Traditions Meal Solutions
Traditions Meal Solutions Reviews - Prepared Meal Delivery Reviews
Traditions Meal Solutions positions themselves as a prepared meal delivery solution, but we found their food to be cheap, not packaged well, and flavorless. In our opinion, a can of spaghetti from the supermarket would taste better and be less expensive.
The bulk of the company's revenue comes from government contracts, Meals on Wheels, and prisons. We understand the government, be it federal, state, or local, is not going to put big money per meal for prepared meals, so they have to be cheap, but we feel they should be edible by providing meals that are not discarded because of excessive water damage.
The company once offered a private-pay feature, which is how we purchased the meals we tasted for our Traditions Meal Solution reviews.
They also make their prepared meals available to other food services. Magic Kitchen
uses them for single meals, as well as other Meal on Wheels food manufacturers, and charges over $11 for each meal. Humma Insurance Company uses them through another middleman named ILS Meals, for their clients who have a meal delivery insurance rider.
A sampling of photos of Traditions Meal Solutions Prepared Meals
According to their website at the time of this review, Traditions Meals Solutions primary business to to qualify for Medicaid and programs like Meals on Wheels, HMO's, Insurance Companies, Nursing and Retirement Homes, Correction Facilities, and Veteran Homes. These meals are tremendously poor in quality, and we mean poor to the level of "We don't care," which may be the first thing that pops into your head if you were have one of these meals. It seems like someone, somewhere is making a lot of money with these contracts.
- No Satisfaction or Quality Guarantee. No Surprise.
- If there is damage during delivery, customers can make a claim up to $75 with FedEx. (How thoughtful.)
- Nationwide Delivery
- All of traditions Meal Solutions are delivered by FedEx and charges are included in your total price when ordering.
- All meals are delivered frozen. Once you receive your order it will need to be placed in the freezer until needed.
- No Gift Certificates or Gift Cards.
Our Traditions Meal Solutions Review of their Meal Delivery Service
Traditions Meal Solutions We Would Reorder
- None
Traditions Meal Solutions Meals We Would Not Reorder
Beef Strips with Black-Eyed Peas and Spinach - $6.95
I have had the UNpleasure to have to review four different Traditions meal deliveries. Each time, my only consistent observation is that I am appalled and equally embarrassed for the entire prepared meal delivery industry that a service like this can sustain a profitable business. I don't agree with it, but I can see why prison systems could buy this kind of food to feed inmates. I certainly hope government contracts come with quality control steps to protect those souls who wouldn't eat if it were not for this food. I am astonished US corporations can use this food to pad their profits. The picture doesn't lie, this food is that bad.
-Morris Pelphner
Chicken and Dumplings with Mixed Vegetables and Peaches $6.95
I too have reviewed the prepared meals from Traditions four times. It is almost like a bad culinary version of "Groundhog Day," where we have to eat the same low-quality food with the same delivery issues over and over again. I have to figure out how I can end this vicious cycle before I cause permanent damage to my taste buds.
Folks, this meal is like Chicken Dumplings meets The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and the Chicken and Dumplings lose. The picture doesn't lie, this food is this bad.
-Chef Aldo Piquanti
Ham and White Beans with Mixed Vegetables and Sweet Potatoes - $6.95
This my third Traditions customer experience I am to share with our readers, and the day starts with a real gut-check, no pun intended. I'm sure the Moms will relate, but my first thought after seeing this meal was the first time my infant niece threw up on me. This Traditions meal just barely smelled better, but I can't speak to if it tasted better. For the first time ever, and I have an adventurous palate, I refused to eat this. Now, you may be wondering how I can possibly write a review on it if I refuse to eat it. I'll harness the culinary wisdom of co-workers. The picture doesn't lie, this food is bad as it looks.
-Nicole DiLayne
Chicken and Spaghetti in a Creamy White Sauce with Peas and Broccoli - $6.95
I almost get the feeling this meal was created to use up leftover food. The Peas and Broccoli are nothing you can't from the frozen aisle of your supermarket. They are not season or improved on in any way except being poured from the bag to each compartment of the microwave tray.
There is not enough spaghetti to twirl around a fork or easily scoop it to eat. The few chicken bits don't offset the most miserable excuse of a creamy white I think I have ever seen. And I should state that all the of the worst sauces I have ever seen came from Traditions. The picture doesn't lie, this food is bad as it looks.
