I was recently asked to review a Steak and Roasted Sweet Potato Dinner by Sun Basket.
I explained that I had not actually eaten said dinner so I couldn’t, honestly, review it.
They didn’t offer to send me one and didn’t seem to care that there was nothing I could say about it.
They did, however, offer to compensate me for my time.
Well, one must keep decent wine on the table, and I was getting a little curious so I decided to look into it.
Apparently, living here in the back of beyond is the equivalent of living in the Stone Age.
I know what Alexa, Siri, and Google Home are, but no one that I know here has one and most of the people that I know here have no clue what they are or why one would own one.
Likewise I knew what meal kits are but I had no idea if they exist in France and, to be honest, I thought it was something fairly new in the US. So I googled it….
My answer, after a 2 second search, is that meal kits are ‘wildly popular’ in the US and are becoming the next big thing in France.
I was intrigued.
Further investigation was warranted
The site I was directed to is Meal Kit Review.
Disclaimer: I don’t know if they are totally independent or if they are associated with Sun Basket but, while the reviews appear to be reliable and detailed, they seem to favor Sun Basket.
There are ten meal kit delivery sites reviewed and compared to each other. The premise in all of them is similar.
There are 13 different diet-specific meal plans reviewed from vegan to paleo to diabetic to keto to….
There are plans for one, for two, for families, for seniors, for weight-loss…. (if you are vegan here is a site for a vegan diet plan for weight loss)
There are gourmet plans, cheap plans, eco-friendly plans…..
There are a lot of plans reviewed.
Not all of the delivery services offer all of the plans but there is a comparison of the services for each type of plan. Most of the services are US only, but a few are available in Canada, Europe and Australia.
Some specialize in quick, easy, under 30 minute meals; others are a bit more complicated, gourmet meals taking up to an hour.
All promote healthy eating using fresh foods.
Prices range from $7.99 per serving to $11.99 per serving, depending on the plan.
As an example: Sun Basket’s Chef’s Choice menu offers Pork Chops with Mostarda and Wilted Greens, Roast Salmon with Pearl Couscous and Date – Apple Salad, and Steak with Sweet Potato Fries and Kale & Mushrooms. There are 18 meals to choose from each week and the price for 2 people is $11.99 per serving.
At the moment, or perhaps always, all of the sites are offering promos and discounts. The weekly deliveries come in a large box, packaged to stay cold for at least several hours.
All of the food on all of the sites looks fantastic.
I’m tempted….
If I lived in the US and was working I would be more than just tempted.
This, from someone who has never lived where something as basic as pizza delivery was available.
Yes, folks, I have never been able to pick up the phone and order a pizza.
Really.
No delivery of anything here and if there were it would not be good enough to want it. Have you tried those cute pizza machines we saw on the road? As much as I love that Siri can get me to places when I drive, I can’t imagine running my home electronically. Your rural life and mine seem about the same.
No, the cute little pizza machine disappeared right around the time we were finally going to try it. No delivery of anything here, either. Oh, wait…. I forgot, there is a bread truck that delivers fresh baguettes twice a week. This is France, after all lol
We’re just grateful that the internet works most of the time – having everything connected would be way too much.
I tried Blue Apron for a few weeks. The problem I find with any of them, because they’re pretty much all the same, is they’re really geared for people who don’t cook much. I’m a ‘fly by the seat’ kind of cook. I’ve been cooking longer than most of the people who own these meal kit companies have been around. I’m not one to mise in place. I know the timing of things and while one thing is cooking, I’m chopping and prepping other things. The meal kits have you do all your prep up front and then follow the printed instructions on when to add what. While that’s a wonderful thing for people who don’t cook often, I found it slowed me down and I couldn’t get a rhythm going. It was frustrating. And a bit uncomfortable. And because the recipes are things that in most cases, I hadn’t specifically cooked before, I just didn’t care for it. But! That’s me! Obviously there are many, many people who love them.
And I’ve been MIA because I’ve been really sick since Thanksgiving. It’s that time of year. Here we go again…
I would be the same…. what are you supposed to do while stuff cooks if you’re not prepping for the next step? Stand and watch? I was just thinking have stuff delivered would be nice lol
I hope you are feeling better.
One of my children took the delivery service Reduction Diet style option to kickstart weight loss and was very happy with the offerings..each to hid own I say !!!
I can see that as being good – no tempting stuff to buy when you’re trying not to. lol