Meal Delivery, Meal Prep, Meal Planning Services
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Dec 2006
We are a family of two mostly vegetarian, working professionals
and one 4-year old. It is increasingly more difficult to make
time to cook healthy meals on the weeknights. I have tried some
of the meal assembly places (Dream Dinners, Dinner Source, etc.)
and like them but they do not offer enough vegetarian options for us.
I am interested in finding a service that will prepare healthy
vege or fish-based meals (either fully cooked or prepped for me
to cook) 3X week to deliver to our home in Central Contra costa
county. We could also pick up if the pick up place is close to
home. I am not interested in a personal chef as the cost is
prohibitive for us. I've found some meal prep services online
but they seem pretty expensive (maybe I just don't know what
these services are supposed to cost?) or they are not in Contra
Costa county.
Any recommendations to help this busy family who are tired of
Trader Joes and Take-Out?
anon
I really like Three Potato Four, which I learned about through a BPN recommendation.
They deliver fully prepared meals. They are vegetarian, mostly organic and really good.
The portion size is reasonable, and they have sustainable delivery method so no
wasted packaging. I have tried a few different meal service options and this is by far
my favorite. The website lists their pricing options and menus.
http://threepotatofour.com/
Kim
Aubegine Catering at http://www.auberginecatering.com/ is
wonderful. We've been working with Joan for 1.5 years, and her
food is excellent and the service wonderful.
Leila
I have recently been ordering a couple of Dinner Source meals
each week in my Planet Organics weekly box. I think the meals
are delicious - some of them I just put in the oven and that's it,
others I need to brown chicken first or somehting similar.
The best part of Dinner Source is you don;t have to use
your brain at all, which is nice if you are coming home from work
and everybody is cranky and hungry. Everything is done for you!
They offer both organic and
non-organic and include vegetarian selections.
I've been very happy with the meals. One tip: some of the more
delicious meals such as Indian curries are too spicy for my 5-year-old so be aware of
that and order accordingly.
Ginger
Oct 2006
The latest ''thing'' seems to be pre-prepped dinners such as The
Dinner Source, The Home Bistro and Dream Dinners. As I'm
nearing the end of my 2nd pregnancy, the idea is intriguing to
me and I'd love to hear feedback on these companies. I believe
there is a location in Modesto that even offers preparation
and/or delivery to us pregnant ladies -- for free! This is
most appealing, but Modesto is too far away for me. I'm not
opposed to standing in a commercial kitchen assembling dinners
to shove in my freezer but if I can get someone to do it for
free, you better believe I'll take advantage of THAT offer! So
who's used one of these outfits and what is your take on it?
Worth the money? Do I need a chest freezer to store all the
food? Or am I better off buying frozen entrees at Trader
Joes? And really specifically.....can I get that pregnant lady
special anywhere around here? ;-)
The Dinner Source is good. The food is consistently tasty, easy to prepare (though for
only $4/meal they'll prep it for you.) The recipes do seem to call for a little too much
salt for my family's tastes, but I just leave it out or use less than the recipes say.
You'll
need to have your freezer pretty much empty to fit in 6-8 meals at a time, but it's nice
to purge it out in preparation for your Dinner Source visit. (Amazing what's edible in
there!) After baby #2 I used both Dinner Source and the frozen TJ's stuff - for ease and
cost.
Anon.
I tried one of those places a few times. My experience was
that it was fun and easy, and the food was tasty, BUT the
majority of the choices were a meat with a marinade, there were
very few vegetables involved. If that is your preffered meal
anyway, I say go for it. But it didn't work for me because
unless I prepared a side dish (which I don't have time to do -
that is the whole point), we ended up eating way more meat and
hardly any vegetables. The other problem is that the food is
pre-assembled but not pre-cooked, so you have to plan on
spending anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes cooking the food after
you thaw it. Also it is pretty expensive. I prefer to use the
same concept of preparing meals for the freezer - in my own
kitchen. You can make a triple batch of some good all-in-one
dishes, like lasagna, or chicken curry w/vegetables, soups,
individually wrapped burritos, that are pre-cooked, and then
just freeze them for later. I found several books at the
library with menus specifically designed to freeze, like four
meals that all use chicken in various forms, etc.
