Elderly and Senior Meal Delivery Solutions from the Experiences of Family Caretakers for New Family Caretakers
Fresh N' Lean
Fresh N' Lean Review of their Senior Meals and Prepared Meal Delivery Service
About Fresh N' Lean Senior Meal Deliveries
Fresh N' Lean is unique in that it is an organic prepared meal delivery service in California which may be of interest to family caretakers whose loved ones have a passion for organic, paleo, and plant-based diets. All of the meals are cooked by the company's own chef and feature Mediterranean, Continental, Asian and South American Cuisine.
Meal Plans, with automatic reordering, are the preferred purchase method, but we were able to try this food by ordering from the A la carte section of their website. We recommend you try this too before committing to automatic deliveries. To purchase in the a la carte section, you are required to spend at least $105. Meals cost about $14.
Fresh N' Lean does offer a breakfast option, but nothing there is really a meal. You may choose from a cup of oatmeal, some almonds, or a granola. Nothing you couldn't get that the local market for much less. They also offer a "Bulk Meals and Sides" option where you can pick the entrees, sides, and vegetables you want. However, these are not individual portions making it a little more inconvenient and requiring you to have the same meal three times in a row. This seems more like a family option to us, than a family caregiver option.
Our Fresh N' Lean Reviews
We found the website easy to navigate and to find what we were looking for. We did not get an order confirmation email, or a specified delivery date, which could be important for remote family caregivers.
We found the shipping box was light enough to be carried by a senior and most older adults. A dozen of these meals could easily stack in the refrigerator. However, we thought the shrink-wrapped microwave trays could be challenging to open. We had to use scissors to cut the meal free from the microwave tray.
Meals cost between $11.99 and $13.99, which is comparable to high-end senior meal delivery services like Home Bistro. We felt that was quite an accomplishment given the higher cost of using only organic food to make the meals.
Individual meal recipes will vary slightly, but you can expect a generous portion of roasted vegetables with an above average sized protein. We liked the whole proteins, such as chicken, shrimp, and salmon much better than the "ground" proteins.
Reheating was easy, and the chef cooked everything to perfection. The vegetables still had a slight crunch, and none of the proteins were dry or overcooked. These are certainly chef-prepared meals; a term other services may overuse for marketing purposes.
But we didn't care for the lack of variety in the menu. The roasted vegetables will change slightly, but it is basically the same dish. We got bored with these meals very easily, and we didn't care for the meals that did not have a whole protein. These meals felt more like eating a bowl of vegetables.
The Bulk Meals and Side section offers selections such as Quinoa, Brown Rice, and Cauliflower. We would like to see some more compelling sides in the meals, instead of every meal being a version of roasted vegetables without a carb side. Mashed potatoes, Risotto, Mac and Cheese, Yams, Couscous, Asian Noodles, and Dumplings, all come to mind given the company's Mediterranean, Continental, Asian and South American Cuisine background.
Fresh N' Lean Meals We Would Order Again
Salmon and Vegetables - $14
We would order this meal again because of the generous portion of salmon. The bed of organic vegetables is good, but tiresome to have meal after meal. In fact, after the third day, Mom didn't eat any of them, except a nibble to see if there was anything different or desirable.
Coconut Curry Chicken Breast and Vegetables - $14
We didn't get much, if any, coconut flavor, nor did the meal seem like it was a curry, but we would recommend this meal as a nice healthy lunch.
Maple Balsamic Eggplant Shrimp - $14
Basically shrimp and vegetables, we did get a hint of maple, but no balsamic taste.
Fresh N' Lean Meals We Would Not Reorder
Roasted Squash and a Beef Patty - $14
The vegetables were nice, when he had them the first couple of times, then they get boring to have every meal. Just because the beef patty was organic doesn't mean it tasted any better than a $1 frozen burger patty you can get at the supermarket. And this one didn't.
Beef Strips with Vegetables - $14
There were no beef strips in our meal. It was more like shredded beef you would find in a Philly Cheesesteak, as you can see in the picture when you click on it. We wondered just how much beef was in this meal because we couldn't taste it. We had some residual water in the tray too.
Squash Bolognese Beef and Vegetables - $14
Clearly, the chefs that created this meal have no idea what Bolognese is. Hint: It is not flavorless, minced beef clumps over a bed of vegetables. It looks like about 2 oz. of beef was used to make this meal.
Ground Beef and Southwest Vegetables - $14
This was our last meal to try from Fresh N' Lean and we finally received a respectable serving of the entree of ground beef, but the company lost us as a customer by now.
Our Fresh N' Lean Senior Meals Summary
It is hard for us to imagine this prepared meal delivery service generates any repeat customers, and especially from seniors and family caretakers for have to meal plan for themselves or loved ones. At $14 a meal there are plenty of other alternatives that are less expensive, have menus with better selections, and food seniors and loved ones will look forward to. To us, that is an important consideration.
The portion sizes were better than average, but not so much with the protein. We almost had the feeling that this company thinks they can put anything on a plate and their customers will love it because its organic. Maybe some people feel that way, but not us.
Shared Experiences from Other Family Caregivers
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Submitted Reviews and Comments
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Your Fresh N' Lean Review
Our reviews are written only
from the viewpoint of a family caretaker who has the responsibility of feeding one or two senior or elderly loved ones. We take into consideration shipping, packaging, storage, reheating, food quality, and price per meal to determine if the meal delivery service is a good value, convenience, and an option to support their family caretaking responsibilities. Advertisers do not influence our reviews.
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