Plated Review & Free Plates Coupon! #platedpics – Feb 21 Delivery #2

We eagerly awaited the arrival of this Plated delivery, as I have a soft spot for German food, and we absolutely love Southeast Asian flavors!  We were able to satisfy both cravings for less than what it would have cost to go out to a restaurant for a single dinner.  With the extreme cold hitting our area at the time, I was glad the delivery guy was braving the cold, and it wasn’t me running around searching for lemongrass and spaetzle.

Plated delivers ready-to-prepare meals to your doorstep.  It’s perfect if you want freshly-prepared meals using top-quality ingredients.  With just a little chopping and stirring, you have a restaurant-quality meal that you can brag about. You can always preview menus ahead of time, so you can pass on selections that don’t move you. This is usually not an issue — some weeks we order a half dozen meals because the selections are so appealing.  The portions are generous, and we usually have enough that we can let the kids experience some great new flavors too!

When you sign up for Plated with this link or use code b0c635, you’ll get 2 free plates with your first order. Sometimes we order and sometimes Hello Fresh. It just depends on what meals we’re interested in. [Hello Fresh: Take $40 off your first box with coupon code 7UT7K8]

Pan-Roasted Mustard Pork with Spaetzle and Carrots:  This was simply awesome!  This dish was better, hands down, than any preparation of spaetzle I’ve had in a restaurant; it was al dente and both crispy and tender — I wish we had ordered two of these.  I liked the simplicity of the seasoning for this meal.  The mustard made coating the pork super easy, and using the pork pan for the carrots gave them some flavor as well.

Indonesian Beef Rendang with Coconut and Lime:  This recipe had a few more ingredients than most dishes, but it was still pretty easy to put together.  The lemongrass and cinnamon just simmered in the sauce, so there wasn’t actually any more prep than usual.  I did mess up and add all of the coconut milk instead of just a portion, but the dish was still delicious.

Plated offers dessert add-ons too.  The desserts have been even easier to prepare than the meals.

 Strawberry Jam and Citrus Parfaits with Lady Fingers:  As pictured, we split this into four portions instead of two so we could share with the kids.  There was still plenty to go around.  The only tough part of this whipping the cream.  I grabbed a milk frother I had laying around to cut the whipping time down a bit.  The kids asked if we could have this every night.

So that’s what we made with our box this week!  You can use code b0c635 to sign up for Plated and get 2 free plates with your first order!

Each meal includes easy-to-follow directions, and almost everything you need is included:  from the often organic meats to the fresh herbs.  You need only contribute the most basic of culinary skills, and Plated will walk you through the rest.  Have on hand basic kitchen utensils and you can transform the contents of your Plated box into a photo-worthy culinary masterpiece in under forty-five minutes (usually less).  I love the way each meal incorporates only a couple key herbs or spices; the flavors shine through, and the recipes remain easy to follow.

If you haven’t joined up, visit Plated to find or more or to subscribe. You can see all the meal subscription services & dinner kits in the directory plus all our Plated Reviews!