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Health & Wellness

Prepared meals are better than meal kits: 6 reasons why

refrigerated box

In our previous article, we discussed about meal kits and why they have gained so much importance, recently. But are we sure they’re as helpful as fully prepared meals?

Let’s take a step back and give credits when it’s needed.

Meal kits clearly got the point.

Giving the times we are currently facing, many companies started to collaborate with some famous (sometimes also starred) chefs. The chefs would select some of their most famous recipes, the ingredients and they would also set up a brief explanation for customers. Eventually, the “kit” would be put into a refrigerated box and delivered to customers. The final client would then have the chance to replicate a dish and to experiment in his/her own kitchen.

Other companies would just select some healthy ingredients and recipes, put them into a box and give the customer the chance to cook tasty and balanced dishes. 

One of the main pros of this new wave is that meal kits allow people to avoid going to the grocery store and wasting time in queues. The customer can choose on the website of the company among several fresh ingredients, all healthy and balanced. They will then be packed and delivered to his/her doorstep.

few clicks and you'll get your favorite ingredients right away.
Just a few clicks to get your favorite ingredients at home.

Why aren’t they the ultimate solution?

Despite those advantages, meal kit cannot be considered as the solution to the core of the problem.

But what is the problem, by the way?

People, nowadays, don’t have time to cook but. On the other hand, people have been changing their habits shifting towards a new and healthier lifestyle. And food has been affected by this change. 

Nevertheless, meal kits somehow make people cook and clean it up anyway. What if people don’t have time to do so or what if they simply don’t want to?

In this sense, Nutribees’ fully prepared meals can be your new getaway.

Our meals can be kept in fridge and heated up when needed.
Have you already got your Nutribees’ supply?

So here you’ll find 6 reasons why our fully prepared meals will completely change your routine (and therefore why meal kits aren’t the solution to these new needs).

1. Save time

Sometimes, meal prep can be a burden rather than a pleasure. Or maybe you love cooking but not every single day and night.Our meals are this: fully prepared, ready-to-eat fresh and healthy meals. They are ready in 2 minutes and you won’t even need to plate them (although we love to plate our Nutribees when we feel fancy).

Nutribees' fregola: delicious
Nutribees’ fregola: just as delicious as it seems.

2. Save money

Getting delivery at the end of a long week is definitely easier than ever with apps that let you click “order again”. But between delivery fees, tips, and delivery minimums, the price can get higher fast. Nutribees meals start at €7.50 per meal, they’re delivered to your door and are ready to eat in few minutes. Plus, the delivery is free.

3.  Portion control is incorporated

At Nutribees, we work together with a nutritionist who helps us with the selection of the ingredients. Generally speaking, we use a mix of quality proteins, complex carbs, and healthy fats. With portion control built into nutrient meals, you’ll feel satisfied but stay within your calorie range. The best part is, we don’t forget about our favorite food: we take these delicious comfort-meals and give them a makeover that keeps the flavor but swaps calories for nutrients. 

4. Well-balanced meals

We want to offer a convenient alternative to cooking healthy meals. Our meals are preservative-free, chef-prepared and tasty. Plus, our meals are not processed at all and we pay a special attention to seasonal products.

The perfect solution if you want to eat something nutritionally-balanced and delicious but, at the same time, you don’t have time to set it up yourself. 

5. You can experiment with flavors

Without any effort, Nutribees allows you to sample meals you could have never tried before, like Spanish Cod and Pil Pil sauce or Chicken Tikka Masala to tease your buds. At the same time you could opt for something else, more traditional, like Pasta alla Gricia or Lasagne (we offer also the veggie version so you won’t feel too guilty).

6. Less stress

Grocery shopping, meal-planning and calorie counting take time and concentration. But you’ve got thousands of unread emails, you’re attempting to work from home, kids are at home, workout at home and wash your hands for at least 20 seconds every minute. Wow. With our prepared meals, once a week you select your favorites (via our website nutribees.com) and then the only decision you’ll need to make is which one to heat up.

Our fully prepared dishes are the perfect solution for your lunch break.
Nutribees’ fully prepared meals are the perfect smart-lunch solution.

Are you hungry? Let’s give us a try!

Health & Wellness, Lifestyle

Meal kit: a new way to enjoy delivered food

That is to say: why has the meal kit gained now its glorious momentum.

In the beginning was the restaurant, with well-set tables. There used to be a philosophy, a thought translated into a menu.

