Vegan Meal Delivery: Review MamaSezz
A rapidly growing number of people are interested in eating healthier and want to give it a try, but they don’t even know where to begin. Vegan Meal Delivery services are an option, but not all of them are created equal.
UPDATE: As of October 2023, MamaSezz has unfortunately stopped their meal delivery. Our new recommended plant-based meal service plan is Whole Harvest.
I get asked all the time about fresh vegan meal delivery services, and I’ve never really been able to recommend one until recently when I stumbled upon a great healthy option while researching squash recipes, of all things!
I have decided to become an affiliate with MamaSezz and their great service. When you make a qualifying purchase I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. The opinions and text in this article are all mine.
No time to cook healthy meals
Many people just want to give healthy plant-based vegan food a try to see how they like it without digging through cookbooks and ingredients and spending hours in the kitchen.
Fresh ready-to-eat meals are a great way to do that. The problem is that, though there are any number of vegan meal delivery services available, vegan doesn’t necessarily mean healthy.
What is the difference between a vegan diet and a plant-based diet?
Vegan means someone who fully abstains from all animal products for ethical reasons. The Vegan Society says, “Veganism is a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.”
This means that in addition to not eating animal products such as meat, dairy, and eggs, vegans also do not purchase products made from animal products such as leather shoes or wool sweaters.
However, many vegans do not eat a particularly healthy diet and often consume highly processed foods that are loaded with calories and saturated fat such as potato chips, Oreos, gummy bears, and soda.
Plant-Based, on the other hand, means someone who is eating closer to the plant. Along with abstaining from eating meat, dairy, and eggs, plant-based folks also don’t consume highly processed foods or oils.
Their meals are made from whole grains (such as rice, barley, millet, etc), legumes (beans, peas, and lentils), vegetables, and fruits.
Though they do eat pasta and desserts, those items would be made with whole-grain flours and less refined sugars or date paste and zero oil.
My article, What is the Difference Between Vegan & Plant-Based, goes into more detail.
So can a person be both vegan and plant-based?
Absolutely!
Often, people who switch to a plant-based diet for health reasons in time become interested in other positive aspects affected by avoiding animal products such as the environment and factory farming.
I also know vegans who initially changed their diet for ethical reasons and then later became interested in the health benefits as well.
Stumbling upon a healthy plant-based vegan meal service
Recently, I was writing an article about healthy squash recipes from some great plant-based bloggers when I stumbled upon a website called MamaSezz.
They had a great-looking stuffed squash recipe, so I contacted them to find out if I could use it, along with their photo of the recipe, in my article. They were very happy to have me use the recipe and, as I perused their website, it became apparent that they weren’t just a recipe blog.
As I scrolled and clicked through, I discovered a treasure trove of ready-to-eat fresh meals that could be shipped anywhere in the United States. What?!
I read that they have even partnered with reputable organizations like the American Institute for Cancer Research, True North Optimal Health, and Chef AJ and have prepackaged meal plans specifically for each of those groups.
“I’m a raving fan! Oh my goodness, I cannot express how much
–Susan Benigas, Executive Director, The American College of Lifestyle Medicine
I love your food-I’m going to be a regular customer from this point forward.”
What caught my attention
When I clicked on the ‘Founders’ Story’ page of the website, it really piqued my interest. It turns out, in 2011, one of the owner’s moms–80-year-old, Millie–was in hospice care. She was in the final stages of heart failure.
Her daughter discovered research on the health benefits of plant-based nutrition and how studies have shown that it can actually reverse heart disease.
So, they decided to begin feeding Millie (and the entire family) a whole-food plant-based diet and were astonished that her heart function improved dramatically.
Today Millie is an active and healthy 88-year-old woman who regularly swims, drives herself everywhere, and is full of energy for her active granddaughter.
Trying out healthy vegan meals
I decided to give the meals a try and Meg Donahue, one of the co-founders, was kind enough to ship the Get Me Started Bundle right to my door in North Carolina.
It was so exciting to find the box my FedX driver had left on my front porch! I didn’t even have to be home when they delivered it because the packaging keeps the food cool for up to 3 days from the shipment date.
My Get Me Started Bundle included:
- Millie’s Chili – 3 servings
- Mama’s Burgers – 4 Servings
- Lazy Lasagna – 3 servings
- Moroccan Stew – 3 servings
- Quinoa Stack – 3 servings
- Gardener’s Pie – 3 servings
- Veggie Sausage – 3 servings
- Granola – 5 servings per bag
- Brochure outlining everything I needed to know about what was in my box
- 7-Day suggested meal plan (3 meals a day/1 person) that included a short grocery list for items suggested for serving
- Average serving size is 1 cup
Ready to heat & eat meals
All of MammaSezz’s meals come prepared and ready to heat and eat. Some of them come in trays that are microwave and oven-safe. Others come in bags that can be poured into a dish to heat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
I love that this healthy meal plan offers easy suggestions for serving with the dishes and even a grocery list of what is needed.
For example, on the day that we ate the burgers, they suggested that we add steamed veggies as a side dish. I decided to go with corn on the cob (wrapped in a wet paper towel and cooked for 3-minutes in the microwave) because we were already piling our burgers with fresh spinach leaves and onions.
