My Fresh N Lean review and unboxing went about how I thought it would, but there were a couple of surprises.
I’ve been exploring different ways of eating and meal delivery services for years to support my workouts, improve my health, and save time and energy during busier seasons of life. They’re worth it if you choose the ones that match your needs.
If you’re an individual looking for meals that fit a specific diet plan and you want meals you don’t even have to think about, other than choosing the one you want to pop in the microwave when it’s time to eat, Fresh N Lean may be able to help you stay on track.
Bottom Line Up Front
I like Fresh N Lean but wouldn’t choose it every time. I didn’t have any problems with the ordering process, shipping time, or freshness, but the meals weren’t always what I expected. Sometimes, that was a pleasant surprise. Other times, I was disappointed. I wanted more flexibility, too. Though I love the idea of following a specific meal plan that works well for me, I really love variety.
Fresh N' Lean offers organic, non-GMO ingredients available to suit a wide variety of leading restriction diets like Keto, Paleo, Whole30, Mediterranean Diet, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian, and more. If you need a delicious meal prep service to fit your diet, Fresh N' Lean is the one.
Features of Fresh N Lean
- You get unlimited calls with a nutritionist as part of your subscription to set up a path to reaching your goals.
- It’s good for individuals and possibly couples. (Since these are individual servings, I wouldn’t recommend the service for families.)
- You can choose one of their seven meal plans: Protein+, Keto, Paleo, Standard Vegan, Vegetarian, Whole30 Approved, Mediterranean Diet, Low Carb Vegan.
- Bulk options are available, which include bulk protein sources to add to your meals. The site says you can stock up on proteins, veggies, oats, and everything else, but as of this writing, I’ve only seen protein. When the other options are available, this could be an excellent option to mix and match your own meals at home to your liking, with everything pre-cooked.
- Organic ingredients
- Entrees, breakfasts, and add-ons are available.
Fresh N Lean Pros
- It makes sticking with a meal plan oh-so-easy.
- The ordering and shipping process was flawless.
- I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor combinations in some of the meals.
- Though I wouldn’t call it inexpensive, it’s reasonably priced for what you get.
- There are several meal plans to choose from.
- There’s a variety of flavors and types of cuisines.
- Shipping is free.
- The meat was always tender–no weird, rubbery chunks.
Fresh N Lean Cons
- They make it challenging to venture outside of your chosen meal plan.
- The plastic sits right on top of the food when you heat it up unless you pull it up to create a tent-like shape (even then, there’s no guarantee it’ll stay).
- Some of the meals I expected to be flavorful were on the bland side.
- Some meals are slightly lower in calories (some of mine were in the 450 to 470 range) than I’d prefer, but adding a few healthy snacks can make up the difference. (This isn’t the case across the board. For example, The Chicken, Root Vegetables, and Wild Rice Harvest Bowl had 670.)
- Some of the meals didn’t look incredibly appetizing or colorful, which didn’t bother me. Still, it might make certain meals less appealing to some.
My Fresh N Lean Review & Unboxing Experience
Ordering
First, you choose your meal plan. Then, you decide how many breakfasts, lunches, and dinners you want. I opted for seven entrees, with no breakfasts. You can choose to purchase meals for five or seven days. The more you order, the less you pay per meal (unless you’re only interested in breakfasts).
Tell Them What You Don’t Want
Next is one of my favorite parts: You can tell them which ingredients to exclude from your meals. If you don’t choose your own one week, they’ll know to avoid sending you meals with things you don’t want. For example, I wouldn’t want them to send me meals with soy, Beyond Meat, or Daring Chicken, so those would be my three exclusions. (You’re limited to three, but the list of options is long.)
You also have the opportunity to let them know about any food allergies you have.
Checking Out
It’ll ask if you want to add snacks (at the time of this writing, they’re offering almonds), but I declined.
You can add a separate meal plan after that if you want more meals. This is one way to mix it up between meal plans, but you might end up with more food than you want in a week.
From there, you’ll see when they can guarantee the meals (a Saturday). You go through the checkout process and then choose your meals. It’s a smooth process, but I would have preferred to choose my meals before going through the checkout.
Price
I paid $101.43 for seven entrees, totaling $14.49 per meal. I could make meals for myself (with less variety) for less than that, so when the budget is tight, I wouldn’t get these. However, if I’m in a position to pay for convenience, Fresh N Lean comes out ahead.
You’re getting meals that are already prepared, with quality organic ingredients, variety, and nutrition you’ll have a hard time finding at a restaurant–especially fast food.
