pesto

Our Family Review of Sun Basket

This shop was compensated with free product from Sun Basket for the purpose of providing a review. If you click on a link within the post and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission from the sale at no extra cost to you. All opinions are mine alone.

There are many grocery and meal delivery services available these days and we were so happy to be provided with Sun Basket for a review. We have never tried a meal system such as this one before. I worry that these are too expensive and that it won’t supply my family with enough food. Let’s see how Sun Basket was for my family.

If you are a newbie to the idea, here is how Sun Basket works:

Visit Sun Basket.
Pick your plan. There are meals for 2 and family plans available.
Choose your meals.
Once the Sun Basket box is delivered to your doorstep, follow the recipe cards to create beautiful meals.

All ingredients were delivered in a medium sized box to my front door in just a few days after selecting my meals. I took the photo above to display how organized everything is. All the ingredients were nicely packaged, clearly labeled and fresh. I was very impressed with all the organically grown foods and the fruits that were all perfectly ripe, the herbs were just right, and vegetables as green as they can be. The meat was all packaged and sealed tight so there was no worry of leakage onto other ingredients. Each meal was also packaged in a paper bag to easily store in the fridge and keep the ingredients separate from other meals.

The only issue with the delivery was I had one egg cracked. Not a big deal for myself, we always have plenty of eggs in the fridge so it was not a headache to replace it.

The only extra ingredients need from my pantry were olive oil, salt and pepper. All the meals took under 40 minutes to cook and since most of the preparation was already done for me, besides some chopping, all these meals were super quick to get on the dinner table.

Day one we cooked Mrs. Scorsese’s Lemon Chicken and it was fantastic! The recipe card was very easy to follow. I did make one change in preparation by cutting the potatoes smaller than asked. It just makes dinner easier with young kids have everything bite sized. The rosemary on the potatoes was absolutely delicious and the broccoli turned out perfectly. The chicken had a light lemon flavor that the entire family enjoyed.

Day two we made the Spicy Chorizo and Tomatillo Chili with Coconut and Lime. I was worried that it may be a little spicy for the kids so I made some chicken on the side just in case, plus the soup was intended for 2 servings. My eight year old son ended up eating an entire bowl for himself. The soup was just a little spicy and had a nice balance of sweet. The pumpkin seeds and coconut milk were a nice touch that typically I wouldn’t think of on my own.

Day three, we cooked the Red Pepper Frittata with Arugula Pesto and the Orange Ginger Smoothie. I also made some hash browns on the side since I wanted to make sure everyone got enough food for dinner. We do love breakfast for dinner!

The frittata took about 15 minutes to prep and cook. The arugula pesto was excellent! So fresh and tasty and paired perfectly with the roasted red pepper.

The only item from our entire Sun Basket box that we did not like was the Orange Ginger Smoothie. I did not enjoy it and neither did my kids. I had a feeling that would be the case when I ordered it but it was nice to try something different and have the kids try something new. The orange was perfectly ripe and juicy and the ginger was fresh. It just wasn’t for our taste buds. My taste buds did not do a happy dance on this one.

My biggest worries about Sun Basket were the price and the amount of food we received. Once I saw the quality of ingredients and the creativity of the meals themselves, the price was not a big deal for me. We spend a lot of money in food every week and this is much cheaper than going out to eat and about the same price as ordering Chinese food for us but so much healthier. The pricing is honestly very fair. As far as the amount of food we received. It was just right! The serving sizes are well portioned. We are a family of four and we all have hearty appetites. Nobody went hungry and we even had a little bit of leftovers.

Overall Review of Sun Basket:

Overall review of Sun Basket is that the meal system is excellent. High quality, organic ingredients and creative recipes all packaged nicely and very convenient. I do not enjoy going to the grocery store and it was such a treat to have everything we need delivered but still healthy and still packed full of flavor. The biggest reason to order Sun Basket again will be to try new meals. It is hard to come up with dinner ideas every night of the week, it gets exhausting and I think most families get into a rut of chicken, rice, and a vegetable every other night. Sun Basket will help you explore new tastes and shake up that boring chicken night.

