After a year in freshman dorms with no kitchen access, I was delighted to go into this year with a (mini)kitchen of my own. What I didn't realize was how hard it would be to find time to grocery shop and figure out the logistics of only cooking for one person.
A few weeks into the school year, I found myself with too much of some foods and not enough of others. On several occasions, I was stuck eating a #saddesklunch because I simply didn't have the time to whip up an appetizing creation between classes, studying, and extracurriculars.
That's when I first started looking into meal kit services. I knew that I didn't want to eat all of my meals out or have them prepped for me because I really do enjoy the process of cooking. Having pre-portioned ingredients delivered to my doorstep seemed like the perfect solution.
After getting a little too excited and researching my different options for a few hours, I decided to reach out to Green Chef. They offered to send me a box to try out the service, but more on that later.
First, here's a little bit about what makes Green Chef different from all the other meal kit services that have popped up on the market recently.
What is Green Chef?
Green Chef is the very first USDA-certified organic meal kit company out there. They focus on delivering organic ingredients to your door so that you can make meals in 30 minutes or less that fit your lifestyle.
The great thing about Green Chef is that everything you need to cook the meal will be in your box, aside from pantry staples like salt, pepper, and olive oil.
They have a variety of plans to fit any dietary restriction, including Gluten-Free, Paleo and Keto plans that are all gluten-free certified.
How Does it Work?
Green Chef allows people to pick from omnivore, carnivore, gluten-free, vegan, paleo, vegetarian, or keto 2-person plans. They also have omnivore and carnivore family plans that feed four people.
Once you decide on a plan, you'll receive a box with ingredients to make three dinners for two people in about 30 minutes. Along with ingredients color-coded by recipe, you'll get a recipe card with detailed instructions. Even pasta-burners can't mess this one up.
Pre-portioned and pre-prepped ingredients that are delivered literally to your doorstep cut down on shopping and cooking time without taking away the pleasure of home-cooking a meal.
My Experience
After browsing through the box options on the Green Chef website, I decided to try the paleo box. Each week, it features a flavorful menu of dishes from around the world using lots of fresh produce and proteins.
From what I can tell from browsing past menus, each box contains a meal featuring chicken, a red meat, and a seafood. I noticed that, unlike many other meal kits, Green Chef doesn't rely heavily on cheap carbs as fillers in their meals.
Instead, their recipes are bold, with tons of fresh herbs, chef-prepared marinades and sauces, and unique spice mixes. They draw inspiration from international cuisines in a way that many other meal kit companies don't dare to do.
When I received my box, I was delighted to see that I would be cooking mustard-spiced chicken, beef picadillo, and montreal tuna steak. Along with the non-GMO and antibiotic, growth hormone, and steroid-free proteins, I received fresh produce like sweet potatoes, grapes, grape tomatoes, spaghetti squash, and brussels sprouts to round out the meals.
My favorite part about cooking with Green Chef is that it allowed me to experiment with recipes that I never would have tried on my own. As someone who often finds herself stuck in routines, it was refreshing to be handed a chance to cook outside my comfort zone.
How to Hop On
Green Chef is the perfect option for college students looking to find a balance between home-cooking their meals and eating out all the time. The ingredients are fresh and healthy, and, best of all, ready to be cooked.
Check out their website to find the meal kit option that looks the most appetizing to you.
Each week, meal kits are shipped out on Monday and delivered on Tuesday so you can make delicious dinners for the rest of the week without ever needing to step foot in a grocery store.
What are you waiting for? Each meal comes with two servings, so it's the perfect excuse to invite that friend you've been meaning to catch up with over for dinner. Blow them away with a restaurant-quality meal before telling them that your secret is Green Chef.
Special thanks to Green Chef for generously sending me a Paleo Kit to sample.