your nutrition needs.
A number of their products have a very high sodium and saturated fat content. We do find that the salads come with a hefty portion of salad dressing which may be contributing to the high calories, sodium and saturated fat levels.
Our favorite salads from Inspired Go:
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Blueberry Boost Salad
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California Crunch Salad
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Balance & Boost Salad
Dietitian tips for ordering from Inspired Go:
Order in advance online and you'll have these salads waiting for you at your front door! They are truly ready to eat - no heating required; just open it, put on the toppings and salad dressing. For the best bang for your buck - order ones that have higher protein and fiber. Start with a small amount of dressing to minimize the additional calories, sodium and saturated fats, you can always add more as you need!
2 Guys with Knives - Vancouver
Based on 222 Google Reviews
Subscription-based?
No. You are never locked in. You’re welcome to jump on and off from week to week as it suits your schedule.
Meal Offerings
This company boasts a wide selection of ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat prepared foods including breakfast / soups, snacks & wraps / macro meals / keto / paleo / entrees & salads / desserts / smoothies and a 3 Day Reset Cleanse package. Many of their options are gluten-free as well as vegan, and they’re easily identifiable with icons on their menu page along with beautiful pictures of all the food items they offer in one page. You can even list any additional customization requests in the delivery notes field and they will try to accommodate wherever possible. If not possible, they will reach out to suggest an alternative. All meals have a 7 day shelf life in the fridge, you can also freeze many options.
Delivery zones in BC
Meals are delivered to many Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley regions (Vancouver, North Van, West Van, Richmond, Delta, Burnaby, New West, Coquitlam, Anmore, Beclarra, Port Moody, Surrey, White Rock, Langley, Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, Mission). They also offer a pick up option in Vancouver.
Cost
Higher cost for the foods, with meals ranging between $16.49 to $19.49 per entree. However, the entrees are quite decent in size and portion and made with whole ingredients. Free delivery with $100 orders and pick up option is available in Vancouver.
PROs and CONs from a Dietitian
PROs:
Convenient ready-to-heat meal options that are suitable for a wide range of dietary needs and a long shelf life! Meals are made from fresh, whole ingredients. They all look delicious and offer many customizable options, they even try to accommodate custom dietary needs outside of their meals listed online. We love that the information is super easy to navigate on the website.
CONS:
You can only view the upcoming menu on Fridays at 1pm to order for the next week, this is not ideal for those who needs a bit more time to plan ahead.
The calorie, protein, carbs range WIDELY between their meals. Some meals are more suitable as 2 servings and some are not suitable as a meal on its own. You won’t be able to see any changes in the nutrition facts if you make any customization to the meals. There aren’t a whole lot of vegetarian/vegan options listed on the main page; however, you can customize many of them by subbing the meat.
CAUTION WITH GLUTEN-FREE CLAIM : at the time of the review, the website states “100% gluten-free” on top of the wrap section; however, the individual items do not have the gluten-free icon and the ingredients do contain wheat tortilla (gluten). This is a good reminder to always triple check your food if you’re needing to strictly avoid gluten (celiac disease) and/or any allergens. 1. Once online before buying it. 2. Once when you get home and put it away. 3. Again before you serve or eat the products.
Ketogenic, paleo, macro and juice/blended diets offered may not be suitable options for most individual.
Our favorites from 2 Guys with Knives :
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Hello Macro Sailor
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Those Thighs, Oh My
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Carbs Are Your Friend
Dietitian tips for ordering from 2 Guys with Knives
Opt for a balanced diet with protein, carbohydrates, and plenty of fruits and vegetables, which this company does offer. Nutrition information is listed for foods and includes calories, protein, fat, fiber, and carbohydrates. Consumers can review this information beforehand to help them make an informed decision.
Fed - Vancouver
Based on 85 Google Reviews
Subscription-based?
Yes. Although the website says “order only the meals you want to receive with no minimums and no contracts.” You are committing to a continuous subscription when you place an order with them, you would have to go in and changed or paused your plan to avoid continuous billing.
Meal Offerings
Fed offers dietitian-curated meals with plan options for full nutrition, low carb/high protein, ketogenic, plant-based, and diabetes. The plans can accommodate caloric needs of 1200-2400kcal/d. The selection changes weekly to ensure variety.
