Review: Chef Richard did it again, combining unexpected ingredients to perfection!

Day 1 Dinner: Blueberry Quinoa & Arugula

[Blueberry Quinoa & Arugula]

Chef Richard did it again, combining unexpected ingredients to perfection!

I had to try the Blueberry Quinoa & Arugula first.

This meal provides a perfect balance of garlicky quinoa, slightly sweet blueberries, and bitter arugula. The leafy-green flavor profile is definitely enhanced by adding some greens from the Organic Girl package.

I love eating healthy salads that have a little bit of sweetness to them. This large portion can easily serve two people.

Day 1 Dessert: Apple Pie Harvest Bites (Cold)

[Apple Pie Harvest Bites]

For dessert, I had two of the sweet and tangy Apple Pie Harvest Bites. I ate them cold.

The taste reminded me of eating cinnamon applesauce at my grandmother’s house when I was a little boy.

The bites were thick, chewy, and just sweet enough.

This was definitely a sufficient dessert after eating the filling Blueberry Quinoa & Arugula.

 

Day 2 Breakfast: Cacao Chip Granola

[Cacao Chip Granola]

I tasted a couple of dry handfuls of the Cacao Chip Granola.

I can tell you already that this is my favorite Whole Harvest Granola yet.

It is so chocolatey. I could eat this as a snack all day, but I wanted to try it for breakfast. I could not wait to dig in!

I poured the entire package (even though this is easily two servings) in a bowl with unsweetened soy milk.

It reminded me of the cereals from my youth that turned the milk chocolatey. But this offering is more hearty with the bulky rolled oats and visible chunks of chocolate.

For fun, I added a sliced banana because I love chocolate and banana flavors together. If you like the flavor of chocolate-covered strawberries, you could add those as well. Tart fruits, such as raspberries or mulberries, may be delicious as well.

Chef Richard could market his own line of oil-free, sugar–free granola cereal. It would be a successful venture!

 

Day 2 Dinner: Sweet Potato Poke Bowl

[Sweet Potato Poke Bowl]

Opening the Sweet Potato Poke Bowl revealed the purple sweet potatoes. Every chef knows that the visual appearance of food is part of the experience.

I will add, however, that the purple sweet potatoes are slightly sweeter than the traditional ones; and yet, they are a little more “potatoey,” in flavor and texture.

The abundant edamame is an earthy-flavored legume with a robust amino acid profile. The crisp purple cabbage provides a texture contrast to the soft purple sweet potatoes, while providing a mild, onion essence.

The Harvest Vinaigrette brings out the flavor of every ingredient. A handful of greens completes the meal with nutrition and flavor.

 

Day 2 Dessert: Apple Pie Harvest Bites

[Apple Pie Harvest Bites]

Of course, any offering with the words “Apple Pie” must be sampled warm.

I heated two of them for twenty seconds. They were so soft and tasted just like pie.

I would suggest experimenting with heating the Apple Pie Harvest bites as well as the Oatmeal Cookie and Oatmeal Raisin Harvest Bites. This is yet another way to add variety to the Whole Harvest offerings.

 

Day 3 Lunch: Roasted Corn Tortilla Soup & Southwest Salad

[Roasted Corn Tortilla Soup]

The Roasted Corn Tortilla Soup is thick and hearty with spicy zucchini and black beans.

This meal has an undeniable Mexican flavor profile without being too spicy.

This soup is chunky enough to eat like a meal. The seasoned zucchini was cut into small pieces so that they could be distributed evenly throughout, giving you zucchini and black beans in every bite.

The Southwest Salad was appropriate with many similar ingredients, including black beans and spicy zucchini, along with cherry tomatoes.

I added sriracha, which you can order on the website. Just a little bit of it adds a nice kick!

I love the Whole Harvest cold salads, but it is nice to get a warm meal or two. We had a major snowstorm in my city today. This was a great evening meal!

Day 3 Dinner: Ratatouille Over Spaghetti

[Ratatouille Over Spaghetti]

I continue to expand my culinary knowledge by eating from Whole Harvest.

While this pasta offering seems Italian, ratatouille is actually a French dish.

Roasted eggplant in pasta is one of my favorites. The meal is complete with healthy servings of seasoned zucchini and cherry tomatoes in the Whole Harvest signature marinara.

This is a chunky pasta dish that I enjoyed with the greens on the side. Many restaurants serve a watered-down marinara with skimpy portions of eggplant and veggies.

By contrast, the Ratatouille Over Spaghetti and greens was a filling lunch. I do not need to eat another bite!

Day 4 Dinner: Unfried Chickpea Rice

[Unfried Chickpea Rice]

It is easy to overlook the importance of properly seasoning the base grains in the Whole Harvest meals.

Chef Richard enhanced the Unfried Chickpea Rice by adding ginger, one of my favorite spices.

I loved the crunch of sliced celery and sweet red peppers. Although the instructions say to enjoy this hot, I rebelled and ate it cold!

The crisp broccoli florets were cut small enough to eat raw. The flavors and textures were balanced with modest amounts of red onion, soft chickpeas, gingered rice, and the ever-enhancing Harvest Vinaigrette.

Adding greens to this offering makes for an overwhelmingly filling meal without being calorically dense.

You can eat so much food AND lose weight, if you eat whole plant foods. Whole Harvest makes it simple and delicious!

Day 4 Dessert: Cherry Cacao Parfait

[Cherry Cacao Parfait]

If you love chocolate covered cherries, you will love the Cherry Cacao Parfait. I sampled one cacao-doused cherry separately. I could eat a whole package of these!

The foundational ingredient is the cinnamon steel cut oats. I often eat cereal and oats with cinnamon and cacao together. I like this flavor combo. The tangy cherries and sweet dates, along with the cacao and cinnamon, provide a similar flavor combination to what I typically eat every morning.

This gave me satisfying sweetness without added sugar or refined carbohydrates. The parfait is a delicious fiber-filled breakfast, dessert, or snack. This is my favorite Whole Harvest parfait yet!

Day 5 Breakfast: Blackberry Peach Smoothie

[Blackberry Peach Smoothie]

I never drank smoothies much before reviewing the Whole Harvest boxes. It is such a simple, yet diverse breakfast option.

With this offering, the tangy blackberries and peaches offset the super-sweet dates.

Not only do Whole Harvest boxes provide hassle-free, delicious, healthy meals, but they also encourage me to reevaluate my entire culinary style. There are infinite ways to make breakfast smoothies, but sliced dates is the consistent ingredient for Whole Harvest.

These meals not only nourish you, but they may also inspire you to change your entire philosophy of eating.