A couple weeks back, I enjoyed a lovely and delicious evening at Cru, courtesy of the OpenSky team. I had the pleasure of meeting Brendan Brazier who is not only a very accomplished vegan athlete but the brainchild behind the Vega line of protein powders, bars, electrolyte hydrators, etc (which I have been enjoying for years) and a respected author and speaker among other things (I’m not entirely convinced that he doesn’t have a clone…busy guy!)
As if that wasn’t enough to keep him busy, Brendan has most recently partnered with Fresh N Lean to launch Thrive Foods Direct, an organic, whole foods vegan meal delivery service that ships nationwide.
I was lucky enough to get to try out some of the Thrive Foods Direct meals and am excited to share my thoughts with you.
Having read and enjoyed Brendan’s book, Thrive Foods, which is extremely informative about the importance of adopting a nutrient dense, plant based diet and features an amazing recipe section (and is also endorsed by the likes of Hugh Jackman and Moby), I had a feeling I was going to like these meals.
Plus, I really liked the philosophy behind Thrive Foods Direct: not only is the produce ordered directly from local farms but the meals also emphasize “high net gain, alkaline-forming, plant-based, whole food. And always made entirely from fresh, certified organic ingredients. The menu changes frequently – variety is emphasized – for both enjoyment and optimally nutritional benefit. “
Enough background: now onto the food. I was given the below meals to try, all of which were gluten-free and incredibly easy to prepare (just 2 to 3 minutes in the microwave). So that this review wasn’t just based on a single palate, I also enlisted a couple taste testers.
- brown rice risotto with cilantro pesto
- traditional lasagna
- spinach and lentil soup
- quinoa pasta with marinara sauce
- hearty vegetable stew
The verdict? I loved how much flavor was gleaned from these meals that featured a short list of fresh and unprocessed ingredients (all meals featured less than 10 ingredients).
The favorites were:
Lasagna. This dish was brimming with flavor and lots of fresh veggies including spinach, kabocha squash, tomatoes, celery and onions. Also, I would never have known the dish was gluten free…the brown rice pasta was a perfect stand in! I ate 2/3 of this for lunch and was full for hours (a rarity for me!) I topped it with some fresh basil which really took it over the edge. I also found that I wasn’t missing the “cheez” at all and it was refreshing to enjoy a delicious dish made out of fresh, unprocessed ingredients.
Quinoa pasta with marinara sauce. This dish was felt to be delicious, difficult to believe it was gluten-free because the texture was en pointe. The tomato sauce was refreshing and you can really taste the freshness of the minimal ingredients.
Hearty vegetable stew. This dish was like a hearty chili, chock full of beans and lots of veggies. It didn’t come pre-seasoned which I appreciate because I’d rather have carte blanche to add my own sumpin’ sumpin’.
Click here for more information on the meals, pricing (which I find to be pretty reasonable and includes shipping) and how to order.
Have you ever tried a meal delivery service?
What kinds of vegan dishes would you like to see in a meal delivery service?
