Sun Basket: The Best Clean Eating Meal Prep Delivery Service?

I've been curious to try some of the meal prep delivery services that have sprung up in the last few years. The convenience is certainly the main draw for me, but I've noticed that the recipes some of these companies put together aren't always the healthiest or the most inclusive of different diets. Also, I've heard from friends who have tried different services that the packaging can sometimes get out of hand, causing much more waste than a trip to the grocery store would have.

Recently, I decided to finally bite the bullet and give one of these services a try. Sun Basket caught my attention right away because they featured several different meal plans (vegetarian, vegan, pescitarian, paleo, gluten free, family, etc) but also allowed users to jump across the different menus. As an omnivore who tries to limit her meat and carb intake, I loved that mixing and matching was an option. They also promised all organic produce and responsibly raised meats as well as fully recyclable packaging.

For my first week of recipes, I picked a Steak and Stone Fruit Salad, some Smokey Chicken Tacos with mango salsa, and Tofu Burgers with potato match sticks and corn on the cob. right off the bat, I was really impressed with how efficiently set up the box was, with all the ingredients for each recipe packed into a labeled brown paper bag so that I didn't have to wonder what belonged to what. Both the chicken and the steak were put in a separate compartment, securely packaged, well trimmed, and looked vibrant and fresh. Best of all, the booklet that came in the box contained recipes for not only my meals, but all 18 meal options on the menu for that week, meaning I could still try to make all the meals I didn't pick on my own!

I decided to make the Smokey Chicken Tacos for my 4th of July dinner (because nothing says 'Merica like tacos). Being that this recipe included two of my not so favorite thing- cilantro and jalapenos- I was a little worried that leaving them out would make the tacos bland. I was wrong. Whatever the magical spice mix they gave me was was so flavorful and perfectly balance that I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything. My friends, who were trying the tacos with me, were also able to customize their tacos to their individual tastes by adding the cilantro or jalapenos as they wished. I was immediately impressed.

Next up was the Steak and Stone Fruit salad. Now, these boxes are meant to feed 2 people (or more if you choose the family plan) and since I live by myself, I figured I could split some of the more filling meals into dinner and lunch. I wasn't planning to split this one, since... well, it was a salad. But when I saw the two generous cuts of steak they had given me, I changed my mind. In fact, every meal I received was enough to make two filling portions. And that's saying something for someone with an appetite like mine! The salad was super easy to prepare and I loved the addition of the charred peaches, though I would have loved a little bit more of them. The steak itself was top notch, which is pretty impressive considering that every serving only runs about $11.99. I modified this recipe slightly by candying the walnuts that were meant to top the salad, just to give them a little extra crunch.

The tofu burgers were my my least favorite of the first three meals, though through no fault of their own (they were against stiff competition). Funnily enough, this meal was the most involved recipe, requiring a bit of prep with the potatoes and the various veggies that were to top the burger, then the baking of the potatoes, the boiling of the corn, and the grilling of the tofu burgers. I made my meal slightly not vegan by adding the little spice mix they had given me for the corn to some mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese to make the corn into elotes, but I stuck to the rules for everything else. The burgers were substantial and the texture of the tofu was perfect, but the cashew cheese sauce wasn't as flavorful as I had hoped it would be.

The second week's box brought me a Warm Quinoa and Corn Salad, some Pulled Pork Sliders and Carrot Slaw, and a Saigon Noodle Bowl. As should be obvious by now, Sun Basket features a lot of international recipes, which I loved, since I have a tendency to stick to very westernized flavor profiles when left to my own devices.

The pulled pork sliders came with Carolina mustard BBQ sauce, which packed quite a bit of unexpected heat. This was the only meat dish I ordered that came pre-cooked and frozen, but I was still really satisfied with the texture of the final product. The slaw was supposed to be a mix of carrots, celery, and raisins, but I decided to leave the celery out (because celery is the worst vegetable EVER) and I was perfectly happy with the results.

The Noodle Bowl turned out to be my favorite of this crop of recipes, thus proving that I do actually enjoy vegan food. The braised tofu they sent was the perfect firm texture, and I loved that the recipe called for making my own scallion oil to pour over the noodles and veggies. This recipe in particular I really want to try recreating.

