New year, new me. Right? Well, sort of. I’m really not a fan of resolutions, or the notion we should do a complete 180 on the person we were last year. I am, however, always excited to start the new year feeling fresh and return to routines that get a bit blurry during the holidays.
As a vegetarian and plant-based eater, I already keep fruits and vegetables at the forefront of my meals every day. With the start of the new year and after indulging over the holidays, I wanted to get back to my whole foods-focused meals and routines without feeling deprived. One way I did it this year? By committing to eating plant-based, nutrition-packed Daily Harvest food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner all week.
I was already a fan of Daily Harvest Smoothies but hadn’t ventured into trying some of their other options. If I’m being honest, I’ve never really been a fan of ready-made meals. I often find them either bland in flavor or not filling enough to keep me from indulging in a late-night cookie hunt. Or even worse, I find myself having to compensate for the food not being hearty enough and having to substantiate the ready-made meal with a bunch of toppings or a side dish. At the end of the day, I think this kind of defeats the purpose of convenience. I am, however, open to trying new ways to incorporate more fruits and vegetables, and was excited to see what I would think about Daily Harvest outside of the smoothies (and more importantly, if the meals would keep me satisfied throughout my post-holiday reset!)
And if you want to see for yourself, you can use my code CAMILLE for up to $40 off your first box!
I first tried Daily Harvest’s Smoothies a couple of years ago, and I have kept a stash of them in my freezer ever since. The convenience of having almost-ready options that require zero prep but also incorporate ingredients that give me the variety I crave is irreplaceable. Plus, I love getting my daily serving of fruits and vegetables simply by adding just the ingredients and a liquid to a blender. As part of my post-holiday return to routine, I was excited to experience the full range of Daily Harvest collections.
If you’ve never tried Daily Harvest, let me give you the run down.
I use the weekly delivery plan regularly (but you can choose monthly as well). I love the flexible delivery option to pause weeks where I’m traveling or have a full freezer from recipe testing (and there’s an email reminder which is helpful in case I need to skip a week.) As a vegetarian, my hesitation with food delivery services is that they won’t have enough variety, so I love that everything offered by Daily Harvest is already plant-based. And it includes more than 100 options! The food is always gluten and dairy-free while also being devoid of gums, preservatives, and artificial anything, so it works for almost everyone.
What I love most about Daily Harvest is that it makes getting back to routine as easy as adding ingredients to a pan or into the oven. No prep needed, no shopping list for ingredients that will wither away in the back of the fridge, and no food waste! As a recipe developer, I love to cook and bake and get creative in the kitchen however, even I need convenient options that are just as flavorful as something I could make on my own. That’s what I really lean on Daily Harvest for. I can spend all day recipe testing and then lean on something easy and delicious when dinner comes around.
For my return to routine, I relied on the below collections to help me through the week.
- Smoothie and Oat Bowls for breakfast.
I tried the Almond + Vanilla Mylk this time and it was perfect for blending creamy smoothies and making my overnight oats taste extra delicious. The Mango + Greens and Strawberry + Peach are my go-to’s for most weekday mornings. - Forager Bowls and Flatbreads for lunch.
The Cremini + Miso Oat Bowl might be my favorite way to lunch now. And the Kale + Sweet Potato Flatbread makes lunch feel special. - Harvest Bakes for dinner.
A new dinnertime discovery that I might soon be stashing in my freezer for the ultimate convenient dinner meal. Daily Harvest JUST launched this collection for the new year! - Scoops and Bites.
Let me write a love letter to the Cold Brew + Roasted Espresso Bean Chip Scoops. And the Chocolate + Hazelnut Bites are the perfect late night treat. I’m returning to routine, but my sweet tooth still needs something to look forward to, and these did exactly that.
So let’s circle back to the Harvest Bakes. Of all the foods from Daily Harvest, the new collection might just be my favorite addition to my weekly deliveries.
So let’s start with the best part. There is absolutely no prep needed outside of preheating your oven. The Harvest Bakes cook up in just 20 minutes—baking in all the homemade flavors, but requiring none of the hard work! This option made for the perfect dinner as part of my return to routine, and because they are filled with healthy proteins and fiber, I felt completely satisfied. The servings are big enough to share, to save for later, or to keep all to yourself.
The true test of how good these are? Having my brother try them with me. He was in town visiting, and I knew if he tried them and liked them, they would work for anyone. Not only is he incredibly picky with flavors and ingredients, but he truly needs his dinner to be hearty. I thought he would need some extra toppings like an egg or avocado for them to feel like a full dinner, or top them with a bunch of sauces and toppings to enjoy the flavors.
The verdict? “This feels like something I’d want to eat rather than something I have to eat. Way better than any other ready-made freezer dinner I’ve ever had. It’s actually filling. I’d eat this again.”
Y’all, if Daily Harvest gets my brother’s seal of approval, the food will work for anyone.
We both really loved the Cremini + Smoked Paprika Ropa Vieja with plantains. I topped it with some dairy-free sour cream and chopped up cilantro and green onions. I was a big fan of the Gigante Bean + Artichoke Olio too and would absolutely bake it up in the oven for a quick and cozy dinner during these cold winter months. And my brother loved the Squash + Wild Rice Gratin, which we topped with some fresh basil and a squeeze of lemon. The flavors are delicious and I love that I can just place the baking tray right in the oven and have a filling dinner on a whim.
I’m considering my post-holiday reset a success thanks to these Bakes keeping my dinners delicious and satisfying.
While there are so many things to juggle these days, being able to incorporate my daily fruits and vegetables in a convenient and easy way is one less thing to worry about thanks to my Daily Harvest deliveries. I will for sure continue my smoothie-stashing ways, and can’t wait to start incorporating the Harvest Bakes and Scoops into my regular deliveries.
If you want to try out these delicious meals too, then take advantage of our exclusive code that will get you up to $40 dollars off your first box. Simply use CAMILLE at the checkout when you order from Daily-Harvest.com.
