Virginia Tech has plenty of dining hall options, but for some of us cooking at home is easier and more convenient. I decided to order a meal delivery service for a week to see how it stacked up in terms of affordability, quality, taste and convenience for people out there who don’t eat at dining halls but also hate grocery shopping and planning out their meals.
There are tons of meal delivery services to choose from. Blue Apron, Hello Fresh and Plated are a few of the others that I looked into before choosing Sun Basket. What drew me to Sun Basket was their focus on organic and sustainable ingredients that were good for the environment. I had also checked out a Buzzfeed article in which the writer said that Sun Basket was her favorite choice.
I ordered three meals for a week for $35, but that was only with the first week discount that Sun Basket lets first timers use. Normally, it’s around $60 for three meals a week, but the meals are meant to serve two people. Maybe if you can get your roommate in on it too it could be a great option, but for me I was the only one eating.
Sun Basket lets you choose the meals you want, so I chose chicken piccata with roasted zucchini and smashed potatoes, white bean minestrone with chicken meatballs and marinated steak fajitas with avocado salsa.
My basket arrived on a Wednesday and I was super excited to see what was inside. It came in a huge box and when I opened it there was a cute message waiting inside.
Sun Basket kept things pretty simple when it came to packaging. Each meal was in a brown paper bag and was labeled. Every single ingredient was included in the bag, and I mean every. single. ingredient. They even sent a slice of butter for one of the recipes. The only thing they didn’t include was salt and pepper, which they assumed most people already had.
The box also came with a recipe book which gave detailed instructions on how to cook each meal, which I thought was cool because you can make the recipe again even after you finish your Sun Basket box.
When it came to actually making the meals, it was simple and actually fun. Despite my lack of expertise in the kitchen, I was able to make each meal in about an hour or less. The instructions were easy to follow, and trust me I’m not a chef. The most skill I have in the kitchen is making buffalo chicken dip. So, it means a lot coming from me saying that it was simple.
The ingredients, all being organic, were really fresh. The produce that they sent were all tasty and in season. They had even mentioned how they might change what they send you depending on what was growing, so they’re dedicated to making sure you have the freshest ingredients.
I also loved the range of recipes I was able to choose. I got to make a chicken dish, a soup dish and a steak dish. There were a ton of other recipes to choose from too on their website, so it caters to everyone’s needs.
It doesn’t get much more convenient than having meals delivered to your door with every ingredient already premeasured and in a bag. The only thing that would hold me back from ordered a service like this every week would be that they don’t have an option to just serve one person.
If you’re looking for an alternative to the dining halls and have someone to do it with, I suggest getting a meal delivery service like Sun Basket. It saves you from eating out and lets you get in the kitchen a couple times a week. And even if you’re not the best cook, the meals will still come out tasty.
Image Sources: Images by Averyi Lane