We all have a lot on our plates, and we're not just talking food. Whether you're single with a busy schedule, a college student tired of campus food, or in charge of daily meals for your family of four, unless you have a passion for cooking, putting decent meals together every day can be a huge chore. Here are 49 local solutions to your daily meal struggle that could give you more time, healthier dining options, and possibly more peace of mind.
GROCERIES
If you're happy to cook, use these alternatives to avoid making a trip to the store — only to realize you left your grocery list at home.
image source: FarmBox Delivery
Instacart is a free app available on iPhone or Android that allows you to order groceries from several stores in the area such as Whole Foods, Kroger, Central Market, Costco, Tom Thumb and Natural Grocers, as well as other stores like CVS, Petco, Total Wine and Spec's. With the app you can browse coupons, pick out your products, and either have them delivered as soon as possible or scheduled for another day.
Delivery Speed: Typically within an hour, unless scheduled differently.
Cost: Delivery fees start at $5.99, membership options available at $14.99 per month or $149 per year.
Subscription: Available
Shipt is a delivery service that requires a membership that can save you the time and hassle of going to grocery stores such as Central Market and Kroger. After signing up on the website, you can order your groceries, pay, and schedule your deliveries via the website or mobile app. After you order, your Shipt shopper will shop for you and deliver your groceries to your door either right away or at your scheduled time.
Delivery Speed: As soon as one hour.
Cost: Membership plans start at $8.25 per month.
Subscription: Yes
If Albertsons is your go-to for groceries, visit the website or download the app for either iPhone or Android to have your items delivered. The app also lets you view and use coupons, register to earn gas rewards, and use your purchasing history to make building your shopping list easier.
Delivery Speed: Same day if you order before 8:30 a.m. You can also schedule your own delivery times.
Cost: $49 minimum purchase on groceries, $12.95 delivery fee on orders under $150, $9.95 delivery fee on orders $150 or above.
With the Kroger app, you can sign up or log into your account to load coupons, create a shopping list, access personalized offers, check your fuel points, and even refill your prescriptions from your phone or tablet. Kroger also has a program called ClickList, where you can order your groceries via its website, schedule a time to pick them up and have them loaded in your car. Kroger Plus card is required to use this service.
Delivery Speed: Choose a next-day pick up time of your choice.
Cost: $4.49 to use ClickList.
If you're a Tom Thumb regular, you can download the app or order groceries from the website. By registering, you can view and use digital coupons, earn rewards on gas, and use your purchasing history to help build your grocery list.
Delivery Speed: Same day if you order before 8:30 a.m., or you can schedule a delivery time.
Cost: $49 minimum purchase on groceries, $12.95 delivery fee on orders under $150, $9.95 delivery fee on orders $150 or above.
This local company makes getting farm fresh products simple by connecting consumers to farmers. Not only does it supply fresh eggs, milk, and meat, but it also carries juice, several bakery goods, hot sauce, and other items. Skip going to the farmers market, pick out your groceries on the website, and have them shipped to your door.
Delivery Speed: Depending on the item, products are usually available in a week. You can also have products delivered weekly, bi-weekly or monthly.
Cost: Depends on the items you buy.
Subscription: Yes
“Fort Worth's Finest Gourmet Grocery and Deli” offers both a pickup and delivery service. Call in and order before noon on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for same day delivery.
Delivery Speed: Same day if ordered before noon, next delivery day (Monday, Wednesday or Friday) if ordered after noon.
Cost: $10 delivery charge plus $20 minimum for groceries. Pickup service is $5.
Contact: 817-732-2863
With FarmBox, you can choose from a variety of local, organic, farm fresh produce, dairy, meat, and more. Just sign up on the website to be a member (no membership fees), and you can choose individual products or pre-made boxes of fresh produce for a one-time purchase or repeated delivery. Not only can you take care of your grocery shopping, but you can also choose to purchase meal kits to make meal planning and prepping easy. Bonus: all residential orders above $30 are delivered free.
