I’m normally super cranky when it comes to meal-delivery kits. All the wasted packaging! They’re so expensive! I can cook just fine myself! And ugh what if it has chicken in it? (Chicken is not my first choice for protein. It’s actually my last. Unless it’s a fried chicken “salad” from Tender Greens, but that’s it. OK I’m digressing, I see this, and I apologize.)

But, some very nice people over at Simple Feast sent me a box with three meals in it to try, and to my surprise, I was relieved that I didn’t have to do any food planning that week. Here’s how it all went down:

Day 1 | Shakshuka: I was leery of this garbanzo-and-tomato-sauce concoction, which is normally a snoozefest for me, but this was the best shakshuka I’ve ever had.Tangy and perfectly spiced, I even put leftovers under a fried egg for breakfast the next morning. My favorite of all three dishes. I kept thinking that they should have included some pita bread for the babaganoush, which we ended up eating with rice crackers. BUT they did include bread–we just didn’t find it for a few days.

Day 2 | Baked Strozzapreti Pasta: This came with a cashew “cream” sauce and some fresh pasta, topped with toasted bread crumbs. My daughter liked it more than I did–but then again, I left creamy pasta back in the ’90s, along with my En Vogue CD, so it wasn’t quite to my taste. The accompanying mushrooms were a hit all around, though.

Day 3 | Vegetable Yakisoba: Another good one! I had a timing conflict so my boyfriend and daughter made this without me, and it turned out great. The only issue was that there were two brown sauces and each went on a different part of the meal. Fortunately, they guessed correctly! (Sorry, we were so hungry we forgot to take a picture of this one.)

THE UPSHOT: If I were going to subscribe to a meal kit, Simple Feast would be an excellent choice. The portions are generous, they are delicious, and very simple to make and I appreciate the biodegradable and/or recyclable packaging. My one quibble is that the parts of the meal should be labeled better in case people unfamiliar with ingredients can’t tell what all the pieces are.

These meal kits run from $89 (two-three people) to $150 per week (4-5 people), which breaks down to $11-$12 per person per meal. It’s a great solution to eating well and staying sustainable.