I tried this kids' meal delivery service with my 21-month-old daughter and was impressed with the flavor and texture of the microwavable meals

• When you're parent strapped for time, kids' meal delivery services can simplify dinnertime.
• Nurture Life makes meals for babies and children that are delivered weekly, and they only take a couple of minutes to heat in your microwave.
• Prices ranges from $7 to $10 per meal, and each order must be a minimum of $39. Shipping is $8 for orders under $59, and free for anything above.

Once my daughter started on solid foods, it dawned on me just how often little humans eat. At times, it feels like all I do is make and serve food, and it's easy to burn out on snack and meal planning. Meal kits and grocery delivery can simplify things, but I'm still left to meal prep and cook.

So to lighten my load, I decided to try Nurture Life, a meal delivery service for babies and kids that ships throughout the US. Its mission is to raise the standard for children's food by making nutritious meals convenient and appealing.

Nurture Life set me up with a complimentary one-week subscription to test its service. I went through their standard ordering process, and my daughter and I tried seven of the toddler meals.

Subscription options and sign-up process

Nurture Life offers ready-to-heat meals and cold lunches for babies, toddlers, kids ages 5 to 10, kids 11 years and older, as well as family plans. Most meals range from $7 to $10 each, with those for older kids and families costing more. Each order must be at least $39, and shipping is $8 per order or free over $59.

It's easy to sign up. I entered my information and took an optional short quiz about my meal preferences, including how many kids I was ordering for, their ages, and the number of meals I wanted per week. My cart was automatically filled with meals based on my answers, but I could make changes before checkout.

I only kept one of the suggested meals because the quiz didn't ask about likes and dislikes, so I browsed the selection of 23 toddler meals. When I selected a meal, I could see which, if any, of the big eight allergens it contained, the ingredients list, and nutrition information. Although it's possible to filter out allergens, all meals are made in a facility where coconut, dairy, eggs, fish, soy, and wheat are present. For this reason, the service is not a suitable option for children with those food allergies. The facility is peanut and tree nut-free, making these meals safe for children with peanut and tree nut allergies.

Once my account was established, I could add preferences, such as vegetarian or soy-free, and I found my next cart was a much better match.

Shipping and packaging

Meals automatically ship each week, but you can make changes to your order before the cutoff date shown in your account. You can also skip any week or pause your subscription. If you forget to do this, you'll get what your cart was automatically filled with. An email notification is sent when your order ships.

The meals ship securely packed with frozen nontoxic gel packs and an insulated liner. Each meal is individually packaged and features pictures and scenes that incorporate the ingredients. For example, the Mac & Cheese with Cauliflower package is printed with trees made of cauliflower and ladders made from wheat stalks. These illustrations are helpful for encouraging picky eaters and for starting discussions about what's in the food we eat. All of the packaging can be recycled, and the gel packs are reusable.

What we thought of the meals

The meals can be heated in the oven, or microwaved for approximately two minutes. My daughter usually wakes from her nap hungry, so I could conveniently microwave one and feed her before any frustration set in. If refrigerated, the meals are intended to be consumed within one week, but they can also be frozen for up to 90 days.

We tried the following:

• Pot Roast with Mashed Potatoes
• Chicken Bites with Mashed Sweet Potatoes & Green Beans
• Mac & Cheese with Cauliflower
• Chicken Biryani
• BBQ Pulled Pork with Cornbread Muffin and Carrots
• Chicken Meatballs with Pasta & Vegetables
• Cheesy Chicken & Zucchini Pomodoro

My daughter's favorite meals were Mac & Cheese with Cauliflower, Chicken Meatballs with Pasta & Vegetables, and Chicken Bites with Mashed Sweet Potatoes & Green Beans. She wasn't a fan of the Chicken Biryani, but my husband happily ate it and proceeded to tell me that I should order these meals for him.

Overall, the meals were full of flavor and had good texture, especially for being microwaved. In fact, I even checked the ingredients of the mashed sweet potatoes so I could recreate them — they were that good. I found the chicken bites a bit soggy, but my daughter still loved them; they probably would have been better if we'd heated them in the oven.

The portion sizes were on point for my 21-month-old. If she really liked a dish or was particularly hungry, she ate it all, and on days she wasn't as hungry, we had leftovers to heat up the next day.

Notes on ingredients and nutrition

These balanced meals are designed by pediatric dietitians and include organic vegetables, antibiotic-free proteins, and whole grains. Each serving contains between 300 mg and 400 mg of sodium, which isn't bad for preprepared food. Added sugar is between 0 g and 4 g for most recipes, and there are many options with no added sugar.

The bottom line

You can't expect prepackaged meals to be perfect, but Nurture Life provides balanced meals that are convenient and tasty. The price is a little high, starting at $39.95 per week for five meals plus $8 shipping, but sometimes the convenience is worth it. Yumble offers a similar meal delivery service for kids that is slightly less expensive, but it does not advise freezing its meals.

If you are stretched for time or want to keep a few options in the freezer for hectic days, Nurture Life is worth a try. You can test it out for a week without being locked into a long-term subscription.

Pros: Well-balanced meals designed by pediatric dietitians, convenient and easy to prepare, meals can be frozen, easy to order and filter preferences, delivered right to your doorstep

Cons: Pricey, not safe for children with food allergies