A typical dinner entree from Urban Manna.

Meal delivery services, like restaurants, come in all forms and to fit all tastes. Too lazy to cook after a long day of work? Trying to lose some weight? Want to go vegan and don’t know what to cook? Well, there are services to meet those needs and they are surprisingly affordable, super convenient and absolutely delicious. Read on to learn about four different companies that will have you noshing on good eats in no time.

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Vegin’ Out
http://veginout.com/

Owned and operated by brothers Tim and Dan Boissy, Vegin’ Out offers diners a weekly all vegan menu. For those of you who might be turned off by the word ‘vegan,’ do not dismiss this service. I assure you these meals will not leave you missing meat or dairy. Each of their balanced and flavorful dishes are savory and truly satisfying. The vegetables and whole grains also have the added bonus of keeping you full for a long time, curbing your desire to snack on those bad-for-you treats.

Each order consists of 9-10 meals worth of food (or three entrees, four side dishes, one soup and five cookies). The package is delivered on Monday so you have a week’s worth of lunch and dinner to mix and match as you please. The entrees range from dishes like the Santa Fe Penne, BBQ Tofu and Acapulco Black Bean Tamale Pie. The side dishes — with options like Barley and Wild Rice Salad, Sour Cream and Chives Mashed Potatoes, and Cucumber Mint Salad — are perfect accompaniments to the entrees (and also delicious on their own!). Their soups are hearty, perfectly seasoned and the freshness of the ingredients come through with each spoonful.

Preparation is super simple. Each dish comes with easy-to-follow heating instructions. Just portion out what you’d like to eat, pop it in the microwave or warm it on the stove top, then enjoy!

Vegin’ Out delivers in Los Angeles and ships across Southern California. All deliveries are made on Mondays between 11:00 am and 5:00 pm. A single order costs $117 or an average of $11-$13 per meal. Truly a great deal! For more information, visit VeginOut.com.

Urban Manna
http://www.urbanmanna.com/

Downtown LA-based Urban Manna is a new company that specializes in gourmet dinners for busy professionals. Those long hours in the office will start to feel like they are paying off because you will be convinced you have hired a personal chef. Diners have the opportunity to review the upcoming week’s choices to create their own menu based on individual preferences. Too much work? Then just tell them your likes, dislikes, allergies and selections will be made for you.

Meals are delivered to your door between 11:00 pm and 6:00 am in a cute tote. Now, let me reiterate the ‘gourmet’ part of this service. Expected entrees can range from Shrimp Scampi, Pork Loin Wrapped in Bacon, Veal Piccata, Peppersteak with Red Wine Sauce and Stuffed Cabbage. Each meal is composed with a starter/salad, entree and dessert. All this at your doorstep before you’ve even brushed your teeth!

Preparation is easy, too. All items are packed in individual vacuum-sealed bags. Any hot foods should be prepared sous vide (or warmed by immersing the bags in a pot of boiling water for 15 minutes). This style of packaging also helps to minimize on waste!

Urban Manna meals cost $15. Upon sign up, you choose which days to receive meals. Not sure if you want to commit? Try out a sample meal for free! For details and more information, visit UrbanManna.com.

Sunfare
http://sunfare.com/

Celebrities like Britney, Kim and Audrina have all been customers of Sunfare, a service focusing on healthy and personalized meals. Why? Well, for one thing the food is delicious, but the real secret is in the 30/40/30 formula, i.e., every meal is comprised of 30% lean protein, 40% whole wheat, low-carb or fresh, low-glycemic carbohydrates, and 30% heart healthy, monounsaturated fat. It is said that an average person can lose up to 25 pounds in three months on a diet like this. No wonder those girls look so good!

While Sunfare is not strictly a diet company, their focus on healthy eating habits are beneficial to diners’ physiques. Though, you would never guess you could lose any weight being so well fed. Typical menu options include the Breakfast Quesadilla, Tuscan Chicken Salad, Chicken Scallopini, and Herb Grilled Salmon. The best part are the snacks — Prosciutto Wrapped Caprese Kabobs, Roast Beef with Chipotle Mayo, Grapes with Gouda Cheese — which are so savory and decadent that you almost feel guilty for eating so well.

Sunfare offers three different plans: the Signature Diet, Vegetarian and Family Dinners. After signing up, customers are asked to fill out a detailed sheet covering favorite ingredients, dislikes and allergies. Food is delivered daily by 7:00 am in a cooler. Each meal and snack is packaged separately and clearly labeled with reheating instructions.

Individual meals average out to about $25-$27 while the Family Dinner option is priced on the number of people. Monthly plans are also available. For more information, visit Sunfare.com.

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California Chef Services

http://www.californiachef.com/

California Chef Services applies the personal chef approach to dieting. The goal for owner and executive chef Denise Macuk is to provide her customers with access to tasty and healthy meals that promote weight loss. Though the service is aimed at dieters, customers will never feel like they are on a diet. The sheer variety and elegant execution of the meals would keep any diner happy. From Wasabi Sesame Salmon to Turkey Genovese Pizza to a Philly Cheese Steak Panini, dieters will feel like they are surely being sabotaged. Oh, and there is dessert, too!

Before beginning the service, customers discuss dietary requirements, allergies, and preferences so the program is made to fit your needs. Weight loss? Low carb? Gluten free? Whatever goal you are trying to reach, California Chef can help. Once delivery starts, carefully crafted meals are delivered daily in individual containers to your door. Each are labeled with heating instructions and are packaged to go directly from the refrigerator to the microwave or oven. So simple.

Meals cost on average of $15-$25 depending on which plan you select. Weekly, bi-weekly and tri-weekly meal delivery is available, as are single orders. For more information, visit CaliforniaChef.com.