For my birthday, my team at work gave me a gift card to Plated, a weekly food delivery service. I had never tried a food delivery service before but had always heard about them, such as Plated and Blue Apron. For those who don’t know, services like Plated allow you to choose an allotted number of meals for the week and then send you all the ingredients and instructions for how to make the meals you chose. They deliver 7 days a week and give you the option to choose which day your food is delivered. The meal choices change every week so you always have new options to try.

Since I had never tried a service like this before, I was ecstatic to receive the gift from my team and couldn’t wait to try it. My gift card allowed me to select three different meals (2 servings each) for one week. I decided to try it the week after I went on a vacation, since I didn’t have any groceries when I returned.

I thought it would be fun to share my experiences with Plated here with you. It’ll be a little different than the posts I usually share but I hope it gives you an inside perspective on food delivery services and maybe you’ll want to try one someday as well!

Meal One: Pesto Parmesan Quinoa Bowls with Kale, Chickpeas and Eggplant

The first meal I decided to make was a vegetarian dish, pesto-parmesan quinoa bowls with roasted eggplant, chickpeas, kale and tomatoes. I just have to say this meal was INCREDIBLE. I can’t wait to make it again and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who is trying to cook a meatless dish. What really hit it out of the park for me was mixing the pesto into the quinoa. I’ve never had pesto quinoa before and the flavors just came together so perfectly. I also loved the roasted eggplant and chickpeas- roasting the chickpeas gives them a nice crunch and the eggplant was perfectly tender. The instructions for the dish were very easy to follow and everything came together in about 40 minutes. I had enough food for 2 (actually maybe even 3) servings so I was able to eat it for dinner the next day as well.

I won’t disclose the instructions for this dish, because I’d like to respect Plated’s service and not share their meals for free but I will say if you are interested in this dish, you’ll need:

• 2/3 cup quinoa
• 1 can chickpeas
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 6 oz kale
• 1 eggplant
• 1 shallot
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 oz grated parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons peso
• 1 oz shaved parmesan cheese

Meal Two: Spicy Crunchy Shrimp Bowls with Sushi Rice, Pickled Radish and Seaweed Salad

I’m a huge fan of shrimp but I never get to cook it that often because it’s just very expensive to buy in the city. That’s why I took advantage of Plated’s shrimp dish for the week. Although it was still estimated at 30-40 minutes like the dish above, this dish was a felt a bit more involved. I had to toast breadcrumbs and sesame seeds to coat the shrimp with, as well as cook the sushi rice and pickle the radishes. Overall, I really liked this dish but wish I used less Sriracha (I’m very sensitive to spicy food). Again, like the dish above, I had tons of leftovers that I ate for dinner the next day but easily could have been made into 3 servings.

Once again, I won’t disclose the exact instructions but if you are interested in this dish the ingredients are:

• 3/4 cup jasmine rice
• 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
• 3 oz red radishes
• 2 scallions
• 2 tablespoons sushi vinegar
• 10 oz shrimp
• 2 packets Sriracha
• 2 oz mayo
• 1 packet wasabi paste
• 1 packet soy sauce
• 1/2 cup seaweed salad

Meal Three: Parmesan-Crusted Chicken with Fennel and Potatoes

My final Plated meal of the week included the classic combo of meat, starch and vegetables. I saved it for last because it looked like a good filling meal to have after a long week at work. What I really loved about this dish was the honey mustard sauce for the chicken. I’ve never made my own honey mustard sauce and this one was particularly delicious! Fennel was also a new challenge for me. My mom has made it before but I’ve never cooked with it myself. It was a little difficult cutting out the inside of the bulb but I eventually got it and tried my best to cut it like the picture. I also really liked that Plated gave me fresh herbs for this dish, thyme and parsley, instead of dried herbs. They gave even greater flavor to the dish and made it feel gourmet.

Once again, this meal definitely made more than two servings and I had a ton of leftovers for the next day’s dinner. To make this dish, you’ll need:

• 12 oz red-skinned potatoes
• 1 bulb fennel
• 1/2 oz grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 pint grape tomatoes
• 1/8 oz parsley
• 1/8 oz thyme
• 1 lemon
• 1 shallot
• 1 packet spice mix (includes 1/8 teaspoon of each of the following)
  • garlic powder
  • onion powder
  • dried oregano
  • dried rosemary
  • dried thyme
• 2 packets mayo
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 packets Dijon mustard
• 1 packet honey

So Which Dish Won???

I really liked all the meals I made with Plated but I have to say the winner of the week was the first dish, the pesto-parm quinoa bowls. I can’t wait to make it again and I’m so happy Plated gives me printed copies of the recipes so I can make them in the future! I definitely had a really positive experience with Plated and I’m so happy my team gave me a gift card to try them out! I would recommend a food delivery service anyone who either doesn’t have time to grocery shop, is looking for inspiration for new meals or who wants to learn how to cook. The instructions are very easy to follow and have pictures included with every step.

Thanks again, Plated!