Lastly was the Warm Quiona and Corn Salad. I ordered this one mostly because I liked the sound of the ingredients, but I wasn't sure how they were going to go together. The fresh burst of flavor this salad produced was a welcome surprise. The sweet corn, zucchini and quinoa were to be simply dressed with some lemon, oil, and mint, then topped with crushed hazelnuts and fresh ricotta, all of which combined in a really pleasing blend of textures. Definitely a wonderful summer dish that I would love to make again for a backyard BBQ.

So, the ultimate question is: Would I recommend Sun Basket? 100% yes.I went in very skeptical about the quality of the ingredients, the thought behind the recipes, the ease of preparation, and the size of the portions, all of which I was extremely impressed with. If fact, I'm thinking of doing the paleo meal plan moving forward so that I have a built in way of cutting some carbs out of my diet every week. Lord knows I need some kind of device for stopping me from eating pasta all the time!

The products mentioned in this post were sent to me free of charge by Sun Basket, but all opinions are strictly my own.

Postcards from Bunny: Macro-Nutrient Meal Delivery from HercuLean Meal Prep

BBQ Salmon

Bunny awoke with a start. The light in her room seemed odd and everything was strangely silent. Throwing open the curtains, she saw that everything outside was covered in a thick blanket of snow. "Now I remember why I don't usually come to Chicago in the middle of the winter!" she said aloud.

Indeed, she had been underground for quite some time (literally underground, that is, as she had been helping her archaeologist husband to explore the catacombs under Paris for several months) and had only intended to stop over in Chicago for a quick hot dog and slice of pizza. But with several inches of the white stuff turning all of Chicago into the North Pole, she knew there would be no escaping her lodgings anytime soon.

Turkey Scramble

The house she was staying in just happened to belong to a dear friend who was world class body builder and who was off competing on the pageant circuit. "The snow's still coming down pretty heavily," she told him over the phone, "Do you mind if I raid your fridge? I'm getting a little peckish and I don't want to make some poor delivery person wade through this mess." "Go ahead! Actually, you may find something you'll really like in the freezer. Help yourself!" said her muscle bound chum.

That was when Bunny discovered his stash of HercuLean meals. Curious, she extracted one of the packages from the freezer and examined it. The meals, it seemed, were specially designed for those wishing to consume mostly low fat, high protein foods. There was an abundance of meaty options, from steak and chicken to salmon and tilapia, and each came with the amount of proteins, fats, and carbs listed quite clearly on the front.

Shredded Steak

HercuLean, it turned out, was founded by a pair of brothers; one a chef and the other a body builder. Together, they combined their knowledge of nutrition and flavor to create a line of freshly prepared and flash frozen meals that would help people who were trying to live healthier lives get a head start. Though the company is based in Indiana, they recently started delivering to Chicago, packing their frozen meals into specially insulated boxes and shipping them overnight to ensure their freshness. Best of all, in addition to a large variety of entree options, they offer a pretty extensive variety of breakfast options.

Not being able to resist a little tasting, Bunny heated up a few of the meals. For the breakfasts, she particularly enjoyed the Turkey Chili served over egg whites, which was hearty and well spiced, and the Chicken Sausage, which had a strong fennel flavor and was nicely complimented by a side of shredded sweet potatoes. Venturing into the dinner options, Bunny favored the Curry Tilapia with sauteed spinach and a side of wild rice, and the Pesto Chicken with green beans. Overall, she was very impressed by how flavorful all of the meals were, and she loved that the packaging was microwave and oven safe, meaning she could heat the meals straight from the freezer without any other prep work or plating.

Curried Tilapia

Chicken Sausage

In fact, Bunny consumed so much protein that day that she was suddenly filled with energy. Not wanting to waste such a surge of vivaciousness, she headed outside and began to shovel the snow, and by day's end, she had actually cleared a path out of the house! "Well, I guess now I could go get that hot dog and pizza," she said, "But I did see HercuLean Cod Burger in freezer... I think I'll stay inside after all."

Pesto Chicken

The writer's of this blog were sent products free of charge in order to facilitate the writing of this post.

Postcards from Bunny: Pangea Nutrition and GIVEAWAY!

