It’s that time of the week when I’ve eaten about everything in my fridge that I deem appealing or edible. The point of the day where I’m considering grocery shopping for dinner and the weekend but know that it can wait until Saturday or Sunday. If you were to open my refrigerator at this point, all you would see is some Trader Joe’s guacamole, three different jars of half consumed hummus (the life of a chickpea-crazed student) and a carton of eggs. Oh and some bread. All of the veggies and fruit are gone and to me, that’s basically the road blocker for recipe creations. These past few weeks I have not been very motivated to spend 2-3 hours in my kitchen making lunch and dinners for the week while placing them carefully in every tupperware container I own. Sorry but sometimes I just want to lay on my couch instead and watch Fixer Upper. Who’s with me?
Of course I regret this come mid-week when I’m stuck downtown in-between my internship and work with no food and the idea of heading to Whole Foods’ hot bar. Last night, for example, I caved.
When I run into this issue, I always wish I had some magical service that could pop meals into my fridge for me time and time again (a.k.a every day maybe?) so that I wouldn’t have to cook. Yes, I know what you’re thinking, “Just get frozen meals! DUH.” Or maybe eat it’d be alright to eat a peanut butter and jelly every day for lunch. The issues we have here: food that isn’t fresh and food lacking much nutrition. Yes, I love throwing in a good nut butter packed with protein smothered against two slices of bread but that won’t solve my day-to-day hangry issues. Neither will a frozen burrito packed with preservatives.
I thought the idea of quick and easy meals delivered to my fridge was non-existent until Veestro came along and took my breath away (literally, as I inhaled the tempeh salad in two bites). I’m sure most of you have heard of meal delivery services becoming a huge trend this year, especially those that have clean ingredients. What sets Veestro apart from others is the fact it is a service that contains frozen meals with organic, plant-based ingredients that are non-GMO and preservative-free. Another factor I love? They use tempeh (my favorite meat-free protein) and no dairy!
All of the dishes come ‘a la carte’, ranging from breakfast items, entrees for lunch and dinner, snacks, juices, soups, snacks and even desserts. Although I ordered my items ‘a la carte’, Veestro offers meal packs like the 21-Day Kickstart, which is just what it sounds like – an easy way to kick-start your health by adding plant-based meals to your everyday lifestyle by ordering numerous meals at one time for a specific price.
Each meal is delivered in a sealed container with instructions on how to properly thaw and cook the product. They are delivered to your doorstep with dry ice to keep them as fresh as possible and are best in the freezer for up to eight weeks and in the fridge for two. The second I got mine, I threw ’em in the fridge and ate ’em up in a week tops.
The first meal I tried from Veestro was their veggie burger patty. Comprised of tempeh, black beans, mushrooms, brown rice, carrots, celery, corn, zucchini, miso and tamari, it is pretty much a garden tucked into a burger. Right from the initial bite I tasted nothing but black beans, which surprised me a bit since I was hoping for more tempeh. I decided to throw it in between two slices of Food For Life baking bread, smothered with guacamole and romaine. A little bit like burrito bowl in sandwich form. Unfortunately it was my least favorite out of the meals I picked just because I was dying for the one bite that would taste like tempeh… but just couldn’t get to it!
Luckily, the next two Veestro dishes I tried reiterated how much I love love LOVE plant-based meals. Especially when they’re vacuum-sealed, delivered to my foyer. HOLLA!
Tempeh. Kale. Quinoa. My three favorite things on this planet (aside from hummus). When I scrolled through Veestro’s menu before deciding on what meals to taste, I knew a salad was in the cards for me. A perk of checking out Veestro’s website is each menu item has the nutrition facts as well as each ingredient clearly displayed below the price. For instance, this kale salad has tempeh that is marinated in tamari (gluten-free soy sauce). If you’ve never tried tempeh or tofu marinated in soy sauce, believe me when I say it is life-changing.
This salad came with a tahini dressing to lightly coat the kale and it was the equivalent of bliss. Tahini, lemon juice, tamari, a little touch of maple syrup for slight sweetness and sea salt. Plain, simple and good for you ingredients! Just the way I like it. For a pretty simple salad, it packed HUGE depths of flavor. From the sauce to the tamari-coated tempeh and all of the dried cranberries in between, I could eat this salad for daaaays.
Because I figured the salad would be small and wouldn’t be able to hold me over through the day, I paired it with a beet and ginger juice. And an extra dollop of hummus – because I top (almost) everything in a garbanzo bean shower.
After devouring the red curry with tofu and vegetables and the eggplant casserole both for dinner with minimal (and ridiculously miserable) lighting, I had the opportunity to taste and photograph (yay!) the last and final dish I received from Veestro – the soba noodles with peanut sauce.
Seeing as this was my first encounter with soba noodles, I want to make a public announcement and say I am fully committed, addicted and in a relationship with these lil guys. Once you go soba, I really don’t think you can go back.
Since last winter, I dropped the days of constantly consuming fake-meat options and substitutes, therefore disconnecting myself from the tofu train. When Veestro approached me to sample their dishes, I knew that most of their menu items did contain soy and/or tofu. The exception here is that their tofu is non-GMO and organic so consumers know that what they are putting into their bodies is the best soy available. The amount of tofu in the soba noodle dish was barely recognizable if you aren’t originally a huge fan. With this dish, I think you might turn into one. Each cube definitely lent exceptional texture to the noodles. I tried not to use all of the peanut sauce (first ingredient is PEANUT BUTTER *mouth drop*) but ended up loading it on. How could you not?
With my last bite of the soba noodles, I knew Veestro was too good to be true. If only every week I could have plant-based, fresh and high quality tasting meals ready in my fridge to be devoured at lightning speed.
Next up on my list of go-to Veestro goodies to try? Their raspberry tofu cheezecake and their veggie pesto pizza. Excuse me while I sit at my computer and drool for hours, dreaming of ways to recreate all of these treats.
To find more information about Veestro and their shipping costs, meal prices and juice cleanses, click here.
-Addie
*I was given five meals free-of-charge from Veestro in exchange for review but was not compensated for my time. All opinions are my own and I strongly do suggest this brand and their products.*
Jenn says
I’ve started trying to eat more healthy food, and less frozen pre-cooked meals. Sandwiches are probably the easiest for me, and I’ve found a bakery that delivers a bunch of different kinds of breads. That way, I can switch it up and not have to worry about getting burned out. Sandwiches are one of the few ways I can get my daily vegetables in, since I hate salads!