Are you considering trying out Splendid Spoon? Read on to have all your questions answered in an honest review. As a mom and someone who has a family, there are certain particulars to consider. I’ll fill you in right here!
Home Delivery Meals Services: Which to Choose?
There are all kinds of meal services out there. Some are for mere convenience. Others for mouth-watering food with little effort. Others are for health reasons. Splendid Spoon has all of that in one.
If you’re reading this, you’re probably looking for some real life experience with this before you sign up, especially if you’re a mom and have a family. I’m going to go ahead and share mine.
What is Splendid Spoon?
If you’re not familiar with Splendid Spoon, it’s a Brooklyn-based company that provides prepared meals delivered right to your home. A major distinguishing factor of Splendid Spoon is that these meals are plant-based. In addition, they are gluten-free, dairy-free, non-GMO, low in sodium and no added-sugars.
This is ideal for families with members with allergies.
How Does Splendid Spoon Work?
To begin with, you choose which plan you want:
Breakfast (Smoothies)
Breakfast & Lunch (Soup/Grain/Noodle Bowls)+ 1 Day Soup Reset
Breakfast & Lunch & Dinner (Soup/Grain/Noodle Bowls) + 1 Day Soup Reset
Next, you choose how frequently you want your plan delivered. You aren’t locked in to purchasing every week. You can choose every week if you want, but you can even choose every other week or even once a month.
The nice thing about this is that if you really just need supplemental healthy meals intermittently, you aren’t locked in.
Once you choose your plan, you can choose the specific smoothies and bowls you want; it’s not automatically chosen for you.
For breakfast, you get to choose from 15 smoothies.
For lunch/dinner, you can choose from bowls, soups, and noodles.
There are 30 options for soup and grain bowls, 8 options for noodle bowls, and 7 options for light soups.
You also can set filters for things such as high protein, lower carb, lower calories as well as eliminations (no soy, no tree nuts, etc.).
You truly can customize this to receive exactly what you want.
Meals can also be frozen and saved if you don’t plan to eat them or a change in schedule comes up.
How is Splendid Spoon Different from Other Meal Delivery Services?
The biggest factor that sets Splendid Spoon apart is that the meals are plant-based, so you get loads of options for non-meat meals. Because the meals are specifically created to be plant-based, you are getting the best of the best of that kind of diet. There are so many choices because that is all they make; it’s not just a filter you choose. If you or your family are struggling to get fruits and veggies into your diets, this automatically makes it happen.
Another factor that makes it distinct is that there’s zero meal prep involved, unless you want to heat up a bowl. Lots of meal plan services give you the menus and the ingredients, but you have to prepare it yourself. With Splendid Spoon, it literally is grab-and-go. That’s a very attractive feature for busy moms, especially if you work out of the home or if your family has a busy schedule.
The Splendid Spoon was also created by a former biochemist (and graduate of the International Culinary Center). Using knowledge from both areas of expertise, Creator Nicole Centeno designed meals to specifically be nourishing, filling, and delicious.
Will You Lose Weight?
Splendid Spoon doesn’t make any weight loss claims, but a plant-based diet is one of the healthiest ways to go, and often, weight loss is a natural by-product. So, if you’re a mom hoping to get your eating under control or just live a healthier lifestyle – for yourself and for your family – this definitely points you in the right direction.
My Personal Experience with Splendid Spoon
In full disclosure, I was sent a box from Splendid Spoon to try and review. As someone who rides the roller coaster on healthy eating, I was definitely interested in seeing what was offered and if it was something I could recommend in good conscience. I was also wondering how it would fit in with the rest of my family and their tastes.
First, I was very impressed with how the box arrived – beautifully arranged and complete with packaging to keep it cold and fresh.
I received 5 smoothies, 5 bowls/soups, and 3 wellness shots.
Once I looked the items over, I realized pretty quickly that the food was probably something only I would eat. My sons (6 years old) are super- picky, and they won’t even drink smoothies. My husband is less picky, but he is definitely a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy. Plus, I didn’t really want to share, lol.
With the package I received, I didn’t drink the smoothies and bowls in 10 consecutive meals. Instead, I worked them into my eating schedule as needed, as I felt that is how most moms with families would most likely consume them.
Smoothies
For the smoothies, I had the Mango Guava Smoothie, Strawberry Goji Smoothie, Cacao Almond Smoothie, Orange Hibiscus Smoothie and the Mint Chip Smoothie. All of them were delicious. There are technically 2 8 oz. servings in each container, but I drank the entire thing, knowing that I’d never be full on just 8 oz. Both servings together were about 250 calories, which is fine for a meal.
I found that the smoothies did keep me full up until lunch time, especially some of the ‘weightier’ smoothies, like the Mint Chip and Cacao Almond.
(The smoothies in the picture look a little chunky because they were frozen in delivery and were still thawing out. Once thawed, they were smooth and just like your typical smoothie texture).
Bowls/Soups
I was sent these bowls and soups: Vegetable Bolognese Bowl, Vegan Meatball Noodle, Kabocha Congee, Brown Rice Taco Bowl, and Creamy Mushroom and Spinach. To be honest, I think the taste is totally personal. If you already like the foods that are in the bowls, you will love them.
The first 3 bowls (Vegetable Bolognese Bowl, Vegan Meatball Noodle, Kabocha Congee) were delicious to me. The last 2 (Brown Rice Taco Bowl and Creamy Mushroom and Spinach) had spinach, which I’m not a fan of, so I didn’t love them. But if you love spinach, I think you definitely will!
