Plated Review - Week of May 12th

I love food but I hate cooking, so I need any potential meals to be as easy to make as possible.  I'm going to be moving into my first apartment soon (yes, still living with the parents up until now, but it was because I was waiting for my boyfriend to finish grad school!), so I figure I should probably get used to making my own meals.  Plated is the perfect subscription for people like me: it's really fun and super easy!

So if you're unfamiliar, Plated is a weekly subscription service that sends you all the ingredients you need to make delicious dinners.  The menu changes weekly, and you only have to order when there's something on there that tickles your fancy.  They deliver to over 80% of the continental U.S. (according to their website), so there is a slight chance they might not be available in your area yet.  But if they do deliver to your city, I think it's definitely worth trying.  They send all of the ingredients to you, and there are minimal things you need to supply yourself (e.g. salt, pepper, olive oil).

The meals I chose are from the menu that ran the week of May 12th, and I purchased two plates of two different meals.  You can also choose to receive four plates of the same meal.  A monthly membership costs $10 a month and $12 a plate, or you can opt for the annual membership of $8 a month and $12 a plate.  You can also do a one-time purchase without subscribing, which will cost you $15 a plate.

My biggest concern with this box was whether or not the ingredients would be able to stay cool enough, since that week the temperatures were in the 80s (Fahrenheit) here.  I didn't need to worry, since the box was lined with a thick insulator and had two big ice packs inside that were still frozen when the box got to me.

All of the ingredients were neatly packed and labeled.  Most of the items were separated into two larger bags that had their respective meal labels on them, but the few that were outside of those bags had stickers on them that stated which recipe they were for.  The only thing I felt guilty about was throwing out the insulated packaging.  I wasn't sure if it was recyclable or not, and if it truly isn't then it is a little bit wasteful (especially if you're getting a box every week).

The two meals I selected were the Capellini with Spring Vegetables and the Fontina Stuffed Chicken.  The above photo is of the spring vegetables portion of the pasta dish.  I enjoyed both meals, but the Fontina Stuffed Chicken was definitely my favorite.

The Capellini with Spring Vegetables was incredibly easy to make, and looked so pretty once it was plated.  It did taste a bit bland to me--I would have preferred a stronger flavor in the sauce (it consisted of a little bit of oil, the vegetables, and some of the pasta water all simmered together), but the grated romano cheese added some more flavor.  When it comes to pasta I'm usually all about the cheese cheese cheese, so that's probably why this light dish seemed a little bit boring to me.

My boyfriend was house-sitting for my brother when I made the Fontina Stuffed Chicken, so I only have a photo from Instagram of the finished product because I made it with him over at my brother's house and I didn't take my camera.  Remember what I said about loving cheese?  This recipe certainly didn't disappoint in that regard.  I had never had fontina cheese prior to this, and I'm so glad I tried it because it was fantastic.  My food vocabulary is not the most eloquent, but it was a bit sharp but still seemed smooth at the same time.  The chicken crisped up so well with the cheese and it was very juicy because it still had the skin on.  The fingerling potatoes and spinach were a great-tasting side, too.

• Visit Plated (using that link) to receive up to $30 off of your first box!

Bottom Line: I really like Plated and would definitely order more boxes in the future.  I don't think I'll order every week, but I do check the menu regularly and will order again when I see a meal I just can't pass up!

Be sure to check out the Share your Subscription Linky Party for more great May unboxings!

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