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Green Chef Keto Meal Kit Review + Coupon – January 2020

Becca Peterson
ByBecca PetersonFeb 1, 2020 | 3 comments

Green Chef
4.8 overall rating
5 Ratings | 2 Reviews

Green Chef is a weekly meal delivery subscription service that sends ingredients to make meals that are fresh, sustainable, and organic.

Check out all of our reviews of Meal Delivery Services to see even more meal kit subscription box options!

Green Chef has plan size options for 2 or 4 people. You can choose between paleo, keto, balanced living, plant-powered, or the family plan.

This is a review of the Green Chef Keto Plan that includes three 2-serving dinner options (at $12.99/serving) for two people, plus $6.99 shipping for a total of $84.93.

My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out our review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

About Green Chef

The Subscription Box: Green Chef

The Cost:

  • Paleo $12.99 per serving (paleo-friendly, gluten-free meals)
  • Keto $12.99 per serving (low-carb, gluten-free meals)
  • Balanced Living $11.99 per serving
  • Plant-Powered $9.99 per serving
  • Family Plan starting at $10.99 per serving

ACTIVE DEAL: Limited Time Only! Get $250 off + free shipping
CODE: MSA200

The Products: Quick, chef-created recipes using organic, sustainable ingredients.

Ships to: The continental U.S. (except for some parts of Louisiana) for $6.99 

Good to Know: You can find full nutritional breakdowns under each meal on the site. The calories and net carbs are listed on the recipe card for quick reference.

Green Chef 2-Person Keto Meal Plan January 2020 Review

My New Year's resolution this year is to really focus on my health, so because I have had really good luck with the keto diet in the past, I decided to jump back on the bandwagon, and hopefully not fall off! Because I now work 3 days a week, I am strapped for time to seek out new recipes and grocery shop, so I thought I would give Green Chef a try!

Green Chef makes sourcing sustainable, organic ingredients top priority. They have a great ingredient list and include allergy warnings on their recipes. The prices per meal are higher than some other competitors, but like eating high-quality, organic food from the grocery store, it costs more. 

They also have a page on their site that walks you through how you can recycle all of the packaging.

As for shipping, you get to choose from weekly (1-3 boxes per), bi-weekly, or monthly deliveries on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, or Saturdays. The box is very well insulated and you don’t have to be at home when it is delivered. Your food will stay fresh and cool. Their website is very easy to navigate which makes it simple to change your delivery schedule or skip a week anytime. They now have 7 meal options to choose from! 

Let’s see these dinners!

 

Meal 1: Balsamic-Herb Chicken with Roasted Butternut-Squash, Sauteed Mushrooms, Tomatoes, and Feta

Net Carbs Per Serving: 20

Calories per serving: 450

Total time, according to Green Chef: 35 minutes

Actual time: 45 minutes

The recipe cards are nice and large and include the amounts of each ingredient so the meals are easy to create and cleanup is not such a big job. There is also a short description of the dinner, estimated prep and cook time, calorie count, net carb count, allergen info, and the tools you will need. They also went the extra mile of color-coding each bag with the instructions to make preparation a breeze!

On the back, you will find a step-by-step guide with pictures on how to prepare your meal. These are easy to follow, but I recommend reading them through once before beginning to make sure you are prepared. 

 

To start this dish, I had to pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees, and peel the butternut squash. After peeling, I diced it into 1/2" pieces and placed them on a lightly oiled baking sheet with a small amount of salt and pepper. The directions stated to roast the squash for 15-18 minutes. I roasted for about 20 and still had crunchy pieces.

 

While the squash was roasting, I took a damp paper towel and gently wiped off the mushrooms. Depending on the size of the mushrooms you were to halve or quarter them, but because I don't like large pieces of mushroom, I chopped them even smaller.

Next, was to halve the tomatoes. Because I also don't like gigantic tomato pieces, I went ahead and quartered them.

 

Once I had the vegetables cut up, I went ahead and started on the chicken. My first step was to pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel and place them in a medium bowl with salt, pepper, and half of the garlic-herb seasoning. I then drizzled them with a small amount of cooking oil and turned to coat. After heating oil in an oven-safe cast iron pan, I added the chicken and seared both sizes for 3 minutes each. When that was complete I added the balsamic vinegar with dijon mustard and 3 tablespoons of water. Finally, it was time to transfer the pan to the oven. I roasted the chicken for about 10 minutes to get the internal temperature to 165 degrees.

