Get Healthy Meals Delivered In Ottawa With Food44

After a long day at work, the last thing you want to do is spend an hour cooking. If you are searching for healthy meal delivery in Ottawa, you should try Food44.

The Ottawa small business started in September 2020 in response to the pandemic. They provide meal deliveries three times a week in the Ottawa area, making it easy for you to eat well.

Food44 graciously provided me with a meal for testing purposes, but I’ll share my honest review below.

How Food44 Works

There is a rotating menu of a vast range of global cuisines, such as Mexican, Italian, Indian, Japanese and West African. Each week the menu for the following week is announced on their Instagram account, so you’ll know what to expect.

If you see anything that you want to try, you can place an order on the form linked on their Instagram account. When selecting the meals you want, you’ll also have the option to list any allergies so they can make the necessary accommodations. 

On the day of your order is scheduled, your food will arrive via contactless delivery. So all you’ll need to do is follow the simple reheating instructions, and you are ready to dig in.

Prices

The more days you order in a week, the more you save. For the most affordable per portion option, you’ll want to pick three days.

All meals include an appetizer, main and dessert

1 Day: $70 + $5 delivery fee

2 Days: $120 (SAVE $20) + $10 delivery fee 

3 Days: $150 (SAVE $60) + $15 delivery fee 

The three-day meal comes up to $50 per day (plus delivery) or $12.50 per meal.

While that might seem expensive, to give you some perspective, a horrible for you quarter pounder with extra cheese meal is basically the same price ($11.29). But unlike Mcdonald’s, Food 44 gives you an appetizer and dessert too.

Or if you opt for one of the popular meal kits like Good Food, it is $13.26 per serving, and you still need to cook everything.

My meal ways a TexMex burrito bowl with braised beef, so a fast food meal that is similar would be Lone Star’s steak fajita bowl, but that one is double the price at $21.99 per person and doesn’t come with dessert.

My Experience

My delivery arrived perfectly on time. The reheating and assembly instructions were simple and straightforward, which I enjoyed. I needed to put the beef in a pot on medium for a few minutes to warm it up. At the same time, I had to microwave the rice and vegetables.

The last step was to take the dressing provided and toss it with the provided salad.

The entire prep work took me under 5 minutes, and then we were ready to dine.

To start there were individual-sized bags of tortilla chips and a fantastic fresh charred salsa. 

Next, it was onto the main course. I added the grain medley, sauteed onions and peppers, and super tender braised beef in a bowl. Finally, I topped it off with some of the crunchy salad, so I had a colourful and flavourful TexMex bowl.

I can’t rave about this meal enough; I could eat it every week and not tire of it. There were so many colours, textures and flavours that I loved every bite. But it is the fall apart in your mouth beef with the fantastic sauce that was the real gem. It is so much better than anything I’ve had at Mexican restaurants in Canada before.

Finally, for dessert, there was one of my absolute favourite treats – caramel corn. There was a box to share a yummy triple caramel popcorn mix that even came with squares of Caramilk. It was another huge hit!

After completing the food, I can vouch there is more than enough for four adults. Or if you are like me, you might have tons of leftovers to look forward to eating the following day.

Even if you aren’t a family of four, it is still worth the purchase. Couples could easily enjoy a feast for dinner and enjoy leftovers for a hearty lunch or dinner the next day.

One thing is for sure I’m dazzled by the culinary talent at Food44. Everything was bursting with flavour but still healthy. As someone like myself who often feels too exhausted after work to cook, they are a real lifesaver.

Order your meals for next week on their Instagram (@food44ottawa).