Mail Order Meal Prep Boxes

[mjd]

I recently saw an ad for a mail order recipe box which includes the prepped ingredients and recipe cards. The cost is anywhere from $8.99 - $12.99 per serving. The one I saw offers $80 off (over four orders). There are more details but that's the gist of things.

The appeal for me is my mounting health problems and that I'm no longer cooking for a family (where I absolutely wanted to control what they were eating and knowing they were getting the healthiest, freshest and most organic products available).

I typically make ahead salads and individual meals because I often don't feel up to doing much more than heating something up when I get hungry. I know this is a terrible way to eat but it's where I've been stuck for over a year now so it may be my new "normal".

Have you ever used a meal prep program and what did you think of it? Any other thoughts?

 

[caseydog]

I have never used one. I just don't think it was made for someone like me, who knows how to shop and cook from scratch. I do think it is a good entry point for people who want to start cooking healthy meals, bun't don't know how to get started.

CD

 

[mjd]

I have never used one. I just don't think it was made for someone like me, who knows how to shop and cook from scratch. I do think it is a good entry point for people who want to start cooking healthy meals, bun't don't know how to get started.

CD

That makes sense. I know how to shop, cook from scratch and make healthy meals. My barrier is my declining health so I don't do those things as much as I should. I am juice fasting at the moment, but I find myself eating salad every day for lunch and dinner (I usually don't have breakfast) because I don't feel well enough to prepare anything else. I will even skip a meal if I don't have a salad (or sandwich) pre-made.

Admittedly, some of it is that I'm afraid to use my stove unless someone else is here because I've passed out with the stove on and set off the alarms. There is nothing more embarrassing than firefighters rushing into your apartment as you lay unconscious on the floor. Well, there was the one time I passed out in the shower and had just enough strength to crawl to the emergency pull cord in the bathroom. Yeah, I don't need a repeat of either of those incidents. LOL

 

[epicuric]

We have those in the UK. As CD says, they only simplify the shopping process, not the cooking, which may be more complex than you would normally undertake given the condition you describe. They are great for introducing newbies to cooking, especially as they don't rely on store cupboard ingredients.

If you are concerned about safety whilst cooking, would you be better off with warming up ready-meals? Whilst mass produced ready meals are often full of cr*p, some small independants offer decent quality ready made meals, either chilled or frozen, that just need reheating. Do you have any good farm shops nearby?

Sorry to hear of your health woes.

 

[mjd]

We have those in the UK. As CD says, they only simplify the shopping process, not the cooking, which may be more complex than you would normally undertake given the condition you describe. They are great for introducing newbies to cooking, especially as they don't rely on store cupboard ingredients.

If you are concerned about safety whilst cooking, would you be better off with warming up ready-meals? Whilst mass produced ready meals are often full of cr*p, some small independants offer decent quality ready made meals, either chilled or frozen, that just need reheating. Do you have any good farm shops nearby?
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Sorry to hear of your health woes.

I rely on having prepared meals that I can simply reheat in the microwave. My caregiver and I prepare them when she's here so I don't have to use the stove/oven when she's not. I also bought an air fryer and toaster oven to work around the problem as both have auto shut-off. That way, I am not completely limited to what we've premade.

I live in a very rural area in a town of about 9,000. We don't have any farm shops or much of anything like that nearby. I no longer drive so I'm limited in that respect. My caregiver can provide transportation though so I'll look around and see what I can find. Of everything, I miss being able to visit Farmer's Markets and Trader Joe's since moving here. It's a safe area which was of most importance since I'm now single but I should have taken more time to find an area that was safe AND fit more with my personality. However, it's home for now and I'm grateful.

Thanks. Much of it has been due to the insurmountable stress I've been through in the past ten years. He destroyed every aspect of my life, but I'm settled now and am rebuilding. I also had several surgeries in that time and some weren't successful. Emotional, financial and physical stress definitely takes its toll. As I mentioned in another thread, I'm a survivor. A bit bumped and bruised but still kicking. There is no way I've survived all this to give up now!