Delivery zones in BC
Vancouver, Burnaby, West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Richmond, New Westminster, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Anmore, Surrey, Belcarra, Pitt Meadows, Mission, Langley, White Rock, Delta, Squamish, Abbotsford, and Tsawwassen. Meals are delivered to most locations in the Metro Vancouver region (excluding Bowen Island) as well as Mission, Squamish and Abbotsford.
Cost
Costs per meal ranges from $11.60-$16.99 per meal based on the meal plan and caloric range you choose. Differing delivery costs associated with different cities ($2.99 – $11.99); Free delivery is offered with 10+ meals per week.
PROs and CONs from a Dietitian’s perspective:
PROs
There are many meal types and calorie range to choose from, which may offer more customized options for some individuals’ needs. They truly offer a meal plan options where they can cover your breakfast, lunch AND dinner needs. You can even add on snacks and extras! Their plans have been curated by dietitians which offer a more balance and nutritious approach to their meals with their full nutrition plan meeting 100% of the average adult’s nutrition needs. Their meals come in containers that are safe for use in both a microwave or an oven – meaning you can reheat and eat them easily straight from the package.
CONS
The website is hard to navigate and the process to order meals is quite complicated. The meals are set for the plan you picked so you can’t choose from many options. You have to click on each meal times each day to see what is the actual meal and to see nutrition information on the meal offered. The nutrition information displayed is overwhelming and not too user-friendly neither. The user journey emphasize a calorie-focused approach instead of choosing foods that you would enjoy.
Their website stated that they can accommodate food allergies specifcially but then also has a disclaimer not being able to guarantee that it is completely free of that allergen. This messaging is conflicting and we would not trust these meals would be safe for someone with a severe allergy.
Our favorites from Fed:
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Full Nutrition Plan
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Plant-Based Plan
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Diabetes Plan
Dietitian tips for ordering from Fed:
Get 100% of your daily nutrition with the full nutrition plan. Reheat them in the microwave or oven straight in their containers. To make the most of this service and get truly customized options, navigate and order your plan with a registered dietitian.
Tractor at home - Vancouver
Based on 26 Google Reviews
Subscription-based?
Yes. Skip the order or pause at any time.
Meal Offerings
You can select salads, prepared proteins, handhelds (finger foods), comfort classics, soups & stews, breakfast & bakery.
Delivery zones in BC
They deliver to the following locations with varying delivery days depending on the city: Abbotsford, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Delta, Langley, Maple Ridge, New Westminster, North Vancouver, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Richmond, Surrey, Vancouver and West Vancouver.
Cost
Average $12/meal from their selections. Freely select your meals and sides for the week and customize your box!
PROs and CONs from a Dietitian’s perspective
PROs
Some of ready-to-eat (no heating required) options including burritos, salads, breakfast and bakery items. Ingredient lists are composed of mainly simple and whole foods.
CONs
No nutritional information is provided for any of the Tractor’s meals and food items. No easy way to identify if an item is vegetarian and/or gluten free unless you click onto each item. Many items are not suitable as a complete meal option on its own.
Our favorites from Tractor:
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Harvest Grains Salad
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Chipotle Tofu Burrito
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Carrot Ginger Buddha Bowl
Dietitian tips for ordering from Tractor:
Make your own balanced meal by combining different food items from each food group (ie. salad + prepared protein + tortilla). This option is more suitable for someone needing temporary help with meal prepping than a full meal kit solution.
Conclusion
Overall, there are several companies in BC that offer ready-to-eat and/or ready-to-heat meals that conveniently arrive straight to your door! This option may be a helpful tool to give you a break from grocery shopping, meal planning and cooking as a temporary solution; however, they often cannot accommodate many dietary preferences, food allergies, intolerances and family needs. If you are looking for a more sustainable, long term solution to tackle your meal planning challenges, specifically for your situation, consult with one of our dietitians today and learn lifelong meal planning hacks and habits.
References
- Fed – Vancouver’s premier healthy meal prep service (fedfedfed.com)
(Accessed Feb 8th 2024) - Preventing reactions – Food Allergy Canada (Accessed Feb 10th 2024)
- Healthy Meal Delivery | Salads, Bowls and More – Inspired Go (Accessed Feb 8th 2024)
- Meal Prep Delivery Vancouver | 2 Guys With Knives (Accessed Feb 10th 2024)
- Restaurant Quality Meals At Grocery Store Prices | Tractor At Home (Accessed Feb 8th 2024)
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