Snap Kitchen Diaries

I tried a Snap Kitchen Meal Plan and here’s what I learned…

Recently, I was given a 3-day meal plan as a Snap Kitchen affiliate and oh boy, am I about to share a lot of info with you. I’ve been keeping a food diary of all the Snap Kitchen meals I’ve been eating for the last week.

 

Here are ALL my thoughts: First of all, if you’ve never tried a meal prep service (or even if you have, but haven’t found one you love) keep reading. I’m not saying Snap Kitchen is for everyone, but you might pick out bits and pieces of it to supplement your own meal planning. Or, you may go all in with a meal plan and it might change your life! You never know if you don’t try! I’m sure your first thought is (as mine often is), “Meal plans are too expensive.” I can help you with that – Get $20 off your first meal plan with promo code SNP-2482. I will say, it was super nice not having to even think about food for several days. There was no time spent cooking, no time spent at the grocery store, and no time spent trying to research healthy meals.

Let’s get into it.

I picked out food for a 3-day meal plan, so I had three breakfast, three lunch, and three dinner meals, along with four sides, two desserts, three drinks, and a few other snacks like granola bars and beef jerky. I also bought two full-sized condiments – a Whole 30 ranch dressing and a no sugar added ketchup. Snap Kitchen meals range from $7-11. Desserts, snacks, and drinks are less than that, obviously. So, $11 for dinner isn’t really a bargain, but what DOES make it a good choice is that the meal is fresh, tastes good, is healthy, and, most importantly, IS MADE BY SOMEONE ELSE. Snap Kitchen meals are totally microwaveable. There is NO prep whatsoever. When you consider all those benefits, suddenly $11 doesn’t sound so bad.

 

As I ate, I took notes. Obviously, everyone’s tastes are different. I don’t think of myself as a very picky eater, so I tried to get a variety of foods to test. I don’t have any dietary restrictions, but I am going to list the special qualifications of each meal, just in case that’s something that’s important to you. In addition to things like gluten-free, vegetarian, etc., Snap Kitchen also makes foods that fulfill different health goals, such as “High Protein,” “Low Carb,” or Whole 30. I think that’s pretty cool because it can be harder to cook those kinds of meals for yourself. I’m happy to have someone else do it for me.

Snap Kitchen Diaries – commence.

Almond Butter Maple Pancakes with Berry Compote: gluten-free, milk-free, vegetarian
Not a bad meal! There’s nothing I don’t recognize in the pancakes or the compote. There’s added sugar in the compote, but if sugar is a big concern for you, you can leave it off (but I wouldn’t!).
Nutritional Info: 300 calories, 5g protein, 2g fiber, 11g total fat, 45g carbs, 15g total sugars (11 of them are from the berry compote)

Breakfast Sausage Side: gluten-free, milk-free, paleo
The side came with three pieces of sausage, a lot for me! The sausage was just ground pork, water, sea salt, spices. There wasn’t anything I didn’t recognize – no chemicals or preservatives. I thought they were super tasty and they definitely filled me up for several hours.
Nutritional Info: 250 calories, 23g protein, 0g carbs, 17g fat, 0g fiber, 0g sugar

Pause for Reflections: It was a hectic morning with Brian and I both hurrying out of the house. I heated up the pancakes in the microwave for 20 seconds and heated the sausage in the microwave for 25 seconds. Then we ate – just like that! I didn’t even sit down with a plate and silverware, I just rolled up the pancake with the berry compote in one hand and grabbed a piece of sausage with the other. I must say, not bad. I was pretty happy to have such a tasty breakfast so quickly! Without it, I would have just grabbed a granola bar or something (and that probably would have had as much sugar as the tasty berry compote, if not more!). 

Power Cacao Protein Shake: no sugar added, gluten-free, vegetarian
I needed a midday fix because around 3pm I was feeling hungry. I didn’t want a meal so close to dinner, but then I remembered I had a Snap Kitchen protein shake! I’m always looking for good protein shakes. I’m a teacher and it’s rare to have your “I’m hungry” times match up with “free time to eat” time. Honestly, is there ever free time to eat during the school day? Protein shakes to the rescue! Unfortunately, most are full of sugar and I’m not into that. Snap Kitchen’s Power Cacao protein shake has 300 calories, no added sugar, and 18 grams of whey protein. It’s coconut milk based, sweetened with dates and vanilla extract. They also add MTC oil for an added healthy boost. It wouldn’t say it was the tastiest drink, but it had no sugar and it definitely did curb my hunger. I’d say after drinking it, I was able to wait on eating for another three hours!