Again, the bowls and soups are said to have 2 8 oz. servings per container, but if you are eating it as a meal, you can go ahead and eat both. If you are having it as a snack, just have one serving.
Personally, I found just 8 oz. was enough to keep me mostly full until the next meal.
The Cost of Splendid Spoon
That’s what everyone wants to know, right?
5 breakfast smoothies OR 5 Lunch Soup & Grain Bowls: $65 ($13 a meal, or $6.50 if you get 2 meals out of each smoothie or bowl)
5 Breakfast Smoothies AND 5 Lunch Soup-&-Grain Bowls: $95 ($9.50 a meal, or $4.75 if you get 2 meals out of each smoothie or bowl)
5 Smoothies, 5 Bowls, 5 Light Soups: $135 ($9 a meal, or $4.50 if you get 2 meals out of each)
5 Smoothies, 5 Soup & Grain Bowls, 5 Noodles, 5 Light Soups (Reset Day): $185 ($9.25 a meal or $4.63 if you get 2 meals out of each)
Roughly, we are looking at about $10 per container, about $5 per meal if you get 2 meals out of each.
You can do the math of what you normally spend per meal and see how this weighs out for you.
If money isn’t really a consideration and the time you save is really what motivates you, this is a great, fairly cost-effective option. When you consider how much eating out costs and what you actually get when you pay for fast food, for about the size of a combo meal at the drive-thru, you could be eating a healthy, nutritious and delicious meal.
What I Loved about Splendid Spoon
Sooo Convenient
Of course, I love the convenience. It’s so nice to be able to just go in the fridge and have a healthy meal waiting for you. I find that my biggest downfall in eating healthy is that there is nothing already made, so I just grab what’s convenient. And that’s usually the unhealthy stuff.
With Splendid Spoon, there’s no meal planning or meal prep. That’s a definite plus for me because I hate both, lol.
The Flavors: Delicious AND Healthy
This really is delicious food. I love that it is not full of preservatives and unhealthy ingredients. The bowls were so flavorful, and the smoothies were amazing, too.
Gets in Your Veggies
I don’t follow a full plant-based diet, but I do struggle with eating vegetables. I love that these were already prepared and in a delicious, healthy way.
What I Didn’t Love:
Not Much
Besides the bowls that I received that weren’t foods I enjoyed, there really wasn’t anything I didn’t like. The only downside would be the cost. I try to be as frugal as I can be, but I truly consider a healthy lifestyle an investment – time, money, or both. Food prep and eating healthily takes more time than just going through the drive-thru. If you know you don’t have the time to prepare everything from scratch, you’ll need to invest money.
And when you measure the costs as listed above, it’s not crazy-expensive.
Not Especially Kid or Family-Friendly
First of all, besides the smoothies, I know my 6-year-old boys wouldn’t eat this stuff. However, if you have kids who enjoy a wide variety of tastes, this could definitely work. But if your kids are picky or haven’t really developed a palette for different flavors, this might not go over so well.
If you are looking for a meal plan service for the entire family, this will definitely add up quickly. A big man like my husband might like it, but he would definitely require more food than is given for a particular meal. And if we were feeding everyone in the house, it could become a high cost.
Generally speaking, I wouldn’t call the Splendid Spoon a family-friendly or kid-friendly option unless your kids aren’t picky and money isn’t a factor.
Who Should Sign Up for Splendid Spoon?
Splendid Spoon is definitely a viable, fantastic option for some people but it might not be for everyone. OK, in my opinion, Splendid Spoon is a great choice for:
Someone Who Needs Convenience
Most home-delivery meals services are about convenience. If you are on the go or don’t have the head space to come up with delicious healthy meals or you just don’t have time to make healthy food, this is a great alternative. Grab-and-go, baby!
Someone Who Has Vegan/Vegetarian/Plant-Based Lifestyle
If you are committed to a plant-based, vegan/vegetarian life, this is a wonderfully convenient option. You already know how pricey healthy, plant-based options are in the grocery store. This is a great option to consider.
Someone Who Needs Healthy Supplemental Meals
If you are going to eat this way all the time, for every meal, it’s going to run you about $750 per month to take on the biggest plan. If you can afford that, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
However, if you just need some healthy meals to supplement what you’re already doing, this is a great way to do it. A handful of convenient, healthy meals to have on hand makes a big difference in sticking with eating nutritiously.
Someone with Allergy Issues
If you need meals that are gluten-free or dairy-free, you are already spending time or money on making or buying that specialized food. This makes it a little bit easier to make sure you’re getting meals that are safe for you to eat without putting in a lot of effort.
Who Shouldn’t Sign Up
I would say that the people this wouldn’t work for are those who have super-tight budgets and are used to paying only a few dollars per meal, when making your own meals.
This probably isn’t ideal if you have picky eaters in the house or if you have a large family to feed (unless you can afford bowls for everyone).
When you really consider the cost per meal, especially if you can get 2 meals per container, it’s not over-the-top expensive. You are definitely paying a little more for the convenience, but anything you want in life will either cost a little time or money, or sometimes both.
See for Yourself
If you’d like to check it out, just click here. You can put in an order to test it out for a week, and then just cancel your subscription before the next delivery if it’s not for your.
I love that health is such a major focus of Splendid Spoon. There are so many health benefits to a plant-based lifestyle, and if that’s you, or you’re looking make healthy eating just a little more convenient, I hope you’ll give it a try!
Thoughts? I’d love to hear them! Leave a comment below!
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