a few weeks ago i was contacted by a gal over at Sun Basket. she mentioned that she had read that i liked to blog about healthy meals and snacks...she even said she liked my pictures. it was at this point i knew she was flattering me...but i'm not one to turn down a compliment. anyway...

she asked if i would be interested in trying out sun basket's meal delivery services. i was skeptical, but wanted to see what it was all about. i clicked the link she provided to the weekly menu and was more than pleasantly surprised. 

she asked me to pick out three meals that i would like to try...and i did. you see...i'm all about NOT having to meal plan. there were about two months in there (a few months back) where i was meal planning...but then i just stopped...which would probably explain the few pounds i've put on. i digress.

i gave this gal my selections and then, just yesterday, they were delivered via fedex right to my front door. what?!

the gals and i love getting packages so we quickly busted in. in addition, i'm a sucker for beautiful packaging...and i don't think it gets cuter than this. 
on top of all the packaging were the recipe cards as well as instructions on what to do with the box and packaging when you're through with it. sun basket provides you with a return shipping label and a sticker to reseal your box for easy returns. you just have to set it by your mailbox and it's taken the very next day. this is totally awesome because inside the box is insulation and icepacks that sun basket encourages you to return so they can reuse and recycle. love that!

so...since i had only planned on making my family burrito bowls last night...i was so jazzed to scrap that plan and dive into the wild caught alaskan salmon with organic fennel + capers.

ps. never have i ever made anything like this. i'm pretty sure i had never even seen a fennel. seriously...what's a fennel?
luckily the recipe cards are suuuuuper easy to follow and the cooking instructions were not difficult.

but...the very very very best part was that it took 20 minutes from start to finish. you guys...they have everything portioned out for you. i only had to provide salt, pepper, and olive oil.
did i mention everything is organic? and this particular meal was paleo and gluten free. when you select your meals via the website they indicate which of their recipes are paelo and / or GF. they've thought of everything. you can even select from breakfast options.
once the gals and i unloaded the box i froze my chicken and steak (my two other meal selections) and put the remainder of the ingredients in the fridge.
then i got to work on the salmon.

it was as simple as chopping a few things and order of operations. fennel first, throw in the rest of the ingredients, cook the salmon last and in a separate pan. done and done.
seeee! doesn't it look delicious? (if you're a salmon fan.) this meal was unlike anything i've ever made OR eaten. the flavors were delicious and unique and so so...impressive. i think that's the right word. 

really...had my girls not been crying the entire time i made this meal it would have been perfection. so instead i give it a 9.9 / 10.

my farmer completely, 100% agreed. we both cleaned our plates and discussed that this would probably be a great option as a birthday or christmas gift. my farmer even suggested it might be good for new parents.

what it comes down to is if you're in a cooking rut and you're tired of eating "family approved meals" - ie. you only want to cook one meal that everyone will eat...Sun Box is a great option. 

on this particular night i gave sawyer leftovers and kaye enjoyed a chicken hotdog with sweet potatoes and beats. the farmer and i feasted on salmon and fennel. 

i'm so so jazzed to make the two other recipes. i'll be enjoying steak with sautéed chard tonight!