The price is reasonable, but it won’t save you money unless you go out often.
Fresh N' Lean offers organic, non-GMO ingredients available to suit a wide variety of leading restriction diets like Keto, Paleo, Whole30, Mediterranean Diet, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian, and more. If you need a delicious meal prep service to fit your diet, Fresh N' Lean is the one.
Shipping
I had an OnTrac shipping number to track with. It arrived on time. They guaranteed the meals would be here by Saturday, and it looked like that was the day they’d show up until it got closer to the end of the week. The shipping was updated to reflect a speedier schedule, and they actually arrived on Friday.
This is what you can usually expect–they strive to have meals delivered on Fridays but leave a little wiggle room by guaranteeing them by Saturday. You can choose a different delivery day if you’re willing to pay extra (contact customer service to do so).
Packaging
The meals were shipped in a cardboard box with Fresh N Lean’s branding on it. Inside, plenty of insulation and ice packs kept the meals cold and safe.
The packaging kept the meals fresh in the fridge for almost two weeks. They had expiration dates, so I felt comfortable eating them that long after I received them. However, I was still skeptical that they’d actually taste good. But they did!
If you won’t be able to eat all your meals in time, the packaging is okay to put in the freezer, but they don’t recommend it because the food tastes better fresh.
What I Got
Here’s a quick rundown of what I got and what I thought:
Comfort Beef Stew: I’m tweaking my beef stew recipe because of Fresh N Lean. It was delightfully sweet, with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg, and not what I expected. It was even more comforting than I anticipated because of the extra warmth from the spices. The meat was tender. I’d been craving beef stew, and this surpassed my expectations. It was my favorite meal of the bunch.
Chicken Tikka Masala with Jasmine Rice: Shockingly, I expected loads of flavor from this one, and it was bland in looks and taste. However, there was still enough flavor to appreciate, and I didn’t dislike it. The texture was good. The cauliflower wasn’t too hard or too mushy.
Tahini Chicken and Quinoa Glow Bowl: This one also let me down on the flavor front. It reminded me of the Tikka Masala, in a way. It wasn’t bad and the nutrition was good (I’m a sucker for quinoa bowls), but I wouldn’t order it again.
Horseradish Beef with Loaded Brussels Sprouts: My expectations were too high for this one because I love horseradish and Brussels sprouts so much. It wasn’t my favorite; it fell somewhere in the middle. I enjoyed it more than the Tikka Masala and Tahini Chicken. The meat was tender and the Brussels sprouts were on the soft side, which I prefer. I wish there had been more of a kick of flavor.
Chimichurri Beef with Quinoa and Veggies: This one was an amusing surprise. I was not too fond of the smell when I opened it, so I thought it would get a quick thumbs-down from me. Instead, I liked it. The flavor was decent and I loved the yellow squash (I ate a ton of that growing up, so it’s one of my favorite foods that I tend to forget about now that I’m older). The squash was a little mushy, but I like it that way. I picked up more pepper than any herbs I expected from the chimichurri.
Spicy Garlic Chinese Chicken and Eggplant with Rice: If there was ever a wildcard meal I’ve ordered, this was it. I’m not the biggest fan of Chinese food, and I only occasionally like eggplant, but the spicy garlic description nudged me to try it.
And I loved it. Its flavor profile reminded me of the beef stew, and the texture was good (chicken and eggplant can be iffy for me where the texture’s concerned). It had an excellent spice level, and I enjoyed the kick. I was sad when it was gone. I would definitely order this one and the beef stew over and over again.
Chicken, Root Vegetables, and Wild Rice Harvest Bowl: This combined some of my favorite things–squash, kale, wild rice, and goat cheese–so I had no problem adding this to my cart. It was a simple comfort food dish–with a hint of tangy vinegar to liven it up (with all flavors combined, it tasted like balsamic vinegar).
Nutritional Content
This is where Fresh N Lean really shines for me. A lot of meal delivery services have delicious options, but they’re either too high in calories, don’t have my preferred balance of macros, or both. Fresh N Lean works well for me as a 41-year-old woman with a more sedentary-than-I’d-like lifestyle.
I recently read Forever Strong by Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, which emphasized the importance of getting enough protein (and strength training) as we age. I knew it was important (I’ve been consuming nutrition and exercise information since my 20s), but now I’m especially conscious of it.
I signed up for the Protein+ plan because I can easily get my carbs and fats in for the day, but protein is a different story. Most of the meals I got had around 28 to 30 grams of protein and a reasonable number of fats and carbs (it kills me when I see meals with something along the lines of 50 grams of fat, a ton of carbs, and 15 grams of protein–usually delicious, just not ideal for me).
