When it comes to eating on campus, the benefit of convenience often leads us to sacrifice our health. It's difficult to find healthy meals in Bloomington that taste amazing and are affordable. "So many people are busy! Parents, professionals, students. If you want to eat healthy and you are busy, it is hard to do!" Says the owner of The Fresh Fork, known for their delicious chef-cooked ready to heat and eat meals! If you haven't heard about them yet here's everything you need to know!
The Fresh Fork Story
Stacey Thompson is an IU alum and a full-time attorney who was working long days and coming home to two children and an empty fridge. Grocery shopping was becoming too time-consuming, meal prep became incredibly stressful, and healthy meals were difficult to find in Bloomington. Stacy decided it was time to take it into her own hands, and so in 2016, she opened The Fresh Fork!
Meals!
Now for what you've been waiting for, the food! The Fresh Fork offers four different sized meals. The small for $10.95, the medium for $12.95, the large for $14.95, and family-sized meals for $28.95. Don't worry, the portion sizes are plenty for a quick lunch on campus or a cozy dinner in your dorm. I even had leftovers! The containers are microwaveable and recyclable making it an easy way to store meals in your fridge. Pro tip: the containers make for great Tupperware!
Each week the menu rotates, and Chef Travis is always busy in the kitchen coming up with tasty meal plans and creating fresh food. There are some staple items, such as a salad, that always remain on the menu. There are also always vegetarian and vegan options, which is great for those with stricter diets! Each week, pick from a meal with a protein, veggie, and carb, made fresh every day. The perfect combination guaranteed to keep you full and satisfied.
How to purchase? (IU Students)
Lucky for us Hoosiers, The Fresh Fork meals are sold on campus, and can be purchased with Crimson Cash! The Fresh Fork meals can be found in Wilkie, Eigenmann, the IMU Gift Shop, and in Collins. They are hoping to be in more locations soon to be able to keep up with the outpouring of support from students on campus. Meals sell out quickly, so head over early on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to ensure you can stock up! Having a healthy and delicious meal to come home to after a long day of classes, doesn't compare to the typical instant ramen or frozen pizza bagels that college students are stuck with. Thanks to Fresh Fork, home-cooked meals in your dorm room are now possible, and eating on campus is completely stress-free.
How to purchase (Non-IU Students)
Looking for a way to take Fresh Fork meals home? Visit The Fresh Fork website in order to browse through weekly meals, and place your order! There is no subscription, or minimum order amount, making healthy eating easy, affordable, and commitment-free.
Simply pick out your meals, and pick them up! Orders placed Sunday-Wednesday are available for pick up the following day from 4-7 PM. Orders placed Thursday-Saturday are available for pick up the following Monday from 4-7 PM.
Forgot to grocery shop for the week? Place your order Sunday night and have fresh-made meals on your table Monday night, without any of the shopping, cooking, or cleaning! It doesn't get better than that!
Cherry on Top
Looking for something sweet to top off your meal and keep your sugar balanced? Lucky for us, Stacy is also the owner of Gotein Balls, and they can be ordered with your meal! Gotein currently offers 15 flavors including Cookie Dough, Peanut Butter Cup, Cinnamon Roll Bliss, Vanilla Latte, Mint Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Matcha, Chocolate Nutella Chia, M&M, Salted Caramel Snickerdoodle, Unicorn, Birthday Cake, S’Mores, Vegan Vanilla, Vegan Cinnamon Swirl, and Vegan Salted Chocolate Chip. Woah! That's a lot to choose from. These protein balls are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth and appetite. Check out our article on Gotein for more information, and don't forget to add a pack to your next Fresh Fork order! (You can also find these at various locations on IU's campus).
We are thankful for businesses like The Fresh Fork for helping young adults support their physical and mental health in times where it may be more difficult to splurge on healthy groceries, or where spending a day cooking for the week may be getting old and tiresome after a year of home cooking! Make sure to check out The Fresh Fork on campus, or online, next time you need a helping hand in keeping your tummy full and healthy!