I was gifted a Sun Basket box in exchange for this January 2019 Sun Basket review. All content and opinions are entirely my own.
This January 2019 Sun Basket Review gives you all of the details on this meal kit subscription service, as well as a review of three Sun Basket recipes!
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I have been a subscriber to Sun Basket for about 2 1/2 years now. Ever since my first box, I have loved the creativity and flavor of the recipes they send, as well as the fact that most of the ingredients are organic. So, when Sun Basket reached out to me and offered to send me a box in exchange for a review, I had to say yes!
I chose the three recipes myself based on my own dietary needs. That’s actually another reason that I love this meal kit service – they do offer recipes that accommodate a lot of different nutritional needs!
Before I get into the recipes that I made, I want to tell you more about Sun Basket and try to answer any questions that you might have. If you are already familiar with this brand and just want to check out what I received, go ahead and skip on down to the January 2019 Sun Basket Review heading.
What is Sun Basket?
Sun Basket is a weekly meal kit subscription service. The recipes are incredibly flavorful, yet easy to make. Sun Basket also has high standards for quality as well as sustainability.
How Much Does Sun Basket Cost?
Sun Basket meals range in price from $10.99 to $11.99 per serving, depending on which plan you choose.
Shipping is $6.99.
What Plans Does Sun Basket Offer?
Sun Basket offers quite a few plan options including:
Classic Plans
- 2 Person/3 Recipes (6 servings total)
- 4 Person/3 Recipes (12 servings total)
Family Plans
- 4 Person/2 Recipes (8 servings total)
- 4 Person/3 Recipes (12 servings total)
- 4 Person/4 Recipes (16 servings total)
How Many Meal Options Are There to Choose From Each Week?
Sun Basket offers different meals for each plan. The number of options varies:
- 18 on the Classic Plan (includes multiple options for each dietary need)
- 6 on the Family Plan
- Sun Basket also offers add-ons and you can sometimes upgrade your protein selections for an additional fee.
Is Sun Basket All Organic?
Sun Basket strives to source 100% organic produce, responsibly raised meat and poultry, and sustainably sourced seafood. Occasionally, an organic option is not available. And, sometimes you can upgrade the proteins in your box for organic and/or grass fed options for an additional cost.
What Special Dietary Needs Does Sun Basket Accommodate?
Sun Basket offers recipes each week with choices that accommodate most special dietary needs including:
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten Free
- Paleo
- Lean & Clean
- Pescatarian
- Diabetes Friendly
- Mediterranean
Can You Skip Weeks With Sun Basket?
Yes. You can skip as often as you want and up to 6 weeks in advance. Sun Basket does send out email reminders, as well as an option to receive reminders via text message.
How Do You Cancel a Sun Basket Subscription?
Cancelling your Sun Basket subscription can be a little tricky to figure out. You will need to go to the “Help” link at the bottom of the website. Once there, click on “Your Membership” from the Topics listed on the left-hand side. Next, choose “Cancelling Your Subscription” and then request cancellation of your subscription.
January 2019 Sun Basket Review
Packaging
I decided to include a little information on Sun Basket’s packaging because it seems to be a concern for quite a few people.
Sun Basket ships yours ingredients in an insulated box. Both the box and insulation are 100% recyclable.
Each recipe’s ingredients are packaged together in a paper bag. The ingredients inside are packaged in smaller paper bags, #4 plastic bags, and #1PET containers with #5 plastic lids. These can either be reused or recycled so long as your facility accepts these types of plastic.
Under the bags is a cardboard divider and under the cardboard divider you will find the proteins on top of one large ice pack. This ice pack can be reused, or drained into the trash or compost bin. The outer plastic wrap can be recycled in areas that accept #4 plastic.
Personally, the only trash that I have from Sun Basket is the wrappers the meat comes in and even these could be thoroughly cleaned and recycled.
Also included is a booklet with all of the week’s recipes in it as well as a few other articles.
The Recipes
Finally, the recipes!
Since I am keeping a close eye on how many carbs I eat each day, I decided to choose recipes with lower carb counts. All three recipes turned out really delicious and I would definitely order them again.
Harissa-rubbed Chicken with Artichoke Tapenade and Seared Lettuce
I loved every single thing about this recipe. Even if I didn’t chose it based on the lower carb count, I would have picked it anyway because it has so many ingredients in it that I loving right now!
The tapenade was simple to make – just chop everything up and mix it all together. Or, you could use a food processor.
Then it was just a matter of searing the chicken and lettuce and mixing up the simple dressing.
I plated the lettuce and chicken next to each other and topped the chicken with the tapenade. I used the lemon-basil dressing on the lettuce.
This recipe was so good! I will definitely be making this tapenade over and over again!
Chipotle-marinated Shrimp with Pineapple-cucumber Salad
This recipe was another big win for me. The Chipotle Mustard Marinade was so, so good. Again, this is something I am going to have to attempt to recreate because I can already think of a bunch of different ways I want to try it!
This recipe was also super simple to make. Basically, you add the shrimp and marinade to a bowl and let that sit while you make the salad.
To make the salad, you just have to chop up a few things and mix it all together. Then, let that sit while you cook the shrimp.
I plated the shrimp off to the side of the salad.
My fiancè enjoyed his dish as made, and I just took off the pineapple to reduce the sugar for myself.
Lemongrass-steak Lettuce Cups with Pickled Vegetables
Lemongrass paste is now my new favorite flavor. Oh my gosh – it’s so darn good! I was expecting it to be sweet, but it’s really not. The word “umami” keeps coming to mind.
Again, the recipe itself was simple. The only ingredients that required cutting were the onion and the radishes (more on those later).
The vegetables sit in the quick-pickle brine while you cook the steak. Then all you have to do is add the steak to the lettuce cups and top with the pickled vegetables and radishes.
* My photo is missing the radishes. When I was checking all of the ingredients, I totally missed the radishes on the ingredient list. Since Sun Basket didn’t send little round, red radishes, but rather radishes that looked more like mini cucumbers, I threw them out thinking they were mistakenly put in the wrong bag. I think they might have been green meat radishes? Oops! I would have loved to try them!
Try Sun Basket!
Does this January 2019 Sun Basket Review have you ready to give Sun Basket a try for yourself? Great! Right now Sun Basket has an awesome deal going on for first-time subscribers. You can get $40 off of your first order (and $20 off of your second order) by using this link!
I hope you love it as much as I have!
Angela Thompson says
I would like to try the meal plan, clean an lean, and low carb
Lauren says
Hi Angela! The nice thing about Sun Basket is that you can choose any meals. Underneath each meal they list what eating plans it fits into. So you can mix and match lean & clean and low carb 🙂