Meal delivery programs make eating healthy easy. These services deliver proportioned meals straight to your home so you don’t have to think about shopping or calorie counting.

There are several meal delivery programs out there and it can be hard to find the one that is right for you. Every Plate is a meal delivery program that promises delicious and affordable meals. Read on to find out if they live up to their promise.

What is Every Plate?

Every Plate is a meal delivery program brought to you by Hello Fresh. It stands out from other meal delivery programs in that it is much less expensive.

Meals start at just $4.99 as compared to other meal plans that start at $8.99 or above. But they do charge an $8.99 shipping fee that is slightly more expensive than other meal plans.

The service also offers promotional specials that can further reduce the price of the plan. Meals are available for students for just $2.99. If you refer a friend, you get a $20 credit.

How Does Every Plate Work?

Once you sign up with Every Plate you can choose a meal plan for 2 or 4 people. With the 2 person plan, you can get 3, 4 or 5 dinners per week. However, if you opt for the 4 serving plan, you are limited to 3 dinners per week only. This may be because more dinners would not fit in their delivery box.

Dieters can choose from 11 different recipes which rotate every week.

Kits are delivered once a week and include everything you need except for a few staple items like milk, eggs, vegetable oil, etc. Delivery occurs Tuesday through Fridays from 8 AM to 8 PM. Depending on the area you live in, you may be further limited on the days you can receive deliveries.

Switching plans, canceling and skipping weeks is perfectly allowable and easy to do.

Meal Selection

In comparison with other meal delivery sites, Every Plate’s meal selection is somewhat limited. They offer only 11 different recipes which is an improvement on the 8 they once offered. However, this still makes things a bit tight, especially when you consider dietary restrictions. There are only a few vegetarian options to choose from and nothing in the areas of gluten free, dairy free, allergy friendly and so one.

The proteins are generally inexpensive such chicken or pork. If you want steak, it’s $2.99 extra.

The meals are usually in a meat, veggie, starch format with bread, pasta, rice or potatoes as the starch.

Most dishes can be made in 30-40 minutes but information on how long the meals will take to prep is not easily accessible on the web site.

Other Materials Included

Each package comes with a recipe card and recipes are easy to follow. There are full color photos on each card and instructions regarding the steps required to make the meal. Cooking tips and meal prep time are included here as well.

This information can also be downloaded from the web site or the app.

The cooking process is generally fast and easy and suitable for beginners. There isn’t a lot of chopping and prep work involved.

Packaging

Many dieters are concerned about a company’s eco-friendliness, especially when it comes to the packaging of their meals.

Every Plate uses a smaller box than most meal delivery companies which makes for less waste. However, ingredients are more tightly packed and less organized as a result.

A lot of the materials used are recyclable and environmentally safe. However, there is also a lot of plastic used in the packaging of ingredients.

Taste and Freshness of the Meals

There is not a lot of produce included in Every Plate meals, but what is included is reasonably fresh. The taste of the meals is not exceptional. Furthermore, the company is better with straightforward dishes (meat, starch and veggies) than they are when trying their hand at more exotic choices.

Portion size is generous.

Pros and Cons

Now let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages this meal plan has to offer.

Pros:

• Inexpensive
• Good customer service
• Flexible
• Uses small, eco-friendly packaging
• Easy to follow recipes
• Good for people with limited time on a limited budget
• Good portion size
• Meals are reasonably healthy

Cons:

• Thin meal selection
• Does not cater to dietary restrictions
• Meals are not particularly tasty
• Not recommended for adventurous cooks
• Difficult to find meals with dietary restrictions through web site

Conclusion

The bottom line here is you get what you pay for. If you are looking for a low cost meal delivery service, you will be hard pressed to find one cheaper than Every Plate. However, the service makes up for it with a thin meal selection, and ingredients that are not terribly impressive. If an inexpensive, easy meal plan is your top priority, Every Plate is a recommended choice.