Keeping healthy requires more than just exercise – your diet also plays a very important role. To that end, a new concept called Freshable aims to ensure families are able to eat well even when life gets too busy.
Freshable offers meal-prep kits so you no longer have to crack your head to figure out what to cook for yourself and your loved ones. Its diverse menu features recipes that require less than an hour to dish up.
You will be provided with all the necessary components, including ingredients, nutritional info and macros (proteins, fats, carbs), even allergens (nuts, soy, dairy, gluten, and so on).
While you’ll still have to do some preparations, cooking and cleaning afterwards, the whole point of Freshable is to save you from having to go to the hypermarket to obtain the raw ingredients, since they’ll be shipped to your doorstep. Simply unbox, follow the instructions, and tuck in!
Cooking made easy
Freshable comes in a sturdy box, with each meal kit stashed away in a clearly labelled paper bag and accompanying instructions.
Upon opening the bag, you will find the ingredients stored in individual transparent sealed plastic sachets – which, however, aren’t that great for the environment, despite likely being the best option for optimal freshness.
This writer tried two menu items. The Maple Miso Mushroom Spaghetti (RM52.80) is a moreish dish comprising organic spaghetti, kale, and mushrooms that come coated in maple miso cashew cream. It is a meal that (likely) cannot be replicated on your own since the cashew cream is blended in-house to ensure freshness.
Suitable for vegetarians, it takes approximately 45 minutes to prepare and cook. This might sound like more trouble than it is worth, but knowing you are eating healthily as you take your first bite makes it worth the effort.
The packaged mushrooms and kale remain fresh even after a couple of days in the refrigerator. The only ingredients you will need to supply on your own are some oil and ground pepper.
Meanwhile, the Chicken Tikka Masala – a well-loved Indian dish and comfort food for many – takes around 40 minutes to prepare. It is best to store the marinated chicken in the freezer to maintain freshness if you intend to cook it on another day, while the other ingredients can be stored in the fridge.
Included are two pieces of pita bread for dipping into the tikka masala sauce – a nice touch! You will need to cook the rice yourself, though, so feel free to bust open that bag of basmati you’ve been saving up for a special occasion.
What about the portions? They are enough to satiate the average appetite but, if you tend to eat more, it would be best to increase some of the base ingredients.
For example, using a tad more mushrooms for the spaghetti or throwing some potatoes into the masala gravy will allow you to be a happier camper at the end of each meal.
Is it for everybody?
With more than 80 different meal kits to choose from, you will be spoilt for choice. Imagine enjoying different dinners for two and a half months without repeating the same dish!
Vegans and vegetarians also have their fair share of meal kits to choose from, while there are diabetic-friendly sets for those who are on a more limited diet.
Enjoying a nice meal at a restaurant has always been a luxury that not everybody can afford, let alone if you have a growing family. With this in mind, Freshable’s meal kits are neither cheap nor outrageously priced.
The most affordable is a side dish called Easy Pea-sy Cauliflower Rice, which goes for RM16.90 a pop. Add RM21.90 for the Vegan Tofu Frittata and you will have spent less than RM50 for two persons.
Alternatively, you can go to the other extreme and fork out RM109.90 for the diabetic-friendly Sukiyaki with Beef. But that doesn’t top the most expensive item on the menu: the Sweet and Tangy Grouper Pot, retailing for RM112.40.
All of these serve two, with the option of doubling the number of diners (by paying more, of course).
Freshable straddles the segment between restaurant dining and eating at home. While the cost is higher than what you would normally spend on a homecooked meal, it is still cheaper than what you would pay for a full restaurant experience.
In addition, you get to enjoy dining in the comfort of your own home and, if you were to pair it with some wine, there are no outrageous corkage fees to deal with!
To learn more about Freshable, visit its official website.
Edwin Kee dreamt of being a pro-gamer only to have circumstances mould him into a programmer in a past life. He has since moved on to write about consumer electronics and other topics.