It’s a well-known fact that cutting back on takeout food for the sake of eating healthy, which means favoring more balanced, homemade meals, can have a positive impact on your overall well-being.

But if you’re like most working individuals, the demands of your daily life might leave you feeling overwhelmed when it comes to planning the upcoming week’s meals, doing grocery shopping, and preparing every meal all on your own.

Meal delivery services, like Model Meals, intend to purposefully make your diet lifestyle healthier and more attainable than you’d imagine.

Model Meals serves health-conscious and diet-friendly precooked meals directly to your doorstep. The premade meal recipes vary by taste and diet, striking the perfect balance between meals that are nutritionist-recommended and chef-crafted.

Perhaps this sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? A week of trying out Model Meals is enough to convince you that it’s one of the best meal delivery services today.

Model Meals has been around since 2015. Danika Bryhsa founded Model Meals with her friend Camille May.

34-year-old Danoka Byrhsa had $39 to her name and a sizable 13k in debt. She worked as a  plus-size model for a company in her day job. The company put her in fancy hotels, yet she couldn’t afford $100 when an emergency came.

Her love for healthy cooking, plus a passion for independence, helped her conceptualize Model Meals, where she worked hard to deliver protein-rich meals to local clients.

Model Meals has a tiny footprint, delivering in Southern California, San Diego, and Santa Barbara.

It took years of hard-work promoting Model Meals while working as a model, a coach, and doing brand partnerships. Only after years of struggle was she able to get enough to pay her bills with income from Model Meals.

In July 2021, a private company acquired Model Meals. The entrepreneur in Dana is still alive and has started another company called Self.

On to Model Meals. Model Meals is a service that uses organic produce for its meals. It has Paleo options and is gluten-free, dairy-free, and more.

The whole idea of Model Meals is to provide meals that are Whole30 compliant. The Whole30 program promotes healthy eating for weight loss backed by a massive focus on a Paleo-based diet that excludes dairy, gluten, sugars, and grains from your diet.

The Whole30 program is part of the regular lifestyle for many people.

Model Meal’s unique selling proposition is offering Whole30 program-compliant meals. For the uninitiated, it’s a weight loss program that focuses on the Paleo diet.

Model Meals’ menu displays the entire week’s recipes with some customizable options for swapping proteins, adding or removing carbs, and selecting the number of servings you want for each meal recipe.

Mains and side dishes are the monopoly of this meal delivery service. The recipes belong to one or more diet categories such as Whole30 Approved, Keto, Paleo, Gluten-free, Grain-free, Soy-free, Dairy-free, and more.

A Model Meal plate comprises a larger portion of lean proteins, healthy carbs, and colorful sides that satisfy not only your craving for new flavors and texture but also your daily nutritional needs.

The nonvegetarian ingredients like chicken and meat are sustainably sourced, which means the beef is grass-fed, while the chicken is antibiotic- and hormone-free. Another key highlight is that all the fresh produce, such as the veggies, are organically sourced and non-GMO.

Served in ready-to-heat food containers, the menu is easy to browse, not subscription-based, and offers new recipes every week.

The diets that you have the option to follow with the help of Model Meals vary according to ingredient and nutritional profile. You have gluten-free, soy-free, grain-free, and dairy-free recipes.

On the other hand, if you want to follow a diet, you have Paleo meals and Whole30-approved meals to choose from.

What exactly are Paleo and Whole30-approved diets?

A paleo-approved diet consists of what are commonly categorized as “farming” foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Grass-fed lean meats and fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids are also included.

What are not considered part of a paleo-approved diet are processed ingredients like dairy products; grains like wheat, oats, barley, and refined sugars; and other highly processed foods in the form of chips, cookies, preserved veggies, etc.

With Model Meals, you will find a similar diet pattern:

• Start with a hearty breakfast like a bagel sandwich or pasture-raised chorizo scramble with a sweet potato hash on the side.
• Next in line is a light and comforting lunch like the baked almond chicken parmesan with marinara and herbed spaghetti squash or a pasture-raised chicken salad with pecan date crumble and mustard vinaigrette.
• Dinners are usually more filling and satisfying, like lean beef tacos, sloppy joe, chicken meatballs with green beans and mashed potatoes on the side, or if you’re a seafood lover, wild salmon patties with coconut creamed greens.

