Of course I found a coupon for the Sun Basket meal service, I'm too cheap to try things like this without one. Ok maybe cheap isn't the right word, let's go with frugal. Nope, still blah...let's try smart. Yup, I'm too smart to try things like this without a coupon. I signed up at their site which was easy.
I selected the Paleo plan. They also have Chef's Choice, Lean & Clean, Gluten-free, Vegetarian, Mediterranean, Vegan, Pescatarian, Diabetes-friendly and Quick & Easy. Reviewed my recipes and swapped out the ones that didn't sound good or I know my son would complain about. I know I should just make him eat it and for the most part I do, but when you're a single mom, sometimes you just don't have the energy to argue. A couple weeks later my first box arrived. Outside looked great, inside was well packed, there was nothing leaking or mushed. Each meal came in its own brown paper bag. And what I really liked, everything is recyclable. Yup, even the ice packs. Halle-freakin-lujah!
That's one thing that bothered me about the other services, I mean you can only have so many ice packs in your freezer. It also comes with a recipe book that not only gives you the recipes, but helpful cooking tips, ideas on how to get your kids involved with cooking and easy substitutions or additions. Not a bad start.
The recipe I decided to try first was Spicy Yuba Noodle Stir-fry with Citrus Miso Dressing and Mango. Long recipe name and hopefully you can get past the fact that yuba noodles are made from the skin that forms on the surface when soy milk cooks and the proteins and fats rise to the top. Yeah, totally don't think about it. I prepped the ingredients.
I'll have to admit on this recipe some of the prep work was a pain in the a$$. They asked you to cut thin strips of pea pods for garnish. A bit intensive for a quick, weekday meal. I ended up only doing a couple and saved the rest to slap on a salad. One thing I did like is the directions told you what to prep, cook, etc in the order that made the overall cooking efficient. Cooked everything up, plated, sprinkled black sesame seeds on top (which, by the way, I think look like roasted ticks and they taste like dirt, imho) and took a bit. The spicy noodles combined with the mango was a nice combination. I enjoyed the dish and the leftovers tasted great too. I went with the vegetarian version, but you could easily add shrimp or another protein in the dish. Sun Basket gives you that option as well as an option to select organic meat. It's an upcharge but many folks think if everything else you're eating in the meal is organic why mess it up with non-organic meat. But the option is yours.
Later in the week I went onto cook the Greek Orzo Salad with White Beans Tomatoes and Feta, another veggie options which was very tasty both warm and made a great cold salad. The last recipe in the box was Lettuce-wrapped Turkey Burgers with Basil Mayo and Warm Peach Salad. This last recipe was a fail for multiple reasons. One, the ground turkey came out of the container the consistency of toothpaste. It was impossible to form into burgers and I decided to grill. The patty-like things seeped down between the grill bars. Two, when I pulled the turkey "burgers" off the grill with my tomatoes and peaches, I managed to dump everything on the deck. I set Gizmo (my dog) to work cleaning up what I couldn't pick up. Three, the mayo that was going to be infused with basil was just nasty. Too much tang or something, blah. I can't actually tell you how any of it tasted, but my son was thrilled when we ordered out that night and I found that the majority of you are NOT turkey burger fans. Who knew?
I've decided to keep the subscription for a couple more weeks to try a few more recipes. I've also changed the plan to "Clean & Lean" and will check out different recipe options. I'd like to see if the consistency of quality products on delivery remain. I may also try some of the "add-ons" they have like hummus and red pepper dip, healthy snacking options at your fingertips. So far it's been a positive experience. Pros: Easy to sign-up and make adjustments. The food that I actually got to eat was flavorful and all containers / shipping packages, including the ice packs, are recyclable. Cons: Some of the prep-work was a bit detailed for a week-day dinner and the one recipe was questionable. At the moment the pros outweigh the cons.
Why don't you give it a try for yourself, here's a quick link to get you started: Sun Basket. As always, let me know what you think and what you want me to try out next.
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