-not a fan
Oct 2006
Does anyone have a suggestion for a good weekly or monthly
calendar or planner that provides daily suggestions of simple,
healthy meals to cook for dinner each night? I am hopelessly
uncreative when it comes to deciding WHAT to cook for dinner. I
need someone or something to just tell me what to cook every
night, and perhaps provide some simple recipies and a weekly
shopping list.
I don't need recommendations for any of those ''prepare meals
ahead of time'' places like the place in Emeryville, as I already
have time to go grocery shopping and do the prep work myself and
I don't need to pay extra $$ for the convenience of someone else
doing it for me.
Thanks
Uncreative but capable dinner cook
try www.savingdinner.com
there are free sample menus (a week's worth of dinners plus
grocery shopping list) so you can try it out before
subscribing. plus, what i like best are all the different types
of menus available (vegetarian, crock pot, low carb, etc...)
Kat
Go check out www.savingdinner.com They have EXACTLY what you
are looking for in a variety of selections. They send out
weekly menus, along with a shopping list, and have several
varieties- i.e. one for vegetarians, kosher meals, a crock-pot
list, oh the list just goes on and on. You subscribe for 3
months at a time for a very small fee and every week you are
emailed a menu with six entrees and their recipes, as well as
side dish suggestions, and the shopping list to go with it. It
is an invaluable resource for those of us who want to cook but
have no imagination! I think you can even get a free menu to
see if you'd like it!
Hope this works for you!!
Jessica
I just read an article that listed several dinner menu/meal
planner services to try -- you pay a fee and get a weekly menu
w/ grocery list, and usually some kind of chatty newsletter to
go with it:
www.thescramble.com; www.morethyme.com;
www.dinewithoutwhine.com; www.savingdinner.com;
www.dinnerplanner.com; shop.allrecipes.com/shop/cooknik
I have been using the Heart Healthy Menu Mailer from
savingdinner.com for the past month or so. I paid about $10 for 3
months worth and once a week I get a menu with recipes for 6 main
dishes, side dish suggestions and a shopping list. Some of the
recipes take a little longer than others, but none are overly
complex. My husband and I have *really* enjoyed all but one or
two of the recipes we've tried so far and our 2-year-old likes a
lot of them too.The web site has some sample menus if you'd like
to try the system out first and see how it works for you. I'm
really happy I'm doing this -- it's made my life a lot easier and
we're saving money by cooking at home more
Wendy
A few months ago, Real Simple magazine did an article reviewing
online meal planners, called ''Six Menu-Planning Websites,''
which is available at www.realsimple.com (search for menu-
planning). Haven't tried any, but they look interesting..
Check out savingdinner.com. I've used it for over a year and
what a difference !
- RK
The 6'oclock Scramble is GREAT! I have been using the website
now for about 6 months. Although, there is a cookbook too.
Also, I'm sure you'll get a lot of this one and that is
www.Saving Dinner.com also really good stuff. Both give you the
grocery lists and assist you in stocking the pantry.
I too was having a hard time with being ''Creative'' when
preparing meals for my family. Now, even my VERY PICKY 3 year
old eats new things!
Lovin' Home Cookin'!
Try ''Saving Dinner'' cookbook by Leanne Ely. She has other books,
too, like ''Saving the Holidays'' and I don't know what else. I
just have ''Saving Dinner.'' There are six meals per week, almost
always there is at least one fish meal, one crockpot meal per
week and the weeks are broken up into seasons. She does have a
shopping list at the beginning of each ''week'' detailing every
single ingredient you'll need, and has side suggestions as well.
She also has a website from which you can purchase weekly menus,
emailed to you: www.savingdinner.com.
One other cookbook that I like, which also refers to different
recipes as good sides (also in the book) is ''What's for Dinner?''
by M. Vollstedt.