 

While the chicken was roasting, I went ahead and heated 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan and added my mushrooms and yellow onions. I then added salt, pepper, and the remaining garlic-herb seasoning and cooked for 4 minutes. Then it was time to add the tomatoes and cook until they became slightly blistered. Next, I added the squash, butter, 1 tablespoon water, half of the green lemon-herb sauce, and salt and pepper. Finally, it cooked for about 1 more minute to heat through.

 

Tada! It is finally time to plate! I sliced the chicken up into 6 slices each and divided the sauce onto each plate, with a sprinkle of feta cheese.

 

While I am the only one in my family on the keto diet, after basking in the delicious scents of mushrooms and onions, my kids couldn't resist having a taste! While this is technically a 2 serving meal, I split it into 3 plates, and still had leftovers for lunch the next day.  Because I am trying to stay under 30 grams of net carbs a day, this recipe (coming in at 2o net cards per serving) was a little too high for me, but splitting the servings into 4 gave me enough to eat and cut the net carb count in half. I found the chicken to be extremely juicy and perfectly seasoned but didn't love the seasoning on the vegetables; it just felt too sour for me. My kids gobbled the chicken, mushrooms, and onions right up, but didn't care for the squash or the tomatoes. All in all, I would rate this recipe 6/10.

Meal 2: Pork Meatballs with Piccata Sauce, Sauteed Zucchini & Yellow Squash with Pesto and Parmesan Cheese

Net Carbs Per Serving: 9

Calories per serving: 580

Total time, according to Green Chef: 30 minutes

Actual time: 25 minutes

 

Give me all the chicken and pork! When I saw these pork meatballs as an option, I had to choose them! How did they turn out? Keep on reading!

 

To begin our recipe, I first washed and dried the yellow squash, and followed the directions by trimming the ends and cutting it in half lengthwise. I then laid my pieces flat and sliced them into 1/4 inch thick half-moons. I was supposed to follow the exact same process for the zucchini, but I didn't receive a zucchini. I was given 2 yellow squash. (I called customer service just to check-in and let them know the sitch, and they were very, very apologetic and offered a $20 credit to my account for the inconvenience.)

After my squash was cut, I minced the 2 cloves of garlic we received.

 

The next step was to place the pork in a bowl, season with the Italian herb and red pepper blend, and form the meatballs. I used my handy dandy Pampered Chef scoop to form them into 1/2" meatballs. While I was forming the meatballs, I heated up the oil so it was ready right away. After the oil was hot, I added in the meatballs and cooked them until they were 165 degrees internally which took about 8 minutes. Once the meatballs were fully cooked, I added the capers and garlic and cooked for another minute. After that, I added the vegetable broth with lemon juice and reduced the sauce for 4 minutes. It was then time to remove from the heat and add the butter.

 

While the meatballs were cooking, I was also cooking my veggies. Once the oil heated up, I added the summer squash and cooked it for 6 minutes over medium-high heat. After the pieces browned slightly, I added the basil, garlic pesto, and parmesan cheese. This cooked for another 3 minutes, and then I removed them from the heat.

 

Voila! Because I timed everything just right, both my veggies and meatballs were done at the same time, and ready to plate! I was really happy to see the time it took me to prepare and cook this meal was actually less than the suggested time. There was less chopping in this recipe than the first meal, and I absolutely LOVED the flavor! The yellow squash was fantastic with the pesto and parmesan cheese, and the pork meatballs were perfectly salty and seasoned - and the kitchen smelled AMAZING! The pair really complemented each other, and the serving sizes were quite generous. At 9 grams of net carbs, I was able to easily enjoy this meal while staying in ketosis. I rate this recipe 9.5/10!

Meal 3: Chicken with Herb Tahini Sauce Cauliflower "Tabbouleh" with Cabbage & Roasted Red Peppers

Net Carbs Per Serving: 14

Calories per serving: 400

Total time, according to Green Chef: 25 minutes

Actual time: 25 minutes

 

Growing up, my mom loved cooking dinners that mostly featured meat and potatoes. While I still love those meals, I have found myself trying to branch out into the world of vegetables a little more, so when I saw this chicken meal I just had to give it a shot!