-Morris Pelphner
Chicken Casserole with Broccoli and Diced Apples - $6.95
A casserole is originally a French technique of slow cooking in a deep covered vessel in the oven. This falls quite short of being anything French, or any kind of cooking technique for that matter. This is just a pile of frozen, individually pre-cooked, meal components dumped into a microwave and frozen. And here's what you get when it defrosts, a watery mess of unappetizing food.
The picture doesn't lie, this food is bad as it looks.
-Chef Aldo Piquanti
Biscuits and Gravy with a Sausage Patty, Diced Potatoes and Apples - $6.95
We have this Traditions Biscuits and Gravy marked at $6.95 because we once paid that price for it from the Traditions website. We also purchased this same exact meal from
MagicKitchen for $11.50. In our MagicKitchen order, it arrived with a Traditions label
on it too.
Needless to say, the meal is gross. The diced potatoes are edible, as are the diced apples, but the microwave transformed the biscuit into a rock and the gravy was nothing that would remind you of eating breakfast in the South. It is not worth $6.95, and I can't imagine how a company that charges $11.50 for it sleeps at night. The picture doesn't lie, this food is bad as it looks.
-Nicole DiLayne
Meat Lasagna with Spinach and Corn - $6.95
Here is another Traditions prepared meal we purchased a second time at Magic Kitchen for $12. You might be wondering why we do that? Good question. We don't intentionally want to buy Traditions meals at Magic Kitchen; there is just no way of knowing which of their meals are Traditions. We thought we were buying Magic Kitchen Lasagna.
The picture doesn't lie, this food is bad as it looks.
-Chef Aldo Piquanti
Breaded Chicken Patty with Mixed vegetables and Lima Beans - $6.95
Here is a perfect example of how little goes into a Traditions meal. To a commercial enterprise, the size of Traditions, a microwave compartment amount of Mixed Vegetables and Lima Beans comes at a minimal cost. So does the manufactured Breaded Chicken Patty.
All of these meal components you can buy at your local wholesale club and produce meals like this for about $1.50. Why wouldn't you? Because who wants to eat it? The picture doesn't lie, this food is bad as it looks.
-Nicole DiLayne
Breaded Fish Wedge with Black-Eyed Peas and Broccoli - $6.95
If you're like me, you probably grew up eating Fish Wedge on a regular basis. Let everyone else go after the salmon, bass, flounder, and catfish; it's Fish Wedge or nothing for me. I wonder if Black-eyed Peas appear on the menu so much because they might be the cheapest side available. At least wash and drain them. To serve them in their protein goo is disgusting. The picture doesn't lie, this food is bad as it looks.
-Morris Pelphner
Chicken Alfredo with Penne, Carrots, and Brussels Sprouts - $6.95
Imagine ordering Chicken Alfredo from your local Italian eatery and getting this. You can get these thin processed manufactures chicken breast, with the fake grill marks at your local wholesale club. I count seven penne in this meal, and when was the last time you ate diced carrots like this? The last I saw them was when I was reviewing food for a nuclear fallout shelter. If I was a WWIII survivor, I might be happy to see this meal but the picture doesn't lie, this food is bad as it looks.
-Nicole DiLayne
Chef Piquanti's Review of Traditions Meal Solutions
I was very disappointed with the prepared meals I personally purchased and tried from Traditions Meal Solutions. At $6.99 per meal, I was able to only experience a few passable meals, that I thought was a good value and I would order again. As for the rest of the meals I tried, I found the quality, taste, menu selection, and reheating process all below the standard I have experienced from other prepared meal delivery services.
Nearly all of their meals were in dire need of seasoning. While that might contribute to some flavor enhancement, the excessive amount of water that appeared in most of the trays during reheating would have washed away any added flavor. Not only were these meals disappointing, they did not reheat well in the microwave.
I found the Ham and White Beans with Sweet Potatoes and Vegetables to be especially unappetizing. The frozen vegetables were standard fare, which can be found any supermarket frozen food aisle. The Ham and White Beans was so watery it was more like a flavorless soup than a gravy.
The Steak Fingers with Mixed Greens and Blackeyed Peas consisted of highly processed meat, which the company called steak. It had more of a texture of plastic than one would expect from a real piece of meat. Again, there was a significant amount of water that built up in the compartment trays for the Mixed Greens. The Black Eyed Peas looked as if they were poured from a can, including the fluid they are canned with. This was not a meal I would purchase again for $6.99.