Just one note: I feel like I could have written your post. This
is one of the things that my husband and I fight over quite a
bit, actually. I would be happy with a salad for dinner every
night but he's a carnivore, so I get stuck cooking stuff that, if
he doesn't like, just sits around.. yuck... I'm also looking
forward to other responses! :D
-a dinner-cooking-phobic!
I started using the book The Six o Clock Scramble and it has 5
meals per week broken down seasonally with weekly shopping lists.
It's quite handy. More details about my experience on
www.rookiemoms.com.
I have also heard good things about www.savingdinner.com but
haven't used it myself
Heather
I had the same issue with needing help w/ dinner ideas & found
''Saving Dinner'' very helpful as recommended on BPN. Check out
the website http://www.savingdinner.com/
You can subscribe to a weekly emailer, which gives you 6 day menu
along with the shopping list. I tried the free menu online & it
was pretty good. I opted to go buy the book, since I think it
comes out to be cheaper that way, and I download the shopping
list from the website, print it & write all over it as I shop.
The book also has the weekly menu, but I don't like to lug a book
to the supermarket. It's saved me a lot of time, particularly
shopping time & the headache of figuring out how to keep from
making the same boring foods over & over
Saved by the Book
Nov 2005
A couple months ago I went to the Solano Street Fair and
remember seeing a booth for a meal delivery service. But I
forgot to pick up the brochure and can't remember the name. It
was a company started by a mother, and it provides nutritious
meals delivered to your home. Does anyone know what this
company is called? Or does anyone have a suggestion for a
similar company in the Bay Area? I am expecting my second
child and, when the baby arrives, I would like to be able to
have nutritious hot meals delivered that are suitable for me (a
breastfeeding mother) as well as my toddler (2 years old). Any
suggestions would be much appreciated!
cclocke
We tried chickweed catering (www.chickweedcatering.com 282-
7605) and loved the food. they deliver on thursdays and i
think everything is organic. they have veg and non veg
entrees, salad, side dishes, small desert. $25 per meal.
portions are large. we ordered three meals and made it into two
dinners for two. low fat, high flavor.
Stu
Nov 2005
We have been living in S. Berkeley for a couple of years and have
had NO luck finding good Chinese delivery. We have checked all
the websites we can find and no luck. If you have a place you
like that delivers (this is the key) please pass it on. Thanks.
Bonnie
Mandarin Garden, on Shattuck at University, delivers to
Berkeley, Albany, Kensington and Emeryville. The food is
great, and they always send along a little something extra.
510-848-4849.
Catherine
June 2005
A colleague and his wife just had a new baby. We co-workers
are interested in having dinner delivered to them, since it is
such a tremendous convenience to have a meal that just needs to
be heated-up at the time when a family is adjusting to a new-
born. The family lives in Oakland. Can anyone recommend a
reasonably-priced service that can deliver a nutritious dinner?
Thanks.
phillip
Ellen Doren of Chez Ellen Personal Chef Services is a superb
chef who cooks for various families in the Bay Area including
meal delivery. Her menus are inventive and her cooking is
wonderfully delicious. I have used her in the past and have
been very satisfied. She has a website -- chez-ellen.com -- and
her phone is 510-428-CHEF.
Katie
Ellen Doren from Chez Ellen is a very creative personal chef
who prepares or/and delivers gourmet meals. Her menus are based
on your likes and dislikes. She has cooked for us for 3 years
now, weekly meals and private parties. She is simply great!
Her website: www.chez-ellen.com
Good luck!
Paula
paula
Planet Organics, the organic grocery delivery company, now
delivers both prepared heat-and-eat organic meals and meal
kits. The meal kits have all the ingredients for a pretty
sophisticated dinner (for 2 or 4 people), cut up and portioned,
so all you have to do is put it together on the stove. It takes
about 20 minutes and the food is excellent. The prepared meals
are less expensive and there are 4-5 to choose from - meat,
fish, vegetarian, etc. All organic and ready to be eaten.
