Moms: Focus on Nutrition with Convenient, Better-For-You Meals
Factor
$10.99+/serving
Pros
- Dozens of meal options each week
- Easy to change subscription
- Incredible flavors
- Quick to heat
Cons
- Pricey compared to some other meal services
- Some meals are high in saturated fat
*I received free product from Factor to help facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own and are in no way influenced by the company. Also, this post contains affiliate links for which I will be compensated should you make a purchase using my links. This happens at no extra cost to you.
Let me start by saying that I love to cook. I especially love cooking healthy meals. But, full disclosure: I’m also 100% on board for making meals a lot easier. I work and homeschool full-time, so saving time in the kitchen on busy weekdays is a priority for me, and it’s something I’ve vowed to work on this year. (I pass on New Year’s resolutions, but I do set attainable goals for myself).
I was recently introduced to Factor, a subscription meal program that delivers ready-to-eat meals right to your door. Not only are they convenient, but they’re also nutritious, wholesome meals that taste delicious. Factor seemed ideal for my lunch breaks, when I usually am lucky to have 10-15 minutes to eat before moving onto the next task, so I decided to try it out and share my opinions in this honest Factor review. Ultimately, it’s been one of the easiest ways for me to enjoy food I feel good about in the new year.
Easing Into the New Year with Healthier Food: A 2023 Factor Review
What Is Factor?
Factor is a nutrition-focused subscription meal service. As a sub-brand of the popular HelloFresh meal kit service, Factor sets itself apart with its dietician-approved, chef-prepared meals that are ready to heat and serve in just a few minutes. Subscribers can choose how many meals they’d like each week, and Factor ships their meals — selected from dozens of mouth-watering options — straight to them. Factor offers breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for its ready-to-eat meals and has a full lineup of add-ons, like shakes, smoothies, and keto-friendly snacks, to add to your plan.
What Makes Factor Different
Image courtesy of Factor
While many meal subscription services send you the ingredients you need to cook their recipes, Factor sends complete meals, many of which you can pull from the refrigerator, heat up, and have ready to eat in under five minutes. It’s honestly the easiest way to go when you need something quick and don’t want to mess with a dirty kitchen or piled-up dishes. Factor meals are also:
- Designed by dieticians
- Made by chefs
- Made with fresh ingredients
- Designed to target specific dietary needs, like keto or vegan
- High-quality and great-tasting
- Nutritious
Unlike other services, Factor even offers nutrition coaching to help you reach your dietary goals quickly with professional support on your side.
How a Factor Subscription Works
Factor lets you choose from flexible subscription options to fit your budget and dietary needs. Factor offers subscriptions of 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, or 18 meals per week, so you can adjust your plan based on how many people you want to include each week and how many meals per day. For example, one person can choose 14 meals if they want to eat Factor twice a day, or two people can choose six meals if they prefer to mix in Factor for a few dinners each week.
You can always change your plan from your online account whenever you need to make a switch. It’s easy to skip boxes, too, if you’ll be on vacation or don’t want a box for the week.
Pricing ranges from $10.99-$12.99 per serving.
Factor also has add-ons that you can include in any of your subscription orders. Unfortunately, they aren’t available to buy separately without a subscription. Smoothies, keto shakes, meal bundles, extra protein, and snacks are some of Factor’s available options.
Factor Meal Plans
Factor has several meal options to choose from each week, which are further divided into categories for different dietary preferences. Choose your preferences from the following, and Factor will show you meals that fit those categories when it’s time to select meals for the week:
- Chef’s Choice: This plan gives the best variety for people who aren’t targeting a specific dietary profile.
- Keto: High-fat and low-carb meals for those following keto or low-carb diets.
- Calorie Smart: These meals have 550 calories or less per serving, helping you stick to your daily calorie goals.
- Vegan & Veggie: Veggies and plant-based foods are highlighted in these meals, perfect for vegan and vegetarian eaters.
- Protein Plus: Each of these meals includes at least 30 grams of protein per serving.
As with your subscription plan, you’re free to change your dietary preferences at any time.
