Food and Meal Delivery Ideas for Senior Parents at Home

Meal planning, grocery shopping, preparing ingredients and cooking meals even if you enjoy cooking at home, all this can sometimes feel like a chore. When you’re busy, tired, or simply out of ideas for what to make for dinner, meal delivery services can provide a conveniently fresh and tasty alternative.

How do meal delivery services work?

Most meal delivery services operate on a monthly subscription basis. You’re able to choose the quantity of food (e.g., for two people, four people or more) and the frequency of delivery, usually twice a week or more often. The cost will vary according to what you choose. You’re also able to hit pause when you don’t want a delivery and you won’t be charged.   

Most meal delivery services allow you to browse menus before your scheduled delivery dates, so you can select the dishes you find the most appealing or those that suit your dietary preferences. The ingredients will arrive on your doorstep in an insulated box with ice packs, with everything you need for delicious meals, including a recipe card with pictures and step-by-step instructions. 

Top 7 benefits of meal delivery services.

Meal delivery services can be a good idea for seniors who want a fun and convenient way to learn to cook, try some special meals, or skip the hassle of finding recipes and shopping for ingredients. It’s also helpful for those interested in healthier eating or changing their eating habits. Menu options such as vegan, keto, and other popular diets are easier to try. Here are seven other benefits to consider:

Preportioned servings. Meal delivery services list the nutritional information on their recipe cards. You’ll know exactly how much to put on each plate, and how many calories you’re consuming. 

Less food waste. Meal kits come with ingredients premeasured. This means no ingredients are wasted or thrown away unless you use them in another dish.

Accurate quantities. It can be hard cooking for one or two people. You can end up with too much or too little food, or find it difficult to buy small quantities of certain ingredients because of how they’re packaged. Meal kits are curated to give you accurate quantities for everything you need.   

Healthy and fast. When you run out of healthy options, it’s tempting to reach for a frozen pizza or prepackaged meal. With a food kit from a meal delivery service, you can ensure you have nutritious meal options to throw together quickly.

Interesting options. Some of the ingredients you get in your meal kits may be hard to find locally or may be fresher than what you can find in your grocery store. This enables you to experiment with different flavors and foods you’ve been curious about.

Culinary inspiration. Meal delivery services provide you with new recipes to try every week. You’re likely to find twists on familiar dishes as well as unknown ones that may become your new favorites.

Time and cost savings. Consider the time you spend to plan, shop for, and prepare meals, and add in how much money you’ve wasted when you throw away expired ingredients or extra food. A meal delivery service may compare favorably and be a smart option.  

8 popular meal delivery services.

If you’d like to try a meal delivery service, here are eight of the most popular:

Blue Apron: Good for beginners, with consistent and easy-to-follow recipes.  

Martha & Marley Spoon: Martha Stewart’s best recipes for more experienced cooks.    

Sun Basket: Easy and quick recipes that accommodate special diets, and mostly organic ingredients.  

Purple Carrot: Unique service that offers only plant-based healthy meals.

Dinnerly: Costs less than other services due to a simpler approach to packaging and recipes.

HelloFresh: Ingredients are well organized; service offers a variety of menu options.     

Green Chef: Organic ingredients for healthy meals, including gluten-free, high-protein and Mediterranean.

Home Chef: Familiar recipes for less adventurous eaters. Customizable menus.

Skip the grocery store.

Grocery delivery services have soared in popularity during the pandemic. They’re a good option if you want to continue to social distance or just want a more convenient way to get your groceries. You simply order online, and someone will do the grocery shopping for you and drop the bags off at your door. All services require a minimum dollar amount order and charge delivery fees. If you sign up as a member, delivery is often free or discounted. According to a recent USA Today review, among the top ones to try are Instacart, Walmart and Stop & Shop, Shipt and Fresh Direct.  

Meal delivery plans have their downside. But FellowshipLIFE has the answer.

Since food delivery services are subscription-based, you have to stay on top of your monthly order. If you are going out of town or don’t feel like cooking, you must remember to temporarily suspend deliveries or you’ll end up with boxes of perishable ingredients that may be wasted.

Meals in the Comfort of Your Home

With Fellowship At-Home, that’s never a problem. We offer home services to help you live more independently without these hassles. Simply call concierge services and one of our friendly associates will do the legwork for you. They’ll get the groceries, deliver to your door, help you prepare a meal, and even clean up afterward. Our customers love the convenience of having a nutritious, freshly prepared, dietitian-approved meal on their table when they want it, without the hassle of managing a meal subscription. 

The perks of Fellowship At-Home is also a part of our long-term care plan for those wishing to age at home, called Fellowship Freedom Plans. Contact us today to learn more. 

Exceptional Dining at Our Restaurants

If you’re a Fellowship Village resident, you can also opt for award-winning dining from our kitchens. Our chefs use high-quality ingredients that aren’t typical of a conventional senior living community: for example, cage-free eggs, hormone-free milk and yogurt. Beef burgers are made fresh, never frozen; turkey and roast beef are roasted in-house, and fish is always fresh and from sustainable sources. We believe that freshly prepared is best from the simplest of soups to the most complicated dessert. 

Contact us for a tour of our community and sample our hospitality. We’ll be happy to sit down over a cup of coffee freshly brewed of course! and tell you all you want to know.