Delivery Speed: Typically within a week. You can also have products delivered every week, every other week, or every month.
Cost: Depends on the items you purchase.
Subscription: Yes, but you can cancel orders when needed.
Walmart offers a free pickup service that allows customers to order grocery items via the Walmart website, from produce to toothpaste, and schedule a time for next day pick-up, in which Walmart will load your car up with your groceries. It also offers a program that allows you to send a link to your friends referring them to use Walmart's online shopping and pick-up service — then, both you and your friends will receive $10 off your groceries.
Delivery Speed: Schedule a pick-up time as soon as the next day.
Cost: $30 minimum with no additional cost.
You can purchase a membership for Envoy on the website and download the app, and the company will deliver groceries from stores like Trader Joe's, Costco, Whole Foods, and others, along with providing other services such as housekeeping, running errands, or giving rides. With Envoy, the same person makes the trip for you each time so they get to know you and your specific preferences.
Delivery Speed: Schedule in advance.
Cost: Membership is $19 per month, and the grocery service is $12 plus 10 percent of your grocery bill.
Subscription: Yes
Grocery Team is a local group that delivers groceries in Dallas-Fort Worth, shopping at any grocery store you want as long as it's within 7 miles of your house. Simply go to its website and order what you need from whatever store you need it from. Its service isn't limited to just groceries either — if you have a special shopping request, just ask.
Delivery Speed: Next day standard delivery, same day for an extra $19.
Cost: Rate starts at $99, but they have add-on offers available.
With an Amazon Prime account, you can do your grocery and household shopping on the website or on the app (available for both iPhone and Android) and get your items in as little as one hour. In addition to groceries, Amazon Prime Now offers electronics, clothing, arts and crafts supplies, and other items.
Delivery Speed: 2-hour free standard delivery, 1 hour express delivery.
Cost: Amazon Prime Membership, $7.99 extra for 1 hour delivery.
Subscription: Must have Amazon Prime.
MEAL KITS
Perfect for the home chef that wants the satisfaction of cooking for themselves, but doesn't want to go to the store or scroll through Pinterest to find the perfect recipe each night.
Go to Blue Apron's website to choose either a two-person or four-person plan, then pick your favorite recipes from the weekly menu. Blue Apron will send you everything you need, already measured out for you to make your meals. Blue Apron works with farmers to make sure you're getting the best ingredients. It also has an online shop where you can buy kitchen tools you might not have (especially if you're a beginner chef), as well as a monthly wine box subscription.
Delivery: Weekly
Cost: Meal plans start at $59.94 per week. Wine boxes are $65.99 per month.
Subscription: Yes, but you can skip orders when needed.
Hello Fresh offers a meal planning and ingredient delivery service with both regular and vegetarian plans for two people, as well as a family plan for four people. You can go to the website to choose a plan that best suits your needs. If you have the Classic Plan, you can choose your recipes each week, but for the Vegetarian Plan and Family Plan, you receive recipes for the meals on the weekly menu. Hello Fresh also offers a wine pairing service where you can choose to have red, white, or both paired specifically for the recipes you receive each week.
Delivery: Weekly
Cost: Plans start at $29.94 per week. Wine boxes are $89 per month.
Subscription: Yes, but you can skip orders when needed.
With Home Chef, you fill out a dietary and flavor preference profile after you sign up on the website, and it will pick meals each week from its menu that suit your preferences. It offers plans for two to six people, with two to six meal kits delivered per week, and also boasts that you can create each of the meals in about 30 minutes.
Delivery: Weekly
Cost: Plans start at $59.70 per week.
Subscription: Yes, but you can skip orders when needed.
With Plated, you choose recipes each week, and it will send you the ingredients to create your meals. Depending on your preference, two to four meals can be delivered a week, and each meal serves two to four people. Just go to the website to sign up and order. It offers 13 new recipes each week to choose from, with options for meat lovers, fish lovers and vegetarians. It even offers a dessert menu for those with a sweet tooth.