 

I am loving how easy these meals are to cook! Everything is in its individual, recyclable, measured packet! The first step in this recipe was to pat chicken strips dry with a paper towel then to place them in a large bowl. I then sprinkled on the paprika, garlic, oregano seasoning, and drizzled with olive oil.

 

Once the chicken was seasoned, the recipe suggested letting it sit for about 5 minutes, which is when I prepped my veggies. I roughly chopped the cabbage, thinly sliced the scallion, and roughly chopped the Kalamata olives.

 

I heated 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and added the chicken. My chicken seemed to be small chunks instead of strips, but that just made them cook faster, for a quicker meal. Once they reached 165 degrees, I took them off of the heat and placed a sheet of aluminum foil over them to keep them warm.

 

Once the chicken was cooked, I added the cauliflower "rice," cabbage, and roasted red peppers to the hot pan. I cooked this for about 4 minutes. After that, I removed the pan from the heat, added the scallion, and drizzled the mixture with lemon-ginger cider vinaigrette.

 

To plate my dinner, I spooned the "tabbouleh" onto the plate and added the chicken onto the top. I then drizzled the entire plate with the garlic-herb tahini sauce and garnished with the olives.

 

Check it out! This meal only took about 25 minutes, and was fresh, tangy, and delicious! I loved the flavoring of the chicken! I felt the cabbage and cauliflower "rice" complemented each other in the sauce, and really enjoyed the addition of the roasted red peppers. I'm usually not a huge fan of olives but felt they added just the right amount of salt to the dish. While I have never had Greek food in the past and don't have a non-keto version to compare it to- I would definitely eat this again!

The Verdict: My Green Chef keto box really surprised me! This is the first time I have tried this subscription, so I wasn't 100% sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised! I love the fact that this subscription is dedicated to organic ingredients, and that the meals are so easy to prepare while using recyclable packaging. I received my box during the day but was at work so it sat outside for more than half the day. When I opened it, everything was perfectly cold and looked amazing - thank you, awesome ice packs! I know this plan is on the expensive side, but I was able to get 4 lunches out of each meal instead of 2, bringing the value up for me. This was a perfect dinner for when my husband and I both work late, and is cheaper than going out- plus it fits in with my keto diet AND tastes great! I did notice some of the recipes are still pretty high in net carbs, but when I split the servings in half, I am able to cut down the carbs, making it work a little better for me. I can't wait to see what meal offerings they have next month! (I'm hoping for more meatballs!)

To Wrap Up:

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, this week of meals has passed. But, you can sign up for the keto box today and preview the upcoming meals!

ACTIVE DEAL: Limited Time Only! Get $250 off + free shipping
CODE: MSA200

Value Breakdown: At $12.99 per serving for three meals on the 2-person Keto plan plus $6.99 shipping, the total comes to $84.93. This averages out to about $14.16 per meal. 

Check out all of our Green Chef reviews and the Meal Subscription Box Directory!

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Do you subscribe to Green Chef? What meals have been your favorites?

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Green Chef is a weekly meal delivery service subscription that designs flavorful, healthy recipes that are built around fresh, sustainable, organic ingredients. Green Chef offers 3 different menus each week: Keto + Paleo, Plant-Powered, and Balanced Living. Each menu offers around 8 or 9 choices,... read more.

Becca Peterson
Becca Peterson

I am a wild and crazy mom of 2 boys and work in the public education system as an Indigenous Support Advocate. I love all things outdoors, beauty, crafts, and food. Living the simple life in the country, we spend a lot of time hiking, camping, fishing, and hunting. Oh, and I absolutely adore my high school sweetheart aka my husband of almost 17 years!


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3 comments

TK

We’ve been getting Green Chef for a couple months but don’t get the Keto plan. My family generally likes everything we’ve received. The ingredients are high quality, portions are generous, prep is fairly easy, and everything arrives in great condition. The cons for me: even though prep and cooking are easy, cleanup can be a lot of work. I wish there were more meals that could be made in the oven instead of the stovetop.

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Taren

This looks really good. I might need to try this

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Becca

It was really good! Thanks for commenting Taren! ❤️

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