How the Meals Arrived
All my meals were delivered in a box, which held up well in transit and arrived in good condition. The meals were nicely packaged with three different ice packs and recyclable, temperature-controlled packing paper.
All of the meals were still frozen, and nothing was spoiled, spilled, or damaged. I was very impressed with the overall packaging and presentation.
Cooking the Meals
Since the meals are premade, there is no real cooking (or chopping and measuring of ingredients) involved. Instead, you simply need to reheat your meals. Each meal comes with instructions for reheating via stovetop, air fryer, oven, or microwave.
I decided to give each method a try — except for the air fryer because I don’t have one.
I choose to reheat my Basil Pesto Egg Bites, Red Enchilada Chicken Tamales, and Grilled Chicken Breast Pesto Pasta on the stovetop. Most reheated in five to nine minutes this way, and I was particularly surprised by how well the rice of the tamales held up to reheating. The tamales steamed perfectly in their husks, and the rice crisped up and maintained its texture. Visually, it was not extremely appealing, but it was flavorful, with good crunch in both the rice and veggies.
Some meals didn’t hold up well on the stove though. For example, I started warming my Plant-Based California Burrito on the stove with a teaspoon of oil, but even on low heat the tortilla was burning. So I quickly transferred the burrito to the microwave to finish the process. With the change in technique, the total warming time was about eight minutes.
When it came to meal aesthetics, microwave-prepared meals won every time. The stovetop tended to meld ingredients together during the reheating process, making a mash-up of ingredients. The rest of my meals I prepared in the oven, but these meals lacked the crisp texture I was craving in veggies.
Tasting the Meals
Overall, I enjoyed most of my meals and found that they had some unique flavors. My favorite meal was the Basil Pesto Egg Bites — even though the sweet potatoes didn’t crisp up as much as I was hoping. My husband’s favorite, meanwhile, was the Red Enchilada Chicken Tamales. It tasted authentic, the veggies were nice and crunchy, and the rice held its texture.
We also thought the Sweet Chili Prawns With Jasmine Rice and Vegetables was delicious. The sweet chili sauce tasted exactly as I would expect it to. The prawns were tender, the rice held its texture, and the vegetables added a nice balance to the dish.
I didn’t love the Brisket Burrito’s overall flavor, but the brisket itself was tender, and the guacamole was delicious. I also found the sous vide turkey sausage egg bites a bit rich because the combo of turkey sausage and Gruyère packed a big flavor punch that I wasn’t expecting. I also found the flavors a bit flat with the Cajun Inspired Salmon Rice and Green Beans. I would have liked it to have a spice or even a squirt of lemon for additional flavor.
Some meals didn’t hold up as well to cooking and resulted in an overall disappointing experience. For example, the Grilled Chicken Breast With Pesto Pasta had a good flavor — the chicken was moist, and the basil pesto and tomato added freshness — but the pasta nearly disintegrated during the reheating process, becoming one large pile of mush. The noodles also melded together with the Sweet Garlic Pork With Noodles dish.
The only meal I didn’t enjoy at all was the Peri Peri Turkey With Pasta and Broccoli because the turkey lacked salt, the broccoli was mushy, and the pasta did not hold up at all in the heating process.
The portion sizes for all the meals were good. There were even a few I was unable to finish. But my husband said he would have enjoyed some additional veggies or protein in some of the dishes because he didn’t get full on the portions.
Nutritional Quality of the Meals
As a registered dietitian, I evaluate meals based on specific components. I assess protein, carbohydrates, fat, fiber, added sugars, sodium, vitamins, minerals, and more.
For fats, the meal plans range from Clean Eating, which focuses on a balanced diet of whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, healthy fats, and legumes, to Keto, a carb-restricted diet forcing your body to turn to fat as its primary fuel source. As a result, I knew the fat content was going to vary across meals.
When reviewing total fat, it is important to understand fat types. Saturated fats are naturally found in many foods, including red meat, dairy, eggs, and coconut oil, and are generally solid at room temperature. Saturated fats tend to raise low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad” cholesterol.
The variety and emphasis on vegetables across all the meals was good to see, although fruit options were lacking. There were a few recipes that included pineapple, but that was the only fruit I came across. If someone were to depend on Trifecta for their entire food intake, I would encourage them to supplement their meals with two to three servings of fruit daily for additional antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. I recognize many people following a low-carb diet, such as keto, may limit their total fruit intake due to total carb load. If this is the case, I would encourage other routes to get these missed vitamins and minerals, such as taking a daily multivitamin.
Why Trust Everyday Health
Brittany Scanniello, RD
Author
Brittany Scanniello is a freelance writer, registered dietitian-nutritionist, and owner of Eat Simply Nutrition, a Colorado-based integrative nutrition company and private practice.
As a lifelong and collegiate athlete, Brittany has always kept fitness and nutrition a top priority. Her expertise lies in pediatrics, sports, and functional nutrition, though she is experienced in all nutrition-related matters. She strongly believes that food has the power to reduce the risk of chronic disease and help people feel energized so she works hard to make nutrition information accessible and easy to understand for all.
Brittany received her undergraduate degree in human nutrition and dietetics from University of North Carolina in Greensboro. She also completed a dietetic internship to become a registered dietitian at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, California.
As a freelance nutrition and fitness writer, her work has been published in Eat This Not That, PopSugar, and other outlets. She is the author of The Complete Macro Cookbook.
When Brittany is not counseling clients or writing, she enjoys working on her family's farm, golfing, playing with her three kids, and baking.