For this RealEats review, we were given a sample and this post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase we may be compensated. All opinions are our own.
By Alison Chew
Reviewed by Rebecca Housh, MS, RDN
RealEats
The RealEats movement motto is simple: “rise up against fake food”. Collaborating with Michelin-star chef Aliya LeeKong and a team of his own culinary experts, founder Dan Wise has created a series of meals that are made with only high-quality ingredients from the Finger Lakes agricultural region of New York. Cooked, sealed in air-tight packaging, and shipped on chilled ice right to your doorstep, RealEats healthy prepared meals are designed to give you back your free time. Boil water. Drop the pouches in. It’s that easy. Get 25% OFF + Free Shipping with Code GETREAL25 >>
What We Liked
Easy to store with simple directions.
Meals taste great.
Lots of add-on’s like breakfast, soup/chili, snacks, smoothies, protein, and sides
Free shipping
What We Didn’t Like
Few vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free meals
Portion sizes vary
How much do RealEats meals cost?
The cost of RealEats meals starts at $7.99/meal and varies depending on your chosen plan which can be skipped, paused, or canceled at any time. All come with free shipping. Here’s the breakdown.
Dinner
4 Dinners: $14.99 per meal; 6 Dinners: $12.99 per meal; 8 Dinners: $11.99 per meal; 12 Dinners: $10.99 per meal
RealEats is a flexible subscription service. There is no minimum subscription period and you can skip, pause, or cancel your subscription at any time via your online account.
Currently, RealEats delivers to the eastern part of the United States and is adding delivery areas regularly. Be sure to check the site to confirm you are within their delivery area. Get 25% OFF + Free Shipping with Code GETREAL25 >>
RealEats Meals Review
All RealEats orders regardless of whether you choose to start right away with customizing your package or browse their weekly updated selection of healthy prepared meals will take you through the following steps:
Choosing a plan: RealEats offers either dinner or dinner + breakfast weekly deliveries that can contain anywhere from four to twenty-four meals. Each meal serves one adult.
Selecting meals: Choose from either a set seasonal or refreshed weekly menu. All meals are around 600 calories with some low calorie, dairy-free, and vegetarian meals each week.
Selecting Add-Ons: For a little bit more, RealEats offers soups, chili, breakfasts, proteins, sides, beverages, and snacks as possible extras to your order.
When you open your box of meals from RealEats, place all of your meals in the refrigerator. When you are ready to eat most meals can be prepared either by placing them in a pot of boiling water or heating them in the microwave. We tried both.
I was surprised at how easy it was to boil some water, pop the meal components in, and then plate. There is virtually no cleanup and cooking them sous-vide style keeps everything super moist. Get 25% OFF + Free Shipping with Code GETREAL25 >>
RealEats Meal Favorites:
Green Curry Sustainable Market Fish: My favorite! The fish was tender and the minty peas were a wonderful surprise. Everything together created the perfect bite.
Grass-Fed Green Chili Beef: Very flavorful! My husband usually adds hot sauce to everything and he ate this as is!
BBQ Grilled Chicken: Chicken was moist, though I wouldn’t pour all of the bbq sauce on the plate again. The mashed potatoes were creamy and the veggies were not soggy at all.
Hearty Roasted Breakfast Hash: Great flavors and balance of ingredients.
Local Squash & Chickpea Curry: The squash complemented the warm, rich curry really well.
Sustainable Grilled Salmon: I’m not a huge seafood fan, but the salmon was delicious and light.
Huevos Rancheros Frittata: Yum! Layers of onions, peppers, tomatoes, and oregano on a frittata base with black beans. This was a filling breakfast with only 320 calories.
We microwaved our side of meatballs one day for lunch by removing them from the package and placing them in a bowl for 1 min 30 seconds. They came out wonderful and did not dry out at all. Get 25% OFF + Free Shipping with Code GETREAL25 >>
Try these (but read this first):
Wild Shrimp & Pea Risotto: The shrimp were tough to get through and the risotto was very thick. We recommend watching your cooking time with anything that contains shrimp.
Baked Blueberry Oatmeal: The New York Maple Cream was good, but the oatmeal felt too condensed. This is more like a cross between a cake and a pudding vs your standard oatmeal.
RealEats meals can be prepared in 6 minutes (or less). To heat, bring a large pot of water to a simmer, place pouches in the water, and heat based on the time indicated on each menu item. In general, proteins take about 6 minutes and sides 3 minutes.
All RealEats meals are sealed inside BPA-free, plasticizer, and phthalate-free plastic pouches. These pouches are made from quality food-safe pouches that are used by gourmet restaurants for “sous-vide” style cooking. They are safe to place in hot water, but can not go in the microwave.
A few tips to enjoying your RealEats healthy prepared meals!
You can microwave meals in addition to using the boiling method. We tried this out with the side of meatballs and they tasted wonderful. Just remember to remove the plastic packaging prior to warming in the microwave.
You can store meals in the freezer. They recommend storing your meals in your fridge, but if you’re not sure you can eat them all in a week, moving some to the freezer to preserve past the seven-day shelf life is an option.
Pictures are not the product: I know we all know this one, but it’s good to keep in mind that you have to mix well in order to fully enjoy the contents of the meal.
Improvise: If you have the time and desire to experiment with adding your own seasoning or side spin to RealEats dishes, give it a try. Make it your own!
RealEats has recently added add-ons to their menu including breakfast, soups & chili, drinks & smoothies, snacks, proteins, and sides. Below is a sneak-peak at these new menu items. Get 25% OFF + Free Shipping with Code GETREAL25 >>
RealEats Review: Bottom Line
RealEats could easily be my favorite local restaurant instead of a prepared meal delivery service. Once the food slides out of its bag and onto the plate, I saw and tasted nothing different than what I’d expect from a meal made in thirty minutes instead of six.
And while the texture of some meals was off, these healthy prepared meals tasted great, were very easy to make, and required virtually no cleanup. It would be nice to see more vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free options on the menu so that more people can enjoy RealEats.
Compared to other prepared meal services, the cost of RealEats is in the middle of the price range for dinner. And like most prepared meals, portion size will vary.
We love that meals are made with organic when possible as well as locally sourced and sustainable ingredients. In addition, meals are free from artificial ingredients, binders, fillers, GMOs, and artificial preservatives.
We also love all of the new add-ons! You can order everything you need for the week from breakfast to lunch to snacks and dinner and have it delivered to your door. The convenience of RealEats is wonderful. Get 25% OFF + Free Shipping with Code GETREAL25 >>
This post has been reviewed and approved by our dietitian Rebecca Housh, MS, RDN, LDN for nutritional accuracy.
Rebecca Housh is a registered dietitian based in Chicago, IL. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Physiology from Boston University and a Master of Science in Human Nutrition from the University of Illinois in Chicago. Rebecca is passionate about the idea of food as medicine in both preventative and therapeutic care. Her current professional interests lie in food security, food access, and nutrition for chronic disease.
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