Hey there! I’m a bustling mom who’s juggling work, family, and, oh, about a million other things. Sound familiar? If you’re anything like me, you know the struggle of keeping all those balls in the air. And one thing that always seems to tumble down is meal planning and grocery shopping. Don’t get me wrong, I love feeding my family nutritious home-cooked meals, but who has the time?
That’s why I’ve been searching for a meal delivery service that can take some of the load off without compromising quality or nutrition. Enter Factor and Fresh N’ Lean – two services that promise to deliver healthy, ready-to-eat meals right to my doorstep.
I’ve spent the past few weeks trying out both services, comparing their menu variety to ingredient quality, taste, and value for money. And let me tell you, it’s been quite the culinary adventure. So, if you’re a busy bee like me, looking to reclaim some precious time without sacrificing your family’s health, stick around. I’ll share my honest review of Factor vs. Fresh N’ Lean. Let’s dive in, shall we?
TL;DR: Alright, busy moms and dads, here’s the lowdown. After trying out Factor and Fresh N’ Lean, I’ve got to give it to Factor. It’s simply unbeatable between the variety of meals, the convenience, and the taste. It’s like having a personal chef in my microwave!
Just heat, eat, and enjoy. Factor makes eating healthy, EASY. Honestly, the hardest part about eating healthy are MEAL PLANNING and MEAL PREP. Factor removes both as an excuse and is interesting enough to stick with over the long term. Unlock a whopping 50% off your first box and enjoy an extra 20% off your next four boxes with code VENTURE50!
Main Differences Between Factor vs. Fresh N’ Lean
- Factor Meals are made to be heated in the microwave, whereas Fresh N’ Lean meals can be heated up in the microwave, stove, or oven.
- Fresh N’ Lean is a vegan meal delivery, whereas Factor Meals offer meats.
- Fresh N’ Lean excels in providing more dietary options, with over 50+ meals to choose from per week, whereas Factor offers fewer options, with only 29 meals per week.
- Fresh N’ Lean offers a more significant number of items on its menu, whereas Factor allows more flexibility with mix and match across meal plans and provides a broader selection.
- Fresh N’ Lean is one of the few meal delivery services that let you order a single meal, whereas you have to order several meals from Factor to receive a shipment.
All About Factor
Factor Meals takes care of all of the overwhelming parts of planning a healthy meal and leaves you with the fun part – eating! Factor is a meal delivery service that offers fully prepared, healthy meals made by real chefs and delivered straight to your doorstep. With Factor, you can enjoy the convenience of ready-to-eat meals that require minimal effort to enjoy.
Factor meals provide a wide variety of meal options that cater to different dietary needs and preferences, including ketogenic, vegetarian, and low-calorie options. All of the meals offered by Factor Meals include a variety of vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats. With many other keto and low-carb meal kits I’ve tried before, it’s hard to find a good meal that isn’t overloaded with heavy fats (I’m looking at you, cream cheese). But I had a ton of light (but filling) fats in my keto meals from Factor that didn’t make me tired or overfull!
My Factor Meals Experience
Ordering and Delivery Experience
I struggle with procrastination, especially if I feel like the task will be super overwhelming. I’ll admit, I was putting off ordering from Factor Meals for a while because I thought I would get overwhelmed navigating their website and choosing meals. However, the process was a breeze! The website was user-friendly and intuitive, making navigating the various sections easy. I appreciated the simplicity of the ordering experience and how everything was straightforward.
Despite the ease of ordering, I wanted a wider variety of meals. While the existing options were diverse and appealing, my adventurous palate craved more selections throughout the week. I always search for new culinary experiences; having a wider assortment of dishes would have been exciting. I’ll admit; I believe Hello Fresh’s selection may have me spoiled. So, maybe this is just my problem!
The speed of shipping was truly commendable. It felt almost instantaneous – one moment, I was placing my order, and the next, I received a notification that my package was already on its way. This level of efficiency is something I greatly appreciate as it reduced the waiting time significantly.
