This post on how to send someone a meal is part of a series of articles on supporting new moms or loved ones. When someone’s healing, hurting or otherwise in need of care, there’s nothing like a dinner delivery. And, as this post proves, here in Nashville, you don’t even have to cook to be able to do it! Also in this series: some fascinating Instagram survey results, this roundup of freezer meal ideas and a Q & A with cookbook editor and inspiring meal-maker Amanda Waddell.

Have a friend who’s been in the hospital in Nashville, but you’re states away? Want to help your sister who just had a baby at St. Thomas or Centennial, but you hate to cook? Whatever the case, there’s an easy solution to send someone a meal in Nashville. You don’t have to live in the same town, be loaded with free time or call yourself a great chef to be able to help a friend in need. Nowadays, it’s easy to send someone a meal through local delivery services! You just place the order online, from wherever you are, and your friend can enjoy fresh meals brought straight to his or her door. For minimal effort, you give someone a heartening boost of encouragement. So, to give you an idea of what services are out there, here’s a look at a few Nashville (and regional or national) options for nourishing, healthy meal deliveries.

Healthy Ideas for How to Send Someone a Meal in Nashville

Depending on where your recipient lives, there are different meal services available. The options tend to narrow if you’re looking for healthy ingredients, but they’re out there. For those in New York, San Francisco, LA, Chicago or London, for example, Goop lists some of the best and most nutritious new-mom meal delivery services. Maggie from Hello Gypsy Design can vouch for this one that she sent a friend in Chicago, and it looks fantastic, especially with its focus on postpartum nourishment.

Here in Nashville, too, there are several health-focused meal delivery services. So, if you want to treat someone you love to a meal or, even better, a week’s worth of them, these are the companies can help you do it:

1. Eat Well Nashville (Local). Eat Well Nashville delivers individual or packs of fully cooked meals throughout Davidson County, as well as in most of Williamson County, Hendersonville and Murfreesboro. Meals come fully cooked, with reheating instructions attached. Sourced with local ingredients as much as possible, its menu includes paleo, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and Whole30 options. You can take your pick of individual or family-sized meals for four. Plus, the options are customizable so you can pick mains and sides to your recipient’s tastes–or in bulk for individually packaged extras. How much will it cost? Prices vary based on meal selection, but for a rough idea: you can order a BBQ Ranch Summer Salad with Chicken for $8.99 or a clean-eating five-pack of meals for $41.95. There is no minimum order. Note, however, the delivery fee is $5.95, or you can choose free pickup at a list of locations on Mondays.
2. Dinner Belle Nashville (Local). For the friend who values knowing where ingredients come from, there’s Dinner Belle, the local meal prep service that emphasizes farm-fresh, healthy, organic meal components. It delivers Mondays to Nashville, Brentwood and Franklin. Order anytime Monday through Thursday for the following week, and meals arrive in insulated bags with ice. When you make your order, there are options for how many and what preferences (with meat, without meat) you have. How much will it cost? Prices vary based on meal selection, but, to give you an example, the gluten-free buffalo salad jars run $24 for two with chicken or $20 for two with tofu (not including shipping). Use code FEELSLIKETHEFIRSTTIME at checkout for 30% off your first order of $60 or more. Likewise, get free delivery to Nashville, Brentwood and Franklin on $60 orders with code FREEDELIVERY60.
3. Katie’s Plates (Regional). Just because you’re sending healthy food doesn’t mean it can’t be full of Southern comfort. Meal provider Katie’s Plates, which has service areas in Nashville, Birmingham and Jacksonville, is known for its regional flare that doesn’t sacrifice nutrition. Shop its site to find gourmet paleo, gluten-free and sugarnix options. Katie’s Plates makes deliveries Monday through Thursday from 4-7 PM; if your recipient won’t be home when the delivery arrives, he or she can just leave a cooler out by the front door. How much will it cost? The menu changes week to week, along with prices. That said, individual meals average between $15 and $20, with $35 casseroles designed to serve eight to 10.
4. Daily Harvest (National). If you’re willing to think outside the box of a traditional dinner gift, Daily Harvest lets you treat someone to a nine-pack box of its cups. Let your recipient take his or her pick of smoothies, soups, bowls, overnight oats, parfaits and more–all perfect for someone who’s eating one-handed or too busy to plan daily meals. Everything’s plant-based, ready to eat with the addition of liquid and deliverable. How much will it cost? The gift box is $75 and lets the recipient personally choose what goes inside.
5. Factor 75 (National). Choose to send a friend anywhere between four and eighteen meals for the week with a plan from Factor 75, a company known for its fresh, nutrient-dense meal options. The company prides itself on organic produce, grass-fed meat, expert dieticians and professional chefs. Like a lot of the services listed here, it’s designed to be a subscription; however, it allows you to order gift meals for a friend, too. How much will it cost? It’ll be $60 for a week of four meals or almost $200 for a week of 18. The company suggests, however, that you buy a gift card allowing the recipient to subscribe (and cancel anytime) on you.
6. Fresh-n-Lean (National). When you’re looking for 100% plant-based, organic, gluten-free meal options from a national brand, there’s Fresh-n-Lean, which serves Nashville among many other cities (fist bump to the SEO copywriters I can only assume wrote all those location pages). It offers breakfast, lunch and dinner selections, as well as bulk meals and sides. Several meals are designated paleo, too, such as the organic salmon with vegetables.  How much will it cost? Set up to be a regular delivery service more than a one-time option, Fresh-n-Lean does also offer A La Carte ordering, so you can pick meals to send someone. The only catch? The minimum order is $105.
7. Urban Remedy (National). For the friend who’s recovering from a surgery, illness or traumatic birth, you can’t beat the appeal of fresh, organic, ready-to-eat meals, juices and snacks that are beautifully packaged and delivered anywhere in the U.S. Urban Remedy has made it easy to take care of loved ones with its unique meal plans. There’s an anti-inflammation option, for example, filled with three days of granola, salads, juices and dessert. How much will it cost? Prices vary by meal and plan. The anti-inflammation plan is $175, as an example, for three days of food. You could also order an individual salad for around $12. Shipping is included with all orders over $75.

As is true with most of the posts in this series on new-mom meals, the same principles that apply to caring for a mother adjusting to life with a newborn apply to people in many other life situations. Maybe a friend is recovering from a miscarriage or a hospital stay. Perhaps someone you love is going through a stressful transition like a move, job loss or traumatic experience. Whatever the case, it would be hard not to feel supported by the gift of delivered meals. Explore the ideas listed above to figure out how to send someone a meal in Nashville or beyond!

 

[Editor’s note: The original version of this article included one additional local meal delivery service. The source for that service requested its pricing be unpublished, after providing it via email interview; it has been removed from the list.]