In recent years, the demand for meal delivery services has flourished, giving customers a huge selection of options at affordable costs. In comparison to traditional grocery shopping, these services guarantee to save us time and effort, decrease food waste, and be more environmentally friendly.
Even for those of us who insist on doing our own cooking, meal delivery services provide a convenient way to switch up our daily routine or add some peace to our hectic schedule. This review will delve into what, if anything, makes Daily Harvest worth it for families.
What is Daily Harvest?
Farm-frozen, superfood-based, pre-portioned, no-cook dishes like smoothies, soups, and Harvest Bowls are delivered to your home by Daily Harvest. Their deliveries are all plant-based, wholesome, and contain few additives. Daily Harvest boxes are delivered on dry ice, allowing you to simply store the handy cups in your freezer and thaw them up as needed.
Whole food-based cuisine prepared using plant-based ingredients are Daily Harvest’s specialty. The majority of the items are organic, vegan, and gluten-free. Everything is delivered mostly prepared and frozen. I say “mostly” because you may want to utilize things from your own pantry for some recipes, such as adding broth to soups, milk to overnight oats, or coconut water to smoothies.
To discover what ingredients you might wish to have on hand, click the “how to prepare” tab located beneath each menu category. The nutritious, organic ingredients make Daily Harvest family-friendly and a great option for ensuring that your kids are eating healthfully.
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How to Begin
The ordering process with Daily Harvest is really easy. This feature makes Daily Harvest family-friendly. Browse to your heart’s content before signing up because you do not need to make an account to explore the menu.
When you’re prepared, ordering is a straightforward four-step process. Your email address and ZIP code must be entered first (Daily Harvest delivers to the majority of addresses in the continental United States). You’ll select a plan second. The third step is selecting your menu. It’s now time to enter your address, select a delivery date, and go to the payment page (first-time orders immediately qualify for a sizable discount).
You will receive a box every week until you skip, suspend, or cancel Daily Harvest because it is a subscription service. Daily Harvest doesn’t automatically change your weekly or monthly selections like a lot of meal delivery services do. Your order will continue to repeat unless you manually change it. The menu at Daily Harvest varies gradually, and top sellers frequently remain on the menu for a long time. So you can place a repeat order or continually peruse the extensive menu.
Also Read: Is the Whole 30 Diet Family-Friendly?
What Comes in My Box?
Every meal, snack, and beverage offered by Daily Harvest is plant-based, gluten-free, vegan, and designed to complement a healthy diet. For those with certain dietary limitations who might have trouble locating food delivery services that suit their requirements, it’s a terrific option. This makes Daily Harvest family-friendly as many children may require certain restricted diets. In this sense, these options make Daily Harvest worth it for families.
The service employs largely organic foods, so those who wish to consume fewer conventional foods may find it appealing. But be aware that not all products are 100 percent organic. Be aware that several of the goods contain too many carbohydrates to be acceptable for keto or other extremely low-carbohydrate diets. Additionally, even though certain ingredients may be paleo-friendly, the recipes weren’t created with the diet in mind.
What Does the Menu Include?
The cuisine at Daily Harvest resembles a cross between a juice bar and a vegan deli counter. Smoothies, harvest bowls, harvest bakes, flatbreads, grains, soups, forager bowls, scoops (ice cream), nibbles (sweet snacks that resemble balls of nutritious cookie dough), lattes, and “mylk” (oat, almond, and vanilla almond) are the 11 categories that it is broken down into.
Nearly all items are complex concoctions, with several having 20 or more ingredients. While most ingredients are usually chopped, ground, powdered, or blended, some smaller ones, like chia seeds or chickpeas, are kept entirely whole. Its content is as varied as plant life itself, despite the fact that its form is the same throughout the menu.
How Does Daily Harvest Package My Items?
All of the foods from Daily Harvest are packaged separately. In general, the recycling situation for packed frozen foods is about what you would anticipate, with the inclusion of a few compostable items. A paper-based container, a plastic film seal, and either a plastic lid or a thin cardboard sleeve are the minimum number of components included in most packages.
The only notable exception to this structure is harvest bakes. The vessel is an aluminum tray, but they have a sleeve and plastic seal. Containers, lids, and sleeves can generally be recycled or composted, but plastic seals cannot. The water-resistant paper cups, however, that carry the ice cream, nibbles, and smoothies cannot be recycled. See the business’ thorough recycling guide on its website for all the specifics.