Meal Quality
Upon receiving my meals, I was blown away by the quality. Each dish looked delicious and fresh, with vibrant colors and a mix of visually pleasing textures.
Here are some of the meals I’ve ordered:
- Shredded chicken taco bowl with roasted corn salsa and cilantro lime sour cream (37g of carbs, 22g of fat)
- Ground pork and cheddar chili mac with broccoli and garlic-chive corn (48g of carbs, 29g of fat)
- Sun-dried tomato chicken fusilli with Italian herb-roasted zucchini (38g of carbs, 28g of fat)
- Baja salmon with cauliflower “rice,” broccoli, and jalapeno lime crema (13g of carbs, 54g of fat)
- Chipotle-rubbed pork chop with roasted cabbage and red bell pepper fondue (14f of carbs, 55g of fat)
- Goat cheese, mushroom, and onion burger with roasted green beans and romesco butter (17g of carbs, 50g of fat)
The shredded chicken taco bowl was flavorful, with the roasted corn salsa adding a delicious twist. The cilantro lime sour cream provided a tangy kick that perfectly complemented the dish and had me OBSESSED. In my heart, I will always be a sauce girl.
The ground pork and cheddar chili mac was hearty and satisfying. The broccoli added a nice crunch, while the garlic-chive corn was a delightful surprise. The sun-dried tomato chicken fusilli was an authentic taste of Italy, with the herb-roasted zucchini offering a refreshing balance to the rich flavors.
One of the most impressive aspects of these meals was their convenience, mainly regarding cooking time. Each meal was designed with efficiency in mind, requiring less than 5 minutes in the microwave. This was a game-changer for me! Even better, this short cook time did not compromise the taste or quality of the food. Whether it was the shredded chicken taco bowl or the goat cheese, mushroom, and onion burger, each dish came out perfectly cooked and full of flavor, despite what you may believe, considering these are microwaveable meals!
Would I Recommend It?
Yes, I highly recommend Factor Meals to anyone looking to cut fast food out of their diet and eat healthier! I am so impressed with the quality and overall fanciness of the meals. Since these are microwaveable meals, I expected them to be Walmart quality. Still, I got Whole Foods quality dishes on my dinner table! The quality of the food and the amazing convenience these dishes offer is unbeatable.
Factor Meals has transformed the way I approach my diet. It combines the convenience of a meal delivery service with the quality and transparency I look for in my food. If you value your health and time, I would definitely recommend giving Factor Meals a try.
Just heat, eat, and enjoy. Factor makes eating healthy, EASY. Honestly, the hardest part about eating healthy are MEAL PLANNING and MEAL PREP. Factor removes both as an excuse and is interesting enough to stick with over the long term. Unlock a whopping 50% off your first box and enjoy an extra 20% off your next four boxes with code VENTURE50!
All About Fresh N’ Lean
Fresh N’ Lean is a leading prepared meal delivery service that focuses on providing organically sourced, fresh vegan meals delivered straight to your door. I think it’s really cool that Fresh N’ Lean caters to a variety of dietary needs, too; if you’re a vegan that’s struggled to find a gluten-free menu, Fresh N’ Lean has some options available! And as cutting out food dyes becomes more trendy, I appreciate the effort that Fresh N’ Lean puts out into ensuring that their meals are free from artificial additives and pesticides.
What Fresh N’ Lean Meals Offers
Fresh N’ Lean also helped expand my world further by introducing me to the plant-based world. I’ve always been pretty intimidated by plant-based selections. Still, Fresh N’ Lean made the introduction much less scary!
As someone who has never tried plant-based meals, I appreciated Fresh N’ Lean’s approach to vegan eating. There were some familiar classics (like lemon parsley “chicken”) that I was excited to try! Also, Fresh N’ Lean meals are portion-controlled and nutritionally balanced, allowing for easier weight management and portion control.
