Earlier this year I received an email from Spoon University with an offer to try out their new Chef’d Meal Plan for free. Having tried a HelloFresh subscription in the past, I was extremely interested in a meal kit catered just for college students. I quickly filled out the form, excited to see what would await me. A few months later, a bright blue box arrived in the mail. Inside were the following items: 

Drinks

wine, liquor, alcohol, beer
Rachel Neiman

Smart Water, Sparkling Smart Water, Zico Coconut Water, Coca-Cola Life.

Snacks

milk, coffee
Rachel Neiman

Skinny Pop Popcorn (not pictured, because I ate it prior to taking the pictures), Chia Crunch Coconut, Moose Munch Gourmet Popcorn, RXBar, Clif Bar, Sun-Maid Sour Strawberry Golden Raisins, Coffee Thins, Quest Cereal Protein Bars (3), Nib Mor Chocolate Nibs (2), Quaker Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal.

beer, sweet, milk, chocolate, candy
Rachel Neiman

As an athlete, I find that RXBars and Clif Bars are a great way to get a quick snack and burst of energy before practice. I also have a sweet tooth, and love popcorn, chocolate, or anything with coconut, so the Skinny Pop, Chia Crunch, and chocolate bars were great additions. I’m not a big fan of cereal bars or sparkling water, but my fellow dorm-mates had no problem with taking the snacks off my hands.

The Complete Chef'd Meal Plan

Since I received a free sample of the Chef’d Meal Plan, I was only sent the snack portion of the kit. However, a complete SpoonU Chef’d Meal Kit includes two pre-portioned fresh meals, six grab n’ go meals (such as Israeli Couscous & Heirloom Cherry Tomato Salad), 10 snacks and beverages, and five assorted fruits.

When ordering the kit you can choose exactly which proteins you like and dislike (options include beef, lamb, poultry, fish, pork, shellfish, or vegetarian). Two recipes are then curated based on your tastes, but you can swap the meal for any of the week’s options. The recipes are accompanied by an estimated cooking time as well as their skill level (for example, Vegetarian Miso Ramen is Level 1, while a Salmon Quinoa Bowl is Level 3).

All of the ingredients are included, and the recipe provides a list equipment you’ll need (such as a colander or can opener) or additional ingredients from your pantry (typically salt, pepper, or olive oil).

juice, sweet
Jedd Marrero

While most gourmet food boxes require a subscription, the SpoonU Chef’d box can be reordered as often or as infrequently as you’d like. Additionally, you can swap meals, skip a week, or change the number of meals. If you're not about to trek to the grocery store, or you're just looking to change up your weeknight eating habits, the SpoonU Meal Kit from Chef'd is what you need!