Ingredients delivered by Amazon Fresh

"Where on earth has Bunny been?" we hear you cry, and it's an understandable query, seeing as how she has been mysteriously absent almost this entire year. The truth is Bunny went deep underground late last year, to a place where social media dared not tread. And we mean "deep underground" quite literally, as Bunny has spent the last several months living in the deepest caverns of Spain, Italy, Greece, and all along the Mediterranean, helping her beloved Benedict research the fossils of all the ancient animals that once called them home. "I did start to miss sunlight after a little while," Bunny giggles, "But I don't think I've ever slept better! Also, being so far down that none of my electronic devices could pick up any signal certainly was a blessing and a curse. On the one side, I didn't have to read any distressing news or angry online rants, but I was also cut off from all my favorite food sites! The first thing I did every time we surfaced was to binge on all the delicious food I could find!"

Roasted chicken with sauteed veggies and quinoa

After a while, Bunny actually began to notice something: Even though she was gorging on piles of food as they moved across the continent, she was actually feeling better than she had in ages. She felt spry and alert and light on her feet. Why was this, she wondered, especially when upon returning to the States, she immediately began to feel sluggish and weighed down. Was it that the clean, well balanced eating habits of the people on that side of the world had had such a profound effect on her disposition?

As it turns out, many nutritionists consider the eating habits of Mediterranean people to be some of the healthiest in the world. Dr. Christos Mantzoros, a global obesity, diabetes and metabolism pioneer and Professor at Harvard Medical School, is one of those people, and that is why he recently co-founded a one of a kind meal kit delivery service called Pangea Nutrition, which takes everything about the Mediterranean way of treating food and translates it into an easy to follow guide to healthy eating.

Quinoa and radicchio salad with balsamic vinaigrette 

Bunny decided to give this service a try to see if her energy would indeed return to what it had been. The thing she appreciated right away was that she didn't need to worry about any of the meal planning. All of the ingredients for the recipes where ordered by Pangea Nutrition through Amazon Fresh and came straight to Bunny's doorstep. One week's worth of the service included recipes for three dinners and three lunches, all of which had over lapping ingredients to simplify preparation and minimize waste. All that was left was for her to prepare the meals.

The recipes Bunny received consisted of two chicken focused dinners and one salmon focused dinner, with a variety of salads for lunches and some nuts for snacking. All of the dishes were quite easy to create from the recipe cards, though they did take some time to prep. Bunny liked that there was a little bit of room in the recipes and with the ingredients she was sent to add a little more flavor here or there in order to customize the dishes to her personal taste. And because each recipe was built to feed two people, Bunny and Benedict were both able to reap the rewards of the plan.

Roasted chicken with quinoa and feta, raisins, and baby spinach

Glazed apple and arugula salad with walnuts 

Walnut crusted salmon with wilted garlicky greens

Beet and feta salad with pinto beans

Over all, Bunny loved the simplicity of Pangea Nutrition. Her one complaint was that she would have liked a little more direction when it came to breakfast. Since the plan only included instructions for snacks, lunches, and dinners, breakfast was sort of left up in the air, and as Bunny had seen first hand, there were plenty of fresh and healthy ways of enjoying a Mediterranean inspired early morning meal. Never the less, Bunny was so delighted with Pangea Nutrition that she wanted to give the chance to try it out to one of her readers!

GIVEAWAY INSTRUCTIONS: Give the Pangea Nutrition Facebook page a like, then visit the Pangea Nutrition Website to make sure Amazon Fresh delivers to your area. Finally, leave us a comment below telling us what you hope to get out of trying Pangea Nutrition (make sure you also leave something like your email address or a social media handle so we can get in touch with you if you win). We will pick a winner around noon CST on Friday June 16th. Good luck!

The writers of this blog were sent products free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

Tea Time with Brandy: Eat Purely and Coupon Code

As brunch is such a constant concern for Brandy, dinner sometimes falls by the wayside.  Being out of the house most every night at her various clubs, societies, and classes means that Brandy is often grabbing dinner on the go, which isn't always the healthiest thing to do.  "It's important for me to be having a well balanced meal for dinner," says Brandy, "That way, I don't feel so bad about indulging during brunch!"

