The delivery process was smooth. Thistles meals are shipped via special delivery from its own private carriers. I was happy to see that my meals would arrive three hours early, at 7 p.m. instead of 10 p.m. on a Sunday. When the delivery person arrived, they contacted me for a gate code and then promptly brought the order to my door.
The sleek, light reusable insulated bag containing my order was easy to carry. Inside were three ice packs along with the meals and snacks. Everything was in good condition, but I received a double order of the Reishi-Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough Bites and was missing a carrot muffin.
In line with the company’s sustainability mission, everything was packaged in 100 percent recyclable containers. Thistle askscustomers to leave the bags and ice packs at their delivery location for future orders so that the delivery person can collect them. The packs are biodegradable and recyclable.
Customer Service
To remedy my missing muffin, I checked theHelp Center page on the website andsubmitted a request online. I received a message back right away that I would be credited to my Thistle account for the missing item.
Cooking and Preparing the Meals
All of Thistle’s meals are prepared. My salads required mixing the ingredients in a bowl and adding the dressings that came in their own container. Everything looked fresh and crisp even days after the shipment arrived.
The other dishes are best eaten warm. For these, the packaging labels describe two options: Heat on the stovetop for about four minutes or microwave for one to two minutes. I opted for the stovetop in a skillet, and my meals cooked evenly and perfectly. The taste was worth the dirty pan.
Snacks were ready to eat straight out of the box.
Tasting the Meals
Despite my misgivings during the meal selection process, all of my dishes were delicious, appeared healthy, and had unique flavors. While some were on the lighter side — one left me feeling less than full — I wouldn’t hesitate to order every single one of them again. I was truly disappointed when it was time for my last meal, and I’m looking forward to using Thistle in the future, without doing a review.
The Moroccan-Inspired Tagine With Za'atar Chicken was excellent. I loved the flavor of za'atar, bright olives, and zesty sauce. The chicken seemed high quality, and the raw spinach added freshness. It was a light but satisfying meal, leaving me satiated but not bloated or stuffed.
The Thistle Pad Thai With Sesame Baked Tofu was another winner. Crunchy peanuts, perfectly cooked noodles, firm tofu, and a light sauce made for a seriously scrumptious meal. This one also had fresh spinach, so I was definitely getting my greens in. This meal was a lighter though, and in an hour, I needed a snack.
My expectations for the English Pea Pasta Salad With Toasted Sunflower Seeds were pretty neutral, so I was surprised by how delicious it was. I loved the crunch of the toasted chickpeas and sunflower seeds, while the creamy tarragon dressing added a lot of flavor. My homemade salads are usually run of the mill, so eating something more creative was a nice change of pace. After finishing, I was full but not to the point of being stuffed.
I also really enjoyed the Panang Peanut Stir-Fry Bowl With Sesame-Roasted Chicken. The peanut sauce was light yet creamy, and once again, the chicken seemed really high quality. The meal had heaps of vegetables, including broccoli, carrots, and greens. My only complaint was the repetition of fresh spinach for the third time.
The most basic and least interesting meal was the Japchae Salad With Lemongrass Chicken. The assemblage of greens, carrots, cabbage, tangy salad dressing, and diced chicken resembled my own creations more than the other Thistle meals. It was good though, and had nutrient-rich squash, which was an unexpected ingredient.
The Cinnamon-Apple Muesli was such a treat. I am a fall fanatic, so I appreciated the seasonal flavors. The muesli was soft but not soggy, and the coconut cream gave it a luxurious feel.
Add-Ons
The Reishi-Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough Bites were outstanding. They had the perfect cookie dough texture. Reishi mushrooms have some incredible health properties, and I’ve taken them previously to help with stress, so I was happy to be getting a superfood in every bite. Plus, at only $6.50, they were a good deal.
For dessert, the Almond Cherry Moringa Fudge was a treat I felt good about. It was low in added sugars, contained protein, and tasted divine.
Sweet and slightly spicy, the Rooted Orange Juice with carrot, orange, lemon, turmeric, ginger, black pepper, and camu camu powder had me feeling like I was scoring health points.