Delivery: Weekly
Cost: Plans start at $47.80 per week.
Subscription: Yes, but you can skip orders when needed.
Green Chef ships all organic ingredients for a variety of diets such as vegetarian, paleo, gluten-free, or vegan. Go to the website and choose either a plan of two servings of three meals or four servings of two meals per week, pick out your favorite recipes from the weekly menu, and cook meals designed for your diet with the ingredients that are shipped to you.
Delivery Speed: With a flexible subscription, you can get these meal kits weekly.
Cost: Plans start at $10.49 per meal.
Subscription: Yes, but you can skip orders when needed.
These meal boxes are inspired by none other than company owner Martha Stewart herself. Go to the website, and your meal kits can be customized with two to four meals per week (each meal is two to four servings). Choose from a variety of recipes, and the ingredients will be sent to you so you can cook like Martha in your own kitchen.
Delivery Speed: With a flexible subscription, you can get these meal kits weekly.
Cost: Subscription plans start at $48 per week.
Subscription: Yes, but you can skip orders when needed.
PeachDish offers both weekly and seasonal recipes, and there's always at least nine to choose from for your weekly meal kits. On the website, it offers meals for both vegetarians and omnivores, “quick fix” meals that take 35 minutes or less, and dessert kits. There are two to four servings depending on the meal, and you can order as many meals as you want per week. In addition to the meal kits, it has a market where you can purchase items from kitchen towels to spices, and even lollipops.
Delivery: You can order as often as you like as a guest or become a member for recurring deliveries.
Cost: Depends on what meals and items you order. Guests have a $12 fee. Subscriptions start at $50 per week.
Subscription: Yes, but you can skip orders when needed.
Purple Carrot offers plant-based meal kits, perfect for vegetarians or vegans. On the website, you can order meal kits for singles, couples, or families of three or four. It also offers a performance meal plan for high-activity individuals or couples.
Delivery: Weekly
Cost: Plans start at $68 per week.
Subscription: Yes, but you can skip orders when needed.
Sun Basket is a farm-to-table meal kit delivery service with recipes for several diets such as gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, and “lean and clean.” On the website, choose from plans of three meals a week for either two or four people, or a family plan of two or four recipes per week for four people. Every meal kit comes with all organic ingredients and can be made in about 30 minutes. You can choose your own recipes or have recipes suggested for you based on your diet choice and meal plan.
Delivery: Weekly
Cost: Plans start at $74.39 per week.
Subscription: Yes, but you can skip orders when needed.
With Dream Dinners, you choose your recipes from the online menu and plan out your meals for an entire month. Then, you head to the location in North Richland Hills and do all your meal prep in their kitchen. In just an hour, your meals for the month are prepped. Store the meals in your freezer, and whenever you're ready, cooking them usually takes under 30 minutes.
Delivery Speed: Prep for an hour, and take your meals home from the location once a month.
Cost: Depends on the meals you buy.
Location: 8528 Davis Blvd., North Richland Hills, 76182
Subscription: No
Chef'd has over 400 meals to choose from on its website and has users choose a diet or take a quiz to determine diet and flavor preferences. It has partnered with the American Diabetes Association, Atkins, and Weight Watchers to create meal plans to help you live a healthier life or reach a personal goal, and has also partnered with Spoon University to create a meal kit program for college students.
Delivery: Can be ordered as often or little as you want, or you can choose a weekly plan.
Cost: Depends on what items you choose.
Subscription: Yes, but you can change delivery settings as needed.
READY TO EAT
If you're just too busy to cook, or it's just not your thing, here are some meals that only require the simple knowledge of working an oven.
When you go to freshly.com and sign up for an account, you fill out a short dietary preferences survey and choose your plan of four to 12 meals a week. Freshly will choose and create fresh meals with 100 percent natural ingredients, and all its meals are gluten free, sent ready to heat.
Delivery: Weekly
Cost: Plans start at $49.99.
