Meatless Monday Review: Marley Spoon Recipe Box

Posted on February 15, 2016 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

Looking for some Meatless Monday Inspiration but short on time, ideas, cooking skills? Switch it up with a recipe/meal delivery service, Marley Spoon! We received 2 free recipe boxes from Marley Spoon to review for all you organic peeps out there. Marley Spoon actually has a wide delivery area including the UK, Netherlands, Germany, Australia and ‘Murica (that’s layman for America).

We Galentine’s Day-ed it up a little early and decided to have a cooking date night to try two recipes: Quinoa Burgers and Broccoli Coconut Soup.

Here’s how the service works:

It is a subscription service but you can pause the service when you like. Your order is delivered on either a Tuesday or Friday in a cooler box so it keeps cook ready. A variety of 7 chef created recipes are available each week catering to different culinary preferences (meaty, veggie, global inspired, vegan, dino..ok no dino but we are checking how closely you are reading).

You have a choice of a 2 person box or a family box to feed a small crowd with pricing that ranges between $48 (2x meals a week) to $139 for 4 family meals per week. We actually spend more on groceries ourselves sometimes so the pricing seems pretty reasonable for the time you save.

What Rises to the Occasion:

Delivery: Delivery was on point and our boxes were waiting when we arrived. Everything is pre-packaged so no need to measure.

Recipes: Recipes come with gorgeous color photos of each step and outline exactly what you need to have on hand on your own (small staples like salt and olive oil). Portions are more than what we would expect for 2 people. For example, our Quinoa Burger recipe yielded 5 burgers and we had plenty extra couscous and soup from the Broccoli Soup recipe. Depending on your appetite, you may be able to get 2 full meals for 2 out of each recipe (hooray leftovers!).

Appearance: Both recipes looked like what was on the recipes cards when completed. We felt like fancy french chefs.

Taste: The kale chips were crunchy and addictive…possibly the easiest part of the recipe box. Our veggie burgers were hearty and filling. The soup had a bi-partisan reaction…more on that below.

What Should Be on the Chopping Block:

Souper Spicy?: With cooking, there is always room to grow! With both of us being a level up from amateur kitchen goers, we think a few things could be improved. The broccoli soup recipe was extra spicy for some reason and didn’t have the creamy consistency that appears in the picture. We would have liked more of a coconut flavor and would have modified that spice to flavor ratio for some more depth. It was possibly the green curry with ginger that could have been baby spiced to improve the other flavors in the soup.

Time: It took us 2 hours to make everything. For a busy person, this might not serve. One suggestion would be for Marley Spoon to provide pre-chopped or diced ingredients but we aren’t sure how this would affect the freshness of produce.

Final Course Thoughts?:

Taste your dishes throughout the cooking process and modify them if you like! We added paprika and chili powder to our kale chips and were pleased with the results. Don’t be afraid to be a kitchen rebel if you know how to cook to season items to your liking.

Bonding: We had a super fab time cooking together. We could see this as a intimate date night, girls night out or bachelorette type experience, or just a way to liven up the ho hum experience of weekly cooking.

Overall, we loved the experience of learning to cook new recipes and spending time in the kitchen together. Ingredients are local sourced and grass fed animules, making you feel a bit at ease for what you are consuming. Food waste is cut own bu the pre-packaged format as well. If you’re looking for a culinary adventure with less effort, we suggest giving Marley Spoon a try! Use the Promo Code CHIORGANIC for $35 off your first box.

Halos Mandarins Giveaway

Posted on February 8, 2016 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

Why HALOOOOOO there! We love giving away love to our readers but even better is a giveaway with pocket sized healthy treats, just in time for Valentine’s Day. So have you ever tried Wonderful Halos mandarins? At 50 calories each, these little orange fruits pack a punch of vitamin C without the seeds. We were given a bag to try but we’ve been buying these bebes in bulk since winter citrus became the rage again (or in season as the laymen say). You can just throw them in your lunch bag, peel them without ruining your manicure, and with minimal desk mess.

