Quantcast
Channel: meal plan | USA TODAY College
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 6

We taste-tested Spoon University's new meal delivery service for college students

0
0

When we heard Spoon University and meal delivery service provider Chef’d teamed up to create the ultimate college meal plan, we had to know more.

The Spoon University Meal Plan Powered by Chef’d aims to make dining halls and long grocery lists a thing of the past. The boxes come with everything — and we mean everything — you might need for the week, from grab-and-go snacks and fresh fruit to recipes and ingredients for meals like beef tacos and bucatini with green onions and pancetta (*drool*).

“The idea made sense due to that stress for time and lack of access to good, curated food at the college level,” Robert Jones, senior vice president of business development at Chef’d, told USA TODAY College. “This is like the 2.0 of meal kits; there are 150 companies all serving dinner, but this is a highly curated, highly specific offering based on a very specific demographic.”

(Photo: Susannah Hutcheson, USA TODAY College)

And your food preferences do play a part — if you’re a red meat lover or a vegetarian, you can hand-pick options that suit your palate. And while the service does take food allergies into consideration, it doesn’t accommodate all dietary preferences, such as gluten-free or lactose-free.

“A multitude of factors go into it,” said Jones. “Price, cook time, likes and dislikes … whether it be the meals that you’ll prepare or the grab-and-go snacks like an assortment of fruit. People are shoving bananas down their pockets from the dining hall, but being able to have that fruit ready to go in their dorms, apartments, whatever, has been really popular.”

Five members of the USA TODAY College team were hooked up with a free box (thanks, Spoon and Chef’d!) in exchange for our honest review of the service. (Editor’s note: Spoon University is one of USA TODAY College’s content partners.) Each box sells for $99 but that price will eventually kick up to $119.

In true collegiate fashion, the USA TODAY College team scored the food and snacks on a scale of A to F in two different categories: taste and preparation difficulty. We also scored the overall service on the same scale, but based on three different factors: convenience, affordability and likelihood to subscribe to the meal plan.

Ready? Let’s do this.

This box is BIG, people. Here it is, next to a can of corn — y’know, for some perspective. (Photo: Cody Boteler, USA TODAY College)

INITIAL THOUGHTS

“So, I am PUMPED about this. I’m coming off of a pretty expensive spring break, so not having to go grocery shopping is definitely a plus. But, this thing is gigantic. I live in a house, so I have a kitchen on the first floor and I didn’t have to lug it very far. However, I can’t imagine if I was getting this while I lived on the 6th floor of a dorm. It’s heavy and giant.” — Susannah Hutcheson, Texas A&M University

“The box was SO HEAVY. One of my friends had to help me carry it to my dorm, which was a major work out for the both of us.” — Toni Airaksinen, Barnard College

“I couldn’t believe how big the box was when it first got my apartment, and then I couldn’t believe how heavy it was. It took me a few minutes to even figure out how to open the thing, because of the way it was positioned on the floor. I was pumped about this whole idea, but then I opened the box (now sitting in my room, getting packed with things as I’m about to move), and saw how much plastic there was (so much plastic!) and how much larger the box was, compared to how big it had to be.” — Cody Boteler, Towson University

“I was really excited to try out all of the food that was included in the box! There was something for every part of the day and it was a great way to save some money after a week-long trip to New York City.  It was super heavy and one of the first things I noticed was the amount of plastic that everything was packaged in, I wanted to try to reuse as much of the stuff as possible so I decided to up-cycle the ice packs that kept the box cool for summer beach trips.” — Ryan Brooks, Winthrop University

“First things first, these boxes are super heavy. You’ve been warned. But hey, maybe that means you can spend less time at the gym and more time in the kitchen. That’s the dream, right? Also, the box came with SO. MUCH. PLASTIC. And some of the material had to be taken to a fancy recycling center, which I felt somewhat defeated the whole ‘this is supposed to make your life easier/more convenient’ purpose of the service. But the food looks incredible and I’m psyched to get started.” — Taylor Maycan, USA TODAY College editor

BREAKFAST

Peanut butter & banana overnight oats

Taste: B+
Preparation difficulty: A
Comments: 

“This was good, but I’m more of a hot breakfast kind of person. The whole idea of cold oatmeal is a little ‘ehh’ to me. I love that it came with the cinnamon and coconut sugar, though.” — Susannah

“Maybe I’m just not a nut person, but the taste wasn’t really doing much for me. It could also have to do with the fact that my banana was pretty severely bruised, so most of it didn’t end up in the oatmeal. It was super easy to make, though.” — Cody

