Sun Basket review
Sun Basket is a cook-yourself meal kit plan that delivers three dinners for two people each week. They also offer family plans, in case you are cooking for more than two. Strictly speaking, Sun Basket is not a diet plan but rather focuses on clean eating with organic produce and meal choices that incorporate diet preferences such as paleo, gluten-free, vegan, Mediterranean, pescatarian, and “quick and easy” for those who don’t care as much about calories as they do about convenience. We chose the closest thing that Sun Basket has to a diet plan, which is called “lean and clean.” These meals max out at 550 calories per serving, whereas some of the other meal plans have choices that can go as high as 800 calories, if calorie restriction is not your aim. On any given week, you can select meals from different plans. So, for example, if a “lean and clean” meal one week contains something I don’t like to eat, like red meat, I can un-check that meal and instead select one of the vegan or pescatarian options.
I got a $35 off promo code for my first week, so the cost for the first week averaged out to under $7 per serving – not bad at all.
First impressions:
When the food was delivered, I was instantly impressed by two things. First: Sun Basket is mindful about the impact that food delivery has on the environment, and so all of their packaging comes with meticulous recycling instructions. Second: The quality of the produce was amazing. I don’t know how far this food traveled, but the broccoli was crisp and deep green, the mushrooms were firm and unbruised, and the parsley showed not even a hint of wilting. I was worried about the fish, but that looked great as well, and did not smell fishy in the least. For the price, I was expecting good quality, but this was better than I could have found for myself at a high-end grocery store or farmer’s market.
Food prep:
Each delivery kit comes with a recipe booklet that contains all of their meal menus, not just the meals you ordered. So you look through, find the instructions that correspond to what you had delivered, and cook away. The recipes are easy to follow, but I would say that their prep time estimates are a little off. The meals I prepared that estimated 25 to 30 minutes generally took me more like 35 to 40 (although I am a super meticulous recipe follower, so you might be quicker).
Taste:
All of the meals we tried on Sun Basket tasted wonderful. I don’t consider myself an amazing cook, but these meal kits turned out really nice — restaurant-quality — every time.
Results:
If you are starting with poor eating habits, and are prone to eating heavy dinners, Sun Basket would make an excellent transition into healthier eating. I could also see it is a good maintenance tool, for people who have recently lost weight and want to get some ideas for healthy meals that are creative and appetizing. Having said that, if your primary goal is weight loss you almost certainly will not lose weight if the only change you make is subscribing to this service. Think of it more as a complement to a more comprehensive diet plan — a way treat yourself to a fantastic home-cooked meal without going overboard.