Larry
Feb 2005
I'm looking for recommendations for a service that will provide
frozen meals/entrees. I've looked at the personal chef
recommendations in the archives, and they're not quite what I'm
looking for. It seemed they're geared toward doing a number of
nights of complete dinners for consumption in the very short
term, but what I'm hoping to find is someone who can fill my
freezer with a variety of healthy two- and three-person entrees
for consumption on busy nights over the course of a month or so,
with me still providing side dishes. Is that someone just
called Trader Joe's? I guess I was hoping for something a step
up from that. Also, we're a vegetarian family, and I figured we
could get more variety going with a service. Any
recommendations?
Expecting Number Two
I have three you can give a look at:
1) schwans.com
2) impromptugourmet.com
3) homebistro.com
Feb 2005
Does anyone have a recommendation for a gourmet food company that delivers
a new product each month? I'm not picky about the actual food type, but I'm
thinking mustards, jams, or cheeses. It just needs to be excellent and reliable.
Thanks!
anita
I love Viansa Winery's monthly gourmet food/wine club called
the ''Tuscan Club.'' Their products are excellent. You can chose
to get just wine, just food products, or both. Getting their
box every month is a treat.
www.viansa.com
Diane
June 2004
We are expecting our second child soon and are looking for an
affordable meal delivery service preferably one that delivers
organic and/or vegetarian meals. Any information would be
helpful.
Thank you,
Tamara
Just last week a posting was made on BPN by Aubergine Catering.
They prepare and deliver organic meals.
www.auberginecatering.com
Karen
Hope I'm not out of line to recommend my husband's business, but
I am a frequent and lucky consumer of his healthful and organic
cooking - his business is the Pedaling Gourmet. His is
technically a personal chef business, rather than meal delivery;
however, incase you have trouble finding organic/vegetarian
delivery options, please check out his website at
www.pedalinggourmet.net.
Esther
Home on the Range, 251-8030, always has at least one veggie
option, but not organic. Dinners are about $11 each, including
salad and roll, delivery is free with two dinners.
a satisfied occasional customer
Hi, A Chef's Eye, based out of Montclair always has at least 2
veggie meals on their weekly menu and I am sure they can make
more for you if you ask them. Their email is
orders AT achefseye.com They deliver all over the east bay.
happy eating
We have been ordering for more than 6 months now from Aubergine -
a weekly home delivery caterer. The food is very, very yummy.
My husband describes it ''like French countryside''. Joan offers
both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes (and I think makes
vegetarian versions of several of the meat dishes). From her web
site: ''Only organic and free-range meats are used, and
pesticide-free and organic produce is used whenever possible.''
Anyway, check it out. We have young children, and this makes up
for not going out to nice restaurants - many times we heat the
food while one of us puts the children to bed and then we have a
excellent meal at home together. Well worth it!
AUBERGINE: http://www.auberginecatering.com
Dara
After seeing a post for Aubergine catering
(www.auberginecatering.com) on the BPN,we signed up for 4 meal
deliveries. We have two small children and longed for good food
that we didn't have to leave the house for or prepare ourselves.
The first delivery came this past Wednesday and it was
fantastic! They use organic free-range meats and organic produce
and the delivery is free. They also have kid choices. It
reminded us of Oliveto's in Rockridge.
dennisandjennie
April 2004
I'm interested in exploring options for meal delivery services
and the archives are dated and a little sparse. Anyone using
Aubergine and/or Jesse et Laurent (whose contact info I couldn't
find)? Others you like?
I am so glad that you asked about meal delivery services
because we just started using one that we love. Its called A
Chef's Eye, based out of Montclair. We originally got this
service as a gift after I had my second baby, but we continued
on with it because its so good and affordable. Its run by two
very talented female chefs who designed this service to be
affordable to the average family with kids. The way it works
is that they will send you a menu via email every Monday. From
that, you email back your choices. They deliver the meals to
your door on Monday morning. Every week we get 6 meals
delivered, plus a side item and some dessert. So there is
enough for my husband and I, plus our 2 year old son for 3
nights. Its fantastic. There are many choices such as fish,
or vegetarian. And there is always something that kids like,
like pasta or fruit compote on the menu. We end up spending
about $80 a week on this, which is cheaper frankly than if we
did takeout or even cooked. Plus, we get a variety in our diet
(so many different vegetables, etc) that we wouldn't get if we
cooked ourselves. My husband loves the fact that meals are
prepared and ready, and there is no clean up for him to do for
at least 3 nights a week. It makes for more relaxed evenings
and more time with each other. And the other nice thing is that
you can do it one week here or there if you are busy...no
commitment. Their phone number is 510 339-0503 or you can
email them and ask for a menu lisa AT achefseye.com. You can
email me if you have specific questions.