It is impossible to forget the atmosphere, the inner joy of dining at your favorite restaurant with your favorite people. Then COVID happened and we cannot help but wondering when we could enjoy those feelings again. Sooner or later we will be able to have fun with our friends again, enjoying long lunches like we used to. Until then, we have to patiently wait. 

The renovation of food sector

However, despite the tremendous times we’re facing, the food sector thought about some new ways to make us feel like we are eating a meal cooked by a chef but at our homes. 

One of those ways is, for example, the meal kit delivery system. What is it, you may wonder. We have already talked about it in our article on food delivery but here we are to deepen the conversation and see why it is so far away from the idea most of us have of the traditional food delivery system.

Generally speaking, a meal kit is a box that contains semi-finished and pre-dosed ingredients to finish recipes in your own kitchen. It’s undoubtedly a good alternative for those who are always disappointed by food delivery, who want to cook but don’t have the time to go looking for some (weird) ingredients nor the talent of a professional chef.

So forget everything you thought you knew about “food delivery”. We are now experiencing a new era of eating: our habits are different and so are the new food delivery systems. Seems legit, doesn’t it?

But how have they changed, and why?

Meal delivery these days is more than just a pizza delivery guy showing up at your house. 

There are now companies built around the concept of preparing pre-portioned meals, packaging them and sending them to your doorstep.

For that reason meal kit delivery services are more than just heat and eat. The ingredients for preparing your meal come boxed with a recipe on how to make it. In the same way you’re still preparing a home-cooked meal, but the recipe searching, list-making and grocery store run aren’t necessary anymore.

How do they work?

There are a lot of meal kit delivery services to choose from. Some of them are subscription-based, others allow you to stop and start service at any time. Whatever type you choose, you will be given a list of meal options on the company’s website to pick from. Then you set up an account, decide what you want and place your order. The food will arrive at your doorstep in a few days frozen, pre-measured and pre-packaged, complete with all the ingredients you’ll need and instructions for preparation.

meal kit

Which are the advantages?

Wink at health

Following a balanced diet is essential. On the other hand, doing so it’s not that easy and that’s the reason why take away restaurants can become our best option because they’re fast and simple. 

Depending on the choices you make, restaurant meals can be full of all kinds of not so nutritional things, which can aggravate existing health issues or cause new ones.

Meal kit delivery companies can be a better nutritional choice. Most of these types of companies rely on chefs who choose the recipes and ingredients. Others employ nutritionists, so customers get the right amount of what their body needs.

The best part is you choose what you want from all the healthy offerings.

meal kit

Convenience

Cooking for one or two can be difficult. Finding quick and easy recipes that don’t require a long list of ingredients can be hard. Weekly trips to the grocery can start to feel like a chore. Meal kit delivery services are a convenient way to avoid this struggle.

Having ready to cook meals delivered to your door each week is easy. First, all you need to do is choosing the meal kit delivery service you prefer, then just set up an online account. 

Eventually the delivery will show up at your door in a few days.

meal kit
Delivery

All you have to do when your order arrives is unpack the box and put everything in the refrigerator until you’re ready to prepare it. 

Having meal kits delivered to your door is going to be more expensive than going to the grocery and cooking your own meals. But most of the companies will offer a discount for first time customers and many of them offer free shipping.

What about Italy?

All things considered, we can say that this new habit is becoming more and more popular also in Italy. 

Counting on Italy’s food tradition, NutriBees aims to provide people ready-to-eat meals, focusing on top ingredients and giving the customers the chance to choose which dishes tease them the most. 

Ours cannot be defined as a meal kit delivery system since we offer ready-to-eat meals rather than recipes and ingredients. Anyway, the goals are similar. Our mission is to allow you experiencing the perks of a delivery system without excluding the taste and the best Italian flavors.

Also, making it possible for you to enjoy new recipes effortless, combining tasty and comfort.

So… are you ready to become your own personal chef?

Health & Wellness

Healthy food delivery: the new frontier of delivery service

It clearly is a fact: what we used to know as “food delivery” has now become “healthy food delivery”. 

In our previous articles, we discussed about different topics: the pros of trusting a diet delivery system, for instance. But also the dramatic momentum meal kits are experiencing. Healthy meal kits, I apologize.

What do those trends have in common? The fact that they give priority to health and wellness.

People are focusing more and more on their physical well-being and food could be their first and best alley. Or enemy, it really depends on points of view. 