“I eat overnight oats pretty often so this wasn’t too much of a variation from my typical morning routine. The coconut sugar and cinnamon were a great way to mix it up.” — Ryan

“This was the first time I ate overnight oats, so I was definitely delighted to try something new. It tasted amazing and I would definitely recommend it to others.” — Toni

“I skipped the banana (can’t stand them) and stuck with just the peanut butter and chia seeds. Loved this recipe! Will definitely be replicating in the future.” — Taylor

Peanut butter and banana overnight oats. (Photo: Susannah Hutcheson, USA TODAY College)

Apple cinnamon instant oatmeal

Taste: A
Preparation difficulty: A
Comments:

“This definitely came in handy before my 8 a.m. logic lab, and I’m a huge fan of anything apple cinnamon, so this was a win for me.” — Susannah

“I actually ate this as a brunch item in between classes. I liked the apple and it was a quick meal to grab at my apartment between classes.” — Ryan

“This was a great pick-me-up during my afternoon work shift. It only took two minutes to make, and held me over until I could eat dinner.” — Toni

“I love, love, love oatmeal. Second to avocado toast (I embrace my basic), it is my favorite easy breakfast. So this was aces compared to the simple oats + cinnamon combo I usually go with.” — Taylor

LUNCH

Sad for the planet, but happy for our tummies. Because mac ‘n’ cheese. (Photo: Cody Boteler, USA TODAY College)

Four cheese mac ‘n’ cheese

Taste: B
Preparation difficulty: B
Comments:

“Um, this was a WINNER. Give me noodles and cheese, and I’m a happy girl. This was surprisingly easy to make, even though I did feel kind of weird tearing up a slice of cheese and sticking it in a coffee cup. My only issue with this was that I had to soak the mug in dish soap for a while afterwards — maybe next time I’ll spray it first?” — Susannah

“The good was good and the bad was bad. This was pretty easy to make (though I found the recipe called for too much milk and ended up dumping some out part way through cooking) and didn’t burn my tongue when I took a bite. However, using sliced, processed American cheese as one of the four cheeses felt kind of like a cop out, and the taste of that slice kind of dominated the whole thing.” — Cody

“So most of the cheese from this recipe actually ended in my microwave rather than in the mug even though I followed all of the directions and used the right sized mug. I wasn’t too thrilled about using sliced American cheese or about how long it took to scrub out my mug.” — Ryan

“I liked that the noodles came pre-cooked, so the dish was very fast to make. But the noodles definitely tasted a little dry and bland, and using the American cheese to help make the sauce felt like a disservice. The clean-up also was difficult, because of the ability of the cheese to stick to everything.” — Toni

“I couldn’t try this one out because I’m lactose intolerant and didn’t want to smite the Lactose Gods. But I made it for my sister, who was in town visiting, and she gave it a thumbs up. (Thanks, Lindsay!)” — Taylor

Smoked turkey breast and havarti cheese wrap

Taste: A
Preparation difficulty: A
Comments:

“I work on campus and am a full-time student, so an easy packed lunch is always a plus in my book. The spread that came with it was delicious. It added a little more of a gourmet flair to a simple turkey wrap.” — Susannah

“This one was good. Easy to make, too. The wrap itself may have been a bit too large, but maybe I’m just not used to wraps. I’m a total wimp with spice, though, so I had to pass on the spread that came in the kit.” — Cody

“I really liked this wrap! I liked the spice and the bean spread and it was really easy to make. Wraps are super convenient and it was big enough to divide into two meals.” — Ryan

“This was an excellent meal. I couldn’t eat the turkey that came with it, since I’m a vegetarian, but it was otherwise excellent. Definitely the most flavorful and best meal of the entire kit. Bravo!” — Toni

“This wrap was my jaaaaam. It also included a bean spread that was totally *chef kiss sound*” — Taylor

BBQ Chicken Salad

Taste: C
Preparation difficulty: N/A
Comments:

“Delicious, but not super filling. I would recommend it as a snack as opposed to an entire meal.” — Toni

“This is the typical, boring salad that you can get from any grocery store and it was really small so I wasn’t full for long.” — Ryan

“This was just a basic Walmart type salad, and I’m not a fan of BBQ (worst Texan ever), so this definitely wasn’t my fave.” — Susannah

“Tasted okay but wasn’t particularly big, so it didn’t keep me full for long. Overall, meh.” — Taylor

Miso soup

Taste: C
Preparation difficulty: B
Comments:

“The soup seemed fun to make. I never had made miso soup before, so I was very excited. But the taste was only OK. It was edible, but I wouldn’t eat it again.” — Toni

