Dining In
We all know I've blogged about my fair share of drinks, but this is only the second time ever that I'm blogging about food. I hope you don't mind. I just simply had to tell you about a revolutionary new part of our weekly cooking routine: Fresh Dish. I heard about it from my friend Audrey who raved about this new way to have dinner already figured out as you head into the week without having to brave the Trader Joe's mobs over the weekend, and I was instantly intrigued. We're talking about gourmet meals which come in portions for two or four, planned out a week in advance with four menu items to choose from each week, at $8-12 per person. You pick what you want by Friday, then on Tuesday you get a special delivery with fresh ingredients already prepped and the recipe to make it - in a refrigerated box, mind you. It cuts out all the parts I don't like about making dinner - the decision making about what to cook (for us that's always the worst part for some reason), the shopping, and the chopping/measuring, but leaves in the part that still makes you feel like you're accomplishing something (the actual cooking part). Not to mention the recipes are delish and *usually* healthy. Usually is the key word, as you can see from this particular meal, but hey - we all deserve a treat every now and then, right? So far we've made dinners like Mediterranean lamb meatballs with hummus and spinach salad, chicken di parma, panang curry, and shrimp fajitas.
Like any new and innovative idea, it's not completely perfect. The packaging is intense. It comes in a big box with heavy cold packs which I'm sure are somewhat necessary, but a bit wasteful and cumbersome. I did talk to the nice folks at Fresh Dish about this and they informed me that they are working on a great reusing program, so I applaud them for that. Maybe the next goal could be to go all organic with the ingredients? In any case, it's a great way to make dinner even just once a week - especially if you have multiple people to cook for.
This time we made a delectable turkey mac and cheese with apple and fennel slaw. Comfort food at its best! Get the recipe here if you want to try it out - we loved it. It was so easy and fast, and we had leftovers for the next day. You can sign up for Fresh Dish here and get $10 off your first order, AND Fresh Dish is offering a special promo for The Life Styled readers where if you buy one 4-person kit, you'll get a second one for free! Just use the code STYLEDFRESH. Next week's menu is up now til Friday so have a little look around. If you're anything like me, you'll find yourself waiting for Monday to come so you can see the new menu and start getting excited for your week's meals. It's a planner's dream. If they're not delivering to your area yet, don't fret. Rumor has it they are expanding to more cities and in the meantime you can at least find the yummy recipes on their blog. Enjoy your dinners!