Contact information for Jessie et Laurent can be found here:
http://www.jessieetlaurent.com/
Google is your friend
Excellent Home Delivered Meals
Beans catering provides gourmet, fully prepared, organic when
possible meals delivered to your refrigerator once a week at a
reasonable price.
Beans
Tina ... Ernano AT aol.com
510-697-9471
Danielle
There is another fabulous meal delivery service offered by 2
women chefs (Traci and Judy).It's called Delish Dish. They are
new and almost online but not quite yet,(I have been using them
for about 2 months now) but all you have to do is call their
office 1-925-979-0078, and they will drop off a brochure and a
menu (changes weekly). They drop off meals on Mondays and
Wednesdays.(up to 6 meals per person/per week) Each meal comes
with a pretty big entree with 2 sides, salad and small desert.
They also have kids meals. Their office is in Alamo, their kitchen
is in Berkeley. I believe they deliver from Alamo, Lafayette (most
business in Lafayette I think) and Berkeley and most points in
between. I highly recommend them! They will drop meals off for
special occasions too and do regular catered events.
Lee
November 2001
I have friends in LA, living north of downtown, near Silverlake, who've just
had twin girls. I'd like to get them something to make life easier, along
the lines of Home on the Range meal delivery, or line up a post-partum
doula-type who could come in and cook them a week's worth of meals. (Not
long ago it would have been a Webvan gift certificate, but alas . . . ) I
do know about Dinners Delivered in Pasadena, which will deliver restaurant
food a la Takeout Taxi, but I had in mind something a little more overtly
domestic and healthful. Can anyone suggest something or someone to fit the
bill? Thanks a lot.
Wendy
In reply to LA-area meal delivery service, I have a good suggestion. Check
out the following website:
http://www.personalchef.com
My husband is a personal chef in the Bay Area who does just this type of
thing and is very popular with new parents. I think you'll find most of the
chefs listed on this site are reasonably priced and provide just the service
you're looking for.
Esther
May 2000
I have used the services of an excellent post-partum doula, Treesa McLean,
for meal preparation in my home. She's great about collaborative menu
planning with emphasis on healthy organic iron- and protein-rich foods that
new moms need. She does the food shopping per your specifications and can
cook up several tasty meals in an afternoon...and does a thorough clean-up
afterwards! She is also a very kind and knowledgeable person. I believe she
offers her services on a sliding scale of $15-25 per hour. You can contact
her directly at 510/581-1013
heidi
Web van delivers cooked meals. Check it out http://www.webvan.com
Veronica
Home on the Range: 251-8030 does this.
There's another one, but I can't remember their name.
There is also Dine-One-One, at http://www.dine11.com/
or
The following place has a list of all places that deliver:
http://www.slip.net/~john/delivery/
I've also heard very good things about Jesse et Laurent, which I think
is based in Marin.
I can recommend my neighbor, Mary Ann Simmons, telephone 510/845-3161. Her
food
is healthy and delicious and she's a very good person, a mensch.
She delivers a menu for each week and you pick the item(s) you prefer for the
day(s) you want a delivery.
I have a great recommendation for you. Call Nancye Benon or "Ms. Dish" as
she is know. She prepared some wonderful vegan meals for us during a time
when I could not cook and the food was wonderful. She specializes in Vegan
and organic foods and she can do special requests. She is pretty reasonable
too. Right now she works a a personal chef who prepared meals in you home
and she has sample menus etc. She's great. 510-459-7480.
hadley
Stef
Also see:
Neighborhood Moms Guide to Take-out and Delivery Food
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