SNACKS

Know Better Bread chocolate chip muffins

Taste: B+
Preparation difficulty: N/A
Comments:

“Ob-SESSED with these. The perfect little grab-and-go snack.” — Taylor

“These were delicious, and very healthy, too. They were so good that I went to my local grocery store to see if they sold them.” — Toni

“These were a great pre-hot yoga snack, and I liked that they were indulgent without being unhealthy. However, if we’re being honest, I’m not usually going to read any special kind of instruction on a pre-packaged snack like these. I never stuck this bag in the refrigerator, and they spotted with mold by the end of the week (sad face).” — Susannah

“Ehhh. Tasted fine, but kind of dry? I had a couple and then, within a week, the rest were starting to gather some light mold.” — Cody

“These were a great to grab on the way out the door to my 9 a.m. class. I liked that they weren’t too sweet and they were just enough to hold me over until lunch.” — Ryan

Instagram Photo

Moose Munch popcorn

Taste: A
Preparation difficulty: N/A
Comments:

“Delicious? Yes. Healthy? Not so much. But a nice treat if you’ve got a hankering for something sweet.” — Taylor

“Perfect sweet snack! Very addictive!” — Toni

“Popcorn is my jam. Sweet and salty is my jam. This was my jam.” — Susannah

“This was a great snack to take to class for something light. I love chocolate-covered popcorn so this was awesome.” — Ryan

Moose Munch popcorn. (Photo: Toni Airaksinen, USA TODAY College)

SkinnyPop

Taste: A
Preparation difficulty:  N/A
Comments:

“Honestly, the only way it could have been better is if it had come in a Costco-sized bag.” — Taylor

“I pretty much live off of SkinnyPop, so my only complaint with this was that it wasn’t the salt and pepper flavor.” — Susannah

“I’ve always been skeptical of SkinnyPop but after trying this I’ll buy it again! I wish it had a little bit more salt for some flavor!” — Ryan

Fresh fruit (bananas, apples, grapefruit, oranges, etc.)

Taste: D
Preparation difficulty: N/A
Comments:

“Both apples I had were mealy, the banana was bruised and the orange didn’t taste especially fresh or juicy. I appreciate the effort, though. It’s hard to ship fresh fruit, I imagine.” — Cody

“The bananas I had were overripe when I took them out of the box, and the grapefruit I had didn’t last long after the unboxing. I ate one of the apples but it wasn’t the greatest. This could’ve been better if they had shipped frozen fruit for smoothies.” — Ryan

“The apples that I had tasted bland, the orange tasted weirdly dry. The banana was good, though. Perhaps it would have been better to ship dried fruit as opposed to fresh fruit.” — Toni

DINNER

Linguine with Braised Kale, Garlic, and Sausage

Taste: B
Preparation difficulty: B
Comments:

“So, this recipe didn’t make very much. Maybe that means that I need to adjust my pasta serving sizes, but I’m a huge leftover girl (#budget), and this really wasn’t enough for that. This was an alright meal, but I’m not really a huge fan of sausage, so it wasn’t my favorite.” — Susannah

Linguine with braised kale, garlic and sausage. (Photo: Susannah Hutcheson, USA TODAY College)

Bucatini with green onions and pancetta

Taste: A
Preparation: C-
Comments:

“The pasta was pretty good, but it was very salty. It took a really long time to cook, especially for a college student who has a job and studying to do. The recipe used cooking wine, which I thought was a bit pretentious.” — Ryan

Roasted buffalo chicken wings

Taste: A
Preparation: B
Comments:

“This recipe was actually pretty good! I didn’t love that I had to actually make the ranch dressing, but I’ll definitely be making this recipe again on my own. There were a lot of leftovers, so I was able to eat this for a few meals.” — Ryan

Chicken tamales in green sauce with chipotle crema

Taste: A-
Preparation difficulty: A-
Comments:

“As a vegetarian, I wasn’t actually able to eat this. But I did cook it for my roommate, and she really liked it. So I think it was a winner.” — Toni

“This was my favorite thing in the entire box. I am a huge tamale fan, and they’ve been a staple my entire life, so I wasn’t expecting much of these, but I was wrong. These were DELICIOUS. The crema was incredibly easy to make, and these were super filling as well.” — Susannah

“I had SUCH high hopes for these, but they were pretty solidly dashed. The prep was easy, and the crema was good (and that’s coming from He Who Hates Spice), but these kind of fell apart on taste. Mine came out of the microwave dry and crumbly. I don’t know what went wrong, but something did. I did a mini experiment, and microwaving the tamales in a damp paper towel, as directed, did not make any difference in taste or texture.” — Cody