My Fresh N’ Lean Meals Experience
Ordering and Delivery Experience
Placing an order was a straightforward process. I could easily select the meals I wanted, add them to my cart, and proceed to checkout. The payment process was secure and quick, adding to the smooth experience. What I particularly appreciated about Fresh N’ Lean was the flexibility they offered. As per my requirements and schedule, I could sign up for automatic weekly delivery or order meals a la carte.
Getting the box delivered to my front door took about a week and a half, which wasn’t a huge deal. I was happy with the unboxing process. Besides, I wanted more ice packs added to my order to keep everything nice and chill. My order was delivered in the middle of July during a heat wave, so the meals weren’t ice cold when I unboxed them. However, that’s my only complaint regarding the delivery.
Meal Quality
I’ll admit; having chef-prepared vegan meals for me to try as my first vegan meals made the entire idea sound less scary.
Here are some of the meals I’ve ordered:
- Lemon parsley chicken with Moroccan cranberry walnut couscous
- Thai yellow curried chicken and spicy Brussels fried rice
- Creamy lemon dijon chicken with herb potatoes and broccoli
While all the meals I ordered are labeled as chicken, the chicken they’ve used in these meals is protein-packed and plant-based!
My first meal was the Lemon Parsley Chicken with Moroccan Cranberry-Walnut Couscous. The dish was flavorful, with the lemon and parsley seasoning complementing the vegan chicken nicely. The Moroccan cranberry walnut couscous added an exotic touch, making the meal enjoyable. Now, did this chicken fool me? No, but it wasn’t horrible. The Fresh N’ Lean meals didn’t make me want to convert to veganism, but they weren’t wrong.
Next, I tried the Thai Yellow Curried Chicken and Spicy Brussel Fried Rice. The curry had a rich flavor profile, and the vegan chicken absorbed all the spices well. The spicy Brussels fried rice was a good accompaniment. The last meal I tried was the Creamy Lemon Dijon Chicken with Herb Potatoes and Broccoli. The creaminess of the lemon dijon sauce was comforting, and the vegan chicken paired well with it. However, the herb potatoes and broccoli felt a bit underseasoned to me.
Would I recommend it?
Overall, my experience trying vegan food from Fresh N’ Lean was pretty decent. While I appreciated the convenience of ready-to-eat meals and the use of organic ingredients, not all the dishes resonated with my palate. Some meals were a hit, while others didn’t match my taste preferences. I like the ease of use of making these meals, and maybe my opinion is slated because I’m not a vegan.
Other Alternatives to Consider
FAQs
Question: Do Factor Meals contain a high amount of sodium?
Yes, I found that some of their meals contain a lot of sodium. I recommend you look closely at the menu or try another meal delivery company if you’re concerned about your sodium intake.
Question: How often does Factor Meals change their menu?
Factor Meals updates their menu weekly, so you’ll always get something new!
Question: Do I need to be home for delivery?
No, you don’t need to worry about being home for deliveries. Factor does a great job of Packaging everything excellent and securely, so it’s okay if it sits outside in the heat for a little while.
Who’s the Real Winner?
Factor Meals is my winner. I’m not a vegan and didn’t plan on becoming vegan, but I definitely am interested in eating more plants in my diet. Really what made a difference for me between these two meal delivery services was how they seasoned their food. I loved how intricate each Factor Meal was, especially considering they offer microwavable meals. I never would be able to guess that the Factor meals are microwavable just by taste alone, and that really sets them apart from Fresh N’ Lean.
Just heat, eat, and enjoy. Factor makes eating healthy, EASY. Honestly, the hardest part about eating healthy are MEAL PLANNING and MEAL PREP. Factor removes both as an excuse and is interesting enough to stick with over the long term. Unlock a whopping 50% off your first box and enjoy an extra 20% off your next four boxes with code VENTURE50!
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