Favorite things: Delicious foods you should know about and more

ByAshley Hours
Comments 42 Comments

Three cheers for the pending weekend! What’s the best part about the next couple of days for me? Right now, I have very few plans outside of a get-together with friends on Saturday night. It’s been another whirlwind of a week, and I could use some down-time. Now, let’s get right to it …

This week’s finds for “Favorite Things” 

A few randomly selected items that have been making me smile lately, and today, they are all food, food, food …

My favorite meals of the week

There are so many fresh-ingredient/recipe-boxed delivery services out there, and I’ve tried most of them. But ladies and gentlemen, Sun Basket just may be one of my favorites. The folks at Sun Basket sent me a sample-pack of three dinners (pre-measured ingredients and recipes, ready to be cooked, that is), and Dave and I devoured all three last week. In the process, we enjoyed new-to-us food and were pleasantly surprised by very healthy options, which we wouldn’t always gravitate to …

Sun Basket meals via A Lady Goes West blog

What a beautiful display — all made in the comfort of our own kitchen.

What was different about Sun Basket? The instructions were very clear. The food came packaged in recyclable material, which you can send back to the company to be reused, (which was an awesome point to me because I always hate that so much has to be tossed when you get fresh produce delivered). And even better, the company uses top-quality organic produce and sustainably sourced meat and seafood from the West Coast. 

While we were only able to cook up three meals from the service, I was impressed with the variety. You can choose breakfasts, lunches, snacks and more, which is another differentiating factor from the other delivery services out there that only offer dinner. Here’s what we enjoyed:

  • Vegetarian: Shakshuka with pita, feta and mint — A North African dish with spices and eggs, which took about 30 minutes to make.
  • Paleo and Gluten Free: Seared flank steak with broccolini, roasted parsnips and romesco — Super simple, colorful and tasty.
  • Vegetarian and Gluten Free: Lemongrass tofu with coconut forbidden rice — Soft tofu paired with sweet rice is one good combination and was my favorite of all three.

Sun Basket is currently only available in California, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Utah, Idaho and Nevada, with more locations on the way soon. If you’re in the mood for a convenient way to cook gourmet meals without even having to stop by the grocery store, this service is for you. Check out Sun Basket today << affiliate link!>>, and there are some awesome deals going on for you to get three meals free if you act soon.

My favorite snack of the week

Beans, beans, the magical fruit … how does that song go? All jokes aside, this new bean-based snack is totally different and not what you would expect. KALA’s brand new Beautiful Beans line includes healthy trail mixes, in which wholesome beans are the main ingredient. The folks at KALA sent me a big crate of their product, and Dave and I have quickly become fans of these better-for-you snacks …

Kala Beautiful Beans snack via A Lady Goes West

Naturally the salty/sweet “Cherry Trail Medley” featuring vanilla-gazed chickpeas, dark chocolate chunks, cherries, coconut and toasted fava beans was my favorite. But Dave was all about the “Tropical Curry Beans” featuring nothing but roasted fava beans with curry sauce and lime choice. 

These little bites have less calories than your average nut-based trail mix, but have just as much texture and taste. If you’ve never heard of them before, that’s because KALA Beautiful Beans are brand new and are available exclusively at Sprouts Farmers Market for purchase. If you plan to pick some up, you can save a dollar with this coupon. Thanks to the folks at KALA for sending me samples and a gift card to purchase more. I will!

My favorite easy frozen dinner

Let’s switch gears from talking about all of this healthy food and talk about a long-time favorite of both Dave and mine. For many, many years, every Sunday night was “pizza night” for us — whether we made our own or bought a ready-made one, we’ve tried it all. We seem to have pizza more often on Fridays these days if we stay home, because we’re just not in the mood to cook. Well, don’t judge a book by its cover with this one … 

Home Run Inn Pizza favorite by A Lady Goes West

I’ve never been to Chicago, but I trust they make a good pie …

We first brought a Home Run Inn pizza home from Publix back in Florida. It quickly became our go-to, however we had trouble finding it in California up until just a few months ago. Wouldn’t you know that Sprouts stocks these puppies? If you’re an oven-pizza type of person, give Home Run Inn a try. I wouldn’t say it’s the cleanest meal in all the land, but it sure is cheesy, dense and delicious.

My favorite links of the week

Did you miss the latest on A Lady Goes West this week? 

And from around the web worth checking out …

And I’ll leave you with this …

Almond butter and Rudy via A Lady Goes West

Doesn’t matter what I’m doing, Rudy is always happy to assist.

Totally delicious foods on this list of #faves ... Click To Tweet

Read more Favorite Things

To see more favorites, visit Heather‘s blog or my older “Favorite Things.” 

*There are affiliate links in this post. Thanks for your support.

Questions of the day

What’s on your agenda this weekend?

What’s something cool you’ve been loving lately?

Sun Basket 3 Meals Free

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42 Comments

  1. I tried Blue Apron awhile ago and was surprised by how long it actually took for me to cook the meals. Sun Basket sounds much easier since some things come already prepped. And I love that all these delivery services leave people no excuse to try to eat healthier! Have a great weekend!

    Reply

    1. Blue Apron took the longest for sure! But yes, overall, the fact that these services get people in the kitchen rather than ordering take-out is a major win. Happy Friday, Patricia!

      Reply

  4. I don’t have a Sprouts, but I simply MUST find these Kala snacks. As a trail mix lover who is no longer supposed to have almonds, this would be perfect for me. Hopefully they will spread my way soon.

    Happy Weekend to you, Dave and Rudy!

    Reply

  6. Awwww – thaaaanks, lady. 😉

    I’ll have to try out Sun Basket. Like some of the other commentary have mentioned, I was a HUGE fan of Blue Apron. Although I struggled because the ingredients went bad a bit too quickly for my liking. (I need more than two days to pull together three dinners, ya’ know.)

    Although I have already taken your tip and tried Home Run Inn pizza. While I hail from Chicago and will give warning that you can expect something a little different out of Chicago-style, Home Run has now become the Tombstone replacement for our Sunday night pizza-night tradition.

    Thanks for the tips! Have a great weekend!

    Reply

    1. Good to know, Jess. There’s nothing like the real thing. And Sun Basket is healthier and easier to make than Blue Apron — I bet you’d love it. Happy Friday! 🙂

      Reply

  7. I agree, Sun Basket is so awesome! I love that they’re more environmentally conscious than the other delivery services and the food is so creative. I would order it more often if I didn’t have to spend so much time developing my own recipes.

    And trail mix with beans? Genius idea! They look delicious!

    I hope you have a wonderful weekend and that you find some time to relax! xo

    Reply

  14. My boyfriend and I just decided to try out one of these services for a date night, I sure wish they were in my state. I did notice that although Blue Apron is really popular some others seem to have much freshier and healthier options.

    Reply

  15. OH YES! THANK YOU for that pizza rec!!! My fiance LOVES the pizza – so it would nice to just have that in the freezer JUST IN CASE! And a SPROUTS MARKET JUST OPENED UP DOWN THE STREET FROM ME! It’s fate! ha ha!

    Reply

  19. Yum! We have a similar service in my area but i dont think its as recycle/reuseable friendly. Ive heard its deliiocus though! Im alwasy happy for a quick and easy solution for dinners at the end of a long day! Hope you have a relaxing weekend!

    Reply

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