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Kid-Friendly Meal Kits: Fun & Nutritious Meals for Families
Published: August 4th, 2024.
Balancing work, family time, and meal preparation can overwhelm parents. Those with younger kids especially have a more challenging time creating nutritious and appealing meals.
Fortunately, kid-friendly meal kits have emerged to help these parents create healthy meals for all members without much struggle. This guide explores how these meal arrangements are helping families enjoy nutritious foods and have fun together. We will cover the following: how nutritious meals benefit your kids, the benefits of kid-friendly meal kits, the top kid-friendly meal kit providers, and tips on choosing the best options to make mealtime enjoyable.
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The Importance of Nutritious Meals for Kids
Children require wholesome food to grow healthy and strong. Their meals should contain a blend of vitamins, minerals, protein, and healthy fats to assist their bodies and minds in developing. Various aspects of their growth need particular amounts of certain nutrients to function.
Consider calcium and vitamin D. These nutrients help children build stronger bones. Iron, in contrast, impacts their brain development. Consuming enough fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins helps their bodies establish an excellent immune system for better overall health.
Benefits of Kid-Friendly Meal Kits
Time-efficient cooking
Preparing meals the conventional way takes a lot of effort. Parents need to decide what to cook, visit the grocery store to grab the necessary ingredients, return home to prepare the ingredients, and cook. These tasks are eliminated with kid-friendly meal kits, as there is no need to waste time thinking about what to cook or shopping for groceries.
Each meal kit is delivered to your home and ready to cook. It contains carefully pre-portioned ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes that allow a beginner to create meals. The only thing left to do is cook, so you have enough time with your family.
Educational and interactive cooking process
Besides being convenient, creating meals using kits allows kids to participate in cooking and learning, which makes the process enjoyable. Kids get to help with age-appropriate tasks like measuring ingredients, stirring and plating the food.
As a result, they learn essential life skills like cooking and responsibility. They also get to try new foods and develop healthier eating habits.
Variety of customization options
Whether your child is a picky eater or has specific dietary restrictions, many service providers allow you to tailor your meal kits to suit their preferences. Many of these services provide menus that change weekly, offering a diverse range of meals that keep your mealtime interesting.
High-quality ingredients
If you don't like artificial additives and preservatives in your meals, most meal kit services commit to only sourcing fresh, high-quality ingredients. This makes the meals delicious and nutritious, supporting your family's overall health and well-being.
Top Kid-Friendly Meal Kit Services
When it comes to kid-friendly meal kit services, some providers stand out for their commitment to delivering nutritious, delicious, and fun meals for families. Here are some popular options:
EveryPlate
EveryPlate is popular due to their affordability, simplicity, and variety, which makes them an excellent choice for families with tight budgets. Their meal kits offer simple recipes that require less preparation time.
Their meal kits include diverse options that cater to various tastes and preferences for individuals and families alike. Additionally, their pricing options are considered affordable, with meals starting at around $5 per serving.
HelloFresh
HelloFresh is another meal kit service popular with working families. Their various recipes cater to different family dietary needs and preferences. Their extensive culinary offerings, personalized experiences, and regular promotions set them apart from their competitors.
HelloFresh emphasizes the importance of fresh, high-quality ingredients sourced from trusted suppliers.
Blue Apron
Blue Apron meal kit service is known for their diverse range of family-friendly meals. Their recipes often contain unique ingredients and cooking procedures, allowing families to try new flavors and cooking styles.
Their meal plans accommodate dietary preferences, such as vegetarian and low-carb options. Their pre-made meal options are convenient, particularly on busy days when you can't make your own.
In addition to unique meal options, Blue Apron offers great introductory discounts to new customers, which adds to their meal prep convenience. However, they do not strictly cater to specific allergies or preferred diets.
