Review of Veestro Vegan Meal Delivery

For the past few weeks my picky eater husband and I have been immersed in the complete Veestro Vegan Meal Delivery experience. We have tried almost all of the meal offerings and today I am going to give you my complete ratings for every meal we tried and some tips to make your Veestro experience the best it can be!..

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Veestro. To catch you up, you should first check out my Introduction to Veestro blogpost. You can also read my week two update here.

The Basics. Veestro is a plant-based meal delivery program. They offer a wide variety of meals, and also have loads of gluten free options. They have several different programs to choose from, including..

All meals arrive frozen - thanks to dry ice - and delivered to your doorstep in a lovely Veestro box.

A la Carte - Great if you just want to try a few meals before committing to a full program. Or really great if you already love a few Veestro meals and want to have them in your freezer for those super busy days. I am definitely going to order a few a la carte meals in the future! There are a few faves that I just cannot find anywhere else! I love that Veestro has this a la carte option!

Meal Packs - These are the core of Veestro's service. Here you can choose between the super affordable starter pack or dive right into the 21-Day Kickstart program. For the 21 day program you can even choose between 1, 2 or 3 meals a day! You can also select if you want gluten free of not.

Weight Loss - Though I haven't tried this program, I am assuming that it consists of Veestro's lighter meals.

Juice Cleanse - The juice cleanse consists of Veestro's cold pressed juices. They arrive to your door frozen and you thaw a day before you want to drink them.

The Basics..

All About Veestro: Veestro provides incredibly delicious meals that happen to be made from plants— all organic, no preservatives, and non-GMO. Chef-prepared meals and juices are delivered right to your door, ready to heat and eat when you are. More than delivering great food, Veestro delivers happiness to busy people. Veestro shows you don’t have to sacrifice taste and convenience for health-conscious, nutritious food. Veestro is for everyone, not just for vegans. Veestro was founded by a brother and sister team, Mark Fachler and Monica Klausner who wanted to create meals for busy people trying to eat healthy. Veestro’s mantra is: Plants Please. Your taste buds. Your body. Your schedule.

Doorway to Plant-Based. As a vegan chef, I love Veestro. Here is why.. I hear so many people say,

"I would love to try to eat vegan if I had time to cook, or knew how to cook vegan!"

Veestro is pretty much the perfect solution to this problem. You can give plant-based eating a try without much commitment to buying a bunch of new ingredients. Then Veestro becomes a doorway to plant-based eating and cooking! These meals are so inspiring.

My Favorite Things About Veestro:
* The Flavors. Meals have loads of flavor and everything feels very gourmet.
* The Sauces. I love that most meals come with a sauce or dressing to further intensify the layers of flavor.
* The Delivery. The deliveries both went so smoothly and everything arrived super frozen.
* Packaging. Packaging is 100% compostable carton trays or 100% recyclable BPA-free plastic pouches.
* Organic. They use organic ingredients.
* Variety. Loads of variety here. Meals are familiar to people who may not be vegan.

Some Tips for Success:

* Add Raw Veggies if Crave Them. I did find myself craving raw greens throughout my meals. This was easily fixed by simply buying some sides of veggies and adding them to the meals as I craved. Most people probably won't mind, but since I am so used to eating a lot of raw fruits and veggies this was one thing I wanted to mention.
* Cooking Times. The cooking times vary. I found that some of the veggie sides cooked mush more quickly than the entree, so you have to watch for that.
* Use Your Oven. I found that many of the meals worked very well in the microwave, but for optimal flavor and texture I would use the oven - skillet works too, but I found the oven was the best cooking route for most of the meals.
* Get creative with sides and accents! You can absolutely add things like diced avocado or a side salad or a side of toast or other little sides to your meals. You certainly do not have to, but if you like things a certain way (like soup with toast) then you can absolutely do that.
* Be aware of the portion sizes of your meals! Some meals are heartier than others. You don't want to find yourself stuck with a lighter calorie meal for a dinner when you are very hungry. So be aware of what you might want to eat and when.

My Veestro Meal Reviews + Grades:

Mushroom Risotto: Love this meal! It truly tastes like a fine dining restaurant risotto. Rich and creamy with excellent savory mushroom flavor. I love the mini rainbow carrots on the side too. Some nights I would serve the risotto over top a a giant bed of raw baby greens for a risotto salad. Grade: A

Omelet Primavera: This was one of my husband's favorite Veestro breakfasts! It has a super egg-like omelet piece and a mushroom veggie filling that is very dense and bold. Then you add the yummy tomato sauce on top for color and added flavor. I always added a few pinches of cayenne to the red sauce to make it spicy. Grade: A

Chick'n Quesadilla: This is a really hearty quesadilla with large bits of vegan "chick'n" and a cheesy flavor - wrapped in a giant tortilla. My husband LOVED this for an easy dinner one night. I added a side of fresh guacamole and salsa. So good! Grade: A

