My Experience With Green Chef Dinners From Start to Finish!

I recently got the chance to sample Green Chef dinners! Basically, Green Chef is subscription box for your tummy. You get to choose a plan that fits your families needs and then the ingredients for amazing, organic, healthy, sustainable, GMO free meals is shipped to your door. Here is my experience from start to finish-

I was so excited to receive my Green Chef box in the mail. I knew right away I needed to get the ingredients into the fridge, so I opened it immediately. Everything was packed with great care. The outside layer in like a little insulating blankey to keep the food nice and cool. Inside there were layers of ice packs and packaged food. At the very bottom, sitting directly on another layer of ice packs was the meat.

I was little concerned about how everything would ship and the freshness of the ingredients upon arrival. There was nothing to worry about, as all the ingredients looked great and felt cold.

Our family chose the carnivore plan for four people. Our box had enough for two meals that would feed our whole family. Each meal's ingredients are color coded and packaged. Some ingredients were pre-prepped while others required a little chopping. Each meal included a very detailed recipe card. There were step-by-step instructions and pictures that even the novice cook could decipher
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The first meal that I made was sweet and sour pork over quinoa with a broccoli and edamame salad. There was a little chopping involved, but nothing too laborious. For example, I was sent three half sections of bell peppers, the seeds were already scraped and they just required me to cut them into bite sized pieces. I also cut the meat into smaller pieces and the broccoli. Nothing hard, but you do need a knife and a cutting board. 

The recipe estimated that the meal would take 35m to prepare. It took me about 40- but that was entirely my own fault as I had several interruptions. Seriously, sometimes I don't know how I get food cooked at all. The baby always needs changed and there is a fight to break up and then I get a phone call. I'm sure for most people this would take about 35 minutes.

My kids both had glowing review of this meal. I mean, it has pineapple and sweet and sour sauce in it, a family crowd pleaser for sure. I thought it tasted really great and I like that it was served over quinoa. I loved the broccoli salad that was on the side, but it received a mixed review from my husband (who is notoriously picky.)

Initially, I was sure that this would not be enough food to feed our whole family. When I looked at the ingredients it just didn't seem like much. But there was actually more than enough. Each person was able to have a large serving and there were even leftovers, which I enjoyed  for lunch the next day. 

The next meal was chicken cassoulet with a baby kale salad. This was chicken thighs served on white beans, carrots, celery, cremini mushrooms and onion in a tomato sauce and topped with breadcrumbs. The side salad has baby kale and radishes with a vinaigrette.  

More of the ingredients were prepped here, the carrots, celery and onion were all pre-chopped. I only chopped the mushrooms and herbs. I'm guessing because the overall time of this recipe was a little longer, 45 minutes, they wanted to keep prep time down. This recipe was actually simpler, the additional time was because it need to cook in the oven for a while. So, a good portion of the allotted time was hands off. I washed the dishes and fed the baby while this tasty dish cooked up.

How did it taste? Wonderful! This is a meal I plan on making again. Very family friendly. This dish was super flavorful and the salad paired really nicely with it. The kids and husband all approved. Again, there were leftovers, which I just ate for lunch today!

Before trying these dinners I really didn't think this service would be for me. I mean, I like to cook and honestly it just seems expensive and unnecessary. However, these meals really got me thinking. How often do I get super busy and can't plan dinner, resulting in me throwing up my hands and deciding we are going out. For my husband and I to eat and the kids to get some dinky meal, it's going to cost us. For the family plan carnivore box each meal costs $12.99. Sure, it's more than if I bought the ingredients at the grocery store, but much cheaper than eating out. There is no minimum commitment so you can always skip boxes or cancel if you know it won't be necessary that week.

Both meals were really pretty simple to prepare and cook. You do not need to be an Iron Chef to make these. If you can follow directions, use a knife and turn on your stove you can do this! I think my husband could have even figured these out. And how fun would this be as a creative date night?