How To Prepare Daily Harvest Meals
Overall, Daily Harvest’s cooking method is as foolproof as they come. The only further steps required are to heat, combine, and/or add a liquid to the food. There is no need for mixing or chopping besides blending. You will be instructed to stir a dish no more than once or twice as it heats. Depending on the type of meal, Daily Harvest includes instructions for using the oven, stovetop, and/or microwave.
The slowest foods are harvest bakes and flatbreads, which need about 20 to 30 minutes to bake in the oven or toaster oven, aside from overnight oat and chia bowls, which must soak for at least six hours. The rest should be ready in around five minutes. This quick and easy cooking process makes Daily Harvest family-friendly and debatably makes Daily Harvest worth it for families who have the budget for this meal delivery service.
Check Out: 6 Nutritionist Tips for Wasting Less Food (and Saving More Money)
What’s the Pricing Like?
Depending on the things you select and the quantity you order at once, Daily Harvest will vary in price. Discounts are provided by the business to both new and larger order clients.
There are three sizes of plans available:
- Small: 9 items
- Medium: 14 items
- Large: 24 items
The cost of an item can vary depending on its unique category. The cost of every item on the Daily Harvest menu is listed below:
- Flatbreads: $9.79 each
- Smoothies: $8.49 each
- Harvest bowls: $9.79 each
- Forager bowls: $6.79 each
- Bites: $7.99 for 7 bites
- Scoops: $8.99 per pint
- Soups: $8.49 each
- Mylk: $7.99 for 8 servings
- Lattes: $5.99 for 2 lattes
- Harvest bakes: $11.99 each
Is Daily Harvest Worth it For Families?
Each of these items is a single serving, putting these at a high price when considering a family budget. For a family of four, for example, one Daily Harvest smoothie per person for breakfast each weekday would cost a total of $170, an impressive budget for only one meal per workday.
This high cost may not make Daily Harvest worth it for families, especially those on a tighter budget or hoping to keep their food costs comparable to that of standard grocery shopping.
Additionally, these items are each very low-calorie, with the entire menu having a serving size of fewer than 500 calories. Thus, these meals and snacks may not be satisfying for most adults and may need to be supplemented by other food, further increasing the cost of feeding your family each week, and not making Daily Harvest family-friendly.
Also Read: Healthy Breakfast: 5 Swaps to Make Your Favorite Breakfast Healthier
Is Daily Harvest Family-Friendly?
When considering the quantity of food alone, it is likely more affordable to grocery shop and prepare comparable meals than to pay a premium per serving for Daily Harvest meals. However, Daily Harvest provides a very convenient array of snack and meal options, with each item needing very minimal preparation.
Thus, this may be a good option for busy parents or families with many extracurricular commitments and active children. Though the cost is still very high, it is possible that some families may choose the benefit of convenience along with the nutritious and organic options offered rather than pursuing other, more affordable options that do not deliver on these metrics. If cost is less of an issue, this may make Daily Harvest worth it for families seeking healthy, whole foods and convenient food options.
Final Thoughts
Daily Harvest is a terrific option if you’re searching for simple breakfasts, lunches, or snacks to enjoy throughout the week because you get to choose the products in each shipment. However, since there is only one serving in each meal, Daily Harvest is not a good choice for families.
Additionally, if you depend on Daily Harvest for all three meals every day, the menu can become rather pricey and possibly not satisfying enough. Many adults will need to order extra dishes or add other sources of calories to their meals to meet their daily calorie needs because the majority of the entrees have fewer than 400 calories per serving. As a result, it might not be the best option for people who are on a strict budget or who want to skip going grocery shopping for the week.
Daily Harvest is for anyone looking for a quick, easy, and delectable method to eat more plants. It’s also for those who only desire the occasional box of amazing sweets that are packed with nutrients. Just for the smoothies, nibbles, and lattes, I could see myself signing up for a monthly box. The majority of people keep a few convenience foods in their freezers. If that describes you, Daily Harvest is unquestionably worthwhile.
However, this does not make Daily Harvest worth it for families. In terms of price, serving size, and calorie density, these factors do not make Daily Harvest family-friendly. However, Daily Harvest may be a good choice for parents looking for a nutritious, low-calorie, on-the-go food option to relieve their busy schedules. As a quick grab-and-go breakfast option, coffee fix, or adults-only snack bar, Daily Harvest is convenient and worthwhile. However, for families with kids and tighter budgets, these do not leave Daily Harvest worth it for families.