Chocolate and Raspberry Cheezecakes: These were incredible!! I also loved that they are gluten free! Even with the cookie crust. So in love with the rich yet authentic baked cheesecake flavor and texture. I mean if you can win me over with a giant, vegan/gluten-free, awesome dessert, you have won me over. I think we both liked the chocolate flavor better, but the berry flavor was really excellent too. Grade: A+

Spanish Torta: This one was interesting! It is kind of like a tofu scramble meets lasagna. Thinly sliced potatoes on top of lots of tofu. The tofu is very flavorful and the potatoes are lovely. I think for me the texture was a bit watery, but the flavor was amazing. I remember thinking I wasn't going to like this entree based on the texture, but I ended up devouring it. Protein-packed! Grade: B

Tuscan Calzone: A vegan calzone? Yes please! My husband was insanely excited about this entree since before going vegan he LOVED calzones. This one from Veestro delivered! It has a pizza-crust shell with a flavorful filling of veggies and cheese. For a calzone fan, this is a dream. Kinda like a super gourmet, homemade hot pocket 😉 Grade: A

Thai Chick'n Stew: This was one of the more hearty meals! The stew has amazing savory flavor with peanut and tomato. It has a lightly spicy flavor from ginger and chili flakes. Loved this! This would be so perfect on a cold fall or winter night. The one downfall for me personally is that I wish it was gluten-free! I took a few bites to taste test it but my husband finished the rest. GradeL A-

Enchilada Casserole: This was probably my favorite heat and eat entree. It reminded me of the standard "enchilada leftovers" Mexican meals I usually love. The enchilada casserole has a fluffy texture with the corn tortillas and enchilada sauce. Loved this! I loved warming it up for a quick lunch or adding it along side a simple salad for dinner. Grade: A+

Veggie Lasagna: This was a slice if Italian heaven. So flavorful and moist and a true comfort food treat. When I taste tested this I actually forgot to add the red sauce on top and I still loved it!! This is a richer entree with vegan cheese and noodles. But the cool part is that it is gluten-free. Grade: A

Country Fried Chick'n: My husband loved this! When I served this I actually made the chick'n into a sandwich by adding it to a toasted ciabatta roll and adding spicy mustard, lettuce and onion and tomato. He loved this a lot! The chick'n is thick and very filling - protein-dense. The mashed potatoes and gravy were soft and silky as well. Definitely add the gravy to help moisten them up a bit. Grade: A

Quinoa Burger Patty: I loved this super thick and hearty patty made from whole foods. It is made mostly from quinoa and chickpeas. It has grill marks which is really nice. I loved adding this patty to a giant raw leafy greens salad. It was a perfect salad topper! It would also be delicious on a bun, served traditionally. It is a bit on the soft side, texture wise. But I dont' mind that at all. (I think the Veggie Burger Patty probably has a bit firmer texture, though I did not try that one) Grade: A

Soba Noodles with Peanut Sauce: The sauce is very rich and flavorful so I only needed a tiny bit. The tofu cubes have excellent flavor and texture. The sobs noodles themselves also have perfect texture. I couldn't figure out why this wasn't marked gluten-free unless they use a soba noodle that has some wheat in it. I enjoyed them! I loved this as a no-heat-required meal! Just place in the fridge the night before serving and then toss and serve. Grade: A

Oatmeal Breakfast Pie: This is a hearty oatmeal breakfast that is a nice big serving of rustic oats and apples and cranberry and even sweet potato. It really just tastes like delicious baked oatmeal. It is delicious if you add some warmed non-dairy milk on top to help further moisten it into an "oatmeal-ish" texture. The square shape doesn't look very appealing just as it comes, so if serving, I would definitely give it some love by adding the non-dairy milk and maybe some frozen or fresh berries on top. Grade: A-

Spinach Pie: Yum this was incredible! I had no idea what to expect, but the flavor was bold and savory and super flavorful. Popeye would love this one 🙂 Grade: A-

Black Bean Pasta Alfredo: This was actually the one meal I didn't really like. I am not a fan of black bean pasta in general though. I didn't think the sauce was creamy enough to be an Alfredo. The veggies had excellent flavor though! Grade: C+

Eggplant Casserole: So, I hate eggplant. And we received three of these. I ate them all! I loved this. The eggplant was well marinated enough so that it really took on the texture of pasta instead of eggplant. I still probably wouldn't choose it for myself just because I am so weird with not "loving" eggplant. But a very good meal if you do love it! Grade: A-

Three Layer Scramble: Obsessed with this! The flavor is just incredible. Super rich and spicy and so good. I served this inside corn tortillas for tofu scramble tacos. I added avocado on top and some fresh salsa. Love love love. Grade: A+

Breakfast Burrito: Ok, so my husband is like the breakfast burrito king. He loooooves them. But he isn't a fan of beans - I know, I know. So he loved this so much and said he would order it all the time if there were no beans in it. So.... If you love beans (like me!) you will love this! This is a giant burrito, so you could serve for lunch of dinner. Grade: A