But let’s veer off the beaten grove path. You can also cook some sunny recipes with Halos to brighten up your day.

One gloomy Sunday, we went bananas for mandarins with our brunch.

Baked Orange French Toast from Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom

We kept close to the recipe but shaved off the zest of a Halos mandarin and subbed cinnamon for nutmeg. Make sure you butter the pan or use PAM spray as our forgetfully blissful selves missed this step and our french toast had separation anxiety from the baking pan. Taste overrides appearance, however, and this orangey french toast didn’t disappoint. We tossed some mandarin pieces on top with a drizzle of pure maple syrup for pure deliciousness.

Blueberry Orange Oatmeal Muffins from Damn Delicious

This tasty and healthy recipe from home cook and blogger, Chungah An, features greek yogurt, fresh blueberries and orange zest. These little muffins were simple to make, moist, fluffy and fruity!

Looking for more Wonderful mandarin Halos ideas? Wonderful Halos has a cool creative blog with more than just recipes. Just in time for Valentine’s day, you can find sweet crafts and snacks to delight kids and adults alike.

Orange you glad we shared these recipes (hehehehe)? Now for the giveaway details so you can make your own holiday halo-ful:

Your Wonderful Halos Gift Basket giveaway includes a juicy bunch of Wonderful Halos mandarins,a Wonderful Halos branded lunch box, backpack, water bottle, chapstick (mandarin flavored), sunglasses and stress ball shaped like a mandarin.

Enter here: a Rafflecopter giveaway and happy halo-ing!

Meatless Monday Recipe Roundup: Sweet Potatoes!

Posted on January 25, 2016 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

Sometimes veggie cooking can get a bit boring so we hunt the interwebs for new ideas. With winter on our cold minds, our thoughts have been on fireplaces, s’mores, root veggies and anything toasty and easy….after all, cooking can be … Continue reading →

Sweet Scarletts Grapefruit Giveaway

Posted on December 21, 2015 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

Saying “so long” to sweet summer strawberry season can be saddening but as berries make their way out, sunny peak seasoned citrus can fill your fruit fancies. Maybe grapefruit, however, isn’t normally your top citrus treat. Grapefruit can bring memories … Continue reading →

Hakka Bakka Kati Rolls Giveaway

Posted on December 11, 2015 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

It’s not often that you learn the origins of a specialty food when you’re checking out a new restaurant but Kati Rolls, although newer to Chicago, have a true history. Conceptualized originally in Kolkata, India, the kati (meaning stick) roll … Continue reading →

Bake 425º Pizza Review

Posted on November 30, 2015 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

For once the suburbs beat Chicago to something yummy. New local business, Bake 425°, promises Farm-to-Crust Bake at Home pizza and operates in Highland Park, Hinsdale, Evanston, Glencoe, Winnetka and Lake Forest. Bake 425° took over the hole left by HomeMade Pizza Kitchen but with a modified format. Owner, Bill Borneman, decided to keep the ease of the pre-made ready to cook pizza but shift to locally sourced, small batch and organic ingredients. Specialty diets are honored with gluten free crust and vegetarian pizza options. For traditionalists, classic cheese, Margherita and “pick your own topping” choices begin the menu. Adventurous pizza monsters (like us) will be pleased, however, by the unique menu items like Poblano and Chicken Sausage pizza or the Earth Lover pizza with truffle oil, Yukon Potatoes, Portabello mushrooms and Béchamel.

Bake 425° gave us one pizza, one salad and a cookie to sample and review. We chose the Go Green vegetarian pizza, Sunshine salad and chocolate chip cookie.

What we liked:

Pizza: The Go Green pizza comes with pistachio pesto sauce, brussel sprouts, quartered cherry tomatoes, garlic oil and mozzarella. Pesto sauce on pizza is a total thumbs up and the brussel sprouts were (thankfully) roasted and crisp. Crust is whole grain so some consumers may not be used to the dough’s heartier taste compared to white flour.

