Nourish Foods of Birmingham, AL
I received a complimentary box from Nourish Meals and here are my impressions, in the order of consumption.
Three dinners, two lunches and a family meal (Pesto Chicken).
Shipped with three ice packs.
Label showed ingredients, nutrition and expiration date.
All photos are as received, uncovered before heating.
UPS & FedEx, like to deposit boxes on their side despite horizontal writing.
Parmesan Short Rib Pasta:
Very tasty, I could smell the wine and garlic almost immediately. I love short ribs and was nervous about nuking them but very nice overall. Meat was very tender and had a good flavor was well as the cream sauce. A good meat portion but I wish there was a bit more sauce and pasta for a dinner. I definitely want more.
Braised Beef Sweet Potato Bowl:
Horseradish sauce separated a bit but just needed a stir. Sauce was good but tasted more like mustard than I would prefer. I quite like the bite of horseradish on its own. Still the meat had plenty of taste and didn’t really need the sauce. Beef shredded the way a good pot roast should.
I could smell sweet potatoes and spinach upon uncovering dish. Generous portion of pot roast works well with the sweet potato. I wish I had topped this with a sunny side egg and pan fried the whole dish. This would make a great hash and I love homemade hash.
Rather large portion for lunch but very tasty. Honestly, I had problems finishing the plate in one go. I expected a tiny Freshly style bowl. I concentrated on the beef and spinach, I left most of the sweet potato for a later snack. Perhaps, I’ll add an egg after all?
Note: First two were excellent but I feel like the Lunch and Dinner labels got mixed up? Braised beef was way more filling than the short ribs.
Chicken Cacciatore over Spaghetti Squash:
I’ve had probably every traditional Italian dish except this one so I didn’t know what to expect. Chicken was on the bone so a bit tricky with a knife and fork. I’m not sure if it was a leg or a thigh but I’m guessing thigh. I have no idea what cacciatore is supposed to taste like but I have had spaghetti squash before. This was a decent dish but more of a ragu than any pasta like qualities.
I could taste the garlic and wine. However, it was not as aromatic as the other dishes but I have developed a head cold. The internet tells me cacciatore means hunter in Italian, so Hunter’s stew? The consistency reminded me of pork and kraut, my mother used to make. I liked it but would prefer a boneless version, still with dark meat tho.
Harissa Chicken with Wilted Greens:
I was a little concerned when I uncovered this dish as I saw a lot of seeds on the potatoes. I assumed it was coriander which can be quite tough unless ground down. However, this was a healthy portion of softened mustard seed, my teeth would be safe. I know Harissa spice from HF kits so I expected a busy North African style curry.
The chicken was surprisingly mild with a delayed chipotle fired kick. I do like spicy so would have preferred more heat but this was a fairly subtle spice blend. Collard greens are really starting to grow on me, unless that was Swiss chard in there. Are mustard greens a thing?
Chicken, Wild Rice & Veggie Bowl:
A tasty mix of carrots, greens with chicken and a bit of rice. Seems like an odd end recipe but decent flavor and the right amount for a healthy lunch. Walnuts gave it an interesting woody punch. I would have preferred some more starch or more greens. This was not my favorite but still a nice dish. After several years of Freshly, I can fully appreciate food that isn’t assembly line cuisine, run through a buffalo chopper and steam table.
Pesto Chicken Salad:
I saved the pesto til last, when I had some good rye bread. I like pesto and thought about adding this to some penne but I’m lazy. Instead, I ate some on arugula salad and the rest on rye. I added bits of Serrano pepper to both. Salad got balsamic dressing while the sandwich a bit of Kikkoman wasabi sauce.
A tangy pesto on its with a balanced amount of garlic. I would describe it as bright with a bite. I thought there was a lot of parsley til I read the ingredients and realized I was tricked into eating kale. I forgive them. I found a few whole pine nuts which didn’t bother me but might be off putting to others. I could eat this every week instead of lunch meat.
Conclusion: I really liked all of these meals. All of the proteins were well seasoned and cooked properly. Obviously you can’t beat free food but I will definitely go back and check the price structure when my budget allows.
Nourish is leagues above Freshly and a very close rival to Sunbasket. In some ways they surpass them if you prefer more traditional recipes. SB excels at curries and more eclectic cuisine. Still, these ladies definitely know what they’re doing.
~Roll Tide.