Spaghetti and Turkey Bolognese: gluten-free
Super delicious. My favorite so far. I devoured it! It wasn’t quite a ‘mindful meal’, but more of an inhaled meal. The medium size was plenty of food. I also added a small side salad with some Tessemae’s ranch. The ranch has no dairy, gluten, or sugar. It’s Whole 30 compliant! I loved the taste. I’m putting this stuff on everything from now on.
Nutritional Info (for the spaghetti and turkey bolognese): 390 calories, 19g protein, 60g carbs, 11g fat, 3g fiber, 8g sugar (no added sugar)

Shrimp Scampi: gluten-free
Unfortunately, this meal spoiled one day after the “eat by” date. I opened it up and it was pretty clear it had gone bad. I still photographed it, because it’s a beautiful meal and I’m sure it would have been good had I eaten it a few days earlier. Be conscious of the dates on all your food – Snap Kitchen isn’t a frozen meal that lasts forever. These are high-quality meals and need to be eaten within a few days. Employees did double check all the dates on everything when I was checking out, which was awesome. Just make sure you don’t overbuy!
Nutritional Info: 330 calories, 23g protein, 2g fiber, 13g fat, 37g carbs, 4g sugar

Dark Chocolate Espresso Cups by Hail Merry: no added sugar (other than what’s in the maple syrup).
I needed something for my sweet tooth cravings. These little chocolate cups are made with ingredients I can get behind: organic maple syrup, almond flour, dark cocoa, organic virgin coconut oil, organic coffee, sea salt.

 

Sweet Potato Veggie Benedict: gluten-free, milk-free, paleo, vegetarian, whole 30
This is a more hearty breakfast than the pancakes I had yesterday! It’s two sweet potato cakes topped with over easy eggs and a homemade cashew hollandaise. Looking back on it now, this is the one meal that I think would be better heated in the oven. I think it would have improved the texture (not quite as soggy) by making the sweet potato cakes more crispy. However, the flavor was solid.
Nutritional Info: 320 calories, 15g protein, 22g carbs, 19g fat, 3g fiber, 5g sugar

Granola Bars: RX and Thunderbird
I tried two types of granola bars – one by RX and two by Thunderbird. They’re… ok. It’s hard to find a balance between granola bars that are basically candy bars, and bars like the Thunderbird’s Hazelnut + Coffee + Maca that are only a few ingredients and no added sugar. Sounds perfect, but they’re kind of hard to eat. For me at least.

Mint Matcha by Matcha Bar: no added sugar
This was a delicious drink! Super refreshing. I’m a huge fan of anything matcha, so when I saw this at Snap Kitchen, I had to give it a try. Matcha Bar makes their drinks with just water and ceremonial grade matcha. I tried the Mint Matcha, so this one had added mint and lemongrass extract. Matcha also has caffeine, so my Mint Matcha had 80mg of caffeine and L-Theanine, which keeps your mind calm and focused. I’ve also seen Matcha Bar at Whole Foods. I’ll definitely be getting this one again.
Nutritional Info: Calories 10, 1g protein, 1g fiber, 1g carbs, 0g fat, 0g sugar

Parmesan Chicken with Spiralized Butternut Squash: gluten-free
Brian took this meal to work with him. He liked the chicken part but wasn’t a fan of the squash noodles. We don’t really do spaghetti squash, we just go full carbs, haha. But if your carb conscious, the spaghetti squash is a good substitute.
Nutritional Info: 310 calories, 34g protein, 16g carbs, 12g fat, 3g fiber, 5g sugar

Sloppy Joe Loaded Sweet Potato Wedges: gluten-free, milk-free, paleo, whole 30
Delicious! I love that it’s Whole 30.  I like to mix those meals in because when left unsupervised, my diet becomes 75 percent carbs. In this meal, you get a whole sweet potato, at least that’s what it seems like. The sloppy joe mix had a hind of sweetness, but still no added sugar. I bought a small size and it was plenty of food.
Nutritional Info: 310 calories, 15g protein, 41 carbs, 10g fat, 6g fiber, 12g sugar (no added sugar)

Side of Roasted Broccolini: gluten-free, milk-free, paleo, vegan
Honestly, not my favorite. Wonderfully cooked, not soggy at all, just not my favorite taste. It had what seemed like a spicy, vinegar seasoning that I wasn’t a fan of. Also, I dumped the whole thing on my plate, but this side could easily have been split between two meals!
Nutritional Info: 40 calories, 5g protein, 6g carbs, 1g fat, 4g fiber, 2g sugar

 