Recently, Brandy discovered that the Chicago based meal delivery service, Eat Purely, had not only greatly increased their delivery area, but also expanded their menu with innovative and delicious dishes conceived of by Chef Sean Spradlin, including lunch service in the Loop and dinner delivery all the way out to Evanston.  Chef Spradlin uses only the freshest, seasonal ingredients, prepared daily, packed into environmentally responsible containers, and delivered straight to one's door.  The ordering was done through the Eat Purely app, which enabled the customer to both order on the fly or meal plan for an entire week.

Impressed with the technology and the sentiment behind Eat Purely, Brandy decided to give it a shot for a whole week to really see how well the service worked.

Monday:  Grilled Steak Salad This particular dish required absolutely no preparation, and was ready to go the moment it hit Brandy's doorstep, or as the charming instructions on the front of the box said: "Place knife and fork in your hands and dig in!"  Brandy found the slices of steak impossibly tender and the bok choy crunchy and full of a particular herby flavor.

Tuesday: Squash & Truffle Rigatoni:  Though sounding like a heartier dish, Brandy actually found this pasta plate quite light.  Only requiring a quick trip to the oven, this fall inspired dinner was loaded with butternut squash, oyster mushrooms, turnips, and huge rigatoni noodles.  Brandy very much enjoyed the generous portion of Parmesan cheese that helped to bring a nutty flavor to everything and make it extra ooey and gooey.

Wednesday: Beat and Goat Cheese Salad Next, Brandy chose a light dinner before she bustled out the door to her Daughters of the Daughters of the Daughters of the War of the Roses meeting.  The sweet and crunchy beets really brought the salad to life, and the smooth, tangy goat cheese was perfectly off set by the sprinkling of candied nuts, which helped to satisfy Brandy's ever demanding sweet tooth.

Thursday: Pineapple Fried Rice One of Brandy's all time favorite take out dinners is Pineapple Fried Rice from her favorite Thai restaurant, so she was incredibly excited to see this one appear on the Eat Purely app.  The addition of short rib in this version made it much more filling than it might have been otherwise, and the side of a simple vegetable spring roll and some sweet chili sauce made the meal feel complete.  There was even a fortune cookie to wrap things up with!

Friday: Crab Fettuccine: This was perhaps one of the more interesting dishes Brandy tried.  The combination of sweet peas, earthy mushrooms, fresh pasta, and roasted asparagus seemed a perfect fit, but the addition of shredded crab meat really took things to another unexpected level.  "I don't know that I've ever had a pasta dish quite like this one," Brandy remarked, "Every bite is like a tiny little adventure!"

Saturday: Grilled Shrimp Skewers: Another adventurous dish, made interesting by the use of almond butter along with the citrusy shirmp and crisp greens, but this one didn't quite win Brandy over.  "I think I see where this was supposed to go with the almond butter, but I just don't think it quite got there," said Brandy.  Even still, she appreciated that this dish incorporated both hot and cold elements to keep things interesting.

Sunday: Arugela and Goat Cheese Salad Brandy finished out her week of healthy meals with a salad that simply screamed "fall."  The pickled raw squash along with peaches, peppery arugula, and a touch of sweetness from the candied pumpkin seeds really made this one a mouthful of bold, exciting flavors, which isn't usually what one associates with a salad.  "Then again, you can add goat cheese to almost anything and I'm gonna like it," as Brandy pointed out.

Over all, Brandy loved that the dishes on offer were a little out of the norm flavor wise, which she thought would help to challenge and educate the public's palates.  She also loved that every container's cover contained not only instructions for preparation, but also a story from the chef himself about how he came up with the dish.  "There is nothing like getting an insight into the mind of a chef," she said, "It takes this sort of thing from being a passive experience to being more akin to dining in a restaurant."  With most meals ranging between $10 and $13, Brandy thought the prices were fairly reasonable in consideration of the quality of the ingredients and the portion sizes.  Brandy also liked that the service offered a variety of beverages as add ons and that every meal came with a hand made chocolate (in flavors like "Candied Pecan" and "Ginger Snap") as a sweet treat to end the meal on.

So convinced was Brandy that Eat Purely is doing good things for the dinner table that she secured a coupon code for her readers.  Simply visit the Eat Purely website or use the code BUNNYANDBRANDY in the Eat Purely app to get $20 off your first order, more than enough for a delicious and healthy dinner!

