A good home-cooked meal is the way to my heart. Perhaps it stems from having a foodie of a mother who immediately asks if I’ve eaten whenever I visit her, or maybe it’s my appreciation of the time and attention that goes into making a dish packed full of wonderful, fresh ingredients. Having said all that, I don’t always have lots of time to spend in my kitchen myself. As much as I love creating something from scratch and learning new recipes or reciting old ones, a busy or bad day can quickly lead to a drop in motivation when it comes to what I eat.
Despite mainly working from home and having a lot more free time thanks to a lack of commute, the thought of having to A) write a food shop list, B) actually go shopping for said food and C) prepare it for breakfast, lunch and dinner is sometimes still too much of an ask. So when I heard about KBK – a healthy meal prep delivery service which sends ready-to-eat meals straight to your door – I knew I had to give it a go. Anything to avoid thinking about what I want to eat, three times a day, for another week. It’d also mean saving money by not buying unnecessary amounts of ingredients and having to chuck most of it away, and it’d provide me with all my daily nutritional needs without even having to think about it. Here’s how I actually got on with KBK…
What is KBK?
KBK is an award winning meal prep service company which caters to customers throughout the entire UK mainland (so convenient). Known previously as Kettlebell Kitchen, it was rebranded in November 2019 to broaden its appeal of fitness enthusiasts to include those who simply want fresh and healthy food. Its ethos? KBK lives on the belief that healthy and nutritious food should be bursting with flavour and accessible to everyone, therefore strives to have lots of different options to help people of all backgrounds with meal prepping – from the strictest of meal-planners to those who are just looking to be a bit healthier every day.
As most of us well know, life is busy enough as it is. Preparing meals for yourself, partner and/or the family takes up a lot of time and effort. KBK takes that stress away with a quick alternative as their meals require minimal effort – just heat them up for a few minutes. Think of them like ready meals but without all the additives. With vegetarian and vegan alternatives, as well as regular meat options, KBK is the perfect excuse to try new foods without actually having to make them for yourself.
How does KBK work?
KBK couldn’t be more simple. To get going, log onto the KBK website and choose which meal prep delivery plan you think is best suited to what you want and need. They offer seven different options to suit a variety of dietary requirements and preferences, so you can rest assured there will be something there for you. The best part? All of their packaging is 100% recyclable so there’s no need to worry about single-use materials.
Choose between Get Lean, Everyday, Juice Cleanse, Build, Vegetarian, Plant Based or Soup Cleanse and then get to deciding whether you want to subscribe, do a one-off package or trial a taster box. Clicking onto each meal prep delivery option also brings up a menu of what to expect, so you know exactly what you’re getting for your money, as well as telling you what it’s good for. For example, the KBK Vegetarian meal prep delivery is low in saturated fat, rich in electrolytes and low in cholesterol. There is also an option to add a healthy snack which is fab if you have a sweet tooth or like to graze.
As mentioned earlier, KBK caters to those looking to be a bit healthier, so I decided to go full-force and opt for the Get Lean meal prep delivery option. If I’m going to try something I may as well go for it properly, plus the meal options (like king prawn and chorizo jambalaya and Tuscan scrambled eggs) spoke to me.
My box was delivered directly to my door a mere few days after ordering it – which is fantastic if, like me, you leave everything to the last minute. If you choose two deliveries per week, your meals will be split into two separate deliveries (Wednesday and Sunday) starting on your chosen date. If you choose one delivery per week, you will receive your delivery on the day you choose (again, Wednesday or Sunday). The box was secured well and contained recyclable cool packs that ensured everything inside remained fresh in transit. Each meal was labelled with its nutritional information, whether to eat it hot or cold as well as how to heat it on the bottom, and also stated if it was a breakfast dish or a main (i.e. suitable for lunch or dinner).
Although everything was pre-made for me, I still felt like I was cooking and eating a meal I had made from scratch. That proud “I’ve made this” feeling was still present. The best part was all the new flavours I was introduced to and meals I’d never even thought of creating myself – which I now will – and the fact that I didn’t have to think about what I fancied as it was already there waiting for me.
How much does KBK cost?
Each KBK meal prep delivery option differs in price and can be tailored in terms of how many weeks and days you wish to do it for, how many deliveries per week you wish to receive, the number of meals per day, and allergies/intolerances/religious restrictions.
The meal prep deliveries start from just £3.84 per day. If that isn’t enough to convince you, if you make an order between now and 13/08/2021 you will receive nationwide free delivery for life. What more could you want?
There is so much to choose from, and it depends on which meal prep delivery option you go for, but here are just some of the vegetarian, vegan and regular meals on offer:
- Warm Mustard Chicken with Roasted Vegetables and Healthy Ranch Dressing
- Pulled Pork and Chickpea Tagine, Couscous and Apricots
- Seabass Fillet with Puy Lentils, Tahini and Chorizo
- Lemon and Ricotta Pancakes with Sour Cherry Compote
- Vegan Spaghetti Alfredo with Quorn
- Korean Sesame Tempeh with Broccoli and Bean Sprouts
- Plant Based Keema Aloo, Rice and Peas
The verdict
If you’re someone who’s not keen on a ready meal but will eat them anyway because of their sheer ease, then you will absolutely love KBK. For me, KBK has been such an eye opener in the way that I don’t need to spend hours of my life thinking about food or what I fancy eating next – it’s such an easy alternative, and one that doesn’t cost a fortune either.
I’ll definitely return to KBK on weeks where I know I’ll be busy and just won’t have the time (or be bothered) to cook. Too often do I find an excuse for a takeaway and, while I’d never frown upon anyone who treats themselves to more than one a week, they can be SO expensive. When things like KBK exist there really is no reason as to why I shouldn’t be eating healthy, balanced meals every day. It’s a yes from me.
Want more food reviews? Check out our thoughts on Hello Fresh and Mindful Chef’s Recipe Box. We’ve also found all the best meals delivery services so you don’t have to – think Gousto, Tastily and Pasta Evangelists – and the best vegan meal delivery services.
For more from GLAMOUR UK’s Associate Commerce Writer Georgia Trodd, follow her on Instagram @georgiatrodd.