Factor Meals Nutrition
Image courtesy of Factor
Factor meals are designed by dieticians, so you can feel good about what you’re eating. What I personally love is that Factor is 100% transparent about the nutrition of each meal, making it easy for you to decide what meals fit your dietary goals. I’m a big label reader, so even if my meals are dietician approved, I like to look at labels to know exactly what to expect from my meal. If you want to check out the nutrition label of a meal for more specifics before you buy, just click the meal to go to its page and get that information. The nutrition info is also included on each individual meal’s packaging:
Image © Amy Boyington
With that said, some of Factor’s meals are high in fat, so I’m glad I took a peek (I know it’s not a concern for everyone, but fat is something I watch closely in my diet). Factor does state in its FAQ section that meals marked as keto-friendly tend to be higher in fat. This is where choosing the type of meals you want when setting up your subscription can come in handy.
Factor meals average about 600 calories. The company also adds its meals to some of the most popular food tracking apps, like MyFitnessPal, so you can track your macros and calories from them along with your other meals each day.
My Thoughts on Factor
My first thought when I dug into Factor’s meals is that they looked so much more appealing than other prepared meals I’ve tried. The serving sizes looked perfect, and the food actually looked very similar to the photos on the website (or, at least, as fancy as it can get when it’s packed into single-serve containers!).
Image © Amy Boyington
I also love how quick Factor meals were to prepare. Most of them take just 2-3 minutes in the microwave, and another couple of minutes to rest outside of the microwave. I could have my lunch ready to go in less than five minutes, which I truly appreciate when I’m in a rush between working and helping my kiddo with school.
Then, when the meal is ready, this is what comes out: fresh, wholesome ingredients that honestly taste like I just prepared them myself in my kitchen. Delicious!
Tomato & Roasted Vegetable Risotto from Factor. Image © Amy Boyington
I tried six meals from Factor:
- Tomato & Roasted Vegetable Risotto: Delicious. The added crunch from the toasted pine nuts was such a welcome addition that I didn’t even know I needed.
- Shredded Chicken Taco Bowl: It was a tough choice, but I think this one ended up being my favorite. I loved the cilantro-lime sour cream drizzle on top, and everything was just super flavorful.
- Stuffed Pepper Casserole: This honestly reminded me of my mom’s stuffed peppers, which is absolutely a good thing. The roasted green beans on the side had just the right amount of tenderness and crunch, too.
- Cavatappi & Shrimp Scampi: You know when you get a prepared refrigerated or frozen meal and they have those teeny, tiny pieces of shrimp in them? Not with Factor. This meal had impressively large pieces of shrimp that left me feeling satisfied.
- Pesto Salmon: Oh. My. Goodness. If you’re a salmon fan, you have to try this. This salmon was better than a lot of the salmon I’ve tried in restaurants,
- Jalapeno Lime Cheddar Chicken: YUM! I’m a sucker for spicy foods, so this actually could have been spicier, in my opinion, but I know not everyone is as keen on spice as I am. Still, the flavor this one had was intense, in the best way possible.
Shredded Chicken Taco Bowl from Factor. Image © Amy Boyington
Really, the only con I have for Factor is that some meals are higher in saturated fat than I personally like. Again, this is my dietary preference, so it won’t apply to everyone. And, people following a keto diet (which I’m not) might prefer the higher fat content. Still, I was taken aback by a couple of the meals I tried, like Pesto Salmon with 19 grams of saturated fat.
With that said, it’s so easy to check the nutrition labels of each meal before adding them to your shipment. Plus, there are tons of options each week to choose from, so in most cases, it’ll be easy for you to find meals that fit your preferences. It’s definitely not a deal breaker for me, and I’m already looking forward to the next box I order.
Try Factor for Yourself
If you’re looking for an easy way to bring more nutrition into your life this year, Factor is one of the best options. The meals are, by far, some of the best premade meals I’ve tried, and they take just minutes to heat and serve. That’s a win-win for busy mamas.
Head to Factor and sign up for your first box. You can change your shipments and meal preferences at any time in your account or cancel altogether if you don’t think it’s right for you.
Be sure to come back here, leave a comment, and let me know what you think!
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