This would have been such an awesome things to have after my last baby. Family and friends bring us meals for a week or so after baby comes, but after that we are on out own. This would have saved me the from some grocery shopping and meal planning. I could have fed my family great meals without all the stress. There are just times when life gets nuts, after a baby, during a hard pregnancy, long work hours, or just general life. You want to eat good, healthy food but simply don't have the time to do all the work, that is when this box would be a lifesaver. It saves prep, dirty dishes and a shopping trip.

Even though I find cooking enjoyable I sometimes just totally run out of inspiration. We get in a rut and eat the same thing over and over. These recipes are so inspiring and there is a ton of variety. If you fall in love with a meal you can find the full recipe online and make it again.

If you think your dietary restrictions will keep you from enjoying this box, they might have an option for you! There are 2-Person Plans that include Omnivore, Carnivore, Paleo, Vegan, Vegetarian, and Gluten-Free Plans and Family Plans include family-style Omnivore and Carnivore Plans. Check it all out on their website, they offer a lot more than you might think.

Even if you never considered something like this would be a fit for you, I totally recommend looking into these Green Chef dinners. I was really impressed with everything from the quality of the ingredients to the final meals.

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 I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com), May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agree to use this product and post my honest opinion on my blog. The opinions posted are my own.

Four Fool-Proof Gluten-Free/Sugar-Free Treats

Learning to bake without sugar and flour has been a serious challenge for me. I love to bake, I always have. We are not entirely sugar or gluten-free. However, at home I try to keep our treats that way. There really are a plethora of recipes out there that follow those regulations. I have found, for the most part, that these are hit and miss. Either the recipe is a total bust, or I try to substitute for the flour and sugar with disastrous results. These are four of my favorite, fool-proof desserts. Each one has turned out perfect for me. They either have an alternative flour or sugar source or are easily adaptable. They are all the creations of other talented bloggers, whose links can be found in the descriptions.

 Mrs. Criddles Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

There is just something about a chocolate chip cookie... Something that I have found impossible to recreate without flour and sugar. I love my cookies soft and a little gooey. This recipe from Mrs. Criddles Kitchen hits two big notes for me-

1. The cookies taste amazing. They really do taste a lot like your typical chocolate chip cookie. Fresh out of the oven, these are out of this world.

2. They use exclusively coconut flour. Coconut flour is so much more affordable than almond. Unfortunately it is also really dry. I haven't found a single recipe that uses exclusively coconut flour that is not nasty. I think the cream cheese really helps the moisture content.

My final tip when making these cookies-- leave them in a ball as she suggests. I think the shape helps lock in the moisture of the dough.

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No-Bake Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheesecake 

 I feel like there is really no explanation needed as to why this is delicious. Just look at the picture. This beauty comes from All Day I Dream About Food. This is a perfect recipe to bake for finicky family and friends; you know, the ones who think you eat cardboard. This dessert is so decadent, all without the sugar or flour.

She uses Swerve as a sweetener here. I have used truvia with great success too. I have all used the crust recipe as a base for other treatshttp://mrscriddleskitchen.com/coconut-chocolate-chip-cookies-s/.

The recipe on a whole is a little involved. However, the results are totally worth it. This dessert is pretty much impossible to resist.

One last note, this cheesecake does not stand up well to heat. I made it for 4th of July and it got soupy fast. Keep it chilled until you're ready to serve. 

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 One Bowl Gluten-Free Banana Bread 

Banana Bread is a family favorite around here. I was so pleased when I found this recipe by Minimalist Baker. Best of all, all you need is one bowl. I love baking a loaf of this on a cloudy afternoon. It is pretty much perfection with a hot cup of coffee.

In this recipe she sweetens with cane and brown sugar. I always sub those out with truvia. Everything still comes together great. I have also made it with coconut sugar, which adds a great flavor. 

This recipe does have you use almond meal, gluten free flour and oats. I generally have all those on hand. I keep a few things of Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour around. I have been really happy with the results. 

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Vegan and Gluten Free Gingerbread

This recipe is from the talented Minimalist Baker as well. Gingerbread is a holiday classic that I start craving in the winter months. Generally, gingerbread is hard and crispy. In this recipe these cookies are clouds; soft, pillowy gingerbread clouds.

I probably made these too many times last year. I went a little gingerbread overboard. These are perfect with coffee too.

