UPDATE: Permanently CLOSED
Usually when I share an “I Ate Here” post, I’ve dined at the restaurant once or maybe even a handful of times. This post will be a bit different. You see, I’ve eaten two meals a day, six days a week for the last four weeks from Conveniently Natural. I’ve had 48 meals made by Conveniently Natural.
Conveniently Natural is a relatively new meal delivery service in Kansas City. They offer vegan meals with a focus on local, seasonal and organic ingredients, delivered to your doorstep. For about $100, four entrees, four side dishes and one dessert container arrives on your doorstep and are left in a cooler you provide. Super easy!
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| Shepherdess pie, baby carrots & cauliflower in cilantro cream sauce, zesty shiitake medley over brown rice |
For me, I can make 3 servings from one entree container. I divide each side dish into 4 servings. At most of my 12 meals during the week, I have one entree serving and two side dish servings. For the first two weeks, I received the desssert, which is also about 3 servings, but the last two weeks I chose to substitute an extra side dish for dessert since I strive to eat sweets only once a week and enjoy baking said sweets myself.
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| Butternut squash black bean enchiladas, warm chipotle potato salad, maple roasted root vegs with millet |
Each container comes labeled with reheating instructions. I’m not a follower of instructions and microwaved everything. I chose to try this food as a way to have quick meals, yet also meet my nutritional goals and address my dietary restrictions. The meals are not meant to be a weight loss plan and caloric information isn’t included. I was never hungry eating Conveniently Natural meals for lunch and dinner. I had a simple breakfast of green juice or homemade seed pancakes or waffles with almond butter and an afternoon snack in addition to the delivered food and didn’t battle hunger, so it’s plenty of food.
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| Greek cavatappi pasta, more carrots and shiitake medley |
Prior to my first order with Conveniently Natural, I had a few e-mail conversations with Kim and Brian, the owners. Every dish on the menu may be modified to be gluten-free but I am extremely gluten sensitive and asked lots of questions about cross-contamination and how cooking is handled. They were upfront with me and shared what they do to keep foods separate, but also let me know I was taking a risk. After the recent CPK uproar in the gluten-free community, I have to tell you I am very understanding of the food industry sharing such concern and adding disclaimers. I ordered this food fully aware of the risk. I did not have any serious gluten reaction in the last month related to this food. But in the spirit of the disclaimer, I’ll say that you should ask your own questions and make your own decisions related to this, as their kitchen is not dedicated gluten-free.
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| Buttery mashed cauliflower and herbs, toasted sesame emerald greens, eggplant parmesan |
About the food: I ate the one of the best vegan, gluten-free macaroni and cheese I have ever had. Conveniently Natural has big shoes to fill for vegan macaroni and cheese in KC, FuD‘s version is amazing. I would eat either version every single day of the week. Conveniently Natural adds sweet corn to theirs, what a great addition! Other dishes I really enjoyed were butternut squash black bean enchiladas, faux chicken salad and au gratin potatoes.
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| Black bean polenta pie, toasted sesame emerald greens, mac & cheez |
The downside of eating this way is that if you don’t like a dish, you have several more servings of it. One dish over the course of a month was a tad too spicy for me, but I ate it two more times because I don’t like wasting food. Because the menu is the limited each week, if you make any substitutions, you’ll be eating the same thing more than a few times. Last week I had to make two substitutions which meant I had duplicates of two dishes. It made my eating a bit repetitive. I’m used to this, living in a small household, as we eat lots of leftovers when I make a dish of any size.
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| Charro beans with chorizo, carrot raisin salad, roasted almondine greens |
During busy times of the year, I may order from Conveniently Natural from time to time. There is also the option to order ala carte for pick up from their location or a couple of local grocers or to order only a half order. I plan to do this to supplement my own cooking. Ultimately, I miss cooking more than I like the convenience of having food prepared by someone else dropped on my doorstep. If you are super busy, want to eat delicious healthy food but don’t want to cook, Conveniently Natural is perfect for you!
Conveniently Natural is located at 3711 Southwest Trafficway in Kansas City, Missouri.
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