Fresh N Lean offers meals with a reasonable number of calories for the average person (give or take a snack or two to supplement). There are greens and other veggies, plus variety, which means I’m getting more micronutrients than I would if I were to cook food in bulk and eat all week.
Everyone’s calorie target and macro breakdown will be different, and each meal plan is different, but this is a good starting point for the average person. Depending on your needs, you may need additional snacks or to take advantage of their Bulk option.
Similar Meal Delivery Services to Try
- Factor: Factor is one of my favorites for their balance of flavor and nutrition. I like that you can mix up a few meal plans for your ideal week (the keto meals were exceptionally delicious). Here, you’ll get to choose from around 35 meals each week.
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!
- Trifecta: Here, you can choose from the Clean, Whole30, Keto, and Plant-Based meal plans and opt for up to 14 entrees and seven breakfasts in one order. If you need help deciding which meal plan to go with based on your goals, there’s even a quiz you can take to help you choose. Trifecta is worth a look if you’re especially interested in high-protein options.
Trifecta Nutrition offers a convenient and healthy meal delivery service that caters to individuals seeking a balanced and nutritious diet. With a diverse menu, customizable options, and a commitment to using high-quality ingredients, Trifecta Nutrition helps you achieve your fitness and wellness goals effortlessly.
- Territory: With Territory, you can choose a meal plan (for example, keto, Mediterranean, Whole30, or vegan) and have your meals delivered once or twice a week. If you’re trying not to consume dairy, gluten, or refined sugars, you’ll love this one because their meals don’t include them. Here, you can give them feedback on the meals you’ve received so they can make better recommendations as time goes on, but you can always edit them so you get exactly what you want.
Territory Foods revolutionizes mealtime with chef-crafted, personalized meal delivery. Their culinary experts prepare delicious, nutrient-rich dishes that align with your dietary preferences, making healthy eating a hassle-free and delightful experience.
- Green Chef: Green Chef is for people who want healthy meals with organic produce and have a family to feed. Instead of individual meals you pop in the microwave, you get ingredients and recipes to cook meals at home. Don’t worry; some are ready in 15 to 20 minutes (though you could spend an hour on others if you enjoy cooking).
Green Chef is a meal kit service that delivers boxes filled with fresh ingredients on a weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis to make chef-curated meals. Diet and allergen friendly options, are one of the reasons I love Green Chef. Save big with $250 off and enjoy free shipping using code VENT250
FAQs about Fresh N Lean
Question: Is Fresh N Lean good for weight loss?
Answer: It can be! Fresh N Lean meals can be part of a weight loss plan as long as you’re getting the correct number of calories for your goals and activity levels.
Question: How does Fresh N Lean stay fresh?
Answer: They come in vacuum-sealed trays, so they can last a long time. The boxes they’re shipped in have insulation and ice packs to keep them cold in transit.
Question: Is Fresh N Lean easy to cancel?
Answer: Yes, but you’ll need to let them know at least a week ahead of time, so you’ll need to cancel by the Saturday before the delivery is scheduled. You can cancel from your Dashboard. Go to My Meal Plans, then click Manage on the active plan. You’ll see the option to cancel the subscription. They’ll inform you that you can skip a few weeks if you just need a break, then ask for feedback on why you’re canceling.
Conclusion: Worth a Look If You’re Following a Specific Meal Plan
Fresh N Lean won’t be for everyone (no meal delivery service is), but it’s worth a look if you know you want to follow a specific meal plan to improve your overall wellness, clean up your diet, and make mealtimes easy. I wouldn’t recommend it for family meals since you only get one serving in each container.
However, several groups can benefit: people who work from home, parents who feed their kids their favorite foods and then eat whatever they’re having because it’s easy (or forget to eat at all), and those who want something quick and easy to take to the office, to name a few.
For convenient, healthy options and some flavor variety, it’s worth checking out Fresh N Lean.
Fresh N' Lean offers organic, non-GMO ingredients available to suit a wide variety of leading restriction diets like Keto, Paleo, Whole30, Mediterranean Diet, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian, and more. If you need a delicious meal prep service to fit your diet, Fresh N' Lean is the one.
Continue reading:
Factor vs Fresh N’ Lean: A Keto vs Vegan Showdown
Best Keto Meal Delivery Options to Try Next
My Ultimate Freshly Review: What’s Really Inside This Meal Kit?
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