Salad: The Sunshine salad was filled with spicy arugula greens, roasted butternut squash, pine nuts and shaved mozzarella. Lemon oil dressing complimented the mix with a tart and bright flavor. The salad did need a little bit of salt and pepper to balance the sour lemon.

Ease of Cooking: Bake 425° gives you everything you need to cook your ‘za, except an oven of course. Instructions are clear and you are provided with parchment paper for cooking, eliminating the need for any pans or clean up!

Serving Sizes: We fed three people, which averaged about $10 dollars a person…not bad for a quality take home meal.

What we would change:

The Chocolate Chip Cookie: Nothing really against the taste of the cookie but after eating a pizza, maybe the gelato that Bake 425° offers would balance out the meal better than ending with more dough. We were so stuffed from the pizza, we barely touched the chocolatey dude.

Why would you try it?

When you are having one of those “I wanna stay in my blankey and bake on my couch” kind of nights, Bake 425° can simplify your night without compromising your taste buds.

Seasons 52 New Winter Menu

Posted on November 23, 2015 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

Chicago had it’s first snow fall Saturday-officially pushing our glorious fall weather onto a slippery patch of ice and out the door. As the nights become darker earlier, we find ourselves seeking toasty dishes to fulfill our need for warmth … Continue reading →

Free Nutrition and Fitness Event with Freshii and Trainology!

Posted on November 2, 2015 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

Quick: Name some famous duos!

Batman and Robin

Peanut Butter and Jelly

Freshii and…Trainology?

Teaming up this week, TRAINology Fitness Chicago‘s top trainer, Michael Wollpert will bring his “A” game and freshii franchiser and former personal trainer, Alex Blair, will bring the “lettuce” for a night of health and wellness tid bits, freshii bites, giveaways (we heart these) and Q&A, so ask whatever you like!

When: Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 5 p.m.

Where: The brand new funky fresh 1871 freshii location on the 12th floor of the Merchandise Mart.

What: An hour long fitness and nutrition talk with experts, Michael and Alex, moderated by A Sweat Life blogger, Jeana Anderson Cohen. Food and giveaways throughout the evening. RSVP to allison@trainologychicago.com to save a spot!

Get Green with new OrganicGirl foods!

Posted on October 9, 2015 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

We’ve known about our namesake almost twinsie, Organicgirl greens, for over a year now. Their organic pre-rinsed greens mixes have taken center stage in our fridge for months. Their spinach has starred in our green smoothies, their arugula pizzazzed our pizzas. And yet, we were surprised to find out they had ventured into 2 new product markets, green juices and salad dressings. Could they get any greener!?

As big Organicgirl fans, we got to sample both the dressings and juices at the recent Fit Foodie Run and (BONUS) were treated by Organicgirl to our very own bottles for further taste inspection.

We’ve been wondering, we have all these BPA free recycled clam shells of Organicgirl spring mix, what do we dress it with!? Lemon Agave, White Cheddar, Fresh Tomato Italian or Kale Parmesan.

Can we put a squeeze of each on single leaves? Each dressing has it’s only unique flavor profile that fits particularly well with the various greens that Organicgirl offers.

The Zesty Tomato Italian mingles with pepper greens, feta, artichokes, olives and roasted garlic. For a fast and easy lunch, take a Toufyan multigrain pocket filled with greens, organic yellow cherry tomatoes, Morningstar Farms grilled chicken and dressing.

The Kale Parmesan, reminiscent of pesto, meshes with super greens, quiona, baked butternut squash, red and green bell peppers, and pumpkin seeds.

Continue fall trends with White Cheddar dressing drizzled over a spinach, green apple, dried cranberry salad with walnuts or hold on to summer with Lemon Agave dressing, watermelon, pinches of cayenne, jalapeno and that baby spring mix we mentioned. Another quick lunch creation to add with raw organic greens include cucumbers, veg grilled chicken and shaved Parmesan.

Also, check out this super cool blog, Nutrition Happens, for even more recipe ideas. Let’s get drizzical, drizzlical (Olivia Newton John reference!) with these new drizzly dressins’.

