I've been trying for some time to eat better and with the recent diagnosis of my youngest child having congenital heart disease on top of severe asthma and my middle child having epilepsy, it's even more important for myself and my girls to eat healthier. Sometimes it's not always easy to eat healthier nor to have the time to cook a great meal between working, running a non-profit for children and blogging. I have to admit that I was a bit reluctant to try out the meal selections when I was asked to review Personal Chef To Go given past experiences with meals through the mail although I have to confess, I'm referring to diet type programs. If you want to read the entire post, I welcome you to do so but if you are limited in time, please scroll down for a review summary at the end.
I was surprised to receive all the food still cold as living far west, it's hard to get packages still on ice but these were perfect. Personal Chef To Go did an amazing job packing them in a reusable Styrofoam cooler with reusable ice packs. They even provide ideas on how to reuse the items and how to dispose of the other packaging material to be as green as possible. I love these type of coolers and ice packs and never throw them out so it's an extra bonus. The items were all packed nice and neat and even the dinner rolls managed to arrive without a smash or dent in them. Now, the hard part was deciding what to try first! As I sat on my computer, I kept thinking about the really green salad and rolls so that was my first meal to try along with my middle daughter.
The Fresh Green Salad serves 2-3 and contains the nutritional information along with storage instructions. It's made of romaine lettuce, red peppers, green peppers, cherry tomatoes, red onions and has a balsamic dressing that is just right. Not too heavy and not too light. The vegetables were all in their prime and each had wonderful flavor. The cherry tomatoes lit up the salad for me as they burst with such a wonderful sweet taste. It was the perfect salad. The dinner rolls made it an ideal lunch.
Next on our list was the baby carrots and rice. As you can see in the picture, the spices made it such an eye appealing dish. This was a favorite of my youngest daughter. I was surprised as I expected to bite in to crunchy carrots but the carrots were cooked to perfection and had a wonderful taste along side the flavorful rice. It was a very healthy and tasty side dish.
For an entree, we had the Greek Chicken Penne Pasta that was made from grilled chicken breasts and whole grain pasta with peppers, peppers, red onions, and olives tossed in a tomato sauce and topped with feta and Parmesan cheeses. Another great dish that was perfectly flavored. The spices were just right as well as the amount of the tomato sauce. The cheeses perfectly enveloped just the right pieces of chicken and pasta to give great flavor in each bite.
Pomodoro Shrimp tossed in fresh basil, garlic and tomatoes and served with the dish below that of roasted sweet potatoes and petite mushrooms. Another perfect tasting meal! The shrimp was not spicy and was tender. The sauce was rich and tasty. My personal favorite were the roasted sweet potatoes as I'm a sweet potato fan!
Next on the menu was Italian Style Chicken Stew made with chicken breasts simmered in tomatoes, spinach, cannelloni beans and Parmesan cheese served with whole grain macaroni. The chicken was full of flavor and the tomatoes, spinach, cannelloni beans and Parmesan cheese provided the perfect flavor combination to compliment the chicken. The whole grain macaroni was not overpowering with flavor but was perfectly done. My girls didn't like it but they are unfortunately, macaroni and cheese fans. I like the idea of eating whole grains and this provided the perfect balance.
Our next meal was Grilled Herb Marinated Pork Chops that were grilled with their special herb marinade served with petite baby carrots. Again, perfect! It's amazing the quality and abundance of flavors every meal had. As you can see from the pictures above, spices are definitely used to maximize the wonderful tastes. My girls did like this meal!
As you notice, each meal was prepared in a healthy manner. No deep frying, no bread coatings or such. When Personal Chef To Go states, "Where professional chefs deliver smart'n healthy meals for a smart'n healthy lifestyle," they mean it. Here is my youngest with all smiles happy with her meal. It looks like my middle one is sticking out her tongue and she might have because she didn't like the chicken but she's a typical child and likes her chicken nuggets.
How it Works:
Personal Chef To Go's online site details everything you might want to know about the mail delivery program. You get to see the meals you want before you order to ensure it's what you would want. You can even see the next menu to plan accordingly and choose the frequency of delivery to include an auto-delivery that features a bonus of exclusive access to the Chef's Table which has a lot of material as well as a savings per week.
Each meal arrives in a flavor-fresh container that has a "enjoy or freeze by" date clearly written on the package. The dates are far enough in advance that you can enjoy the week's menu all week long without worrying about them expiring and since you can freeze them, never a problem if you have plans for dinner out.
You decide on the meal that suits your lifestyle best and choose from:
- Busy Singles;
- Couples on the Go; or
- Family Favorites
Each meal is simple to prepare and only requires minutes in the microwave but you can also bake in the oven if you prefer.
Special requests for dietary restricted foods and allergies can also be accommodated
You can read more about who Personal Chef To Go is here.
Menu Costs:
- Busy Singles ($99.95/week)
- Five entrees and three entree salad lunches
- Couples on the Go ($129.95/week)
- Ten individually packaged dinners consisting of two servings of each of our chef's five guilt-free selections are included in this package.
- Family Favorites ($89.95/week)
- Choose from either a full, 16-serving plan (four meals/four servings each); or a half, 8-serving order (two servings each).
- Dinner Only ($69.95/week)
- Five individually packaged dinners consisting of a single serving of the five weekly entrees from the Couples on the Go menu are included in this package.
- Lunch and Dinner Menu ($124.50/week)
- 5-single serving lunches and 5-single serving dinners from our most popular weekly items
Review Summary:
Overall, the very best in pre-packaged foods in the store or via mail delivery. I daresay even better than most of my meals as they are truly delicious with the right blend of spices and other ingredients. It's easy to see that the meals are prepared by recipes created by chefs. The portions are perfectly sized for two adults or one adult and two children. The variety of the menus also give you a break from the same old thing night after night. With the convenience of ordering and delivery from the ease of preparation, it's the ideal way to be healthier without breaking the bank. Personal Chef To Go definitely has an excellent idea here especially for the busy families or singles on the go!
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