Meet the Foodies Behind the Feedback: These are Healthline’s Meal Delivery Testers

Expert testers

Jessica Sandoz, MS, RD, LD

• Credentials: registered dietitian
• Diet: no restrictions, but prefers balanced and nutritious meals that can easily be made kid-friendly
• Favorite foods: fish and shellfish, anything cheesy
• Proficiency in the kitchen: skilled and practiced, but still needs a recipe

I am a full-time working mom of 2 looking for balanced, nutritious, delicious, and quick kid-friendly meals. The work-week hustle of planning and cooking tends to fall on me, and I am good with that! Sometimes I need a break from the mental load of recipe searching and meal planning.

I am also a Health Coach and Registered Dietitian. I love to cook and do it regularly, and nothing is off limits…well, that is, unless my kids won’t eat it! I enjoy all proteins, both meat and non-meat, and I love cultural foods and trying new things.

Supertesters

Christy Snyder

• Diet: omnivore, eats red meat sparingly
• Favorite foods: crab pad thai, saag paneer, sushi, focaccia, peanut butter pie
• Proficiency in the kitchen: adept

I graduated culinary school and have worked in kitchens and bakeries across Philadelphia. I prefer home cooking and baking, as it’s more relaxing.

I tend to cook for two and love having leftovers. I also enjoy testing recipes and being creative in the kitchen. I meal-prep, usually cooking a bulk amount of protein, veggies, and carbs (think chicken, broccoli, brown rice) to have on hand throughout the week.

Stay tuned for Christy’s review of Epicured, a low FODMAP meal delivery service.

Kristin Currin

• Diet: anti-inflammatory diet, Mediterranean diet, or keto-curious
• Favorite foods: gamey meats, fishy fish, sauces, darkest chocolates, and world cuisines
• Proficiency in the kitchen: adept

I am an adventurous home cook who enjoys mimicking restaurant complex cuisines and fast-food favs.

I enjoy cooking classic, cultural, and eclectic meals for 2 to 3 people and the thrice-annual big holiday main dishes. My holiday bespoke dish is mac n cheese, and my favorite meal from scratch is calzone.

My interest in meal kits is the diversity of ingredients and anti-inflammatory diets.

Catherine Conelly

• Diet: open
• Favorite foods: pasta carbonara, bean and cheese burritos
• Proficiency in the kitchen: good with guidance

I am a consistent home cook and love to try new meals and ingredients. My spouse and I have always bonded over cooking together and enjoy decompressing in the kitchen after a long day (good wine close by!)

Now that we have kids, it’s not as peaceful of an experience as it used to be. So, I tend to look for easy and simple recipes during the week and save more ambitious recipes for the weekend.

I’m up for it all when it comes to diet. We eat just about anything but try to build meals around a protein with some vegetables or a salad in the mix. But I admit, sometimes it’s just pasta night, hold the veg.

Stay tuned for Catherine’s review of Sunbasket, a meal kit service that frequently earns a top spot in our roundups.

Everday testers

Aline (Ren) Dias

• Diet: intuitive eating
• Favorite foods: pizza, East and South Asian cuisine
• Proficiency in the kitchen: good with guidance

I enjoy cooking for about half the week (and either eating leftovers or ordering in the other half!) and am thrilled when I can mix in new meals or ingredients.

With a toddler, I typically look for simple recipes I can cook in 30 minutes or less — sometimes, it’s just a dinosaur nuggets and tots kind of night!

Chelsea Logan

• Diet: vegan
• Favorite foods: chocolate, Brussels sprouts, anything with ginger
• Proficiency in the kitchen: good with guidance

I’ve been following a plant-based diet of some sort since I was 11. I started off vegetarian, became mostly-vegan in my early 20s after developing lactose intolerance, and finally transitioned to fully vegan about 4 years ago.

I love baking and experimenting with vegan substitutes (hello, flax eggs!), but I’m not always a fan of cooking. Thankfully, my wife loves it and is good at it, so she does most of the cooking in our household.

But if I’m fending for myself, I’ll almost always opt for a quick meal over a complicated one and generally strive for the nexus between “easy” and “healthy.” We also eat a lot of leftovers.

Stay tuned for Chelsea’s review of Purple Carrot, a vegan meal delivery service.

Emma McElroy

• Diet: open to anything, focused on protein
• Favorite foods: pizza, sushi, any type of cheese
• Proficiency in the kitchen: novice

When it comes to food and cooking, I’m all about keeping things real and practical. I don’t have enough time in my day-to-day to cook complex meals, so I generally opt for quick, healthy meals that are packed with protein. I really enjoy trying out new foods at local restaurants to get inspiration for my own kitchen.

I recently moved into an apartment without an oven, which has presented challenges and forced me to get creative with my microwave and air fryer! Transitioning to an oven-free apartment has led me to rethink my approach to eating healthy in this new setting.