Almond Banana Pancakes: gluten-free, milk-free, paleo, vegetarian
These are the infamous banana egg pancakes we’ve all tried to make after looking up “quick healthy breakfast” on Pinterest. I was surprised by their fluffiness! However, they’re definitely more spongy than the Almond Pancakes with Berry Compote. They’re still good, but unless you’re eating a grain free diet and need something paleo, I’d recommend the other Almond Pancakes that have gluten-free flour in them. We jazzed these pancakes up with some Butternut Mountain Farm Maple Sugar Company Vermont maple syrup! It came in the smallest, cutest glass jar. I couldn’t resist. At least it’s 100% pure maple syrup.
Nutritional Info (of the pancakes): 230 calories, 8g protein, 4g fiber, 14g fat, 22g carbs, 12g sugar (3g added sugar)

Vital Protein Collagen Peptides
Collagen peptides are all the rage right now. I was interested in their protein powder because it doesn’t have any sugar in it. I tried their “unflavored” and it actually IS unflavored! I mixed it into a smoothie with frozen banana, peanut butter, cocoa powder, and milk. It blended wonderfully – no powdery clumps! The packaging focuses on the collagen supplement (something that’s good for your hair, skin, nails, bones, and joints) but it does have 9g protein as well. I’m a fan!
Nutritional Info: 35 calories, 9g protein, 55mg sodium, 10g collagen

Naked Beef: Gluten-free, milk-free, paleo
The beef was excellent and the veggies were crisp, not soggy. The cauliflower was good, but a little spicy! Overall, a solid meal that’s packed with protein.
Nutritional Info: 390 calories, 43g protein, 15g carbs, 18g fat, 6g fiber, 6g sugar

Side of Creamed Corn: gluten-free, vegetarian
I’ve had better creamed corn. Wasn’t as sweet as I like it, but then again it has no added sugar, so beggars can’t be choosers. I ate the whole side (even though in my brain I was craving Rudy’s sugar-loaded creamed corn).
Nutritional Info: 170 calories, 8g protein, 2g fiber, 8g fat, 18g carbs, 4g sugar

Cuvee Coffee: 5 calories, no added sugar
I got a nitro cold brew Cuvee Coffee and it was delicious! It’s a pretty powerful coffee, so I had to pour it into a glass with some ice and milk to tone it down a bit. That stuff will really put a pep in your step!

Beef Jerky: Chomps and Nick’s Sticks
I already like beef jerky, so this was a good snack for me. Chomps has 0g of sugar (making it Whole 30 compliant) with 9g of protein and Nick’s Sticks has 1g of sugar with 10g of protein. Both are gluten-free with no preservatives or gross things added. These are excellent snacks to throw in your purse or to have in the car on the go.

Over Easy Burger with Sweet Potato Wedges: gluten-free, milk-free, paleo
Brian took this meal to work with him and was very impressed! He only had access to a microwave, but he thought the sweet potato wedges would have benefited from an oven. They were a little soggy. He didn’t mind though – he just mashed them up and ate them like a mashed sweet potato! He said he’d definitely get it again.
Nutritional Info: 470 calories, 27g protein, 31 carbs, 26g fat, 5g fiber, 9g sugar

Forager Project Organic Strawberry & Banana Probiotic Smoothie: no added sugar, dairy-free
This little smoothie drink was delicious! It tasted like orange / strawberry juice. A solid midday treat that tastes sweet, but is plant-based (cashew milk) and fruity.
Nutritional Information: 210 calories, 4g fiber, 6g protein, 30g sugars (all the sugar comes from whatever natural occurs in fruits, plus the sugar that is in dates)

PS This Cookie Dough is Good For You by PS Snacks
It’s a ‘cookie dough’ made from garbanzo beans and almonds. It’s tasty, for sure, but the whole time I was eating it, I was asking myself, “Does this pass for cookie dough?” I feel like because I wasn’t sure, the ultimate answer had to be, “no.” But then I started thinking of dessert in general. I feel like, for me, a big part of dessert is the routine of it. After dinner, before I go to bed, I like something sweet! I DO think this ‘cookie dough’ could satisfy that need to fulfill my routine of dessert, if that makes any sense. Bottom line is, it was good and I’d buy it again.
Nutritional Info: 200 calories, 3g fiber, 10g fat, 22g carbs, 5g protein, 10g sugar (9g added sugar)

 

Overall Favorites

Breakfast: almond pancakes with berry compote
Lunch/ Dinner meals: turkey spaghetti bolognese and over easy burger
Side: pork sausage
Snack/ Drink: matcha tea and Forager Project probiotic smoothie

There you have it – my complete thoughts on a three-day Snap Kitchen Meal Plan. Hit me with all your questions! You can comment below or send me a message on Instagram (@discoveringATX). Remember, if you’re interested in trying out a Snap Kitchen Meal Plan for yourself, I can help you out! Get $20 off your first meal plan with promo code SNP-2482. If you do try it, please let me know what you think! Was it life changing? Are you going to stick with it? What were your favorite meals? 

Let’s swap Snap Kitchen stories.

Post is sponsored by Snap Kitchen