What are they and how do they work

We’ve already mentioned meal kits, how they work and how funny could be becoming your own personal cook for just one night. Many famous chefs, giving the times we are currently facing, have decided to join this new trend. They came up with the idea of putting some carefully-selected, healthy and tasty ingredients in one box and deliver it to their clients. This would be accompanied by a recipe and all the useful instructions one may need to replicate the plate. 

It is safe to say that this idea has had a lot of success since it gives the possibility to many people to try and taste a (sometimes) starred plate or also to prepare a special dish for a special occasion, who knows.

On the other hand, there are now entire companies built around the concept of healthy food delivery that is to say, preparing pre-portioned meals, packaging them and sending them to your doorstep. Consequently, there are plenty of meal kit delivery services out there to choose from. Most of these types of companies employ chefs and dietitians who choose the recipes and the ingredients.

What are the advantages?

As we said in our last article, this method allows you to save your time (no more queues, no more grocery stores) and eventually will also teach you something. You could experiment, try new things and improve your culinary skills.

Of course, this change reflects the strange and weird times we are living in. None’s got the time (or the will) to go to supermarkets, to cook, to clean up and so on… Nevertheless, at the same time they wouldn’t settle for any delivery. They want something healthy but tasty, not full of fat but as satisfactory… in other words, they want to eat something they would have cooked themselves without having to.

healthy food delivery

But are meal kits the best option for everyone?

Ours are frenetic times. Working people usually have plenty to do and they hardly have time or the will to re-create a plate or to follow a recipe.

…and that’s why healthy food delivery is the solution!

Right there we come into play.

Nutribees combines the concepts of healthy food and food delivery, providing the first healthy food delivery service of Italy.

Some hints of what we do…

First: it’s a food delivery service but we only deliver balanced, tasty and healthy meals, which makes us a healthy food delivery service;

Second: our meals are ready-to-eat, so you won’t need to cook anything or to deal with some complicate recipe. You’ll only need to warm up your meal for like 2 minutes and then you’re ready;

Third: the only thing you need to do is sit on your couch, take your tablet or smartphone and then give a look at our menu. Then you just have to select your favorite ones and we deliver them at your doorstep.

Easy, isn’t it?

healthy food delivery
Nutribees

We consider this as the best option especially nowadays, giving the fact that people are paying a lot more attention to what they eat. 

… and some reasons why you should give us a try!

What make us feel special, somehow, is the concept. We truly believe everyone should consider food as a pleasure but we also want to simplify things. Our customers choose, we collect their fave foodinto a box and deliver it to them right away.

Thanks to the storage in a protected atmosphere, our ready-to-eat meals have a long shelf life and can therefore be shipped throughout Italy using isothermal packaging. The customers then only have to store them in the refrigerator and reheat them before consumption.

Compared to other methods, Nutribees can be more convenient because those who want to eat well and do not have time can already have all the ready-made dishes in the refrigerator without having to order each time and therefore having greater flexibility.

In these surreal times of changing, healthy food delivery looks like the right solution for those who want to either eat better but don’t know where to start and don’t have time.

Trends

Food Delivery: tipologie e servizi

Cos’è il Food Delivery?

Food Delivery significa letteralmente consegna di cibo, ma negli ultimi anni è inteso quasi unicamente come consegna di cibo tramite app, dimenticandoci che in passato era un mercato basato sulle pizze ordinate telefonicamente dal pizzaiolo di fiducia.
Nel 2017 infatti sono stati 4 milioni gli italiani che si sono affidati ad app per ordinare cibo e riceverlo a domicilio, mentre sono 11 milioni gli italiani che usano regolarmente il telefono per ordinare (dati Censis).

Ma come si è evoluto il settore del food delivery? Quali sono le diverse tipologie di servizi che si possono richiedere?

Food Delivery: Servizio consegna da ristoranti

La tipologia di food delivery più conosciuta e diffusa è quella del servizio di consegna da ristoranti: tramite app si può guardare il menù del ristorante, ordinare, pagare online e ricevere i piatti ordinati a casa, portati da un fattorino (o rider).
All’interno di questa categoria possiamo poi evidenziare due macroclassi in base al tipo di servizio: piattaforme che si occupano direttamente della consegna e intermediari.
Le piattaforme che si occupano della consegna sono quelle come Foodora, Deliveroo e Uber Eats che consegnano il cibo da locali e ristoranti terzi utilizzando personale e mezzi propri: i fattorini sono gestiti direttamente da loro e dunque in caso di problemi o ritardi è più semplice gestire la problematica con il cliente, garantendo un servizio generalmente più elevato.
Il tempo di consegna è così facilmente stimabile e verificabile.
Il prezzo delle portate e la preparazione dipendono però dai ristoranti, facendocosì venir meno un controllo su tutte le fasi del processo.

