I tried Veestro, a plant-based meal delivery service — and it's great for busy people who want to eat healthy

• Healthy eating often falls by the wayside when you lead a busy lifestyle.
• Veestro is a meal delivery service that makes it easy to get more plant-based foods into your diet without sacrificing taste or convenience.
• If you want to eat better, but you don't often have the time to shop for fresh groceries and prepare multi-ingredient plant-based meals, you might want to give Veestro a try.
• See also: The best meal kit delivery services

Eating a healthy, balanced diet seems fairly straightforward. Years of health research tells us we should eat more vegetables and fruits, try to get our daily recommended vitamins, and limit our sugar and fat intake.

If my life revolved purely around feeding myself, I'm sure I could become a glowing, nutritionally sound health goddess because I'd actually have the time to carefully grocery shop and cook healthy meals. But like most people, I'm otherwise occupied with work, hobbies, and social obligations, and eating healthy really isn't that easy.

When I think about eating healthy or "clean," my mind automatically jumps to salads and raw foods. Don't get me wrong, I love a good salad, but the thought of eating the same thing all the time makes my heart sink a little. It turns out this approach is pretty narrow-minded and uncreative of me because there are tons of tasty meals that can be made with real, unprocessed ingredients.

Veestro sends fully prepared 100% plant-based meals to your door, virtually knocking out all your previous excuses not to eat healthier

All the meals are preservative-free and organic (96% of all ingredients used), and the recipes are conceived by a vegan chef with 30 years of experience. There's no prepping of ingredients and cooking involved — all the meals can be microwaved, reheated on the stove, or baked in the oven, so you can eat a hot meal within half an hour.

Veestro offers a variety of meal plans to choose from:

• A la carte meals: Pick and choose from dozens of options, like baked mac and "cheese," Tuscan calzone, portobello steak, and quinoa pie. Available in a 10, 20, or 30-meal order, prices start at $9.90/meal.
• Chef's Choice meal packs: Options include a customer favorites pack, a high protein choice, and a gluten-free option. Available in a 10, 20, or 30-meal order, prices start at $9.90/meal.
• Weight management plans: 5 or 7-day plans that ship every week and help take the guesswork out of weight management. Prices start at $10.80/meal.

I was sent the $99 Starter Pack, which includes 12 meals and one juice, to try. (Note: this plan is now called Chef's Choice and starts at $117 for 10 meals and no juice). Shipping is $9.99 for a one-time purchase, but it's free if you subscribe to a recurring delivery. Everything arrives in a box packed with dry ice. Make sure your fridge has enough room because everything needs to go in the fridge or freezer.

While there were a couple of misses, overall I really liked the taste and variety of the meals included in my pack

I ate the meals throughout the week, weaving them into my regular diet. The menu included veggie empanadas, country fried chick'n (seitan), three-layer scramble, soba noodles, mushroom risotto, and a green juice. In general, I found the thawing and cooking times to be longer than suggested, though they were never grossly off. Because I was usually either impatient or low on time, I tended to microwave or reheat the meals on the stove instead of baking them.

I'll admit, I was surprised by the quality. I always thought frozen food had to contain artificial ingredients or preservatives to taste good, but I didn't see any of those while scanning the nutritional labels. My personal favorites were the red curry, Thai chick'n stew, and mushroom risotto.

I personally don't have any dietary restrictions or preferences, but if you want, you can also filter a la carte meals by categories like low-calorie or soy-free. To ensure you're getting the most out of your delivery, customizing your shipment through the a la carte meal option is probably the best way to go.

The bottom line: You'll save time and effort with Veestro if you want to eat more plant-based meals

The week I tried Veestro was particularly busy for me, so I loved not having to think about preparing food or give in to greasy takeout. I've tested and liked many other meal delivery services, such as Snap Kitchen, but I appreciated Veestro's specific focus on plant-based meals. It lets me incorporate more vegetables into my diet so I can make a smoother transition into a healthy lifestyle, rather than forcing an unrealistic, abrupt change.

The main downside is that the meals take up room in your fridge, so if you live with roommates or have a small fridge, be prepared to make some concessions in order to fit them all.

At $9.90 to $11.70 per meal, is it cheaper than making your own food? No, but what you're paying for is the convenience and freedom to concentrate on other parts of your life while still enjoying healthy, tasty food.