Good Food, Delivered.

Byline: Anna Kuchment

Unlike George Jetson, we'll probably never push a button in our kitchens and have a freshly cooked meal spring up from the counter. But the next best thing might be opening the front door to find a week's worth of healthy family dinners waiting for you. That's the idea behind a new crop of meal-delivery services that are popping up online. Some deliver fresh food, others frozen. But they all claim to help you eat more nutritiously, avoid junk food and save hours of time. Do these meals taste any better than what you can find in your frozen-food aisle? And are they worth the extra money? We sampled four services and found that the surprising answer, in most cases, is "yes." A guide:

Healthychefcreations.com (entrees from $9.99; shipping outside Florida costs $49.99, so order several meals at once). Started by a former Disney World spa chef, this all-organic line of fresh meals is the tastiest--but most expensive--of the bunch. Lunch options include turkey and provolone on whole-wheat pita, with fresh apple slices and a mixed green salad ($9.95); dinners include a delicious, spicy Cuban chicken with black beans and rice ($13.95), as well as homey staples like meatloaf. One of the service's biggest boons is that it will work around any allergy or dietary restriction--even a desire to eat larger portions (entrees average 450 calories and 5 grams of fat, but you can pay more to eat 50 percent more). There's also a kids' menu ($7.95 per entree, with sides). Delivery charges will come down next month, when the company switches carriers.

Dinewise.com (from $5.99 per entree, plus shipping from $14.95). These were the only frozen meals we tried that didn't taste frozen. Each comes in a large, zip-locked freezer pack, with each course individually vacuum-sealed and labeled with nutritional information and prep instructions. It's important to read the ...