(Editors' Note: Fresh N Lean has shut down. See our review of CookUnity, our top pick for prepared meal kits.)

Not every meal kit delivery service needs a gimmicky, highly specialized menu or celebrity endorsement. It’s fine for a service to simply deliver tasty food to your door every week. Fresh N Lean does just this, while offering custom plans and affordable prices. As a result, Fresh N Lean is our Editors' Choice winner for fully prepared meals that you heat and eat. 

(Credit: Fresh N Lean)

How Much Does Fresh N Lean Cost?

Most meal kit delivery services come in one of two varieties. Some services send raw ingredients, while others ship fully prepared meals that you simply heat and eat. Fresh N Lean represents the latter option. Although prepared meals cost more money on average than meals you cook yourself (perhaps to account for the chefs' labor), Fresh N Lean’s prices are in line with traditional meal kits' lower prices, hovering around $11 to $16 per serving.

You select one of seven default weekly meal plans or create an à la carte subscription. These custom subscriptions can include meals, snacks, and bulk grocery items, much like Hungryroot. You can even purchase bags for keeping food hot or cold. The cheapest meal plan (one breakfast meal per day, for five days) costs a little more than $50 per delivery. A custom box must cost at least $85. Shipping is $10 for orders less than $100, and is free once you cross that threshold.

(Credit: Jordan Minor)

Fresh N Lean's Menu

Fresh N Lean’s seven meal plans cover many potential diets, including Mediterranean and Whole30. Vegetarians can enjoy the Vegan and Vegetarian plans, while meat eaters can opt for the Keto, Paleo, and Protein+ options. This makes the service great for omnivores, like HelloFresh, as opposed to more specialized prepared meal delivery services, such as the meat-heavy Balanced Bites or the all-vegan Veestro.

You pick a general plan, but you don’t select meals. Trifecta Meals has a similar limitation. This can be annoying if you’re a picky eater, but Fresh N Lean offers some flexibility. You can exclude up to three ingredients, such as eggplant or seafood. Separately, you can list your allergy requirements. You can also see what meals are on tap for the current week, so you have an idea of what to expect.

The meals range from breakfast items (scrambled eggs with chicken and Brussels sprouts) to entrees (poached shrimp with Japanese kombu broth). Meals tend to stay below 500 calories, and you can view their carb and protein content. The website has customer reviews for the service itself, but none for individual meals. The website offers recipes and health tips on its blog. 

À la carte meals are slightly less exciting than what you'll find in meal plans, but they're still pretty appetizing. You can select various “protein and organic vegetable” meals, such as beef, chicken, or salmon. Specific ingredients are subject to change. As for groceries, the bulk items include elk meat, granola, muffins, turkey, and zucchini.  

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(Credit: Jordan Minor)

Packaging

Fresh N Lean sent me 20 sample meals and the box they arrived in wasn’t much bigger than the ones I’ve received containing far fewer meal kits. Food is kept cool thanks to the box's ClimaCell TemperPack lining. Meals arrive fresh, having never been frozen, and stay good in the refrigerator for a few days. Fresh N Lean says you can freeze its food to extend shelf life, but the flavor may suffer. Meals come in recyclable, sealed plastic trays. Daily Harvest’s compostable bowls for its vegan meals remain the most impressive biodegradable packaging for prepared meals.

Alternatively, you can purchase Fresh N Lean meals without packaging. The company has a physical store in Santa Monica and it sells meals at other grocery stores throughout California. Businesses can even purchase a Smart Fridge full of Fresh N Lean food that employees can heat and eat at the office.

(Credit: Jordan Minor)

Cooking and Eating With Fresh N Lean

The meal packages list instructions for reheating the food on a stovetop, in an oven, or in a microwave. I warmed up the meals I received for a few minutes in the microwave before finishing them off in an air fryer, but other food may lend itself better to other appliances.

True to its name, my first Fresh N Lean meal impressed me with its freshness. It was a tender and filling beef patty with earthy spinach and quinoa. It was a tad underseasoned, but I enjoyed the tomato sauce layer. The other meal, Mediterranean chicken breast with artichoke, was a bit of a misnomer. Alongside artichoke, the meal contained several other vegetables, including potatoes, mushrooms, tomato, and zucchini. The flavor variety was the meal’s greatest strength. CookUnity is similarly appetizing, but not quite as consistent with portions.

My wife tried the two breakfast items we received. It was slightly watery, but she enjoyed the frittata with squash and bell peppers. On the other hand, the apple raisin oatmeal could’ve used a little more water.

My taste buds were pleased after eating my Fresh N Lean meals, but I also grade prepared meals on somewhat of a curve. Although they are delivered fresh, there’s inevitably something lost when you’re warming up previously made meals. Meal kit services like Blue Apron and Green Chef require more time, but what you lose in convenience you gain in satisfaction and flavor after preparing and eating a genuinely home-cooked meal. 

(Credit: Jordan Minor)

Verdict: Get N or Get Out

Anyone interested in prepared food services should consider starting with Fresh N Lean. It offers a healthy rotating menu and à la carte options for every palette at slightly lower prices than competitors. That’s exactly the kind of easy, time-saving, stress-relieving convenience that makes these services worthwhile and earns Fresh N Lean our Editors' Choice award.