Per quanto invece riguarda gli intermediari, il classico e più noto esempio è Justeat: un network di ristoranti ma dove è il ristoratore che deve consegnarlo al cliente finale.
Quindi il portale genera l’ordine e lo passa al ristorante che poi prepara e consegna.
Ovviamente questo tipo di servizio ha dalla sua il fatto di essere capillare (quasi in tutta Italia) e di offire una scelta vastissima a fronte però di un servizio meno controllato e garantito.

Food Delivery: Ristoranti Digitali

Abbiamo visto come nel food delivery uno degli elementi peculiari sia la mancanza di controllo in qualche punto della filiera (ricezione ordine – preparazione – consegna).
Per ovviare a questo problema e consegnare al cliente finale un prodotto/servizio sempre di qualità controllata e verificabile sono nati i ristoranti digitali.
Sono servizi che attraverso un’interfaccia proprietaria mostrano il menu ai loro clienti, ricevono l’ordine, lo inoltrano alla loro cucina che prepara il pasto e poi lo lascia ad un fattorino che lo consegna direttamente al cliente finale.
In questo modo tutti i processi sono gestiti internamente per cui è molto più semplice garantire uno standard e intervenire rapidamente per risolvere eventuali problemi.
Inoltre molti ristoranti di questo tipo, tendono a focalizzarsi su qualche segmento del food per cercare di focalizzare meglio le loro forze: in particolare il settore dell’healthy food è molto interessato da questi servizi che offrono così cibo sano e di qualità, specie a chi cerca pause pranzo più salutari.
Ovviamente il servizio è nato negli USA, trainato dalla startup Maple, che però ha chiuso nel 2017 venendo acquisita da Deliveroo, confermando le problematiche di un settore molto competitivo e denso.
In altri paesi tra cui l’Italia e la Francia, i ristoranti digitali sono nati da poco e sembrano avere un buon successo sperando di migliorare l’esperienza americana di Maple.

Food Delivery: Spesa a domicilio

Fino ad ora ci siamo concentrati sul food delivery inteso come solo relativo a piatti cucinati, quindi meramente nell’ambito della ristorazione a domicilio.
Ma all’interno del food delivery possiamo considerare anche tutti quei servizi che hanno come oggetto la consegna di prodotti alimentari non finiti, quindi sia la consegna di ingredienti che la vera e propria spesa a domicilio.

La spesa a domicilio nasce in modo molto poco digital, un po’ come con il food delivery che è un’evoluzione della telefonata alla pizzeria di fiducia, andando nel supermercato e chiedendo la consegna a domicilio di quello che si era acquistato (generalmente per via del peso/volume degli articoli presi).
Oggi invece si può fare tutto dal pc o dallo smartphone.
Entrando sull’app del servizio si può scegliere all’interno di un vasto catalogo quali sono i prodotti da voler ricevere a casa, decidere poi quando riceverli e aspettare il fattorino a casa.

Il servizio più conosciuto di questo tipo è sicuramente Amazon Prime Now, che in poche ore consegna su Milano la spesa a domicilio.

Food Delivery: MealKit

Per Mealkit si intende un kit (una scatola) contenente tutto il necessario (ingredienti) per poter cucinare una o più ricette, precedentemente stabilite nella piattaforma.
Il cliente acquista dunque le ricette da cucinare sulla piattaforma e tutti gli ingredienti per cucinarle correttamente gli vengono consegnati direttamente a casa in un packaging isotermico.
Questo tipo di servizi si indirizza (a differenza di quelli sopra) a chi ha la passione per la cucina e vuole risparmiarsi sia il tempo di far la spesa, ma sia evitare sprechi di cibo: infatti la quantità arriva giusta per il numero di persone desiderato.

Food Delivery: Consegna ingredienti direttamente dal produttore

L’ultima categoria che analizzeremo riguarda quei servizi che offrono la consegna di materie prime fresche direttamente dal fornitore, riducendo così la distanza tra consumatore e produttore.
Questa tipologia di servizi in Italia è attiva soprattutto per dare risalto alle tipicità locali e regionali, permettendo a clienti di Milano di acquistare prodotti campani, pugliesi o siciliani e permettendo viceversa ai produttori locali di raggiungere clienti in tutta Italia senza ulteriori sforzi.