braised turkey meatballs waiting for their cauliflower

Sun Basket

I had always looked at those meal delivery programs and thought that everything looked delicious, but what about the ingredient quality? Aren’t they expensive? And most importantly, what kind of foodie family uses meals in a box? After our experience with Sun Basket, let’s just say that THIS foodie family used and loved our meals in a box!
a1While I was looking into meal delivery services, I was impressed that Sun Basket uses organic and non-GMO ingredients, responsibly sources their proteins, AND that they have gluten-free, vegetarian, and paleo options available for those that are adhering to a specific diet. I was majorly impressed that it only costs $11.49/meal for high-quality, non-processed, elaborate, but easy-to-make dishes.
None of that matters, though, if the recipes don’t taste divine.
Sun Basket graciously sent us a box of three meals to try out and review for y’all. We got to go online, look at their rotating meal list, and choose the ones that best suited our palate. We ended up choosing Masala Chickpea-kale Curry with Red Rice, Tomato-braised Turkey Meatballs with Zucchini and Curried Cauliflower, and the Seared Tuna and Black Rice Donburi Bowl. After our selection was made, in no time at all, we had an insulated box with all the ingredients to make 3 complete meals for two on our doorstep. I unpacked the still-cool ingredients from their package, put them in the fridge, and got excited to make our first meal the next day.
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I planned to come home from work, make dinner, do yoga, and then eat. Here’s what really happened: I came home from work, walked into the kitchen, walked out of the kitchen, and wallowed on the sofa, complaining to myself that I did not want to cook anything. After a Home Improvement rerun and a self pep-talk, I convinced myself to make dinner. Side note: How about that JTT, 90’s ladies? Although, a young Tim Allen was looking mighty fine to the adult me.
After I gathered the ingredients for the first dinner and looked over the beautifully photographed recipe card from Sun Basket, I realized that I didn’t need to wallow. In my brain, I was associating making dinner with all the choppage, recipe hunting, and prep-work that I would have to do. As you know, we love creating recipes, cooking, and enjoying the meal process from start to finish around here, but some days you are so tired that nothing sounds fun. Enter Sun Basket.
The first meal I made was the Seared Tuna and Black Rice Donburi Bowl and, like most of Sun Basket’s meals, it can be made in 25-35 minutes. Honestly, the rice did take the whole cooking time, but the rest was done rather quickly. Hardly anytime on your feet in the kitchen and your meal is complete! This is so easy to do because the majority of the prep work is done for you. Sweet potatoes- peeled and small diced. Tuna- cleaned and cut into two 5-ounce fillets. And EVERYTHING was pre-measured. The only thing I chopped for this meal were the radishes and the cilantro. I also juiced and zested a lime.
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The instructions were super-easy to follow and there was even a little cooking tip flyer on how to get the perfect sear on your tuna. Now, here’s where I decided that Sun Basket was for me. Following that little flyer tip, I got ready to sear my tuna. The temperature that they said to sear it on seemed low to me, so I turned it up. I got cocky and thought I knew better than Sun Basket. After what I decided was an appropriate sear time, again without looking at the written recipe, I removed the tuna only to find that I had overcooked it! I learned my lesson that when making a Sun Basket meal, always follow Sun Basket instructions. The recipe cards are very detailed and easy to follow. If I had done so, my meal would have been perfect.
beautiful, but overdone tuna
beautiful, but overdone tuna
Since the tuna was over-cooked it was no longer lightly-seared tuna, but the sauce, seasonings, and fresh ingredients made the whole dish pop with flavor and I almost didn’t miss that fresh tuna taste you get when it is served rare. In short, having Sun Basket around turned what I was dreading doing into a quick, painless way to get a nutritious, savory meal in after a long day.
Seared Tuna and Black Rice Donburi Bowl
Seared Tuna and Black Rice Donburi Bowl
The next day I was on a Sun Basket high. All the way home I kept thinking how great it was going to be to eat a scrumptious meal in little more time than it takes to stop and grab something. Menu for the evening: Tomato-braised Turkey Meatballs with Zucchini and Curried Cauliflower. This was the one I was most excited about. I love Spanish-style braised meatballs, so I was excited to try the turkey version in a tomato-based sauce.
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While I was whipping up this dish I started thinking not only is Sunbasket a good way to save time cooking, but that I had completely forgotten about the time saved by not having to grocery shop. Obviously, we still have to hit the Teeter for everyday essentials, but not having to hunt around a few grocery stores for a specific spice from some small town on the other side of the world is a HUGE time saver. Sun Basket makes it so that you can try exotic or rarer ingredients and flavors without being inconvenienced time-wise.
uncooked turkey balls
uncooked turkey balls
seared balls
seared balls
braised turkey meatballs waiting for their cauliflower
braised turkey meatballs waiting for their cauliflower
gorgeous!
gorgeous!
The Turkey Meatballs are now one of my favorites ever and I will make sure to keep that recipe card close at hand for a quick dinner another day, although I will have to do the grocery shopping myself. Womp womp womp.
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Tomato-braised Turkey Meatballs with Zucchini and Curried Cauliflower
Our last meal was vegetarian. Can you tell we picked the meals like we pick our proteins at the grocery store? One from the land, one from the sea, and some legumes.
Curried anything always ranks high on my list of favs. There are so many versions and they are all good. To me, curry is like pizza, even bad ones are good. But when you get a good one, it is oh-so-glorious. I nodded my head in satisfaction after chomping into the less-than-thirty-minute Masala Chickpea-Kale Curry with Red Rice that tasted like the flavors had been melding together for hours. THIS is what curry should taste like. The garbanzo beans made for a hearty meat substitute and their tenderness would make you at least consider joining the likes of Albert Einstein and Prince.
a1Another thing about Sun Basket that I absolutely loved is that each meal was for two people, but the dinner portions were so large that I was able to take a lunch-size portion of leftovers with me to work the day after. Sure beats the hodge podge of bananas, peanut butter, hummus, and random bits I usually throw into a plastic bag in the morning before work.
There’s another exciting part for YOU! Sun Basket has provided all of our followers with a link to get your first 3 meals free! Just click here and you will taken to their site where you can sign up and start choosing your favorites.
While we will continue to develop recipes, try new foodie vendors and shops, and totally immerse ourselves in the culinary world, but Sun Basket and their quality ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes will definitely be our go-to when the day has been long and you just can’t get your creative juices flowing in the kitchen. Also, perfect for a Lazy Sunday.
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