Subscription: Yes, with flexibility regarding skipping weeks or cancellation.
Meyer and Sage is a locally owned meal delivery business, created by the owner of personal chef service Linguine and Dirty Martinis. You can start by going to the website and choosing either the Chef's Tasting Menu, a pre-made weekly menu with three meals of two or four servings, or choose a weekly plan that suits your lifestyle — Meyer and Sage can accommodate diets such as paleo, gluten free, vegetarian and vegan.
Delivery: Weekly
Cost: Chef’s Tasting Menu starts at $200, weekly meal plans start at $175 plus food costs.
Subscription: Available
Snap Kitchen always has pre-made meals, snacks, desserts, and other items available for pick-up, and has partnered with Uber to deliver to your door. Everything is natural, made from scratch, and perfectly portioned, and it has meals to fit diets such as paleo, vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free. Stop by one of the locations for pick up, or order on the website for delivery.
Delivery: Available for immediate delivery.
Cost: Depends on the items you buy.
Subscription: No
Your Personal Chef is a local business, preparing lunches and dinners ready for pick-up daily. It has a grab-and-go selection, but can make anything you request as long as you give at least 24 hours notice.
Delivery: Not available; pick-up only.
Cost: Depends on what items you buy.
Contact: 817-926-2762
Location: 213 East Oak St., Aledo, 76008
My Sweet Roots is a local meal delivery business that uses local, all-natural ingredients to feed your family. It offers items for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. To order, go to the website and order as many portions as you'd like. You can also call to order or place special orders for larger, family style meals.
Delivery: Every Monday and Tuesday from noon to 6 p.m. You can call to coordinate a time that’s best for you.
Cost: Depends on the items you buy, $120 minimum order. However, they will deliver under the minimum for an extra $10.
Contact: 682-227-5333
Subscription: No, but you can reorder weekly meals.
This local gourmet food service has breakfast, lunch and dinner options ready to be picked up, heated in your oven, and enjoyed. If you know what you want, you can call ahead for curbside delivery, or you could go to the store and browse the diverse mix of meat, vegetarian and vegan entrées. The meals change daily, so Lettuce Cook is never short on surprises.
Delivery Speed: Not available, pickup and curbside service only.
Cost: Depends on what items you buy.
Contact: 817-989-2665
Location: 5101 White Settlement Rd., 76114
Savor is a locally-owned, customizable meal delivery service that believes in “culinary medicine,” or using specialized diets to accommodate different health conditions, allergies, and diet restrictions, believing that what you put into your body can affect your overall health. After signing up on the website, you fill out a survey to get a good idea of what your dietary needs are, before putting together a customized meal plan for yourself or your family. In addition to preparing meals, Savor can help you with dietary education and consulting.
Delivery: Customizable delivery plans.
Cost: Plans start at $175 plus groceries.
Contact: 817-277-3031
Subscription: Yes. You create the meal plan for your family during your consultation.
Veestro offers pre-made, plant-based meals that are ready to heat and eat. You can order meals on the website a la carte or subscribe to get meals weekly, choosing from a variety of meals or meal plans to fit several different diets including high protein, gluten free and weight loss, just to name a few.
Delivery Speed: Typically within a week.
Cost: Depends on what items you buy; minimum order is $35, shipping is $35.
Subscription: Yes, but you can cancel orders as needed.
Sakara offers organic, plant-based meals ready for delivery. You can sign up on the website, where it offers a one-week plan, intended for sampling the service before committing to a subscription. If you like the one-week plan, you can reorder it as often as you'd like, or sign up for a weekly subscription plan. Deliveries come with up to three meals chosen for you per day, plus functional waters and Detox Tea.
Delivery: Sign up by Friday at midnight to have your meals delivered the following week. Sakara delivers twice a week to make sure your food is at optimum freshness.
Cost: Plans start at $420 per week.
Subscription: Yes, but you can skip orders as needed.
