Prepared meals can reduce shopping and cooking for a caregiver household, but the caregiver and the person receiving care may need different foods. Start with the recipient's written instructions. Compare the exact item's food form, portion, posted nutrition, ingredients, allergens, storage and reheating directions. Treat any required but unpublished detail as unknown. Then use the live menu for current meals and prices and checkout to confirm fulfillment for the recipient's address.
Dedicated 100% Gluten-Free Kitchen in Kingsport Since 2017 · Macro-Labeled Meals for Active Households · $30 Flat-Rate FedEx Ground Shipping
By SmashMeals Editorial Team · Published 2026-08-27 · Updated 2026-09-30
Medical note: SmashMeals is a food company, not a medical provider. These are standard prepared meals, not medically tailored meals or a therapeutic diet. Follow the recipient's written instructions for food form, portion, nutrients, ingredients, allergens and food safety. Menu availability does not establish medical suitability.
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Make Two Food Plans, Not One
The person receiving care and the person providing it may share a household but not the same food requirements. Plan for each person separately, then coordinate one practical handoff.
- For the recipient: copy the written food form, portion, nutrient, ingredient, allergen and food-safety instructions before comparing meals.
- For the caregiver: choose realistic meals for the caregiver's own schedule and preferences instead of treating leftovers as the plan.
- For the household: confirm acceptable items, refrigerator or freezer space, the handoff date, and who can receive, store and reheat the food.
Five Questions Before You Send Food
- What food is allowed now? Confirm the current food form and any portion, nutrient, ingredient, allergen or safety requirement. Recovery instructions can change over time.
- Do the exact item details answer that question? Review the current listing and package information. Do not infer sodium, fiber, saturated fat, serving weight, ingredients or allergens from calories or macros.
- Who is each meal for? Mark recipient meals and caregiver meals separately when their needs differ.
- Can the household receive and store it? Confirm the address, timing, refrigerator or freezer space and who can manage reheating.
- What still needs an answer? Ask SmashMeals about a named item; ask the treating team whether the verified item information fits the care plan.
A practical example: if the care instructions set a sodium limit and a current listing shows calories, protein, carbs and fat, the listing is not enough to compare that meal with the limit. Treat sodium as unknown and ask SmashMeals about the exact item and portion before ordering. The contact page goes to the SmashMeals team for product-specific questions; it does not replace clinical advice.
For help reading posted fields, use the nutrition information FAQ. When you are ready to compare what is available now, the live ordering menu is the source for current meals and prices.
Compare Current Meals and Prices →
What Official Guidance Supports
The MedlinePlus discharge-planning guide says a discharge plan should cover what a person can and cannot eat, whether special foods are needed, and whether help with cooking or shopping is needed at home. That supports making a food-and-help plan; it is not evidence that a commercial prepared meal improves recovery.
The National Cancer Institute caregiver guide describes preparing food as one possible caregiving task and encourages caregivers to ask others for help with cooking and shopping while caring for their own health. It is cancer-caregiver education, not a trial of SmashMeals and not a diet prescription for every caregiver household.
What SmashMeals Can — and Cannot — Answer
SmashMeals can answer a product question about a named meal, portion or variant and can point you to the dedicated gluten-free kitchen standards. A dedicated gluten-free kitchen does not mean allergen-free, medically tailored or appropriate for every prescribed diet.
- Ask SmashMeals: “What is the sodium value for this exact item and portion?” or “Can you provide the current ingredient and allergen information for this item?”
- Ask the treating team: “Does this verified item information fit the person's current food form, restrictions, medicines and recovery plan?”
- Do not guess: if a required value or ingredient detail is not published or confirmed, leave it unknown rather than substituting a macro value.
Choose the Guide That Matches the Situation
Coordinate Help Without Overordering
Ask one person to keep a simple list of meals, dates and helpers. Confirm acceptable items and storage space with the recipient or primary caregiver before anyone orders. That avoids duplicate food, missed handoffs and more meals than the household can use.
Use the delivery guide for general fulfillment information. The live menu shows current availability and prices; checkout confirms options and the final total for the actual address. Keep an appropriate first-meal option ready instead of depending on a shipment for the day home.
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"Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people." — Colossians 3:23 (CSB)
View This Week's Menu · How ordering works
How ordering works
- 1. Pick your meals Browse the menu that's live this week and choose what you want. Subscriptions are optional — order one week, every week, or whenever you need it.
- 2. Choose how you get them Free pickup at our Kingsport kitchen and Grab & Go partners, $15 home delivery in the Tri-Cities, or $30 flat-rate FedEx Ground for eligible addresses. Orders close Thursday 11:59 PM Eastern.
- 3. Heat and eat Meals are fully cooked and ready to heat. Local pickup and delivery meals arrive fresh, never frozen; shipped meals are flash-frozen for transit. Follow each item's storage and reheating directions.
- Dedicated gluten-free kitchen — We do not bring wheat, barley, or rye into the building and we do not share equipment with gluten-containing production. A dedicated gluten-free facility is not an allergen-free facility — check each label for other allergens.
- Transparent nutrition — Many current menu listings include calories and macros. Check each selected meal's label and ask for any ingredient or nutrient detail you need to make a choice.
- Cooked in Kingsport since 2017 — Founder-run production kitchen at 1917 Meadowview Parkway, Kingsport, TN — the same kitchen for local pickup, local delivery, and shipped orders.
Caregiver Meal Planning FAQ
- How should I choose meals for someone who is recovering?
- Start with the person's written care instructions. Compare the exact item's food form, portion, posted nutrition, ingredients, allergens, storage and reheating directions. If an instruction is unclear or a required item detail is missing, ask before ordering; menu availability does not establish medical suitability.
- Can the caregiver and the person receiving care eat the same meals?
- Sometimes, but compare their needs separately. The recipient may have a prescribed food form, portion, nutrient, ingredient or allergen requirement that the caregiver does not have. Choose exact items for each person rather than assuming one meal fits both.
- What if sodium, fiber, saturated fat, serving weight, ingredients or allergens are not listed?
- Treat the missing detail as unknown. Contact SmashMeals with the exact item name, portion or variant and the field you need. Calories, protein, carbs and fat do not establish an unpublished nutrient, ingredient list, allergen profile or medical fit.
- Can I send meals to someone at another address?
- Use the live menu for current meals and prices, then enter the recipient's address at checkout to see the fulfillment options and final total available for that address. Coordinate who will receive, refrigerate and reheat the food before placing the order.
- Are SmashMeals medically tailored meals?
- No. SmashMeals offers standard prepared meals sold direct to the public, not a therapeutic diet or clinical nutrition service. The treating team decides what the person can eat; SmashMeals can answer product-specific questions.
- Will a health plan pay for caregiver meals?
- SmashMeals is not a contracted health-plan meal-benefit provider. Ask the plan about its own eligibility rules, covered services and approved vendors before expecting a benefit to pay for food.
- Does a dedicated gluten-free kitchen mean every meal fits the care plan?
- No. A dedicated gluten-free kitchen does not establish a meal's food form, portion, sodium, fiber, saturated fat, other allergens or suitability for a prescribed diet. Check the exact item and ask about any missing required detail.
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Colossians 3:23 (CSB) — “Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people.”