Looking for a Meal That’s Fast, Tasty AND Great for You? Look No Further Than Freeli Foods

I'll admit that even working from home, I don't always feel like I have the time and energy to make myself nutritious, substantial lunches.

Few foods strike the perfect balance between being effortless, tasty and good for me, and most of the time, I'll settle for two out of the three—or one out of the three, if it comes to that. But Freeli Foods is a brand that aims to tick all of those pockets.

They're the creators of a line of healthy grab-and-go meals, so you don't have to make any compromises at meal time. The brand was kind enough to send me a variety pack of their meals, including all five varieties, and below are my honest thoughts.

The Brand

Freeli Foods has set out to make meals that are super convenient without being packed with junk. Their meals—Mac & Cheese, Teriyaki Chicken, Pasta & Meat Sauce, Chicken Noodle and Burrito Bowl—come in single-serving pouches that you can heat up in the microwave in a minute or less, leaving you with a hot, nutritious meal, made with wholesome ingredients, that's also super tasty.

Their meals include no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives while also being low in saturated fat, sodium and sugar while being high in protein. They also use real cheese and meat raised with zero antibiotics. They come packed in microwave-safe, BPA-free pouches (recyclable through a partnership with Terracycle) that you keep in the fridge before you're ready to heat and eat, whether you want to eat them straight from the pouch through the nozzle, cut off the top and eat with a spoon, or pour it into a bowl.

A 10-meal box is available for $54.99 (or $49.49 with a subscription) while a 20-meal box sells for $89.88 (or $79.99 with the subscription)—and shipping is always free.

 

 

The Foods

Mac & Cheese

I decided to start my Freeli journey with a tried-and-true classic—Mac & Cheese.  As per the directions, I untwisted the cap on the pouch before popping it in the microwave for 45 seconds, waited for it to cool for about a minute, and then replaced the cap, kneading the contents of the pouch to distribute the heat evenly.

And I was very pleasantly surprised when I squeezed the pouch and had my first bite. It was a little strange to eat the mac and cheese out of a pouch—maybe it's just me, but it feels less like "food" when squeezing is involved, but the flavor was delicious. The ditalini pasta tubes were super hearty, and the cheese sauce was so vibrantly cheesy. If you only like Kraft's macaroni and cheese, this might be a bit much for you, but I thought it was delicious.

It was probably because of my microwave settings, but even after mixing it up thoroughly, there were still parts that were a bit cool. I decided that on subsequent meals, I'd up the heat. Also, if you're slurping the food out of the pouch, the hard plastic tube makes it nearly impossible to get that last little bit out. While eating it out of the pouch works, I decided to have subsequent Freeli meals by cutting off the top and enjoying them with a spoon, and I've found that it makes the meals even more enjoyable.

(via Freeli Foods)

 

Chicken Teriyaki

I feel like there was a slight mental hurdle for me with this flavor. Chicken teriyaki out of a bag? It sounded weird, but I heated mine up (for a minute, this time), cut off the top and dug in. Again, I was pretty pleased with the results.

While it was far from the best chicken teriyaki I've had, the combination of tasty chicken pieces with brown rice with sweet, slightly vinegary sauce and veggies wasn't bad at all. It's certainly better than some frozen dinner chicken teriyaki I've had—and no doubt better for me, too. Plus, this time it was heated all the way through!

 

(via Freeli Foods)

 

Pasta & Meat Sauce

Now, here's one I was very much looking forward to. Pasta with meaty tomato sauce is another classic, and this meal takes the same pasta used in the mac and cheese, but makes it even better with that tasty sauce, rounded off with parmesan. And it is good. The sauce has just the right amount of tang, the beef is delicious and substantial, and eating this just left me feeling great.

(via Freeli Foods)

 

Chicken Noodle

It didn't feel quite right to eat this hearty chicken noodle soup out of the bag, so I poured this one into a bowl once it was heated. Right out of the pouch, it looked delicious—and it tasted just as good as it appeared. The chicken broth was thick and warming, with thick pieces of egg noodle, delicious hunks of chicken and peas and carrots. It was absolutely delicious (so much better than most of the stuff you can get out of a can) and pretty much gone in an instant.

 

(via Freeli Foods)

 

Burrito Bowl

Last but definitely not last was the Burrito Bowl, which happens to be my very favorite Freeli meal. This one's simple—a combination of brown rice with tomatoes, black beans and Monterey jack cheese, but the result is so delicious and satisfying while being ridiculously easy to enjoy. I didn't even mind eating this one directly out of the pouch for ease, and once I'd had one, it was only a couple of days before I went back and had the second pouch I was sent.

 

(via Freeli Foods)

 

Bottom Line

Freeli Foods definitely does everything they set out to do. Their foods are ready in an instant, ridiculously convenient, delicious and good for you. I love that they're super versatile, so that there's no clean-up and you can even enjoy them when you're doing something that gets your hands dirty, and that you just have to keep them in the fridge until they're ready to microwave. While they are a little expensive for what you're getting, costing $4 apiece at even the most cost-effective option, the quality of Freeli Foods speaks for itself.

 

Trying to eat less meat? Click HERE to read our review of Hungry Planet's Heat and Eat frozen "meats."