Quick, Healthy, and Delicious Food to Fuel Your Workday

After a long search, I finally have a new job! With this new opportunity comes the challenge of figuring out a strategic way to get the right fuel I need every day. With a new schedule and always being on the move, I need easy, healthy food to nourish my body. That’s why I’m so excited to try Daily Harvest, a weekly or monthly plan that incorporates healthy and organic fruits and vegetables.

But plans like this usually scare me for one reason: The trial and error period. I know any plan always has to begin with vetting out whether or not you even like the food and whether it works for you. So, I had a lot of questions about Daily Harvest before I tried it. Was it convenient? Was it tasty? Was it affordable?

Morning Commute

One of my favorite meals to have for breakfast is a smoothie. When my Daily Harvest arrived, I knew this would fit into my morning routine perfectly. Just add water or milk of your choice to the smoothie cup, pour it all together into a blender, put the lid on top, and take it to go. It’s super easy and perfectly complements my morning subway commute. I absolutely must have my morning coffee, so a Cold Brew + Almond smoothie was the perfect blend. Pairing coffee with other ingredients to keep you full and energized is a brilliant way to start the day.

Lunch Break

It’s so easy to make unhealthy choices at lunch. Plus, in NYC, affordable, fast, and healthy lunch is hard to come by. In addition to the nutritional benefits of the recipes Daily Harvest curates, I love the convenience of knowing I’m maximizing my lunch break potential. I have access to a microwave at work, so I can just throw a soup or harvest bowl in my insulated lunch bag so the cup can stay frozen while I make my way to work.

Microwaving my food is not something I like doing all the time, so I’m happy to see instructions to cook the bowls and soups using the stove top as an alternative method. One reason why I don’t like using the microwave is because I feel the quality of the food tends to decrease. However, I was completely satisfied with the way the Harvest Bowl cooked and tasted. Compared to the way I cooked it on the stove top, there was hardly a difference.

Clocking Out

After a long day of work, it’s easy to fall to the temptation of ordering take-out or picking up something fast and unhealthy to eat. The price of ordering take-out can add up pretty quickly in regards to both financial and physical wellness, especially since it’s so much easier to order delivery now. Plus, as much as I love to cook, sometimes it’s just too late to make a homemade dinner. That’s why it’s great to have Daily Harvest—their soups and bowls are quick and easy to make, but still satisfying.

Cost

The plan is definitely delicious and convenient, but when my first box arrived, my roommate was a little confused. I’m always looking to save money where I can, and she asked whether it might be cheaper for me to buy all the ingredients at the grocery store and recreate the recipes myself. So, I decided to look into it and see whether she was right.

Depending on the package you choose, each cup can range between $6.99 - $7.75. Let’s say you choose the largest package (24 cups priced at $6.99 each). That’s roughly $21 for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day for eight days. Even if you were to eat a snack in between, that cost per day is hard to beat.

And when I looked further into the difference in price points between each cup, and the cost of ingredients if I were to make the same recipes on my own, it got even clearer. There are some interesting ingredients that I have never even tried before, like acerola, galangal, and green coffee beans, which adds an adventurous element to each package. But in the Bronx, there’s some difficulty accessing even common fresh fruits and vegetables, depending on your location. In my neighborhood, our closest fruit and vegetable stand recently closed down, which has made it a bit more difficult for me to access some of the fresh produce that I love at affordable prices. I went to my local grocery store to compare the prices of the frozen fruit packages to the cups.

Breakdown:

• Daily Harvest: $6.99 for a 7.5 oz cup with a variety of organic fruits, vegetables, and other healthy ingredients.
• Local grocery store: $4.59 for a 12 oz bag of frozen non-organic fruit.

Sure, the 12 oz bag of fruit is cheaper, but that’s only one type of non-organic fruit that can maybe make two smoothies. Compared to a 7.5 oz cup with a number of different produce and ingredients, sourced from high quality farms, and curated by in-house chefs and nutritionists, the difference is notable.

Vegan-friendly

As a vegan, I’m always seeking fun and creative ways to introduce more fruits and vegetables into my everyday meals. With these Daily Harvest cups, I’m eating more quantities and varieties of produce then I usually do on a day-to-day. No matter what your diet’s like, Daily Harvest has got you covered by offering the ability to customize each package you receive. You can select from a variety of cups to fit your lifestyle, and complete each smoothie, soup, or bowl with whatever milks or broths you prefer, so it’s easy to make your own plan a perfect fit for you.

It is so surprising that they can fit so much flavor and nutrients into one cup. Daily Harvest makes eating fruits and vegetables fun, convenient, and delicious. I’m so happy I finally tried this plan out, especially after seeing their sleek cups all over Instagram! After a week of trying their food, I can feel a positive impact on my life before, during, and after work. If you’re interested in trying out Daily Harvest, you can visit their website to find the right plan for you.

Click here to use my code, BRONXVEGAN, for $25 off your first Daily Harvest box.