love letter to plated
Part of the freak out we had when we learned we were going to be parents had to do with the fact that we didn’t quite yet feel like adults. We didn’t have the organization, planning or scheduling that typically comes with the title of being an adult. Honestly though, we still don't.
One such area in which we were lacking major adulthood credentials is in the kitchen. We love food, we love diverse cuisines but when we do cook its usually in our comfort zones of beans & rice, meat stew or basic pastas. I do not fancy myself a cook and consider myself quite uneducated in the culinary arts. Mike can be good at cooking and enjoys it when all the tools and ingredients are at his ready. But our lack of planning and organization doesn’t allow for the foresight necessary to grocery shop or have a meal plan for the week. I promise this is going somewhere...
Last week I wrote how we had begun to try Plated. After just three weeks I am now a major advocate of the service. I am feeling things in the kitchen that I have never felt before and smelling delicious things that I have, yes smelled before, but never been responsible for. The idea of preparing a home cooked meal start to finish has always been a daunting one. And I never feel truly prepared for a recipe. Either lacking one ingredient or unsure of how to properly prepare the items before me. Plated changes all of that. For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, there are a few versions out there. Simply put Plated provides all of the ingredients needed to prepare a quality meal in your own kitchen. The perfect amount of crushed red pepper, fish, meat or vegetables arrives on your doorstep once a week in a refrigerated box so you can cook up your own dinners at home.
We chose the option that sends three meals a week. Meal prep time varies between about 20 minutes to 45 minutes depending on your dish and at the start of each week you select the meals you want to cook, bonus that you actually learn how to make them as you go along. Inside the box each meal is carved out into its own little cluster so as not to mix up ingredients and has a sticker for reference reminding you what the name of the ingredient is and the meal you use it for.
The best surprise of all has been that I actually look forward to preparing dinner and truly enjoy the process. We are making/eating dinners from different cuisines with unexpected ingredients, that I definitely would not be shopping for.
To prove my point about enjoying the cooking Monday night acts as a good example of this. It was a night where I was not expecting to cook. Our schedule was off, Mike's pick up basketball league had him getting home around 10pm and I got home right before he took off for the game. So I spent 8pm-10pm doing a little work and playing with Mo. By the time Mike got home Mo was asleep and we could have easily had takeout. But I had a meal in the fridge that only required 20 minutes of prep. I took that time and found appreciated the process of putting a meal together for the two of us.
My gushing will end there, point of the story, I am impressed with the service and impressed with my conviction to continue cooking.
xx ly