Meal Dealers

Meal Dealers is a meal prep company serving Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., which it calls the DMV. It cooks and portions meals that you keep in the fridge and heat in the microwave, so there is no cooking involved. The homepage describes "fresh, ready-to-eat meals that are packed with nutrients, flavor, and variety," prepared by the company's chefs, and the About page calls it "a seven-year-old business" that serves "busy people who care about their health but don't have time to cook."

The menu is built for people who track what they eat: every dish on the ordering page lists its price with calories, fat, carbs and protein.

How ordering works

There are 2 ways to order. A single order is a one-time purchase: "Browse our menu, add your desired meals to your cart, and then go to your cart to checkout." Or you "subscribe & save every week." With a subscription, "you will be billed automatically on a weekly basis and meals will be delivered each week," and if you don't change your picks, you get "the same meals as the previous week." You edit a subscription in your account. The menu page asks you to "select at least 5 meals."

Deadlines are specific. "The cut-off for all one-time orders and new subscriptions is Saturday night at 11:59 PM," while "updates to existing subscriptions need to be made by Friday night at 11:59 PM." Orders placed in time arrive "the following Sunday or Monday, depending on the delivery day chosen at checkout."

If you follow a set plan, there's a custom route. You can build your own plate from the available proteins, carbs and vegetables with "Create Your Own Meal," or send in a meal plan through a form and "Someone will get back to you shortly to get more information and provide a quote."

What it costs

Prices are listed per meal. From the current menu:

• Grilled Chicken Parm, Blackened Tilapia and 3 Bean Chili Mac: from $9.99
• Italian Meatballs, Chipotle Meatloaf, Thai Basil Pork and the 6 Pack Builder: from $10.99
• Pulled Steak Fajita and Green Chicken Chili: $11.99
• Teriyaki Beef and Broccoli, Signature Salmon and a Tex-Mex Chicken Bowl: $12.99
• Grilled Teriyaki Salmon, Lean Mean Chicken Lasagna and Grilled Sweet Chili Shrimp: $13.99

Protein muffins start at $4.00, and protein pancake 6-packs run $14.99 to $17.99. The subscription is promoted as a way to save, but the site doesn't state the discount.

Delivery isn't always free: "There is a delivery fee for orders less than $100 or those delivered on Monday." The fee amount isn't given. Gift cards come in amounts from $50 to $1,000, "have no additional processing fees and never expire."

The food

The range is broad, and most dishes are built around a named protein. Examples with the company's numbers: Grilled Teriyaki Salmon at 470 calories and 40g protein, Marinated Petit Filet at 310 calories and 32g protein, Lean Mean Chicken Lasagna at 340 calories and 39g protein, a Carb-Free Builder at 280 calories and 10g carbs, and Smoked Pulled Chicken over Roasted Cauliflower at 270 calories. At the other end are Baked Buffalo Wings at 670 calories and breakfast burritos of 700 calories or more.

Breakfast gets real attention: protein pancakes in flavors from maple bacon to lemon poppy, bowls such as the Turkey Breakfast Bowl and Bison Breakfast Bowl, a Turkey Bacon Wrapped Egg Quiche and several breakfast burritos. Snacks and desserts include protein muffins and a Protein Banana Cake.

The lunch and dinner list reaches well beyond grilled chicken. It includes Almond Crusted Tilapia, Pan Seared Lemon Butter Chicken, Chicken Swedish Meatballs, a Turkey Zucchini Burger at $10.49, a BBQ Bacon Cheddar Chicken Burger, Porcini-Braised Beef and a pasta dish called Bowtie Julia at 650 calories. A "DEALER'S CHOICE!" item at $9.99 sits on the menu too. The Areas Served page pitches the range as covering "hearty comfort food, light and healthy fare, or anything in between."

The About page says meals use "minimal amounts of salt, sugar, and fat," and that the company never uses "artificial preservatives or additives." It also says meals are portioned by "chefs and personal trainers." Those are the company's descriptions.

Meals come "in microwave-safe containers" and are "guaranteed to stay fresh in your refrigerator through Friday of the week of delivery." To heat, "microwave for 2 minutes" with the lid placed loosely on top.

Where it delivers

The Areas Served page lists counties and towns in detail. In Virginia: Arlington, Caroline, Chesterfield, Fairfax, Fauquier, Frederick, Hanover, Henrico, Loudoun, Prince William, Spotsylvania, Stafford and Warren counties, with towns from Alexandria and McLean to Chester and Midlothian. In Maryland: Anne Arundel, Charles, Frederick, Howard, Montgomery and Prince George's counties, with towns including Bowie, College Park, Greenbelt, Hyattsville, Laurel and Upper Marlboro. In D.C., Northwest, Northeast, Southeast and Southwest.

The company calls its delivery "fast, reliable, and hassle-free," but in practice it runs on 2 days only, which the How It Works page frames as "two delivery days to simplify this for you." Either way, you plan your order around the weekend. The footer lists delivery hours of Sunday 11:00am to 8:00pm and Monday 12:00 noon to 8:00pm, and meals arrive "in insulated bags to keep them fresh." Contact is by phone at 201-749-2131 or email at info@mealdealers.com, and checkout takes the main cards as well as PayPal.

What the site leaves open, and who it suits

The delivery fee for small or Monday orders and the size of the subscription saving are the 2 numbers missing. Freshness is guaranteed only "through Friday," so a Monday delivery gives you a shorter window than a Sunday one.

Meal Dealers suits DMV households and busy professionals who want a big, macro-labeled menu with clear per-meal prices, and who can order $100 or more for a Sunday drop. The breakfast range, the build-your-own option and the quote service for people on a set plan are real strengths. It suits people outside the listed Virginia and Maryland counties and D.C., or anyone who needs food that keeps well past the end of the week, less well.