The writers of this blog were given products free of charge in order to facilitate the writing of this post.

Tea Time with Brandy: Chefmade Meal Delivery Service

Meal delivery services seem to be all the rage these days.  It's no wonder, what with work schedules growing increasingly erratic and people's lives filling up with all sorts of hobbies and distractions.  "I know several people who simply cannot put down their electronic do-hickies when they are home," said Brandy, "I'm not one to judge, as I get the same way about my needlepoint.  Often I'm there, stitching away for hours, and I simply forget to cook a meal!"

Throwing their hat into the ring of meal delivery is Chefmade, a company offering fully prepared meals that are hearty and healthy.  Chefmade's website takes orders from customers up through midnight on Thursdays, guaranteeing delivery of their food on the same Sunday.  Chefmade offers a new set of meals every week, giving their customers lots of exciting choices to keep their palates interested.  Brandy especially loved that they offered breakfast options, a choice many similar services simply don't have.  Taking that into consideration, Brandy decided to give Chefmade a go.

The ordering process was exceedingly simply to navigate, even for Brandy, and on the day of delivery, Chefmade kept Brandy abreast of their timing extremely well.  She received both an email and a text in the morning, telling her when she could expect her delivery, which helped her to plan how long she could be out of the house for brunch.  Later in the afternoon, she got another text letting her know that she was next up on the delivery docket, and then a last text when her delivery was neigh.  This last text helped greatly, as she was able to greet the cheerful driver at her door and receive her delivery with no more fuss.

Brandy had decided to order four meals offered by Chefmade that week: a Caramelized Onion Tart with Blue Cheese and Walnuts, a Lemon Tortellini Salad with Asparagus, a PB+J Cashew Yogurt Bowl, and a Blueberry Bran Muffin, all of which made for perfect breakfasts and lunches throughout the week for her.

The cashew yogurt bowl was very unique indeed, with a silky texture Brandy did not expect, a tangy strawberry jam, and a cup of roasted peanuts to sprinkle on top of the bowl.  As much as she is a fan of all things dairy, Brandy actually loved that this option was fit for all sorts of diet restrictions, being vegan and gluten free.  The muffin was surprisingly moist and light for a bran muffin with lovely little bursts of flavor from the fresh blueberries within.  Brandy would have liked a slightly bigger muffin, but with a banana and a nice up of milky tea, it made for a pretty satisfying breakfast.

Both the tortellini salad and the onion tart were fairly substantial in size, enough in fact to make four meals out of what was meant to be two.  The onion tart was the only thing that required cooking, or rather a quick crisp up in the oven, just enough to make the pungent blue cheese melt, and then a quick sprinkle of fresh cut scallions finished it off nicely.  The dough was thick and yeasty, with a nice touch of fire roasted flavor to it, while the sweet and tangy onion topping mixed well with the strong cheese and the little bits of crunch from the nuts.  The tortellini salad looked incredibly fresh with some sliced grape tomatoes, chunks of grilled asparagus, big cheese filled tortellini, and a little cup of pine nuts to top it all off.  Though light and fresh in flavor, this salad made for a very hearty lunch.

The price per meal for the lunches came out to about $10, while the breakfasts were less than half of that, which Brandy thought was more than reasonable, considering the portion sizes.  There was an additional $10 delivery charge, but with the more one orders, the better use that fee was put to.  Brandy really loved the fresh ingredients and healthy slanted recipes that Chefmade offered, especially as they were full of flavor and easily enjoyed, not to mention beautifully presented and packaged.  "Ordering from Chefmade will certainly save me some time!" Brandy proclaimed, "Now I can finally finish quilting the walls of my parlor like I've always wanted to."

As a treat for fans of Bunny and Brandy, Chefmade is extending their ordering deadline until 7:00 pm Friday April 17th.  Check out the website now to see this week's meals and order by 7:00pm tonight to get your delivery on Sunday.  Use the code BUNNYANDBRANDY to not only get an early access pass to try Chefmade before it is launched to the public at large, but also a free meal (a $9.99 value) with your first order!

The writers of this blog were given a portion of the order from Chefmade free of charge in exchange for an honest review.