Roadtest: Urban Real Food

Posted on 31 May, 2016

 In the third part of a five-part series, we road test home-delivered cook or heat at home meals, and give you the lowdown.

Like many of us these days, my life is super busy. I’m an event manager by day so my week days are pretty hectic, to say the least.

With two young children who have heavy sport commitments and a husband who is a shift worker, I don’t have a lot of spare time, so you can imagine how excited I was when the team told me I would be doing a review of pre-made meal delivery service Urban Real Food.

A five day meal plan was going to be delivered straight to my door and for five days, I didn’t have to think about what to eat or cook.

THE MENU

The week before I was due to receive my delivery, Chris Ward from Urban Real Food got in touch to chat about what type of meals I would like in my five day plan.

Given I eat almost everything, I asked Chris to just send me a good variety but nothing that involved too much crunch, as I have issues with my teeth at the moment. “So no granola for you then!” Chris was great and adapted my menu accordingly.

THE MEALS Day ONE

Egg & Bacon Muffins

Lamb Backstrap with Panzanella Salad

Fajita Chicken with Red Rice and Salsa Verde

I’m not usually an egg and bacon kinda girl but I LOVED the egg and bacon muffins. They were just the right size, the eggs were full of flavour and with a little dash of chives, I was set for the morning.

For lunch I had the lamb salad and if I were to order again, this would be first on my list. I usually eat salad at lunchtime so this meal was perfect for me. The lamb was pink and tender and the dressing was perfectly flavoured.

Dinner was a very generous serving of fajita chicken with red rice and salsa verde. The chicken was tender and the whole dish was delicious. I struggled to finish this meal as the portion size was so big.

Day TWO

Breakfast Frittata

Cannelloni

Beef Burgers with Beetroot Relish

The breakfast frittata was my favourite breakfast dish from the whole menu. The flavours were perfect for a breakfast dish, not too heavy for a morning meal. The frittata was also a very generous portion.

I loved the cannelloni and if I wasn’t such a big salad eater at lunch, I think this would be next in line. Full of pumpkin, spinach and covered in a tomato-based sauce, I loved this. I finished Day 2 off with the beef burgers and beetroot relish.

I could eat beetroot all day, everyday, so I really, really enjoyed this meal.

Day THREE

Big Breakfast

Atlantic Salmon with Potato Rosti & Pan Fried Beans

Spaghetti Meatballs

I went for it on Day 3 and sat down to the big breakfast! It was everything you would expect from a big breakfast, eggs, bacon, mushrooms, sausages and spinach. It was big and it was delicious and it sustained me for hours!

After the big brekkie, I decided on fish for lunch as a lighter option. The salmon was beautiful and I especially loved the potato rosti.

One of the lowest in calories was the spagehetti and meatballs and after such a heavy start to the day, this was the perfect dinner option. It was a simple dish but I enjoyed having a light option.

Day FOUR

Scrambled Eggs & Bacon

Butter Chicken with Wilted Cabbage

Hickory Smoked BBQ Beef Ribs with Corn Cob & Veg Skewers

So by Day 4, I’m starting to get used to having eggs as part of my breakfast! The scrambled eggs and bacon was delicious, the eggs were creamy and cooked perfectly.

For lunch, I chose the butter chicken with wilted cabbage. Now I must admit, I’m used to eating my curries with rice so I was a little dubious that the cabbage would fill that spot. But I LOVED this dish. I like my curries a little bit spicy and this one had the perfect spice balance. The cabbage was the perfect side as it’s filling but light.

Finishing off Day 4, I had the messy but super delicious BBQ beef ribs. Who doesn’t love picking up a rib and chewing it until it’s bare? SO GOOD! The corn and tomato and mushroom skewers worked perfectly with this dish.

Day FIVE

Boneless Lamb Shank with Sweet Potato Mash & Spinach

Chargrilled Chicken with Garlic Roasted Tomatoes, Roasted Pumpkin & Zucchini

I think I saved the best to last. For lunch on Day 5 I had the boneless lamb shank and it simply melted away in my mouth and did all sorts of good things to my taste buds.

The sweet potato mash and spinach were perfect with the lamb and I really didn’t want this dish to end. Ending my experience with Urban Real Foods, was the chargrilled chicken, A simple dish that had perfect flavours. I mean garlic roasted tomatoes, DELISH!

THE VERDICT

My experience with Urban Real Foods was wonderful. The meals have a real homemade aspect, which I loved and they were tasty, filling and the variety was fabulous. I was so full after each dish that I found I wasn’t eating in between meals (bonus!).

Their customer service is great too – not only did they adapt the menu to my needs but during my five days, Chris also touched base with me to make sure everything was going well. I would definitely recommend Urban Real Foods to anyone that is busy or wanting to just maintain a healthy lifestyle.

the essentials 

What: Urban Real Foods pre-packaged meals
When: They deliver fortnightly to Canberra, they’re based in Wagga Wagga
How much: Breakfasts start at $8, lunches and dinners at $11.95 and snacks at $4
Order online here: www.urbanrealfood.com.au

The author road-tested one week of Urban Real Food for free, however all opinions are their own. 

Want more options? Read our roadtests of Fudie and YouFoodz.