I love the idea of making cooking as easy as possible so folks are motivated to start using that strange contraption that takes up so much space in their kitchen. {The range/oven.} Whether you're uninterested, super busy, or maybe just a little scared, I truly believe that everyone can learn how to make meals at home using fresh ingredients.
That being said, I'm not the best at sympathizing with any of these challenges because when it comes to cooking, I'm totally interested, completely available to work at it and not at all intimidated! BUT! I do have friends who have made me more aware of some of the obstacles that stand in the way of feeling comfortable in the kitchen, and I get it.
Most people want the same thing in terms of food: Something easy, relatively healthy {but delicious}, affordable and quick. What are the odds of checking off all those boxes with one solution?
You've probably heard of meal-kit subscription services, where you pick the meals you want and the ingredients are delivered to your front door, making the need to write a list and take a trip to the grocery store obsolete. As handy as that sounds, that still leaves you with the task of chopping and measuring {which I think is what many cooking-phobes fear!} in order to create the desired dish. Bummer.
Fear not, my hungry but cooking-averse friend. I'm here to tell you that Terra's Kitchen may just be the answer you've been seeking!
Why is Terra's Kitchen special?
Terra's Kitchen has eliminated all the prep-work for you by not only delivering the ingredients to you {in the coolest contraption I've ever seen, if I'm being honest} but also by giving you the exact amounts you need with little to no prep work involved. You literally just open a packet/pouch/container and add it to your recipe at the appropriate time. Each recipe comes explained in detail on beautiful recipe cards that contain photos, caloric info, equipment needed and helpful tidbits like wine and beer pairings or even topics of conversation for the dinner table.
What's So "Cool" About the Way It's Delivered?
Aside from the refrigeration, you mean? {Sorry, I had to.} Your Terra's Kitchen vessel is not just a box stuffed full of ingredients in a haphazard way. Oh, no. It's basically a traveling mini-fridge with drawers and all. The climate-controlled vessel keeps the food properly refrigerated for a super duper long time, so even if it sits out on your front porch for a while, you're still golden.
Once you get over the excitement of the vessel, you will be thrilled all over again when you slide those little drawers open and find the ingredients for each of your meals individually packaged and labeled with a number that corresponds to the recipe card. Zero thinking is involved.
What Are Your Options?
We have quite a crowd to feed in my family of three. My husband's diet is mostly gluten free, mine is mostly pescetarian, and my kiddo... well, he'll eat just about anything. But healthful is the key word when I'm planning meals, and it was pretty easy to stick to those guidelines when I made my Terra's Kitchen selections. Their website lets you narrow down your options by dietary needs {vegetarian, gluten-free and even paleo-friendly meals are available}, and has a variety of tasty meals to choose from. I picked Terra Buddha Bowls, Mediterranean Quinoa Toss, Salmon Tostadas with Avocado-Orange Salsa and Honey-Soy Salmon with Stir Fry Vegetables. I also added Pico de Gallo and a Kale Caesar Salad as an extra Grab-and-Go option.
How About The Food Quality?
If clean, sustainable, antibiotic & hormone-free, non-GMO foods are your jam, then you're in luck! Terra's Kitchen has a great philosophy and they want to send you great ingredients. With a tagline like "Farm to Front Door", it sounds promising.
Getting Rid of the Evidence Box
So once you get your meal shipment, you have a refrigerator full of fresh ingredients... and a giant box in your kitchen. Luckily, Terra's Kitchen has a ridiculously easy way to remedy this issue. You simply peel of the address label revealing a new return shipping label underneath {so stinkin' smart, right?}, and set the box out for pickup. {They will pick it up the next business day.} That's it. The vessel can be reused up to 100 times!
I wouldn't blame you one bit if you wanted to dispose of the evidence and take all the credit for an amazing meal. I mean, you did do the cooking... even if Terra's Kitchen did most of the work for you. Your secret is safe with me.
Let's Cook!
So now you know about how fantastic the "delivery" part of the "meal delivery kit" is, so let's talk about the important part: The meal!
None of the meals I chose took longer than 30 minutes to complete from start to finish. The meal kits I chose had enough ingredients for 2 servings. There was minimal cleanup needed, and the final result? Thumbs up all around.
The only thing that could make this experience easier is having a magical chef/dish washer pop out of the box and do the cooking and cleaning for you. {But I think the postage on that box might be more than you can afford.}
Meanwhile, you can try out this Buddha Bowl at home! I really enjoyed this dish from the sweet, charred onion to the smoky roasted chickpeas. Served over fragrant jasmine rice, loaded with fresh veggies and drizzled with a creamy avocado dressing, this is just the kind of meal you need on a busy weekday. I think it'll hit the spot, but sadly, you'll have to do the prep work yourself until you sign up for a delivery from Terra's Kitchen! Use promo code KITCHEN30 and receive a $30 discount on your first purchase!
Buddha Bowls | Terra’s Kitchen
Ingredients
- ¾ cups cooked {canned is fine} chickpeas patted dry
- ½ of a large red onion sliced
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ⅔ cup jasmine rice
- 1 small lime zested
- 1.5 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 avocado pitted and peeled
- ⅓ cups sugar snap peas
- ¼ cup arugula
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Prepare a baking pan by lining with foil and spraying or lightly rubbing with olive oil.
Roast Chickpeas & Onion:
- Place chickpeas on half of the baking pan and onions on the other half. Lightly mist or drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil over both.
- Season chickpeas with paprika, chili powder and brown sugar. Season entire pan with a sprinkle of salt. Roast for about 20 minutes, occasionally shaking the pan to ensure chickpeas don't stick and roast evenly.
Cook Rice:
- Meanwhile, bring about 1 ¼ cups of water to a boil over high heat. Add rice and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until most of the water is absorbed, then cover with lid, turn heat to low and let steam for about 10 minutes or until the rice tender and cooked through.
- When the rice is done, fluff it with a fork. Drizzle in sesame oil and lime zest. Set aside.
Make Dressing:
- Place avocado, just of half of the lime and a pinch of salt in a blender or food processor. Add about 2 tablespoons of water and blend until smooth. Continue to add about a tablespoon at a time until you reach desired consistency for drizzling. Set aside.
Serve:
- Place rice in the bottom of a bowl. Top with roasted onions, chickpeas, sugar snap peas and arugula. Drizzle with avocado dressing and squeeze a bit more lime juice over the top.
Notes
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Terra's Kitchen. The opinions and text are all mine.
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