“This was my favorite recipe in the box! The crema wasn’t spicy enough for me, so I added a little cayenne powder and salt to make it better.” — Ryan

“I couldn’t try the crema because #lactose, but the tamales were my JAM. The meal kit came with four total, so I made stretched them out to last for four meals by adding a tamale and some of the chipotle paste to the top of a spinach salad (plus black beans and some sliced peppers) and used salsa as a so-called dressing. It was a very good life choice.” — Taylor

Beef tacos

Taste: A
Preparation difficulty: A
Comments:

“All about those tacos. I also think that I may have eaten these on #TacoTuesday, too. The amount of seasoning that came with these was on point, and these were a delightful dinner. Easy to make, too!” — Susannah

Can every day be taco Tuesday? (Photo: Susannah Hutcheson, USA TODAY College)

Spinach and artichoke flatbread

Taste: B+
Preparation difficulty: A
Comments: 

“This flatbread was pretty much dairy-palooza (it includes butter, cream cheese, feta cheese and Monterey jack cheese) which meant I couldn’t touch it unless I was cool with being in some serious pain (I wasn’t). Sorry, Spoon and Chef’d! But I did make this for one of my lovely roommates, though, who now swears she will only make grilled cheese sandwiches using naan bread from here on out.” — Taylor

Spaghetti carbonara

Taste: B
Preparation difficulty: B-
Comments:

“This one tasted pretty good, and the prep wasn’t too bad, but there were two major issues — my kitchen smelled kind of like egg for about 36 hours after I made this, and with all the pancetta in the spaghetti, the entire thing came out tasting really, really salty.” — Cody

FINAL THOUGHTS

Convenience: C+
Affordability: F
Likelihood of subscribing to the service: D+

“This is a good idea (Blue Apron, but for college!) but with pretty bad execution. The food was decent, and the snacks were killer (I also learned through this kit that I liked sparkling water — who knew?!), but that alone doesn’t make up for the cost and the inconvenience of the whole thing. Only two “meals” and six “grab-and-go” options per week is not enough for a busy college student to live off of. And at nearly $120 per box, I’d expect more food. I can get about three weeks of groceries for that much money. Plus — and this really annoyed me — the box wasted so much plastic and packaging.” — Cody

“I’m kind of at the point in my college career and with my insane schedule that I tend to have my grocery list and my weekly food intake pretty consistent… And this was just too much stuff. I felt pretty bad for the amount of room I was taking up in our shared fridge, and it was hard for me to eat it all and prepare it all within a week. Also, I can usually pick up two weeks of groceries (plus a bottle or two of wine) at the store for less than the price of one of these boxes. I do think they’re a great idea, and extraordinarily comprehensive and well thought-out. However, most freshmen I know are required to have a meal plan, so I’m not sure when this meal kit would be most efficient to have.” — Susannah

“This was a pretty cool idea, but the price is not affordable for the typical college student. I usually spend around $30 on groceries that last me two weeks, and I can make pretty much the same recipes that were included in the box for that price. I also don’t think this is practical for most college students. If I didn’t have access to the full kitchen and utensils in my apartment, I wouldn’t have been able to make half of the food included in the box. I think it’s a great idea, but it needs to be more affordable and user-friendly to college students from all walks of life — from freshmen who share community kitchens to grad students with their own apartments.” — Ryan

“This is an excellent concept, but like most college students on a budget, it’s hard to justify the amount of food for the price of the subscription. This would definitely be out of my price range. The novelty of the meal-service kit was good, and it was very fun. I’d be more inclined to buy this as a ‘one-time-only’ gift for a friend of mine, rather than as a weekly service. I could get at least double or triple the food if I shopped at my local grocery store, which makes this not very much of a bargain.” — Toni

“Such an amazing idea, but needs some fine-tuning.  For starters, this service is way, way out of my price range — and I’m a gainfully employed 25-year-old. College Taylor definitely would not have been able to afford this. Also, I think its appeal depends on where you go to school and what other dining options surround you. For example, I’m lucky to live in a city with an incredible food scene, so I regularly mix it up between dining out and eating in. This meal kit is so comprehensive that I would definitely have food going bad in my fridge before I could get to it, which would make me feel pretty guilty. Also, something’s gotta change with all that plastic.” — Taylor

Contributing: Toni Airaksinen, Barnard College; Cody Boteler, Towson University; Ryan Brooks, Winthrop University; Susannah Hutcheson, Texas A&M University; Taylor Maycan.

Filed under: CAMPUS LIFE Tagged: cooking, food, lifestyle, meal plan, review, Spoon University

Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 6

Latest Images

Trending Articles





Latest Images