I did think the Vegetable Omelet with Turkey Sausage, Asparagus and Apples qualified for a "thumbs up," but not by much. The omelet is processed, but okay. The sausage links were typical frozen-food quality, as was the asparagus. The asparagus did not have any tips in it, just the least desirable ends. The diced apple pieces were good.
Beef Chili Macaroni with Carrots and Green Beans is a very simple and economical dish to make. However, this version fell far short of being appetizing or desirable. Again, there is very little seasoning, and certainly not enough to use the "Chili" in the name. It is paired with cheap frozen vegetables.
Traditions Meal Solutions Review by Chef Piquanti
Published on Jul 30, 2012
Finally, my taste buds were rewarded for my great sacrifice with the BBQ Beef Brisket with Hash Browns and Mixed Vegetables. Of course, the mixed vegetables are nothing special, but shredded BBQ Brisket had good flavor, and a decent portion size that could fit on any bun or hard roll. The diced potatoes were good too.
The BBQ Chicken Breast with Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli also received a "thumbs up." The chicken breast was flavorful and good enough to be a good value at $6.99. I also thought the Breaded Pork Patty with Spinach and Applesauce also deserved a "thumbs up," as a passable meal.
However, the little hot streak ended with the Lasagna with Brussels Sprouts and Squash Medley. The Italian sauce was once again watery and flavorless, as was the meat. I can't say I have ever had meat that I couldn't taste before. The Squash Medley was a pleasant change of pace, but not enough to say I would buy this meal again for $6.99.
In summary, I did not feel Traditions Meal Solutions offers a good value at $6.99 per meal. I and can think of many other prepared meal delivery suppliers who offer senior programs, with much better food. I would also venture to say one could save money by purchasing TV dinners at the supermarket and get better quality meals with more variety.
-Chef Piquanti
Traditions Meal Solutions Reviews from Consumers
Chicken Parmesan
Overall: No Medal
- Website Ease of Ordering: Good
- Reheating:
Excellent
- Customer Service: Excellent
- Shipping: Excellent
- Taste and Food Quality: Poor
- Value: Poor
The chicken patty was the definition of manufactured or processed. There was not enough sauce to cover the patty, and there was no cheese to warrant calling this meal parmesan. See the white gravy substance on the plate? Those are mashed potatoes so runny you would have to eat them with a spoon. The vegetables are frozen speed-rack.
-Jan F. NY
Meatloaf
Overall: No Medal
- Website Ease of Ordering: Good
- Reheating: Excellent
- Customer Service: Excellent
- Shipping: Excellent
- Taste and Food Quality: Poor
- Value: Poor
It may technically be meat, but this meatloaf tasted more like a microwave beef sandwich you could buy at a gas station, then a slice of homemade meatloaf. Again, this meal was not any better than a $1 frozen meal you could buy at the market on sale. I did not think this meal was not worth anything near what I paid for it.
-Jan F. NY
Country Fried Steak
Overall: Bronze Medal
- Website Ease of Ordering: Good
- Reheating: Excellent
- Customer Service: Excellent
- Shipping: Excellent
- Taste and Food Quality: Fair
- Value: Fair
I would not agree this meal is worth anything near twhat I paid for it, but the Chicken Fried Steak, (really a Chicken Chopped Steak) did have a decent flavor for a meal of this low quality. The mixed vegetables are right out of a frozen bag, and once again, my instant mashed potatoes never reheated into anything close to a solid.
-Jan F. NY
Lasagna
Overall: Bronze Medal
- Website Ease of Ordering: Good
- Reheating: Excellent
- Customer Service: Excellent
- Shipping: Excellent
- Taste and Food Quality: Fair
- Value: Fair
This was another low quality meal, but it might be worth $2. The sauce is runny and flavorless, and the lasagna noodles had a chalky taste to them. There was some real ground beef sprinkled on top, but no parmesan cheese. The serving size is small, and the Brussels Spouts could have been trimmed. Maybe I am marking on a curve, but a fair meal I would not recommend.
-Jan F. NY
Ham and Bean Dinner
Overall: No Medal
- Website Ease of Ordering: Excellent
- Reheating: Fair
- Customer Service: Excellent
- Shipping: Good
- Taste and Food Quality: Fair
- Value: Poor
I am a family caregiver for my Mother and my Grandmother, so I think of myself as an expert on senior and elderly meal services. The only suggestion I would have for Traditions Meal Solutions is to provide customers the ability to choose the meals they want instead of having to pick a meal plan. The challenge I have with my elderly Grandmother is getting to eat enough calories a day, and starting with a meal she doesn't care for, makes getting her to eat a full meal all the more challenging.