Kale and Quinoa Salad: The first time I tried this I couldn't get past the fact that I was thawing a raw salad and eating it - no heat! I actually tried warming it up in a skillet, but that didn't do so well. The texture didn't work. So the next time I just ate it raw and loved it. The kale has a slightly tough texture though, so you really have to chew. But the flavor is so good! I love the dressing and the sweet cranberries and quinoa and the smoky bits of tempeh bacon. Grade: B+

Red Curry with Tofu: So much rich coconut flavor in this entree. I love the sides of fluffy brown rice too. This is a hearty comfort food meal, packed with protein and flavor. This is delicious, but very rich too! Grade: A

Quinoa Soup: I loved this so much! This was a go-to soup for an easy lunch for me. I loved that the chickpeas were not mushy at all and tasted like they had been prepared super freshly. I hate it when soupd have mushy ingredients and this one does not! The potatoes also had great firm soft texture -- fresh! And the flavor is perfect. Grade: A+

Lentil Tomato Soup: Not my favorite lentil stew only because I like when the lentils are the softer form of split lentil, while these were whole unsplit lentils which resembled more of a whole bean in the soup. I just really like my lentil soup soft and kinda mushy! But that is just me. The flavor was very good though. Grade: B- (But if you don't mind whole lentils then you will be fine!)

The Pizzas: Both pizza varieties are very good according to my frozen pizza expert husband. He loved the fluffy-crisp crust and the cheese was a very authentic cheese! I tried a nibble and was really impressed. We both with there were a few more veggie toppings on the pizzas, but overall very excellent! Grade: A

Portobello Steak Dinner: Wow this was one of the most flavorful portobello mushrooms I have ever tasted! Super marinated and delicious. The polenta was very good too, flavorful with a fluffy texture. I guess my one complaint about the stellar-flavored components of this dinner is that it wasn't enough food for a meal for me. Instead, I added everything over top a leafy greens salad. I loved that. It was like a portobello polenta salad! Grade: A

Savory Croquettes: These were really unique! My husband said this was one of his favorite meals because the croquettes had so much flavor and a fluffy texture wit crispy outside. I baked these in the oven to achieve a perfect crisp texture.They are not gluten free but I had about half of one because they looked so good and they were! Really impressive with so much flavor! The sauce is very good and the side of sweet potatoes was a perfect addition. Grade: A

Chick'n Nuggets: These are hearty nuggets, packed with protein. Hearty bites. Love the breaded crispy coating. My husband loved with flavor and the high protein content. Kids will love these! Grade: A

Veggie Empanadas: These were good for an appetizer or snack, though I probably wouldn't eat them for a meal simply because they are basically potato-veggie stuffed dough. However, they are delicious and the chimichurri sauce is incredible. Grade: B+

*photo from Veestro.com

Roasted Beet and Kale Salad: This beet, kale, walnuts salad with a lemon dressing was incredible! You just place it in the fridge the day before you want to eat it, then pull it from the fridge, toss and serve. I loved this so much! The kale was perfectly tender and delicious and the beets as well. The addition of buttery walnuts was the perfect addition. And the dressing went perfectly with everything. This was one of my go-to fave lunches! Grade: A+

The Juices: I think the juices are a really great option for someone who may not have access in their town to a cold pressed juice bar. My favorite blend was Power of the Tropics. Something to note about the juices, most are enriched with Sacha Inchi, a complete protein.

Do I recommend Veestro to my Readers? YES! I have used one other vegan meal delivery program in the past, and it was pretty awful. I was so upset by the quality and customer service that I was really hesitant to give Veestro a try. But they are a class act! Excellent customer service and the quality is outstanding.

I also love that the ingredients are organic and the company was founded by a brother and sister team who are passionate about plant-based eating!

Veestro has a comprehensive FAQs list if you have questions. You can also contact them with more specific questions. If there are any questions you want me to answer about my experience, let me know in the comments and I am happy to do so!

Will I Re-Order Veestro in the Future??

YES! I would 100% re-order Veestro frozen meals. I would feel comfortable gifting Veestro to my elderly mom or to a sick friend or new parents or even college student with access to a freezer and microwave. Personally, I will probably order the a la carte option with a few of my faves. And if I have a super busy work schedule, more! I personally would not order the juices again - for my situation living in LA, I would stick to some of my local brands.

And finally, my video clips!..

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Some notes on my reviews:

** If you do not see a meal in my review it is because I did not try it.
** I maintain a gluten-free diet, though I sometimes eat gluten in very small portions. I nibbled most of the gluten-containing dishes, while my husband promptly devoured them.

disclosure: This has been a sponsored campaign with Veestro. But all opinions of this review are 100% my own. I only give rave reviews to products that I absolutely adore and would recommend to my readers.