Next, the super secret just released Organicgirl “Get Real” Juices

Fair Warning: If you are the type who loves your juice super fruity fruit loop flavored, these may seem a little..umm..veggie heavy (aka healthy tasting). However, fear not. Organicgirl tells you these organic cold pressed vegan juices are “More Greens, Less Fruit” so you can’t act like you didn’t know. They are way lower in calories (think 45-60 for a full bottle) and way way lower in sugar so you won’t feel like you are crashing after drinking them. Additional goodness: They have 2-3 servings of veggies in each bottle so it’s an easy way to down a head o’ lettuce or two to start your day or supplement your lunch. 4 veg-rrific options await you: The light and lemony “Brighten Up”, The minty cucumber “Be Cool”, The King of All Greens and ruler of the iron throne (hehehehe) Kale Rules and….

Our vote for best Organicgirl juice: “Fuel Your Ride” with 84% Greens and Veg, pumped up with kale, carrot, spinach, cucumber, beet and parsley. We suspect the beet and carrot create a magical spell to make the kale less bitter. Don’t be green with envy (HA!) other juices.

You can find Organicgirl products at Mariano’s (unless it’s Sunday when everyone snags all the baby spinach and makes us sad. Don’t go on Sundays, people) as well as other food retailers in your salad-hood.

Go Macrobar for Vegan Energy

Posted on October 5, 2015 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

Good things come in small packages! That’s what Kate always says about her height and what Monica says about GoMacro’s Macrobars. Pocket sized (more like IPhone sized for your back pocket) Macrobars pack a healthy snack punch and cater to an array of dietary needs and taste preferences.

Sweet back story: Co-founder, Amelia Kirchoff, grew up on a cozy London farm where her parents used the minimal produce they grew to sustain themselves. In 2003, after being diagnosed with breast cancer and enduring a lumpectomy and brachytherapy, Amelia turned down additional treatments and turned up for a macrobiotic diet and lifestyle. Amelia’s adult daughter, GoMacro co-founder and CEO, Jola Sonkin, supported and joined her in her lifestyle change.

Macrobiotic nutrition focuses on increasing your intake of whole grains, produce and beans while limiting or excluding meat, dairy, eggs and processed foods. Controlled amounts of fish and healthy dessert are acceptable so Amelia ventured into the world of scrumptious vegan goodies with farm fresh fruits and grains from their Midwest family farm.

GoMacro meditates on basic tenets to guide its products: Sustainability, Giving Back, Macrobiotics, Wholesomeness and (Hip Hip…no hippos or any other animal for that matter!) Vegan

Macrobars go for the green-gold with plant based proteins, gluten/additive/GMO freedom, organic origins, compostable containers and a reduced carbon footprint.

Our must have Macrobars:

Our taste buds meandered around the tropical tastes of the Balanced Goodness Macrobar, with coconut and crunchy granola. We are suckers for coconut! The Sunny Uplift with tart cherries and sweet berries tempted our tummies with it’s ripe chewy fruit bits and the Morning Harvest Macrobar with apple and walnut reminded us of a warm baked apple on a crisp autumn day.

Macrobars have a tiny ingredient list and there is no foreign” hydra-processed-glutamate PBA” (we made that up) Frankenstein like ingredients. Expect brown rice syrup or coconut sugar, nut or seed (!) butters, cacao and more fruit than an orchard squeezed into a colorful pouch. Kate went on a stint of what she calls the mornin’ Macrobar mania. Basically, it means you roll out of bed as late as possible, pack a Macrobar, fresh pressed veggie juice and an apple in your bag for a breakfast that lasts til’ lunch. Trusted by athletes (like the LA Clippers) and fit dabblers (like us) alike, Macrobars offer balanced energy as well without the crash.

Macro-your way to Whole Foods or online to treat yo’self with a full sized Macrobar or a Macrobar mini for those max hunger moments.

Chi Organic Girls

Category Archives: Food