GIANT Fresh Meal Kits – All the Ingredients You Need for Dinner in Under 35 Minutes {Review}

Disclosure: I received a gift card to purchase GIANT Meal Kits to facilitate this review. All opinions, as always, are 100% my own.

Imagine a fresh and delicious dinner in under 35 minutes.

Now imagine having all of the ingredients fresh and ready for you to cook – along with a step by step recipe guide.

Seriously – Imagine being handed pretty much everything but the cook (and a few cooking utensils)!

Sound like a dream?

It’s NOT!

Introducing Fresh Meal Kits from GIANT

(Be still my heart)

Each kit comes packed and ready to go with fresh ingredients to make two servings per meal and costs under $15 for dinner for two or under $25 for dinner for four!

I don’t know about you, but it sounded too good to be true so I put them to the test for myself.

Last weekend was Valentine’s Day weekend – and the weather was exceptionally frigid.  Due to a lack of a babysitter and not wanting to feel rushed on Valentine’s Day Weekend at a restaurant, I decided it was the perfect time to give the GIANT meal kits a try.  Since we had plans of purchasing heart shaped pizzas for the kids, I decided to  grab two different meal kits to make on Saturday and Sunday – just for me and my hubby.  I figured it would be nice to enjoy a nice quiet meal at home after the kids had their dinner – and it would be much nicer than feeling harried by going out.  As most of you probably already know if you follow along on my blog, I do enjoy cooking – so these kits are right up my alley.

When I arrived at Peapod, the Fresh Meal Kits were displayed in a case that was in the produce area and very easy to find.  As a promotion, all of the kits had coupons attached for $5 off – making them even more appealing to try (I believe the coupons are good through 2/24/16 – and I also saw more coupons at the customer service desk). There are five varieties to choose from:

• Pan seared chicken breast with creamy mushroom sauce, garlic roasted green beans and seasoned wild rice
•  Baked chicken parmesan with rosemary Yukon gold potato wedges and fresh ratatouille
• Mini Italian style meatloaf with couscous and fresh vegetables
•  Peppercorn steak with creamy blue cheese sauce, chive mashed potatoes, and garlic roasted broccoli and cauliflower
• Pan seared boneless pork chops with apple and honey mustard sauce, roasted Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes

After staring at the kits for about 5 minutes (yes – it was that hard to decide) – I decided on the Pork Chops kit for Saturday and the Peppercorn Steak for Sunday (since it sounded perfect for Valentine’s Day).

Each kit costs $14.99 but there was a promotion that if you buy two kits at the same time, it is only $24.99, which I though was a great deal!  Add in the special promo coupon – and this was quite the bargain for a Valentine’s dinner!

While I was there I picked up a few ingredients to make a low fat chocolate dessert and I was on my way.

When Saturday came, I was actually excited all day for the opportunity to give the kit a try.  As the day started to get away from me and we were getting hungry, I almost panicked at the idea that I still had to cook.  I grabbed out the kit and opened it up to see what else I was going to need. I took a deep breath as I glanced at the package which clearly reads – dinner in 35 minutes or less (whew!)

I took all of the ingredients out of the kit and set them on plates. My first thought was how fresh everything looked.  The cut of meat was perfect (just as if I would have picked it myself) – and I was really impressed as the perfectly portioned size. Next I grabbed the recipe card and quickly noticed there is even a list of additional items/cookware/tools you will need to prep the meal.  The card is a nice size, easy to read with a bit of lamination and complete with pictures making the directions easy enough for the most basic cook to follow.  Honestly, I was so impressed with the instructions that I am going to let my husband give it a try next time.  He NEVER cooks but always says he would like to try – I think this would be a great way to get him into the kitchen – and cooking for me!

I love the way everything is explained in how-to mode – from how to chop the fresh items to how to prep the pan, handle items, season them and make the perfect meal.  If you are following the instructions step by step, they are pretty much fool proof – and with the premeasured ingredients you do not have to worry about putting too much of this or too little of that.  It really is awesome!

Just as promised on the package, dinner was ready in under 35 minutes – and my house smelled heavenly.  As I began plating our dinner, I found myself taking the time to carefully plate to make it look extra special.  Everything looked delicious and it made me feel good serving such a fresh, fancy-looking meal to my husband. (Bonus points for the Wifey – Woo Hoo!!)

Overall, the pork chops and sides were delicious – and cooked perfectly.  After finishing the meal, we were excited to try out the second meal containing the steak on Sunday.

On Sunday I decided to get a little fancier by also making a dessert and adding a bottle of wine and some candles. (This is an awesome way to save some money by having date night at home)  My husband was out running the kids around to their extra-curriculars while I began to prep our dinner.  Once again I opened the meal kit for the peppercorn steak and spread out all of my ingredients.  Unfortuantely after taking inventory of the items I realized that the small packet of chives were not in the kit.  I have to admit – I was a bit disappointed.  Well – yeah I was quite disappointed as chives are not something I usually keep on hand at home – and I really didn’t have time to run out and get some.  Thank goodness – they were not an integral part of the meal by any means (and I never add them to my mashed potatoes anyway), so I put the idea of chives out of my head and back to work I went.

Chives or no chives – this meal was perfection!  Once again I had a perfectly plated meal on the table in under 35 minutes. And that creamy blue cheese sauce – OMG – I cannot tell you how yummy!! Once again I was even more impressed that I ever anticipated – and it really was a savory, enjoyable meal.

Trust me – Head over (I mean – RUN) over to GIANT and grab a meal or two to try for yourself.   Make it a fun, romantic date in the kitchen – an at home cooking class with your husband (or significant other).  Or, get 2 kits and get the whole family involved helping with the prep time.  And guys – go grab one of these and impress your wife by cooking for her. Or if you are a wife or normally doesn’t cook, surprise your honey with one of these delightful meals. Believe it or not, my husband has agreed to attempt to cook one of these on his own as a special treat for me (and I cannot wait to see how it turns out!)

GIANT Fresh Meal Kits can be found online at Peapod for those who prefer to grocery shop online (in the Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley area) and in store at the following select GIANT locations:

• 539 N Oak Ave, Aldan
• 3400 Concord Rd, Aston
• 1750 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell
• 216 E. Fairmont St., Coopersburg
• 1874 Bethlehem Pike, Flourtown
• 116 West Township Line Road, Havertown
• 6542 E. Logan Square, New Hope
• 2450 Chemical Rd, Plymouth Meeting
• 721 W. Sproul Rd, Springfield
• 7150 Hamilton Blvd, Trexlertown
• 1375 East Boot Road, West Chester
• 315 York Rd, Willow Grove

Have you tried GIANT’s new Fresh Meal Kits?  If so, what did you think?