Whole30-approved meals raise the roof with more ingredient eliminations like no starchy vegetables, no grains, no dairy, no bread, no pasta, no added sugars, no processed foods, and no legumes.

What you can eat, however, are all vegetables, fruits, seafood, lean and unprocessed meat, nuts and seeds, eggs, olive oil, and other nut oils.

Recipes like pasture-raised chicken burgers with root veggie fries and wild cod with spinach and roasted carrot puree check all the nutritional boxes like grain-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, legume-free, and non-GMO.

Portion control and nutritional tracking are some ways of staying fit and healthy, especially when one of your life goals is to lose weight.

Model Meal meals offer you the chance to practice portion control without depriving yourself of the satisfaction of a filling and nutrient-dense meal. But what it lacks, which is quite disappointing, is nutritional information for all its meals.

Besides the list of ingredients, there is no mention of the macronutrients of the meal, not even calories, proteins, fat, or carbs, so there’s no definite way of knowing what you get in each meal.

There are plenty of vegetarian options for entrees and soups on the Model Meals menu. The ingredients are fresh, high quality, and non-GMO. The wide variety of recipes rotate every week or 10 days, which is good news because you won’t grow weary of the same meal on a weekly basis.

And if you’re thinking about making your entire diet vegetarian, there might be some repetition considering that Model Meals offers only a select few vegetarian options per week. There are plenty of recipes with meat than plant-based proteins.

You’ll be presented with unique and restaurant-inspired recipes like creamy spinach toast, sweet potato toasts, vegan baked cookies, and much more.

On a less positive note, you won’t find vegan meals on their menu. To make up for that, Model Meals uses organic and seasonal produce wherever possible, especially with vegetables like broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, leafy greens, avocado, cabbage, green beans, zucchini, asparagus, and more.

Here’s a list of what’s on the weekly menu:

Pasture-raised chicken taco salad with chipotle lime ranch

This is a salad of chicken with tacos. The chicken breast used here is pasture-raised and of high quality. The marinade is made of organic garlic, cilantro, chili powder, virgin olive oil, and lime juice.

There are several vegetables like cilantro, kale, cabbage, radish, mayo made from pasture-raised chicken, lime juice, dill, and salt.

MM open-faced grass-fed beef meatball sandwich and garlicky spinach with basil marinara

This open-faced meatball sandwich is made of grass-fed beef. It has onion, garlic, parsley, house nuts, and seed butter from seeds like almond, sunflower, olive oil, and a marinara made of tomato, garlic, salt, evoo, oregano, almond, shallots, garlic, and salt. 

Pastured pork tacos al pastor with Avocado salsa

This pork tacos recipe is made of naturally pastured pork, guajillo pepper, Japanese pepper, cumin, clove, salt jicama, lime wedge, onion, olive oil, garlic, and salt.

 Smoked bacon wrapped pasture-raised chicken with cilantro mango rice

This smoked bacon meal is made of pasture-raised chicken breast and sugar-free bacon made of natural pastured pork, water, salt, and celery powder. Again there’s coriander, garlic, chipotle pepper, and fruits like pineapple, tomato, mango, and sweet potato.

Pasture-raised grilled chicken green goddess bowl with rainbow veggies

The grilled chicken recipe uses pasture-raised chicken breast with salt, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, yam, bell pepper, avocado oil, hemp seeds, pecans, and raisins. The green goddess dressing uses basil, mint, parsley, tarragon, onion, garlic, lemon juice, and avocado oil.

Grass-fed short rib with braised harvest vegetables

This short rib recipe is made with grass-fed beef, cumin, coriander, garlic, tomato, lime juice, carrot, celery, brussels sprouts, yam, and ghee. 

Baked wild cod in garlic caper lemon butter sauce

This baked wild cold is made with a seasoning of salt, ghee, garlic, capers, lemon, jicama, Italian herbs, baby spinach, and olive oil.