Types of Meals Offered
Kid-friendly meal kits typically include a variety of meals designed to appeal to young children while ensuring balanced nutrition. Usually, these meals feature familiar favorites with a healthy twist to make them both tasty and nutritious. Some examples of popular kid-friendly meals you can find in these kits include:
- Chicken nuggets with veggies: A healthier take on a classic favorite featuring baked chicken nuggets served with a side of roasted vegetables
- Homemade pizza: Kids can customize their mini pizzas with various toppings, including vegetables, lean proteins, and low-fat cheese
- Tacos: Soft or hard shell tacos filled with seasoned ground beef or chicken, topped with fresh vegetables and a sprinkle of cheese
- Pasta dishes: Nutritious pasta meals like spaghetti with turkey meatballs or mac and cheese with hidden veggies
- Wraps and sandwiches: Fun and easy-to-make wraps and sandwiches, such as turkey and avocado wraps or grilled cheese with tomato soup
These meal kits balance nutrition and taste by incorporating whole grains, lean proteins, and many fruits and vegetables. They try to meet the dietary needs of growing children while appealing to their taste preferences. Additionally, many meal kit providers offer creative and themed meals that make mealtime exciting and engaging for kids.
Customization & Dietary Needs
Meal kit services allow individuals to customize their kits based on their family needs. This flexibility makes everyone feel accommodated, whether you have special diet needs or are a picky eater.
For families with food allergies, meal kit services often provide detailed ingredient lists and allergen information. This transparency allows parents to make informed choices and avoid potential allergic reactions. Additionally, many services offer specialized meal plans for different dietary preferences, such as vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free options.
If you have a picky eater, meal kits allow you to select meals they prefer to ensure that mealtime is enjoyable and free of stress. Some services even allow you to swap out certain ingredients or choose different sides, which provides even greater flexibility.
Customer Experiences & Reviews
Hearing from those who have tried something new for the first time provides valuable insights that help you make an informed decision. So, what do the parents who use kid-friendly meal kits say about them?
Our research shows that many who use these services report positive experiences, highlighting the convenience and quality of the meals. For example, Blue Apron users report many positive experiences, although the company gets mixed reviews overall. They score 4.2 out of 5 on Trustpilot from thousands of online reviews but lower on Google reviews and Yelp. Their customers appreciate the convenience, taste, and quality of the meals, though some find the prep time somehow underestimated. Other notable concerns raised by customers are their packaging waste and inconsistent customer service.
HelloFresh has an average 3.8 rating on Trustpilot and an A+ BBB accreditation with mixed reviews. Customers describe their meals as delicious, fresh, and convenient. They also note that their ordering system is user-friendly. On the flip side, issues like missing ingredients, excessive plastic, late deliveries, repetitive meal choices, and occasional packaging problems also occasionally arise. Despite these, HelloFresh is highly regarded for their timely delivery and responsive customer service.
EveryPlate receives mixed reviews, with a 4.2 rating on Trustpilot but lower ratings on Google, Sitejabber, Yelp, and BBB. They are mostly appreciated for their cost-effectiveness, simplicity, and great taste in meals. Though customers are happy with their use of recyclable packaging and the reduction of food waste, they also raise issues with damaged packaging and missing ingredients.
While most feedback is positive, some parents have noted areas for improvement. Common criticisms include occasional issues with ingredient freshness or packaging. However, most meal kit providers are responsive to customer feedback and work to address any concerns promptly.
Final Thoughts
Kid-friendly meal kits are suitable for working parents. Those whose kids are picky eaters find them especially helpful in providing proper nutrients. These kits offer educational and interactive cooking experiences and accommodate their entire families' various dietary needs and preferences. Creating meals, therefore, becomes easy, allowing families to enjoy stress-free, delicious, and healthy meals together.
If you want to try kid-friendly meal kits, our reviews of top providers like EveryPlate, HelloFresh, and Blue Apron can help you choose the best for your family. These providers offer various options that make mealtime fun and nutritious for the whole family.
For more meal kit options, visit our review page and utilize our comparison tool to see how each company measures up. Additionally, you can visit our blog for more information on meal kits in general.