I couldn't get my Mother or Grandmother to eat this meal, and I would not have selected it had it not been bundled in a package. The ham and beans came out very watery, like maybe this was supposed to be a soup. I thought the bits of ham were okay and not near as salty as I expected. There are not many beans, as you can see in the picture, and the mixed vegetables were flooded in water. The diced sweet potatoes were actually very good, but I am not giving you much feedback from whom the meals were intended.
-Robin V. NY
Chicken Pattie Meal
Overall: Bronze Medal
- Website Ease of Ordering: Excellent
- Reheating: Poor
- Customer Service: Excellent
- Shipping: Good
- Taste and Food Quality: Fair
- Value: Fair
The print for heating these meals is beyond tiny. It is very hard to see if it says 6 minutes or 8 minutes. After 6 minutes everything was hot, but the chicken patty didn't reheat as well as the vegetables. The edges were hard and crusty and exceeded what my Grandmother could chew. She did eat the center of the patty and most of the mixed vegetables. My mother ate the lima beans because my Grandmother doesn't care for them. In all honesty, I have purchased chicken patties like this in a roll of 20 at Costco, but this meal was okay.
-Robin V. NY
Beef Pattie
Overall: Silver Medal
- Website Ease of Ordering: Excellent
- Reheating: Fair
- Customer Service: Excellent
- Shipping: Good
- Taste and Food Quality: Good
- Value: Good
Both my Mother and Grandmother had higher opinions of this meal than I did, but to see a smile on their faces made it well worth using just their feedback. They both loved the beef pattie and the black-eyed peas. My Grandmother loved the spinach, but you can see the amount of water that make it to the plate during reheating.
-Robin V. NY
Chicken Dumplings
Overall: No Medal
- Website Ease of Ordering: Excellent
- Reheating: Good
- Customer Service: Excellent
- Shipping: Good
- Taste and Food Quality: Poor
- Value: Poor
The official name of this meal is Diced Dark and White Chicken Meat with Dumpling Pasta and Gravy, which may be as close to Chicken and Dumplings as this meal gets. Its unappetizing name is equally matched by its appearance and taste. The mixed vegetables are standard fare you can find in the frozen food section of your market, as are the diced peaches which taste much better cold than they do heated in a microwave for eight minutes. The labels are very hard to read, and you have to be home to sign for the delivery.
-Shannon L. NY
Chili Mac
Overall: No Medal
- Website Ease of Ordering: Excellent
- Reheating: Good
- Customer Service: Excellent
- Shipping: Good
- Taste and Food Quality: Poor
- Value: Poor
This meal looks a lot better than it tastes. In fact, there is no taste. I might have given this meal a silver medal for its looks, but sampled one spoonful of each of these meal components and tossed in the garbage. The sauce is watery, which is a trend I am seeing with this meals. The macaroni is mushy and there is not even a hint of chili flavor. The label says diced carrots with sauce. There was sauce on the carrots? And it also says there was sauce on the green beans. Maybe their intent was good, but this was poor execution.
-Shannon L. NY
BBQ Beef Brisket
Overall: Gold Medal
- Website Ease of Ordering: Excellent
- Reheating: Good
- Customer Service: Excellent
- Shipping: Good
- Taste and Food Quality: Poor
- Value: Poor
I can honestly say I don't believe I have had a good beef brisket from a meal delivery service, but this one was outstanding. The shredded brisket wasn't all dried out, the BBQ sauce didn't taste jarred, and it had a nice little spicy zing to it. I wish the portion size was larger, but for a meal under $7, and considering the cost of brisket these days, I think this meal is quite a value. There is enough to pile on a fresh hard roll and have a really good BBQ Beef sandwich.
The mixed vegetables probably came out of a 55 gallon drum, but those little fried potatoes were darn good, too. There was a nice little crust on the bottom side of them, and a hint of onion powder. That little attention to detail made me change my vote from a silver medal to a gold medal. Too bad you can't order more of just this meal, because I would order it again.
-Shannon L. NY
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Morris Pelphner
Founder and Director
Prepared Meal Delivery Reviews
Chef Aldo Piquanti,
Video Food Blogger
Formerly of Gourmet-Reviews.com
Nicole DiLayne
Food Blogger
Formerly of Prepared-Meals.com
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