Grilled pasture-raised BBQ chicken salad with house ranch

This exquisite dish includes pasture-raised chicken, salt, apple puree, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, onion, garlic, lettuce, tomato, and horse ranch that has mayo, avocado oil, mustard powder, apple cider vinegar, dill, chive, garlic, onion, salt, pepper

Pasture-raised chicken basil meatballs with zucchini noodles

These chicken meatballs are pasture-raised, well-ground chicken, house nuts, seed butter, carrot, basil, onion, garlic, salt, zucchini, pine nut, lemon juice, and yeast.

Butternut squash lasagna with toasted pine nuts and cashew cheese

The lasagna is made of locally sourced grass-fed beef, tomato, red wine vinegar, onion, garlic, butternut squash, ground cashew cream, yeast, and pine nuts.

 Coconut crusted wild shrimp with mango lime dipping sauce

The coconut-crusted wild shrimp recipe has pasture-raised chicken eggs, coconut milk, arrowroot powder, garlic onion, pepper, evoo, kale, sesame seed, and mango lime dipping sauce.

Pastured pork chile verde with smashed potatoes

This pastured pork chile verde is made of naturally pastured pork, ghee, parsley, salt, pepper, tomatillo, cilantro, onion, garlic, and salt.

Pasture-raised grilled chicken with creamy tuscan sauce and grilled zucchini and asparagus

This pasture-raised grilled chicken recipe has chicken breast rich with tuscan sauce, asparagus, ghee, zucchini, garlic, king oyster mushroom, sun-kissed tomato, and coconut milk.

Grass-fed Teriyaki beef lettuce cups

These teriyaki lettuce leaf beef cups are made of grass-fed ground beef, olive oil, carrot, water chestnut, coconut aminos, ginger, date, arrowroot powder, and rice vinegar.

MM Classic breakfast with grain-free paleo roll, sausage, eggs and raspberry jam

This MM classic breakfast made of grain-free paleo roll and sausage is not Whole30 approved but is part of paleo meals.

The recipe uses pasture-raised chicken eggs, ghee, turkey sauce, potato starch, arrowroot powder, pink salt, active dry yeast, olive oil, raspberry lemon, and date.

What truly stands out for most people in their weekly rotating menu is the Add-ons section. Just like the main menu, it too undergoes weekly transitions, offering a diverse array of items such as soups, snacks, drinks, chips, plant-based milks, juices, and more. All the items are clearly labeled, and they arrive premade on your doorstep.

The cost per serving of Model Meals premade recipes starts from $9 and ends at $15. Shipping costs are extra depending on the delivery location. Expect to pay close to $15 per meal including the delivery charges. Add-ons cost approximately $3–$6 per item, and the shipping costs $9.99 per delivery.

Model Meals Cost Per Week

The minimum order of Model Meals comes up to $40 plus a $10 delivery fee. This should cover just about 3–4 meals per week with some room for adding 1–2 snacks.

Model Meals Cost Per Month

Taking the lowest $9.99 price per serving, for an entire month’s worth, expect to pay close to $149.85 for a minimum of 15 meals per month. As you increase the number of meals per month, the cost per serving decreases significantly.

Model Meals delivers everywhere in the United States. Their delivery time rests between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m., mostly on Sundays. They serve all the major cities in the United States such as LA, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Orange County, etc.

Meals are delivered in an insulated box with ice packs inside to keep the contents cool for up to 36 hours from packaging the meals. The meal containers are 100% compostable. They are made of plant-based material, free of allergens and non-toxic.
They are also gluten-free and can be used inside microwaves and ovens.

The compostable material is made of PLA plastic, a derivative of cornstarch, wheat straw, and sustainable paper.

The lids are made of PET plastics and are a proven recyclable material. They are a safe form of good grade plastic.

The lids are, however, not microwave or oven safe. It’s best to remove them when reheating the meals.

Read More: Splendid Spoon review and Trifecta Nutrition review

The types of diet that Model Meals supports are plenty – gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free, vegan, vegetarian, whole30 approved, pescatarian, and paleo.

