What's it like to have three days of raw plant based meals made for you? A review of the My Foods Raw Vegan Experience

It arrived on Friday morning, delivered to the office, ready to go for a Saturday morning start: three days of gourmet raw vegan meals pre-made, shrink wrapped in pouches, and shipped in a sturdy chiller box. A weekend and a Monday of no food preparation yet excellent meals, what more could I ask for?

Shipped straight from My Foods, their Raw Vegan Experience quickly unpacked from the chiller box and into the fridge, with a clear menu telling me what to eat when. All good.

After a sleep in on Saturday morning the breakfast smoothie is quick to open and put in glass, ready to go. It’s slightly tangy from the lime and ginger, yet sweet from the agave, banana, and orange juice, with the linseeds giving something to bite on, encouraging the digestive juices to do their work. Definitely more a chef’s creation than my usual more ‘industrial’ smoothies.

A little more awake, I look at my diary and realise I have to get the train in twenty minutes for yoga and then the gym. High speed bag packing ensues and I quickly make one of my own creation protein smoothies to eat on the go. I think the My Food portion sizes are a little feminine, and so I’m happy to add on extra, leaving the lunch to become first course tonight, before hitting dinner as second course.

Back from working out, it’s time to eat. Plates go on the warmer section of my ridiculously large farmhouse stove; cauliflower and sushi nori rolls with tahini sauce on one and homestyle chilli on the other. Fifteen minutes later they’re gently warmed and ready to go. The cauliflower and vegetables in the nori rolls are really good and made better by the slightly tangy tahini sauce and diced fresh mango. The homestyle chilli is really quite spicy and rich. Two meals in one sitting might have been a little optimistic even for me, though that doesn’t stop me from slowly devouring the chocolate and orange mousse pudding afterwards. Afterwards I’m full but not weighed down by the meals, even though I’ve stuffed my face.

Today’s meals have been a success. I’ve added in an extra protein smoothie but as I’ve been to both yoga and the gym that seems fair enough.

Sunday morning comes and I’m crawling out of bed, having been awake thinking about the big issues of the world much of the night. Just time for me to make a smoothie to drink on the go as I whiz out the door for an appointment. The My Foods stash will have to wait, though at least I get to take the cacao and almond power balls with me to eat as I go. Sunday is spent entirely on the go, well away from the meals tucked away in my fridge.

It’s tougher than I expected to have my meals made and delivered for me. It seems my lifestyle gets in the way.

Monday morning and it’s an early start. Chia seed breakfast ready to go, washed down with my usual coconut butter enriched coffee. It’s a fast start for an 8am client call. The ready to go breakfast tastes of raisin and cinnamon and is substantial. Good result.

At lunch I share with a friend three meals in one: the Moroccan carrot salad with avocado dressing, the oriental salad, and the sundried tomato bolognaise. The salads are very good, tasty and with a sachet of Thai dressing ready to go. The bolognaise is a little heavy for us. Overall it’s a quality of gourmet meal that I wouldn’t have even known how to make, let alone found the time to prepare.

So what do I think of my three day raw vegan gourmet experience? As somebody with a demanding lifestyle and workout programme I would have liked more protein in the meals (though that can be difficult to combine with gourmet raw vegan cuisine). And I found it surprisingly difficult to eat on a prepared schedule. As somebody who’s used to living on somewhat industrial smoothies, the taste combinations are definitely more sophisticated than I’m used to. Overall it’s been a good experience.

With thanks to My Foods who provided their Raw Vegan Experience. The full menu for the three days was:

Day 1

Breakfast: Love The Feeling Smoothie Seeds of Love Mix & Herbal Tea

Lunch: Cauliflower & Sushi Nori Rice with Mango & Sunflower Seed Salad & Tahini Dip

Snack: Energy Ball & Herbal Tea

Dinner: Homestyle Chilli

Snack: Chocolate & Orange Mousse

Day 2

Breakfast: Chia Seed Breakfast

Snacks: Seeds of Love Mix & Herbal Tea

Lunch: Moroccan Carrot Salad with Avocado Salsa

Snack: Energy Ball & Herbal Tea