As a Foodie, I’m Skeptical About Meal Prep Companies. Here’s What I Discovered Eating a Week’s Worth of Pre-Prepared Meals
I never thought I’d be the type of person to invest in a meal prep delivery service. As a self-titled ‘foodie’, cooking is how I unwind after a long working day.
When I’m not eating food, I’m thinking about my next meal or I’m scrolling through Instagram reels for inspiration. I’ve been known to take cookbooks to bed and read them like novels, and pride myself in an ability to whip up a meal from a just can of chickpeas, a parmesan rind and a bunch of wilting herbs from the salad drawer.
Having said all the above, earlier in the year I took on some new work commitments, my days became busier and I noticed my tired brain was struggling to compose edible meals post 7pm. Even with all the will in the world, sometimes a diverted or work-weary brain can’t deliver a good plate of food.
Worse still, my gym routine was taking a hit from my demanding work schedule. The thrice weekly workouts I’ve always previously found time for felt unachievable as I crashed on the sofa at the end of a long day.
It felt like perfect timing then when the email landed in my inbox from The Good Prep, asking if I’d like to review their premium meal prep service. I was curious, and signed up. Would I miss cooking? Possibly, but mostly I was excited by all the extra free time I’d gain not having to shop, cook or do the dishes for seven days.
Founded by brothers in law Faith and Gem, The Good Prep are on a mission to deliver fresh healthy meals that will align with their customer’s personal health and fitness routine. Depending on your goals, there are three meal plans to select from: Trim + Slim, The Balanced Plan and The Ultimate Performance Plan.
I opted for a full week’s worth of meal on the Balanced Plan (designed to fuel your workouts, support muscle growth and increase energy levels) inclusive of breakfast, lunches, dinners and snacks.
Now down to the fun part – picking my menu for the week. As a pescatarian, I can sometimes struggle for choice in ready meals, but not with The Good Prep. Every meat dish had a fish or vegetarian alternative: think spicy Buffalo Tofu with Mediterranean veg, Tandoori Tempeh with Pilau rice and Salmon Teriyaki with shredded vegetables.
As someone that eats greek yogurt, fruit and weetabix for breakfast every day, I was also delighted to discover the diversity in The Good Prep’s brekkie offering – Banana Protein Pancakes, Egg Muffins and Banoffee Overnight Oats being the highlights.
The first delivery of food arrived promptly on a Sunday afternoon, well wrapped with cool packs and insulation. Day one was a success: I slung a pot of overnight oats in my work bag along with a deliciously creamy peanut tempeh curry, and felt incredibly satisfied all day. When I got home from work the sun was shining and I suggested that my partner and I headed out again for a walk in the time that would have been spent cooking. We came home and heated up two more meals for dinner in lightning quick time (four minutes in the microwave), sitting down to some really tasty orange miso seabass and vegetables.
By day three I realised that I was eating far more protein on The Good Prep that I normally would include on my plate, and as a consequence my energy levels were much higher. In fact I was craving a trip to the gym. So I booked into a spin class that evening and finished the day with an excellent tofu katsu curry.
My second delivery of the remaining meals for the week arrived on day four. By which point I was missing cooking a little bit, so I mixed things by preparing a chopped salad to go alongside my cajun blackened salmon dinner.
Come day five and all the extra goodness I was consuming had me itching for another gym session, where I achieved a personal best for calorie burning in an extra sweaty spin class. Scheduling in classes definitely felt easier knowing a good meal was waiting for me at home – normally I’d go to the supermarket after a gym and arrive home starving with no impetus to cook the food I’d just purchased.
By the end of week I’d managed to hit my three workouts goal, plus plenty of sunshine walks in-between. I’d also experienced renewed energy levels that I hadn’t felt for sometime, mentally I felt sharper, and physically I was brimming with energy and a desire to be active. It proved to be a great education in nutrition for this protein dodging pescatarian. My previous portion sizes clearly weren’t big enough and The Good Prep is going to change my habits for the better.
Would I use their meal prep delivery service again? Absolutely, if I knew I was coming up to a busy period it would be a worthwhile investment in my health. For the moment I’m back to my thrown-together chickpea dinners, but it’s only a matter of time before I’ll be craving a week off doing the dishes.