Naomi Farr

• Diet: gluten-free, soy-free, egg-free
• Favorite foods: banana and pumpkin breads, summer salads or pizzas topped with unexpected ingredients like nectarine slices or figs, veggie lasagna with zucchini and eggplant
• Proficiency in the kitchen: good with guidance/adept

I make almost every meal at home and mostly just for one, so I’m a fan of small batch as well as meal prepping for several days. I enjoy baking just as much as cooking. I love cookbooks and getting inspired by recipes, but I rarely ever follow them.

I’m constantly experimenting and adapting recipes to fit my dietary needs and preferences. When it comes to protein, I love eating plant-based but also enjoy chicken, shrimp, and occasionally tuna. Red meat is not typically on my menu, just as a personal preference.

Sydney Samuels

• Diet: vegetarian
• Favorite foods: eggs, strawberries, pad thai, and most Mexican food
• Proficiency in the kitchen: good with guidance

I cook meals at home pretty regularly, as I try to eat at home most weeknights. While I love going to my favorite restaurants and trying new ones, I usually save those for a weekend treat. When I do cook, I try to keep it healthy and balanced. I prioritize things like whole food ingredients, protein, vegetables, and all-around balanced meals.

Some of my go-to home-cooked meals are Tex-Mex bowls, tzatziki tofu bowls, chickpea pasta, and tikka masala. But cooking can be time consuming after a full workday, so I’m always a fan of eating leftovers and trying quicker weeknight options (hello, meal kits and prepared meals!).

Shelby Stanley

• Diet: dairy-conscious, but otherwise no true restrictions
• Favorite foods: pizza, any type of fruit
• Proficiency in the kitchen: good with guidance

I love to cook and experiment in the kitchen, but with my jam-packed schedule, I’m often looking for meals that are quick, healthy, and still full of flavor. I’ve been an athlete my whole life, so I’m always trying to pack extra protein into every meal — but I definitely have a massive sweet tooth, so dessert usually makes an appearance too.

I can follow a recipe like a pro, but I’m not the type to completely wing it — I stick pretty close to the directions unless I’m swapping in more spices or bold flavors. On busy weeknights, I lean on simple, satisfying meals with roasted veggies, seasoned proteins, or air-fried potatoes. But when I have the time, I love slowing down and trying new recipes or tackling a more ambitious meal… ideally with ice cream waiting at the finish line.

Lauryn Gladd

• Diet: open to anything
• Favorite foods: Mediterranean bowl, sushi, chicken caesar wrap, sweet potato fries, cookie dough ice cream
• Proficiency in the kitchen: good with guidance

I am a regular at the local farmers market and love bringing home new ingredients to cook with.

While I’m still developing my proficiency in the kitchen, I often find recipes online that are helpful to follow along with. Any recipe that is quick, healthy, and tasty is right down my alley.

I’ve been working a 9-to-5 for about a year now, and sometimes, I find it hard to cook on weeknights when I’m tired and hungry after work. When I can, I cook on weekends and remote working days, preparing meals in advance to have leftovers for busy weeknights. If this doesn’t work out as planned, I’m a big proponent of an amped-up breakfast for dinner!

Parisa Syed

• Diet: open
• Favorite foods: Korean food, Pakistani/Indian food, Italian food, sushi
• Proficiency in the kitchen: good with guidance/adept

Aside from some traditional Pakistani dishes and pasta that I can make without a recipe, I stick to making breakfast foods and smoothies. My partner cooks maybe 3 to 4 times a week for meals that last for at least two or three meals. She’s really good at cooking whatever ingredients we have without using a recipe, whereas I cannot function without one. So, I’m the sous chef.

We both have the same diet preferences: we’re open to anything but mainly cook with chicken, beef, and vegetables. I do a lot of ingredient prepping, and some veggies go into the freezer so we can use them later. We do order out quite a bit, mostly for weekday lunch, but for weekend dinners as well.

Past testers

Although these testers are no longer testing new meal delivery services for Healthline, you’ll still find some of their feedback in our reviews and roundups.

Kelli McGrane, MS, RD

• Tester type: expert tester
• Credentials: registered dietitian and cookbook author
• Diet: mostly plant-based
• Proficiency in the kitchen: could be a home chef

Rachael Ajmera, MS, RD

• Tester type: expert tester
• Credentials: registered dietitian
• Diet: vegetarian
• Proficiency in the kitchen: good with guidance

Jamie Elmer

• Tester type: everyday tester
• Diet: open

Jacob Moore

• Tester type: everyday tester
• Diet: open
• Proficiency in the kitchen: good with guidance

Healthline meal delivery tester badges

Heathline tester badges are featured across our product reviews and roundups. Use them to easily decipher which type of tester tried each product.