Then, in the evening we ate Millie’s Chili, they suggested we add sliced avocado, fresh cilantro, red onions, and nutritional yeast, which we did.
Though we only tried the above-mentioned meals, there are a whopping 45 different products (meals and/or sauces) to choose from as of the writing of this article and more are added monthly. That’s a huge selection of plant-based, oil-free, healthy foods!
We really enjoyed the food, and I especially liked knowing that dinner could be ready whenever we decided to eat without ever messing up my kitchen. That is something I’m not used to at all, and I actually got a little spoiled.
Most evenings, I added a little salt and sometimes a few other spices to our meals, and we enjoyed every one of them. I would have to say that two of my personal favorites were the veggie sausage and gardener’s pie.
The majority of the meals are low-fat, but there are a few that have higher fat due to nuts being used. Out of 45 products, I only counted 12 which would be considered higher in fat due to nuts.
Different bundles available include:
- Get Me Started Bundle
- Healthy Heart Bundle
- S.O.S Free Bundle (no salt, sugar, oil)
- Weight Loss Bundle
- Peak Performance Bundle
- Family Bundle
- Just for Me Bundle
- Keep it Going Bundle
- Chef’s Choice Bundle
- Chef AJ’s SOS Free Bundle
- TrueNorth Optimal Health Bundle (SOS Free)
- American Institute for Cancer Research Bundle
- PBNSG Get Started & Keep it Going Bundles
- PETA Vegan Bonanza Bundle
There are so many things that I love about MamaSezz service!
- Meals are made fresh and not frozen.
- All meals are completely oil-free and even gluten-free. Soy-free meals are also available.
- There is no subscription required, though they are available.
- Products can be purchased a la carte or in prepackaged bundles.
- Specialty bundles for True North, Chef AJ, and the Cancer Institute are ready to go with the click of a button.
- Every ready-to-heat and-eat meal comes with a “use or freeze by” date on the packaging. Typically, that date is within 10-18 days of delivery. So, if you end up not eating the fresh meal right away, it can be frozen for later.
- You can order for just one person or the whole family. Kid-friendly meals are available.
- Every orders ships free (as of Jan. 2021).
- They offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
New 4-week weight loss program
MamaSezz also recently added a 4-week Weight Loss Program with meals delivered weekly. The meals are planned by their chef and Registered Dietitian and include:
- 7-day plan (21 meals per week) 3 Meals per day and snacks, packed with nutrients.
- New meals and menu every week.
- Specialized weekly meal bundles are guaranteed to help you lose weight for good.
- Personalized support.
- Talk with real people who are here to help you lose weight for good.
What does it cost?
MamaSezz entrees vary in cost but tend to range between $9.99 and $16.99 for a package that contains 3 servings. That averages out to $4.99 to $5.66 per serving.
The bundles average $169. For a good idea as to what is included, take a look at the details of the Get Me Started Bundle that I received above.
*Update January 2021: Shipping all over the US is now free, and there is a minimum purchase of a small bundle that costs $129. Build your own bundle with items you prefer or order a specialty bundle.
No waste recycling
One last thing that really sold me on this company is that they send a return FedX label and even tape strips to apply to the box in every package. This is so you can return the box and shipping material (insulation, ice packs, etc- all of which is surprisingly heavy) back to them for recycling free of charge. I LOVE this!
To me, MamaSezz meals are the perfect option for a plant-based vegan meal delivery service that provides healthy and tasty foods for those on the go.
I personally plan to try a few of the other meals and keep some on hand in my freezer for those days when I just don’t have the time or desire to make a meal. It is quite comforting and freeing to realize that, no matter what, I can have a healthy dinner ready in minutes.
This all makes me very excited to finally be able to personally recommend–and become an affiliate with– an amazing plant-based vegan meal delivery service.
UPDATE: As of October 2023, MamaSezz has unfortunately stopped their meal delivery. Our new recommended plant-based meal service plan is Whole Harvest.
About Terri Edwards
Hi guys! I am the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I am passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to empower others to get healthy. I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…
Ever since the beginning of October, I have been trying to find a place to order Mama Sezz meals. I have ordered them in the past, and they were the best healthy meals I have ever found. I loved every meal I tried. I was so impressed, and now that I heard they have closed the business, I am so sad. I hope another delivery service can take over. I am short on time often, and these were perfect for me. Please post if you ever hear of any other comparable plant based meal delivery service.
Lee Ann- We were sorry to hear about MamaSezz closing too, but we do have a new excellent plant-based meal delivery service that we recently tried and started recommending. This is our review for them, and there is a coupon code to get $30 off of your first order.
Sad that Mama Sezz is closed effective just this past week
That’s just so sad. I had no idea.
I just ordered the weight loss bundle!! CAN’T WAIT to get my 1st shipment!! Thanks for the info!!
Awesome! I think you’ll really like everything about MamaSezz products. They just make it all so easy.
Im so excited to try these meals! November and December are super hectic at my job and this will help me stay on track and not want to pick up unhealthy food at work or on the way home after a long day. Thanks for all your delicious sounding past recipes that I hope to try soon and for finding and reviewing this meal service! I’m ordering immediately!
Cyn
I am so glad that this review is helpful. You’re so right! With the busy holidays coming up, these meals will be handy to keep in the refrigerator or freezer. 🙂