It’s exhausting to make dinner every night. Especially when you’re like me and you work long hours and then try and squeeze in a workout in between work and dinner. While I love to cook and often find it very relaxing, some nights I just want to lay on the couch and have fresh cooked food magically appear at my side.

And while I’m sure you’ve heard of meal delivery subscriptions that delivery throughout the country like Hello Fresh, Blue Apron and Green Chef, these must be prepared and cooked before they can be eaten. So how about a LOCAL company that prepares and cooks fresh meals for you with locally sourced ingredients? I’m not talking frozen TV dinners, I’m talking about the best of everything…a fresh, delicious home cooked meal that someone else cooks. I recently tried out a few of these services…

Bites by Bre (delivers throughout the state)

I was so incredibly impressed by the quality of this Providence-based service…would definitely recommend to anyone who’s looking for meal delivery. We tried out the Lovebird (for couples or parents with 1-2 young children) portion size, which costs $165 a week, and had leftovers after every meal. Also, there’s no decision making with Bites by Bre, which I personally love.

They prepare eight dishes every Monday, which includes 3 protein-based dishes (chicken, beef, lamb, pork, seafood, etc), one hearty soup, a gourmet salad, one grains-based dish (usually quinoa, farro or other nutritious grain), a greens-based dish, and a starch (corn, butternut squash, etc.), which are then delivered to each of their clients that evening.

And while some might argue that this requires “a leap of faith,” this allows the company to keep their prices low by providing food that rivals some of the top restaurants in Providence, with streamlined labor. It also allows them to buy from local growers, makers and other limited-edition products, responding to what looks freshest to them during the weekend farmers’ markets.

Founder & Owner Bre Goldsmith said that everything within the bundle is designed to be a stand-alone dish. In other words, the greens dish could be its own lunch (or, over some rice, a dinner), and you might have the soup as a starter course on one evening and then roll out the leftover portion to a soup/salad combo for another meal.

“We took this approach after a few years of research and client feedback, finding that the traditional model of people eating “mains and sides” is trending way down,” she said. “And cooking across a variety of global culinary perspective goes to the goal that whenever you’re hungry, you can pull out something that most closely resembles what you’re craving.”

A few of the dishes that were included in our Lovebird delivery: roasted root vegetables with pistachios, grilled halloumi & smoked apple compote (pictured above at right); sake-braised beef shoulder with ginger, fennel, caramelized onions & cranberry teriyaki glaze (pictured above at left); Provencal herbed chicken with caramelized leeks, sweet vermouth, currents and panko crust. So so so delicious! Like gourmet comfort food.

Feast & Fettle (delivers throughout the state)

I was also very impressed with Feast & Fettle. It does require a bit more thinking as you have to choose what entrees and sides to order each week. Each of the items you pick out show up in a container on your front door and then only need to be microwaved before you eat. The weekly menu can be tailored to almost any kind of diet or restriction. The meals are prepared from scratch one day prior to delivery. And similarly to Bites by Bre, Feast & Fettle, sources from local suppliers and chooses organic options when available. The Meals are packaged family style with a mix-and-match a selection of entrees and sides.

So it takes a little more thought to put together a meal but I liked using the sides and entrees to supplement my own cooking. So one day I use their grilled salmon and added it to a beet and goat cheese salad over greens. Another day, I added some roasted chicken to their tofu kimchi fried rice. The plan that we got was $139.99 for three entrees and five sides.

Misfits Market (Just started shipping to Rhode Island)

Although it’s not a meal delivery service, they do ship organic produce to your house for far less than you could ever purchase it in the store. Here’s a picture of everything I got in my first box. It’s $19 if you subscribe and or $23.75 if you want to make a one-time purchase.

I love that you never know what you’ll get in each box, often receive things you might never have purchased or cooked with before, they have a recipe each week on their website to help inspire you and they’re packaging is recyclable. This much organic produce would cost at least $25 at the grocery store, probably more. Highly recommend, especially if you like to try new vegetables.