IONutrition provides meals that are always both organic and gluten free. On the website, you can choose from plans that fit high-protein diets, paleo diets, and vegetarian diets. You can then choose how many meals you want per day, and if you want five or seven days of meals. It also gives you the option of choosing from several snacks in addition to the meals you order. If you don't want to subscribe for weekly meal delivery, there is an option to choose meals a la carte.
Cost: Plans start at $179.85 per week.
Delivery: Weekly.
Subscription: Available, but you can also choose meals a la carte if you don’t want to subscribe for weekly meals.
Feastivities is a local business established in 1988 that provides “Gourmet-to-Go.” The weekly menus have several meals to choose from. Just go to the location, choose the items you want, heat them up at home or keep them in the freezer to eat later. In addition to ready-made meals, it has several market options as well that include entrées, sides and appetizers, that are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Cost: Depends on what items you buy.
Delivery: Not available, pick-up only.
Location: 3637 West Vickery Blvd., 76107
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Closed on weekends.
Beyond the Box is a North Texas catering company that now provides meal delivery service to your home. The meals are created with fresh, locally sourced ingredients with several menu items to choose from including appetizers, salads, sides, pastas, and entrées. To order, just go to the website, select your meal choices from the menu, and schedule your delivery time. Deliveries can be made in as little as 24 hours.
Cost: Depends on what items you buy.
Delivery: In as little as 24 hours, and can be scheduled.
Subscription: No
Chef Aimee is a local chef offering personalized meals and meal plans. Her service starts with a personal consultation to discuss your diet and flavor preferences, health needs and other factors to make sure you're getting exactly the meal plan you need. Chef Aimee cooks everything the day before delivery to make sure you're getting fresh meals and delivers the meals to your door on your set delivery date. She does have standard meal plans to choose from that accommodate couples and families of four, but she also offers personalized meal plans.
Cost: Standard meal plans start at $400 per week. She does charge a one-time fee of $100 for the food storage containers that your meals come in.
Delivery: Depends on how often you’d like meals delivered; delivery dates and times are according to your schedule.
Subscription: Your meal plan can be repeated, but there is no set subscription for Chef Aimee’s meal delivery.
Contact: 469-693-7841
37. Fancy's Professional Chef Services
Local chef Claudine Boucher can accommodate dietary needs and will work with you to create customized menus for yourself or your family, offering gourmet meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Her meals are delivered to your door, ready to heat and eat. Go to her website to sign up, fill out a food preference survey, and view and approve your customized menus.
Delivery: Weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly
Cost: There is a $125 deposit, and plans range from $125-$450 per week.
Subscription: Yes
bistroMD is a weight-loss centered meal prep and delivery service that offers different programs that accommodate various diets, including gluten-free and diabetic. Once you sign up and choose a plan on the website, dieticians will create a custom menu for your diet, and you can then choose the meals you'd like to have delivered. bistroMD offers plans with five or seven days of meals, and offers breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks that fit your diet.
Delivery: Weekly.
Cost: Plans start at $119.95 per week.
Subscription: Yes, but you can cancel orders as needed.
Meal prep and delivery service Fresh n Lean's meals are always plant-based, gluten free and vegan. On the website, you can choose from meal plans that include meals for diets such as low-carb, high protein and paleo. Once you've selected your plan, you can choose how many meals you want per day, if you want meals for five or seven days of the week, and if you want any extra snacks with your meals. Fresh n Lean also makes accommodations for allergies. If you don't want to sign up for a weekly meal service, you can choose from several meals and items in the a la carte section.
Cost: Plans start at $139.95 per week. The minimum order for a la carte is $105.
Delivery: Weekly, on Fridays.
Subscription: Yes, but you can cancel orders as needed.
Run by local private chef David Daniel, Planet Chef offers personalized menus, and different people in your family can order his or her own separate meals. He can accommodate any diet, flavor preference or other request.
Cost: Depends on your personalized meal plan.
Delivery: Offered once a week, twice a week, or monthly.
Subscription: No subscription, but you can order meal plans repeatedly.
