COVID-19 has introduced a pretty weird time to be alive. With social distancing measures and lockdowns in place, it can be daunting to visit the local grocery store and go shopping for food.
After all, how do you really know if this time, you carry something back with you? Even if you’re young and healthy, that simple grocery store visit could be the movement you endanger your older family members, you people with compromised immune systems. Either way, I was eager to find something that would at least partially negate the risk of picking something up after all grocery stores have to be one of the best places to get COVID-19.
I jumped online and did some research. Initially, I found many services that deliver local groceries to your doorstep, but I found a gap. These services were often lacking in items from grocery stores, even if the grocery store wasn’t actually out of it. Even then, I was looking to convince where I didn’t necessarily need to shop for each individual item, either. What I found was a service that met all of these criteria. So, what I am sure is, during and after this COVID pandemic, Sun Basket (the service I’m reviewing) will continue to meet these criteria and offer up a convenient food delivery service. So, read on for a Sun Basket review.
What is Sun Basket?
First, it’s important to understand what Sun Basket is and is not. This meal delivery service delivers high quality and organic ingredients to your doorstep. These ingredients are often uncooked and will need to be cooked by you. Each delivery gives you all the ingredients you need for each meal, along with detailed and easy-to-follow instructions. However, Sun Basket is not a delivery service for people looking for local grocery options. Sun Basket is also a premium and high-quality ingredients delivery service, so the price expectation should not below. Instead, Sun Basket is for those who are already comfortable with paying more for organic ingredients.
How it works.
Sun Basket is unique in that it offers a wide range of meal plan options according to your diet needs. For example, you can decide on a plan if you’re vegetarian, paleo, or more. Here are some of the meal plan options that Sun Basket offers.
1) Chef’s Choice – seasonal recipes with no diet restrictions or special needs. These ingredients and meals are chosen by Sun Basket professional chefs and use seasonally available ingredients in your area.
2) Paleo – This meal plan follows the paleo diet, which uses high protein meals and snacks. This meal plan will have very low amounts of carbs, gluten, soy, and dairy.
3) Carb-conscious – Similar to the paleo meal plan, this option has very few carbs coming in around 25-35 grams per serving. This plan also includes more dairy, gluten, and soy options with slightly less emphasis on high protein meals.
4) Lean and clean – This meal plan is beautiful in its simplicity and perfect for people looking to limit calories and nothing more. You’ll get 600 calories or less per serving.
5) Diabetes-friendly – This option offers up only meals approved directly by the American Diabetes Association.
6) Vegetarian – Following the vegetarian lifestyle, this meal plan excludes any meat, fish, or poultry of any kind. Keep in mind meals may include dairy like cheese and milk.
7) Pescatarian – A meal plan which excludes all animal products except for proteins from the sea like fish, scallops, and more.
8) Quick and easy – For those on the go, this meal plan includes only meals that can be prepared within 20 minutes.
Customize your plan
With all of these meal plan options, you can still customize your weekly plan according to your desires. Sun Basket lets you mix and match meals, are you please.
Most, if not all, meals can be prepared in 30 minutes or less with express options around 20 minutes. Every meal will include pre-measured ingredients, which you just need to cook. In some cases, you’ll even get cooked ingredients that you just need to heat up. You can choose anything from breakfasts to lunches, dinners, and snacks.
Ingredients
What I found most promising about Sun Basket is the quality of ingredients included. So many other meal plans like companies offer up what seems like good quality meals. Unsurprisingly, however, most companies skimp out in terms of quality in order to maximize profits. No so with Sun Basket.
Sun Basket estimates that of the ingredients they ship, 99% are organic. That means anything and everything from the most basic ingredients all the way to cooked meals and snacks, all organic.
Also interesting is that Sun Basket uses ingredients that are sustainable and environmentally friendly. Sun Basket only uses seafood that is marked as sustainably caught by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, an organization that specializes in marine biology and actively tracks the status of seafood, and it impacts current and future seafood stocks.
Other meat options are also grass-fed, hormone-free, and antibiotic-free.
Taste
Each and every meal, no matter your meal plan, is designed by Chef Justin Kelly. This means every meal is made according to standards of a high ranking professional chef. For instance, all seasonings and sauces are made in-house and according to the personal recipes of Chef Justin Kelly.
Each meal is also generally in accordance with what’s available that season. This makes for meals that are fresh and affordable. To further maximize freshness, everything is shipped in airtight bags, while ingredients like meats and dairy are kept cold and/or frozen as well.
I also found out that you can select a preferred day for weekly delivery. That means you can always be sure your ingredients will be fresh since you’re getting new stuff every week.
Cost
Again, Sun Basket is for people who are already used to buying organic produce and ingredients. Keep in mind that all ingredients are seasonal, organic, sustainable, and meals are created by a professional chef. Sun Basket ranges in pricing from $11 to $13 per serving.
As an example, just four dinners per week (4 servings), you’ll pay $175 per week plus the flat fee of $7.99 for shipping.
Meal Delivery Service Comparisons
Its undeniable Sunbasket is more expensive than competitors. Take Hello Fresh, which starts at $8.99 per serving or Blue Apron that comes in at $7.49 per serving, and the price difference is clear.
However, Sun Basket is definitely the most “clean food” oriented service I’ve yet to find. IF you want to ensure you’re eating the best ingredients possible, then Sub Basket is your best bet.
Meals from Sub Basket are also especially easy to prepare and often take less than 30 minutes for entire meals. So, Sun Basket is a great option for high-quality food that offers a lot of conveniences.