The ingredient quality is superior as well with both seasonal and fresh produce that’s GMO-free, artificial preservative-free, and filler-free. Meat like chicken, beef, turkey, pork, and seafood are antibiotic-free and grass-fed.

Some ingredients that are used in making the dishes are organic. On the plus side, Model Meals does let you know which ingredient is organic for your clarity.

Model Meals are easy to store as well. Even though they are prepared meals, you can keep them in the fridge for up to 7 days or longer if you plan on freezing the meals to preserve freshness and flavor.

Even if it’s your first time subscribing to a meal delivery service, Model Meals makes it easier and faster to get home-prepared meals right to your doorstep. Taking all the guesswork out, you can prepare meals in less than 5 minutes.

With packaging that is easy to unpack and recycle, you can even keep the boxes out for the next delivery pickup, and they take care of the packaging for you.

The plates that the meals arrive in are microwave-friendly and biodegradable. Follow the cooking instructions printed on every meal label, or for the best results, put the food in an oven at 350°for 10 minutes. The food comes out brand new, just like in a restaurant.

The portion size of each meal is small but satisfying, making it an ideal choice for people on a weight management or weight loss diet. The smaller portion size also makes cooking for more than a handful of people easier and faster, with little to no mess to clean up after eating.

With a new menu every Sunday, customers get to choose as many meals as they want with a minimum order value of $40. There is no cap on the frequency of orders you can place at a time. The same applies to adding meals to your weekly cart which is just like ordering groceries online.

The meals are sent in eco-friendly and microwave-safe containers or plates. Heating instructions for microwave, oven, and stovetop, ingredients list, and additional nutrition information like if it’s gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free, grass-fed, etc. are mentioned on every meal’s sleeve.

While adding your delivery address, you can leave special delivery instructions, especially if you want the delivery person to leave the parcel outside your doorstep. Requests like ringing the doorbell once and leaving the parcel up front are happily carried out by Model Meals.

Model Meals comes out as an excellent choice for families seeking both convenience and nutrition. The service provides premade meals that are Whole30-compliant, also aligning with Paleo elimination diets. While this can satisfy the cravings of a health enthusiast, is it able to keep up with the evolving demands of a family?

The versatility of Model Meals makes it a family-friendly option. By excluding dairy, wheat, gluten, grains, sugar, and processed foods, the meals address a wide range of dietary preferences, catering to both children and adults.

The carefully curated menu, which changes every Sunday, offers a variety of entrees, sides, and snacks, ensuring there’s something for everyone in the family. Moreover, the affordability of the meals, with entrees ranging from $9 to $16 and sides/snacks from $6 to $9, presents a cost-effective alternative to takeout or dining out.

The working model behind Model Meals is simple. Each Sunday, you find a new menu going online. You can choose how many meals you want to order based on the menu. Remember that the minimum is $40 with an extra $20 as delivery charges. Model Meals’ meals are delivered on Sundays from 3 pm to 9 pm. Most meals are delivered in cities like Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, and Santa Barbara.

How much does it cost? The entrees range from $9 to $16 with sides, and snacks range from $6 to $9. Everything is affordable. These meals are cheaper, considering the prices.

Like many others, it’s a weekly meal-delivery service, not a meal subscription service. You see the new menu online every Sunday and pick what you like. It’s as simple as that.

You’re not confined to anything. You can choose and order what you want from the list of available items. A few of them will be tagged as freezer friendly. If you click on the description, you get more details, like which meals are not Whole30 compliant. It’s super easy to choose meals with meat and fish sourced from reliable vendors. The meals require reheating in an oven or pan instead of a microwave. Some of us will hate Model Meals because they’re not a meal-subscription service, and others will love it precisely because of that.

The no strings attached model can be great, especially since one-time deliveries from meal subscription services can cost around $19 to $26 per meal. Model Meals costs half of that.

The meat and the fish used in this are sourced with good care. The fruits and vegetables chosen for creating these meals are available seasonally.

