we tried Sunbasket
*This post isn’t sponsored. I just wanted to share our review and experience for anyone else who may be considering trying Sunbasket.
Hi friends! Hope you’re having a great morning. The girls and I are hanging out around here, and I’m going to take an OTF class later today. P has been waking up during the night -I think she’s teething again- so it’s going to be an avalanche of caffeine around here. Yesterday was leg-shaking in barre class, and I made dinner here at home.
It has been AMAZING to be back in the kitchen and cooking meals as a family again. Our kitchen island is the setting large family picnic-style dinners (where everyone just brings something over) and have been trying to limit the amount of takeout we’ll get on busy weeknights.
It makes it a little easier since Tucson doesn’t have Uber Eats or anything similar. WHAT.
I was looking for something new to try, and decided to give Sunbasket a whirl since my friend Anne had recommended them.
Here are some of the great things about Sunbasket:
–The ingredients are USDA certified-organic and the recipes are packed with fresh produce
-They have a variety of dietary plans to choose from, including vegan, gluten-free and Paleo. All of the meals are clearly labeled as dairy-free, Paleo, etc.
-The meals seemed really simple. I liked this because if we’re rushing around between Liv’s dance class and my teaching schedule, we want something we can put together quickly.
I decided to try it out a couple of weeks ago, and we’ve absolutely loved the meals and convenience. This is our third week in a row!
Here’s how it works:
-Similar to many meal delivery services, the pre-portioned ingredients are delivered in an insulated box. In Sunbasket’s case, all of the packing materials can be recycled and/or composted.
-Recipe cards are included for the 3 weekly meals for each week (2-person or 4-person plans)
I decided to roll with the 2-person plan because in the past, the servings with similar services have been extremely generous. This was exactly the case with these. We had enough each night for the Pilot, myself, Liv, (P usually has an earlier dinner and goes to sleep by 6:30 or 7), PLUS leftovers for lunch.
The days are hectic around here, and knowing that lunch is waiting for me in the fridge (and that it’s a healthy protein and produce-packed lunch) is amazing.
Some of the meals we’ve tried so far:
Kyoto chicken and soba noodle salad
(It had romaine, massaged kale, carrots, scallions, soba noodles, grilled chicken, and a miso almond butter dressing)
Southeast Asian coconut-poached salmon with red chard
(I wish I would have taken a nicer pic because it was beautiful. This had a perfectly-cooked salmon with coconut milk, lime, lemongrass and ginger broth and flavorful wilted chard. Wishing we had more of this right now.)
Chicken wings barbacoa with salsa verde
(The wings were slightly spicy, and I LOVED the sweet potato combo with roasted red onions and a zesty salsa verde. It was perfect.)
They were all incredible, and Liv also enjoyed them, which says a lot. Livi hasn’t been a huge fan of green things.. or vegetables… lately, and she happily ate each meal. She was digging into the soba noodle salad telling me that it was “really, really good.”
The meals are so delicious, and also very light. I’ll finish my meal feeling very content, but not blogged down or sluggish in the least.
Here’s how Sunbasket is different from other services we’ve tried:
-They seem like meals I would make on a regular basis. All of our previous meal ingredient boxes felt very *fancy* even though they were quick to put together. These meals felt like chef-designed meals, and the Sunbasket menu options seem more like something I would choose from a blog or create myself. They still use bright flavors (like aromatics and citrus zest), but feel less fancypants if that makes any sense?
-They do some of the prep work for you. For example, our kale and chicken salad had an almond butter miso dressing, and the dressing came in a container clearly labeled with the ingredients. I was expecting to receive the dressing ingredients separately and make the dressing. Also, for the barbacoa chicken wings, they sent the sauce (again, clearly labeled with the ingredients and nothing weird/funky in there). As someone who is always looking for ways to cut time on meal prep, I appreciate that they do this. I don’t always need to always whisk my own dressing but I’ll happily channel my inner Ina other times.
It’s great that these services are becoming more popular, especially since it can be a pain to hit up the grocery store with kiddo(s) in tow mid-week. It reduces waste since you’re not buying large amounts of ingredients you don’t need. Since we’re in a temporary spot, I don’t want to buy extra condiments and spices that we may not use. I feel like this is an extra cost saving, while still getting the opportunity to try new recipes and flavor profiles.
Here’s my referral code if you’d like to try Sunbasket– you’ll get 3 free meals! I used Anne’s code the first time, and our first shipment of 3 meals (2-person servings) was $32. Pretty incredible.
Have you tried Sunbasket or anything similar?
xoxo
Gina
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We are trying Sunbasket for the first time this week! We had our first meal last night and it was pretty good. We’ve previously tried Green Chef, and I just wasn’t a fan of many of their recipes, and they don’t allow you to pick your meals like Sunbasket does.
I can’t believe you guys have enough for Liv AND leftovers! I guess my husband and I just eat a lot
i hope you love it, too!!
we usually eat a lot, but my dinners are pretty small and liv has been eating like a bird haha
I’ve only tried Blue Apron. Did you find them pretty similar?
yes, but blue apron is definitely fancier 🙂
I think sun basket is the best meal-delivery service I have ever tried. The quality is great and I love that they have meals that are paleo, vegan and gluten-free 🙂
i’ve really enjoyed it, too! we’ve been pleasantly surprised 🙂
Hi Gina! I’ve been a bad blog reader and haven’t been keeping up with your blog…are you guys no longer moving to Valdosta since you’re in Tuscon? It must be nice to have your family so close! xoxo Christina
hey! no worries at all 🙂 we’re just here through april for a training, then onto valdosta. and yes, having the fam around is the best ever.
xoxo
Good times! ENJOY
thank you <3
Yes to Sunbasket! This service as well as Green Chef have been my favorites of all the meal delivery services for sure! Oftentimes the other ones are just too time-intensive, so I agree Sunbasket helps by doing some of the work for us!
Never heard of Sunbasket but I actually just made a Blue Apron meal! Great review of this service!
Love the side braid you are rockin in the picture above!
Thanks for sharing, Gina! I hadn’t heard of Sunbasket yet. I’ve been using Blue Apron the last 2 weeks. I really like the recipes, but they definitely are a little more complicated & involved (so many dishes!!! lol) than I normally would like for a weeknight meal.
I’ve tried blue apron and my biggest issue is having a really hard time following the recipe, although when you only have those ingredients you kind of have to, I’m just a rebel in the kitchen I guess!
i may need to try this because of the gluten free option! Thanks for sharing!
We’ve tried several (if not all..haha) of them! One Potato Box is our absolute favorite. They’re super family friendly recipes that are organic & locally sourced. They also include a fun “surprise” in every box. This week was a small serving (5-6 cookies) of lemon coconut cookies!
ohh i’ve heard great things about one potato!!
I’ll be visiting in Tucson in late February, any chance you’re teaching a class I could take?!
Erin
i’m subbing here and there! email me when your trip is close and i’ll let you know if i’m teaching anything!
Hi Gina! Thanks for sharing, I’ve been thinking about trying one of these for those busy or “have no idea what to make” days. I almost tried Hello Fresh but I didn’t see Organic anywhere. Being “green” and organic is definitely a must. How long did each meal take you to prepare?
Gina:
Thanks for this review. I think I may give them a whirl in February. Great to hear that they take some shortcuts for you like preparing the dressing. Every little bit helps – right?
amen to that 🙂
Those meals sound great– did you think the price was worth the convenience, or is it a lot more expensive than doing it yourself?
I just ordered the intro. 3 meals for my mom as a birthday gift– really a great deal! 🙂
yay, i hope she loved it too!
i think the price is totally worth it, especially since it’s organic