Have you tried Sun Basket yet?

Shrimp Pesto Linguine

Shrimp Pesto Linguine with a homemade kale pesto sauce, shrimp sautéed in butter and linguine pasta. This meal only takes about 15 minutes to cook, is packed full of nutrition with the kale pesto and is hearty and comforting. I recommend doubling the sauce and using half for later, maybe try some Kale Pesto Chicken Sandwiches for lunch. The pesto has really nice flavor with a hint of kale, parmesan cheese, garlic, almond and olive oil without any single ingredient overpowering. Pesto is an easy ingredient swap, so if you don’t like kale or almonds swap them out for another herb or nut.

I bought the shrimp today deveined already so it made my job a little easier. Make sure to buy a fresh shrimp and clean them well before cooking, although as I am living in Cincinnati right now I understand you may not be able to buy it fresh. Shrimp should not have an over powering fishy smell and the shells should not have any spots or grit on them. Shrimp also cooks very quickly, a minute on each side so watch them closely because overcooked shrimp turns out tasting very rubbery. I hope your family enjoys this dish. Shrimp Pesto Linguine is a great go to quick family meal that just makes you feel good because it is healthy and fills your families tummies.

Shrimp Pesto Linguine

3 tablespoons butter
1 pound shrimp
1 pound linguine
Kale Pesto
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil plus more
3/4 cup almonds
2 garlic cloves
1 cup parmesan cheese
.5 bunch of kale
pinch of salt

Gather ingredients, pot, pan, food processor, strainer, cutting board, knife, basic kitchen instruments.
Wash vegetables and shrimp well.
Cook linguine according to package directions.
Put the pan on a medium heat and let it heat up while you make the pesto sauce.
Place the olive oil, kale, almonds, garlic, salt and parmesan cheese into food processor and blend until smooth. This only takes around 3 minutes. Taste test. Pesto may need more salt. Blend another minute.
Your pan should be hot now, add the 3 tablespoons of butter and let it melt.
Add the pound of shrimp to pan and cook one minute each side. The shrimp will go from opaque to white. Remove from heat and dump the pesto in.
The linguine should be finishing cooking, strain and add to pan.
Mix all ingredients well and serve.

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Kale Pesto Chicken Sandwich

Kale Pesto Chicken Sandwich with a kale almond pesto sauce, tomatoes, chicken on French bread. Perfect for a warm lunch straight out of the oven or reheated the next day. We eat these cold too, prepare and wrap them in foil the night before and grab a lunch on the go. This sandwich really is all about that kale pesto! Fresh ingredients and nutritious kale with almonds and a little bit of olive oil and garlic. If you have never made a pesto before, do not at all be intimidated. All the ingredients get dumped in the food processor and blend until it is a nice and consistent paste like sauce. The rest of the sandwich is basic, simple baked chicken and cheese with tomatoes so the kale pesto really amps up your boring, regular sandwich into something you can look forward to at lunch. You may have some kale pesto left over, you can store in a sealed container in the fridge for about 2 weeks.

Kale Pesto Chicken Sandwich

French bread (I bought two small ones today)
2 tomatoes
1/2 bunch of kale
2 chicken breasts
4 slices provolone cheese
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil plus more
3/4 cup almonds
2 garlic cloves
1 cup parmesan cheese

Gather ingredients, cutting board, knife, foil, food processor and baking sheet.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Wash all fruits and vegetables.
Take both the chicken breasts and fillet them because you want them to be thinner for the sandwich.
Lay foil over baking sheet with the 4 pieces of chicken. Cover with a pinch of olive oil, salt and pepper and all sides. Let cook for 40 minutes.
While the chicken cooks, begin the kale pesto sauce.
In the food processor, dump 3/4 cup almonds, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 garlic cloves, 1 cup parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste, and 10 kale leaves. Blend for 3 minutes. Taste and add salt if needed. Blend 1 more minute.
Slice tomatoes.
After chicken is finished cooking, remove from oven.
Assemble sandwiches with chicken on bottom, cheese, tomatoes, and kale (optional), slather top of French bread with the kale pesto and viola!