A couple of years ago a friend turned me onto meal subscription plans—a service with illustrated recipe cards and all the necessary ingredients to turn you into a clever chef. We tried out a week of Sunbasket organic meals and here’s what I learned.
Do you resolve to cook more at home, to eat more plant-based meals, or just eat more consciously?
If you can’t seem to get motivated, you might want to try a make-it-yourself meal kit. For easy and inspired cooking, meal plan services rock! We’re talking easy-to-prepare almost-gourmet meals delivered to your doorstep every week.
I liked the sound of Sunbasket’s plan so much that I signed up to be an affiliate. (That means I get paid a small commission when someone subscribes to their service.) Sunbasket noticed I was a new affiliate and sent me a box to try. Of course I chose the vegetarian option.
Opening our box of Sunbasket’s organic meals felt like opening a very nice birthday present. Our kit, like all the menus we’ve seen, included imaginative ingredients you might not discover on your own. Because everything you need (except olive oil and salt & pepper) comes in your box, you don’t end up with used-once exotic vinegars or, for example, a random jar of tamarind paste in your fridge and pantry.
The menus read like mouthwatering restaurant menus! If you want to make yourself hungry, check out what’s cooking the next 3 weeks. A weekly box contains the fixings for 3 meals. If it’s more convenient for you, they also offer prepared meals you can microwave or bake in minutes.
What I like best about Sunbasket is their organic non-GMO seasonal farm-to-table philosophy. Every week they offer vegetarian, paleo, and gluten-free options. For omnivores, there’s an option called “Chef’s Choice.” You choose which meal plan from their easy-to-navigate website.
Questions you might have about subscription meal plans:
Sunbasket says to allow 35 minutes start to finish, and we came pretty close.
Besides Sunbasket, there are dozens other meal subscription services out there. There’s the totally plant-based Purple Carrot, or Green Chef, which offers certified gluten free plans as well as a vegan option. We’ve tried out two different meal kits, Blue Apron, and now Sun Basket. Read about the pros and cons of the Blue Apron plan here.
Most meal kits cost around $15 per person, delivered. The boxes come with 3 meals, and you can order for 2 people or on a family plan.
Here’s the menu we found in our Sunbasket sample box the week we tried it.
Each meal was incredibly flavorful and super easy to put together.
One was a Japanese-theme udon noodle bowl with roasted butternut squash–delicious. 👇
Another night we made tofu burgers with sweet chile mayonnaise, oven fries, and a carrot slaw. Out of this world! 👇
Our third meal was roasted acorn squash with grapes, goat cheese, and quinoa. Talk about inventive, I mean who’d a thunk it, grapes with acorn squash?
Bottom line: If I was looking for new cooking motivation and kick-in-the-apron creative recipes, I’d sign up asap to a meal plan. No doubt about it.
My goal here on the blog is to inspire you into the kitchen with tempting wholesome seasonal vegetarian recipes. Maybe a weekly box of ready to cook meals will get you started.
Deals!! All the meal delivery services I researched offer some sort of discount for first timers.