Contact: 817-454-6730
41. Sarah Penrod, Personal Chef
Chef Sarah offers a meal delivery service with weekly customized menus for your family. She can accommodate meals to fit any diet, flavor preference, or health need. Her weekly plan includes five entrées with four large servings each, as well as side dishes – popular for families and individuals who want to split and have 10 custom meals per week. All you have to do is register on her website, and your meals will be delivered the next week. However, space is extremely limited.
Cost: $375 plus the cost of groceries.
Delivery: Weekly.
Subscription: No subscription, but you can order meal plans repeatedly.
RESTAURANT DELIVERY
For the days you want to eat out without actually going out, here are some ways to order from your favorite restaurants via mobile or desktop.
Only available in Texas, Favor is an app that lets you get delivery service from your favorite restaurants. In addition to a wide selection of local restaurants, the Runners also run errands for you at places like CVS, Target, Walgreens and other stores. If you forget to order something when placing your order, you can text your Runner and ask to add what you forgot.
Delivery Speed: Within an hour.
Cost: Delivery fees start at $1 and depend on the restaurant.
This North Texas restaurant delivery service will deliver anywhere from a variety of restaurants such as Original Joe's Pizza and Pasta, The Lunch Box and Ol' South Pancake House. You can order on the website or on the app, and schedule deliveries. A rewards program is also available.
Delivery Speed: Typically within an hour, unless scheduled otherwise.
Cost: Delivery fees start at $2.99 and depend on the restaurant.
Go to doordash.com or download the app for your phone, enter your address, choose from several local restaurants, and your food will be delivered right away or can be scheduled up to four days in advance.
Delivery Speed: Typically under an hour. You can also schedule deliveries up to four days in advance.
Cost: Delivery and service fees depend on the restaurant, and orders under $10 have a small order fee of $1.
Caviar only delivers from local restaurants (think Cat City Grille, Dutch's Hamburgers and Fixture - Kitchen and Social Lounge), and you can order via Caviar's website or mobile app. Caviar lets you know the restaurant's price point and the approximate delivery time so you can compare with other restaurants. Order for delivery right away or up to a week in advance.
Delivery Speed: Typically under an hour. You can also schedule deliveries up to a week in advance.
Cost: $10 minimum, plus a service fee depending on how large your order is.
Yes, Uber will give you a ride, but they deliver food too. Download the Uber Eats app or go to the website to order from a variety local restaurants such as East Hampton Sandwich Co, Taco Heads and The Social House.
Delivery Speed: Typically under an hour, available 24/7.
Cost: Booking fee of $4.99, plus an occasional fee if you’re in a high demand area or ordering at a high demand time.
Delivery from GrubHub is either available through the website or mobile app. You can browse through local restaurants such as Z's Cafe, Perrotti's Pizza and Thai Tina's, and GrubHub makes it easy by putting the minimum purchase amount, wait time, and delivery fee under each available restaurant you can order from. However, GrubHub does have more restrictions on restaurants based on how far they are from your location than some of the other services.
Delivery Speed: Typically under an hour.
Cost: Minimums and delivery fees depend on the restaurant.
Yelp Eat24 is a 24-hour delivery and pick-up service provided by Yelp. To start, you can either order on the website or download the app. On the list of restaurants that are in your delivery area, Yelp provides you with the minimum purchase amount and delivery fee for each restaurant, and whether the restaurant is pick-up only. It also gives you reviews of each restaurant, as well as coupons you can use when placing your order.
Delivery Speed: Typically under an hour.
Cost: Minimums and delivery fees depend on the restaurant.
To order food for delivery or pick-up from Beyond Menu, go to either the website or mobile app. It provides you with a list of local restaurants that either deliver, or will set aside your order for pick-up, as well as show each restaurant's minimum purchase amount, delivery fee, and whether or not coupons are available.
Delivery Speed: Typically under an hour.
Cost: Minimums and delivery fees depend on the restaurant.