I never thought that I would start a review by talking about the packaging (and to be honest, nor did my editor) but in this case it so deserves a mention.
The large cardboard box promised much but would it be able to deliver? Cardboard was to be expected given Balance’s environmental credentials. so far so normal I thought, but then even the packaging began to outdo itself. Every element of the box and its contents was recyclable, reusable or compostable and not only that but the chiller packs (which are normally a nightmare to recycle) were made from frozen drinking water contained within 100% recyclable film.
Being a vegetarian, I was looking forward to what was going to be my entire food needs for three days, enough for a long weekend. A menu of the nutrition, calorific value and other nutritional breakdown was printed on brown paper (compostable, naturally)
The package labelled fruit was opened with a degree of excitement only to reveal a satsuma, a kiwi fruit and an apple. Oh well, no one ever said that a balanced diet was going to be exciting, and the fruit was flavoursome enough.
Other paper wrapped `packages were labelled snacks and contained nuts and snack bars with names such as ‘Delish Trail bar’, ‘Yummy Berry bar’ and ‘Bliss bar,’ and once again the content lived up to the name. Each small bar was not only extremely tasty, but it had the uncanny ability to take the edge off one’s appetite to the point that I barely registered when the next meal was due. A boon should one be dieting (and believe me I should be dieting)
The reusable plastic containers were labelled with the day, and breakfast, lunch or dinner, so I was able to stack each day’s food neatly in the fridge which just added to the convenience.
It was the first day’s breakfast, Apricot Bircher which contained orange zest, rice milk, coconut and soya yogurt and chia, where I Iearnt a painful truth about myself. It really ought to have contained a health warning, because it was so delicious I ate the entire contents leaving me so full that it was the evening before I ventured to eat anything else. I felt so full that the planned lunch and snacks were moved to the next day. Now I realise that this is a self-inflicted injury but I learned my lesson the hard way and shared the rest of the food with my wife. (well, not the snacks obviously, miracles take a little longer)
I had read somewhere that the sound of crunching signals to your brain that you are full, so the lunch of chick pea, chilli, and vegan Feta salad was absolutely delicious and crunchy enough to tell my stomach to pay attention. This was also the case for the Crunchy vegetable and edamame bean salad, again tasty and perfectly balanced.
Saturday breakfast contained Asparagus, sun blush tomatoes and scrambled tofu, the latter a revelation, which had it not been labelled I would have taken for egg.
Sunday lunch was the most delicious Curried lentil soup which I now wisely shared with my wife along with a piece of toasted gluten free bread which was meant to go with something else, but by now, I had decided that balance was the name of the game.
Dinners ranged from Polenta crusted Portabello Mushroom, Falafel Tagine to a Butternut Squash and Edamame Bean Risotto, all as delicious as they were filling.
I loved having a long weekend where I did not having to think about shopping or cooking and still being able to enjoy a tasty meal There was no waste thanks to the balanced meals and thoughtful packaging. It was a great time saver and of course as its name suggests it was clear that each meal was finely balanced which is particularly important for us vegetarians. All in all a great experience where my balance was well and truly restored. https://www.balancebox.com
