Either you eat like a bird or Hello Fresh is the ticket!
There are some farm stands around and quite a few produce stores; you just need to check what’s near you. (Google is your friend.) Unlike Florida, New Jersey does not have year-round produce, so most of the stands are closing about now.
Feel free to ask on the NJ board; it is quite active.
Ha!
No, the protein and veg meals were about right (maybe a bit more than I’d eat, but they are averaging genders so that makes sense).
It was just the components of this specific meal.
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GO THERE!
Good advice. But really these boxes are just inspirations. At some point, go to the library and peruse some hip cookbooks, walk home via a super and pull together a heretofore unbelievable meal tomorrow. Repeat, repeat.
While I think that I hate Christopher Kimball, I have to say that his
Tuesday nights cookbook fits this bill.
Do you mean to to Zuni? Good advice. I’ve been quite a few times. Love it, but not always the parking and the view from our usual table by the window. I love the cookbook too; especially the first part about prep, the chicken “salad” and the regular crab cakes. I haven’t tried much else’s.
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I was referring to Scubadoo97’s suggestion to perhaps start with these boxes then “fly, little bird” and begin to shop and use cookbooks.
re the Zuni book and Rogers’ several variations of panade. All delicious, as is as much of the book as I’ve tried. I adore Zuni, the restaurant. Simple, classic, real. My first exposure to grilled radicchio which has become a family favorite, and romesco sauce. And Rogers’ roast chicken method is to me the easiest and most reliable I’ve tried. The accompanying salad “has legs”, i.e. works with many roast meats.
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There are SO many of these companies now! It feels like there are new ones in Facebook ads every week. I’ve tried a few when they offered a good promotional discount, for convenience 's sake. Unsurprisingly, even with the discount, they are far costlier than buying supermarket ingredients. I can see using them on a timeshare vacation, or if you’ve been relying on restaurant meals and are learning to cook for the first time. I like to cook, so I don’t see myself ever being a regular user of meal kits.
My reason for resurrecting this thread is that I tried boil-in-bag meals from realeats.com. They are fully cooked, and can also be reheated by microwave. Salmon with maple mustard glaze, broccoli, and white bean puree. Beef brisket with barbecue sauce, green beans, and smashed potato. These are EXCELLENT! The brisket and salmon are both very tender and moist. The main protein portion is satisfying, but the side dish amounts are quite sklmpy. Both these meals total under 400 calories each, so no surprise there. I made an additional green vegetable, and added a buttered roll. This plan averages a regular price of $12-13 per meal, which is beyond my range. But I wanted to share the info for fellow Hunions. If you don’t cook and can afford this plan, it’s a good 'un. It would be a good option for someone who is recuperating from surgery or an injury and needs a short-term alternative to shopping and cooking.
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And it’s pretty great, that there are so many companies, which produce them. Cause all we have options to choose from.
Never used one
The latest promotional delivery I tried is CookUnity.com. It blows away RealEats and the others, like lint in a hurricane! The meals are chilled, packed with frozen gelpacks in a box thickly lined with pads made from shredded denim. The packs can be drained to nourish your plants. The cardboard trays are oven and microwave safe AND biodegradable/compostable.
The meals are made fresh by identified professional chefs. They deserve my highest compliment, which is that they are every bit as good as my own cooking (I know how boastful that sounds but it is what it is). I have had eight, each one at least as delicious as meals for which I’ve paid $100 in renowned Boston area restaurants. E.g.: Asian meatballs with napa cabbage, edamame, and peanut coconut sauce; roasted chicken breast with truffle risotto, carrot, celery, and mushrooms; beef bourguignon with egg noodles;leek mushroom quiche with buttered green beans.
The meat and seafood portions are ample but I find the sides a bit skimpy. Easily supplemented with salad or an additional cooked vegetable made from my Misfits Market boxes. The meals can be frozen if they reach their best by date, which is 3-4 days after arrival. So far, they serve most of the East Coast from D.C. through MA, but only the eastern part of some of those states. The regular price is about $11-12 per meal but if you’d like a code to save about half on your first order, PM me. I intend to order 12 meals (the largest option) once a month or so, to have on hand in light of uncertain grocery availability, and the chance of pandemic lockdowns returning this summer.
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This is high praise indeed!
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So…a free months later, whoddathunk that meal kits would be awesome? Blue Apron keeps me out of the store and I dont have to think about what to eat this week!
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My daughter sent me a picture of a cook unity meal.
Here’s one that’s arriving tomorrow. Of course, the photo looks better than the contents in a film-topped, biodegradable tray, but it’s flavor and value that count. I have come to rely on Chef Chris Ratel for both.
Recently, noted NYC chef/restaurateurs Marc Forgione and Jean-Georges Vongerichten have joined the ranks of CookUnity chefs.
Anyone wanting a code for $50 off your first order, PM me.
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During lockdown, a number of higher end restaurants started selling meal kits - prepared food, often part-cooked, which just needed finishing. We tried a couple and found them OK.
Mrs H has just found a company which is selling similar produced by reasonably well known chefs (almost needless to say, they are based in London, UK - cos nothing happens of any note in the rest of the country). Apparently a particular chef’s meal is available for 2 week period. The current chef is Theo Randall who has had his own restaurant since 2007 (previously he held a Michelin star as head chef at the River Cafe). We’ve ordered - it’ll be delivered next Friday, complete with instructions and video.
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@Harters, very interested to hear your thoughts after you’ve had that particular meal kit experience.
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If the video is online it would be fun to see.
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I don’t, but they have proven very nice to give as gifts to my folks. My sister and I can go online, add meals to their account, and then they can decide on what they want and delivery days that work for them. Blue Apron is what we have gotten them. They say the food is easy to put together and really good.
I like not having to think about what’s for dinner, after decades of doing just that. I have several complete dinners in the fridge and all I have to do is make one. Everything is included but salt, pepper, and olive oil.