The recipe calls for a flax egg and vegan butter. We are not vegan so I use a regular egg and regular butter. I replace the brown sugar with coconut sugar. Even with the substitutions these turn out amazing.

My tip, after these have cooled, place them in a sealed ziplock bag. They keep their soft crumb much longer that way.   

Morning Sickness and Muffins

Well, I have been really living up to my blog name, Midnight Mom. I think I am well on my way to becoming nocturnal. Morning sickness has got its grip on me. Yesterday I couldn't even get off the couch. It was miserable. My poor kids have been pretty much motherless. I feels so guilty not getting anything done- and not being able to play with them. This is the first pregnancy I have been this sick. Relief usually comes around 7 or 8pm. I had a load of zucchini from the garden I needed to process, so at 11pm I decided to make some muffins. I used this recipe, without the frosting and a little less sweetener.

They turned out really good and a perfect treat for the kids. I think they really said "I'm sorry mommy is so barfy and no fun." Thank you Jesus for muffins and husbands who bring you crackers and ginger root to make tea, and kids who can entertain themselves! 

As a special bonus I am feeling almost human this morning. At this rate I might be able to clean the house and start on my next book review The Broad Fork by Hugh Acheson (you know, the unibrow judge from Top Chef). I'm not sure I'm really a great cookbook reviewer at the moment, as nothing sounds good to eat-- ever. But I will sure do my darnedest to give it my full attention. I can tell you already that it is a beautiful book.

Do you have any morning sickness tricks? So far I have been drinking ginger root tea- which was a trick that worked in previous pregnancies. However, it really isn't doing much for me now. I also have been using essential oils, which I love the idea of, but the strong smell seems to make it worse.  Most of all I am trying to just not feel miserable for myself. This is likely my last pregnancy so I do want to enjoy it, even if I'm not feeling great.

First Sourdough of the Season

For the last week something has been growing in my kitchen... Something wild and yeasty. I made a new sourdough starter! I had two last year-- which I killed because I got sick of taking care of them. I'm not the greatest sourdough mama in the world. I have been daydreaming about sourdough, so I made a new starter. The process sort of creeps me out. Basically you leave flour and water out on the counter for a week- feeding it daily- and it catches the wild yeast from the air.

For my first loaf, I decided to make this recipe from King Arthur Flour. I didn't have any white flour, so it was all rye and whole wheat. Also I didn't add any Anise. I made about some about 12 rolls and 1 loaf. I snapped this photo of a roll really quick this morning, before I devoured it. They have a nice dark flavor, with a good amount of sour too. I heat them up in the microwave with butter. Next time I'm going to stuff them with cheese. Because that just feels right.

Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

So I may have mentioned my starry-eyed love for A Modern Way to Eay by Anna Jones. As a reward for my hours of slaving away in this pigsty, I made up some cookies. I flipped through the recipes I had tagged until I came to the Coconut Oatmeal Cookies. The cookies are the perfect mix of macaroon and oatmeal cookie. They came together in about ten minutes.

The cookies are made with coconut (or spelt) flour, oats, unsweetened coconut, brown sugar, coconut oil and maple syrup. The recipe called for raisins as well, but I left them out-- because for me raisins ruin everything. Me eating a cookie with raisins-- oh it's a chocolate chip-delicious chocolate-oh wait it's a raisin-barf. Anyways.... raisins aside, they were super simple cookies to whip up. I only dirtied a measuring cup, 2 bowls and spoon. No need for a mixer here.


Next time I make them I will probably substitute coconut sugar for brown sugar. I almost did this time, but I wanted to give the recipe a try the way Anna had intended it. I am guessing the coconut sugar will work fine.

I always love finding recipes that use coconut flour- it so much cheaper than most flour alternatives and I love the taste. It is so dry, but it works perfect in this recipe. I have found it most successful when cookies are kept round like these. It seems like when you flatten them they have a tendency to get even drier.

Also, just a a warning, do not give these to a 2 year old in her freshly laundered bed... They are a little crumbly and the 2-years-old's vice grip will likely turn them into a huge mess