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I take pride in being a gym rat, but when I’m deep into a consistent training routine, convenience often wins out over carefully cooked meals. When I’m already dedicating hours each week to the gym, the last thing I want to do with my downtime is spend more time prepping, cooking, and cleaning. As a result, I end up relying heavily on protein shakes and bars to hit my macro goals.
All of that is to say: I’m a fan of shortcuts. So when I was offered the chance to try a week’s worth of Factor meals to complement my training, I couldn’t pass it up. Factor is a prepared-meal delivery service that promises “clean eating without the clean-up,” offering fully cooked, dietitian-approved meals designed around specific dietary goals. It sounded like exactly what I needed.
Here’s what a week of eating Factor’s high-protein meals was actually like.
The protein lineup I ordered
Factor lets you browse meals by dietary preference, and since I’m perpetually chasing my protein goals, choosing the “High-Protein” filter was a no-brainer. There’s a wide selection of recipes to choose from, featuring proteins such as chicken breast, shredded beef, burgers, salmon, meatballs, and shrimp. Some premium options, like steak and certain seafood dishes, are available for an extra cost.
While I went into the week planning to try a broad mix of proteins, I found myself gravitating toward the chicken dishes. I ordered eight meals total, including Honey Butter Chicken Breast, Parmesan & Garlic Cream Shredded Beef, Horseradish Crusted Chicken, Smoky Gouda Chicken, and Green Chile Chicken.
All of the meals I chose landed between 500 and 700 calories and contained at least 30 grams of protein. I aim for around 120 grams of protein per day, which can be difficult to hit with whole foods alone. What I liked immediately was that the Factor meals’ protein content is right in line with what I was getting from my usual post-workout shake (sometimes even more). The difference was that instead of just protein powder and milk, I was getting that protein alongside vegetables, healthy fats, and carbs, which meant I wasn’t hungry again an hour later like the way I sometimes was after just drinking my protein.
What I loved about Factor
Now, let’s get to the meat and potatoes (literally). Across the board, I found the meals balanced, filling, and tasty. Each came with a pretty sizeable piece of protein, plus a carb and a veggie.
Chicken breast is one of my favorite proteins, but only when I fork into it a few minutes after it hits my plate from the pan. Reheated chicken can be dry and disappointing, so I was pleasantly surprised by how juicy and well-cooked the chicken breast was in every single Factor meal. Each piece was plump, and the chicken had that sous-vide thing going on: tender and evenly cooked throughout, though with that slightly soft, uniform bite.
Chicken breast is a very lean protein, so it was nice that many of the meals paired it with something creamy, like mashed potatoes or vegetables in a cream sauce. The Honey Butter Chicken Breast nailed this—the zucchini and caramelized onions were cooked in a broth and gave nice contrast to the creamy Yukon mash.
Each meal felt thoughtful without being overly complicated. Even though Factor is a prepared meal delivery service rather than a meal kit, many of the flavor combinations are easy to imagine recreating at home. For example, the Horseradish Crusted Chicken (one of my favorites) isn’t something I would typically think to cook, but it’s straightforward enough that I could see myself making a version of it from scratch if I wanted to.
The nicest part about Factor was the zero effort involved. I’d pop a meal in the microwave for two minutes, and have a complete, high-protein dinner ready to go. Hitting my protein goals felt easier, and I enjoyed the refueling process far more than I usually do. It was also nice not having to think about what to make or whether I had the right ingredients on hand.
And aside from eating a tasty meal without having to chop veggies or pan-fry protein, I found that eating a full meal post-workout kept me far more satisfied than chugging a shake ever did. Chewing my macros really does make a difference in how full (and satisfied) I feel hours later.
What I didn’t like
In retrospect, I would’ve liked to try some of the premium protein options, but I also found that playing it safe with the chicken breast was probably the best way to go. The one shredded beef dish I ordered didn’t quite work for me. I like my food to taste clean, and the beef drenched in cream sauce just didn’t do it for me.
It’s also worth noting that many of Factor’s meals are relatively high in sodium, often containing more than 20% of your daily value. That wasn’t a dealbreaker for me, since each meal made up about a third or a fourth of my total daily calories (and I like to think I need the extra electrolytes since I sweat out a lot of sodium at the gym), but it’s something to keep in mind depending on your dietary needs.
The verdict
Factor is very much worth trying if meal prepping for the entire week feels daunting, or if you’re tired of eating the same chicken-and-rice combo day after day. It’s also a solid solution if you want to hit your protein goals with whole foods but don’t have the time or energy to cook multiple times a day.
The meals are convenient, tasty, and actually filling in a way that protein shakes and bars just aren’t. And the portion sizes were just the right size to satiate me without feeling too full; though on particularly intense training days, I did find myself snacking a bit more.
That said, it’s not something I’d order every single week. At around $13 to $14 per meal without a promo code, the cost adds up, and I do enjoy cooking when I have time. But for weeks when I’m traveling, slammed with work, or burnt out on meal prep, I can easily see myself ordering a few Factor meals to keep my nutrition on track without the extra effort.