The soups are frozen, so they can be reheated any time you want. A lot of the meals can be reheated using an oven or pan and don’t necessarily need a microwave.

Model Meals primarily services Southern California and the Bay area.

Most meals come fully prepared, while some meals need a little bit more cooking and some reheating.

The meals are individually packed and stored inside a box that comes with foil packaging. The foil packaging looks like a lot, but all of it is fully recyclable.

The meals are protein-rich and delicious at the same time.

The easy-to-make delicious meals are wrapped up as 2-minute meals that require minimal cooking or reheating. They’re, for all purposes, ready to eat. The Whole30 program may feel like a climb up the hill with you needing to learn to cook with new ingredients, not knowing whether you did a good job or would even like what you cooked. The Whole30 program is no longer a climb up the hill with Model Meals.

You can switch over to Model Meals, considering the ever-rising cost of cooking gas, the cost of fresh ingredients, and the time spent gathering all the supplies together.

For most, Model Meals offer a quick alternative to cooking hard-to-understand Whole30 meals.

The only complaints are about the delivery. Sometimes the containers had a lid off, spilling its contents throughout the packaging.

The good news is—If you complain about the condition of the shipment, they give you off $17 for the meal. But considering there’s $50 spent on meals, this may not be enough.

Read more: Mosaic Foods Review

MealPro

A similar meal delivery service that offers customized nutrition with ready-to-eat meals is MealPro. It caters to different dietary needs that go beyond the traditional high-protein and low-carb diet lifestyles.

Prepared meals are for specific health conditions, bodybuilding, weight loss, fat burn with ketosis, and much more. The A La Carte menu offers a balanced blend of nutrition and taste, all made with natural ingredients. You can opt to double-up on the vegetables instead of carbohydrates or solely choose proteins or vegetables – flexibility in choosing your ideal plate for every meal is a big plus.

It has its eye on diets that are not very common but are just as crucial for some people, like bodybuilding – meals that provide a boost of protein, keeping the carb count balanced but not very low. It also comes equipped with meal plans for specific medical conditions such as diabetes, low sodium, renal, heart health, low cholesterol, Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, celiac, and anti-inflammatory.

EatClean

Wholesome meals are custom-tailored to fit a wide range of diets like a plant-based diet, paleo diet, and keto diet or even if you prefer traditional meals with a balanced palate of proteins, carbs, healthy fats, and other essential nutrients.

Starting with 6 meals for $12.58 per meal, you can order as many as 14 meals at one time for a discounted rate of $9.60 per meal. EatClean allows you to choose from dozens of recipes anywhere from 6 to 14 weekly meals, which take minutes to heat and eat.

Ingredients are process-free, GMO-free, and additive-free. Meat is grass-fed with some gluten-free and dairy-free meal options. And the best part? Something that Model Meals does not provide is a nutrition facts section for every meal, displaying the calories, proteins, carbs, fat, fiber, and sugar content.

CookUnity

For chef-cooked and ready-to-eat meals, CookUnity is another excellent alternative to Model Meals. They deliver fresh and high-quality meals that vary depending on your delivery location. So, chefs that are nearer to your location will prepare meals according to your tastes and meal plan preferences.

With CookUnity, you have the option to choose from 4 to 16 meals per week or per order. Each meal is equipped with accurate heating instructions, nutrition facts, and allergy information. For customization, you can filter meals by the protein ingredient or dietary restrictions.

Your options are seafood, vegetarian, meat, poultry, and vegan for selecting the main ingredient and less than 600 calories, low carbs, gluten-free, dairy-free, low sodium, keto, and paleo diets for dietary preference.

Model Meals’ customer service is efficient and speedy. They resolve even the smallest issue is a timely and responsive manner. You can email them to resolve any confusion and share a complaint regarding their packaging, delivery, etc.

In short, Model Meals is a convenient and user-friendly service that offers you the flexibility to receive chef-prepared recipes either at your home or workplace, tailored to your meal preference. The meals are ready to eat within 5 minutes of heating with the added advantage of the meals being preportioned to satisfy the cravings of one person without dealing with any leftovers.