June 23, 2023
Cold Brew Club Coffee Review
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Coffee & Tea Reviews
These Thistle Meal Delivery Reviews contain affiliate links and we were given a sample. If you make a purchase we may earn a small commission. All opinions are our own.
Written By Alison Chew
Thistle delivers delicious, nutritious fully prepared meals, with plant and meat protein options, along with snacks and cold-pressed juices designed by nutritionists and chefs directly to your door.
Each Thistle meal is between $9.50 and $14.99. Breakfast starts at $9.50, Vegan Lunch and Dinner are $11.50, and Lunch or Dinner with Meat is an additional $2.25 per meal. Snacks and Side Soups start at $5, and Side Salads are $9 each. Juices are $8 and Shots are $4.95.
The more meals you order the lower your price per meal! SHOP NOW >>
Yes! You must order a minimum of 3 meals.
Yes! Thistle is a flexible weekly subscription service. You can pause deliveries, change delivery days, and cancel your subscription via your online account.
Thistle offers local delivery to the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento/Davis, the Greater LA Area, parts of Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, New York City, and Philadelphia. They also ship to CA and parts of NV, AZ, ID, OR, and WA.
Delivery starts at $4.95 per Thistle order.
1! Each Thistle meal serves 1 person.
Yes! You can choose breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks each week on the Thistle menu. If you forget to choose your meals, Thistle will send a selection based on your preferences. SHOP NOW >>
Thistle has 21 seasonal meals on its weekly menu plus snacks, soups, salads, and juices.
Yes! Thistle allows you to exclude Shellfish, Fish, Tree Nuts, Coconut, Peanuts, Soy, or Pork. You simply select the ingredients you’d like to avoid and they will replace the ingredient or the entire meal.
Some! Thistle meals are plant-forward, gluten free, and dairy free. Some meals are vegan.
Yes! All Thistle meals are gluten free and do not contain dairy, refined white sugars or artificial sweeteners, artificial preservatives, additives, or dyes.
Yes! All Thistle meals are dairy free and do not contain gluten, refined white sugars or artificial sweeteners, artificial preservatives, additives, or dyes.
On average, Thistle lunches and dinners contain 400-550 calories each and breakfasts contain around 250-400 calories each.
On average, Thistle lunches and dinners contain 20g+ protein and breakfasts contain 10g+ plant-based protein.
On average, lunches and dinners contain ~15g of fiber and breakfasts contain ~10g fiber.
Most Thistle meals arrive ready-to-eat while some are best heated. Thistle says that all of their meals can be eaten cold, but some meals, like most dinners, are better heated up on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Thistle meals can be heated in the microwave for 1.5-2 minutes. They recommend removing any leafy greens that you do not want to be heated before cooking and follow the instructions on each package.
Thistle meals will last several days in the refrigerator. Each meal is labeled with a day of the week for you to enjoy or an expiration date to ensure quality and freshness.
Yes! Most Thistle meals, including dinners and most snacks and breakfasts, can be frozen for later. Thistle recommends eating them within 1 month and giving them time to thaw before eating. They do not recommend freezing salads. SHOP NOW >>
Thistle delivers plant-forward, gluten- and dairy-free, prepared meals designed by nutritionists and chefs directly to your door.
Meals are designed to give you the vitamins and minerals you need from whole, organic foods, without added sweeteners or preservatives.
Thistle meals, which are locally sourced and organic when possible, include an average of 5.8 unique fruits, veggies, and protein and include superfoods like turmeric, ginger, chia, and maca.
All meals are gluten free and packed with protein-rich complex carbs like quinoa and lentils. Thistle meals are also dairy-free; swapping dairy for flavorful dressings, coconut cream, and nut cheeses.
We tried several meals for our Thistle meals reviews. Watch our full unboxing video below for more details and a taste test!
Our Thistle meals included the Green Grain Taco Salad with Cumin Pulled Pork, Raw Dragonfruit Cheesecake Mousse, Aloo Gobi with Cilantro Tamarind Sauce and Herb Pea Protein Crumbles, Leafy Green Salad with Goji-Lemon Vinaigrette and Herb Black Lentils, Crunch Thai Peanut Salad Side, Probiotic Shot, and Intense Greens Juice. SHOP NOW >>
Green Grain Taco Salad with Cumin Pulled Pork
The Thistle Green Grain Taco Salad with Cumin Pulled Pork meal, which was a salad, was light, fresh, and full of flavor.
It was also very filling at 13.76 oz and could easily be eaten for lunch or dinner.
The pork tasted fresh, not processed, and didn’t need to be heated to be enjoyed.
The brown rice was flavored with a poblano pepper and cilantro sauce that complemented the yummy dressing. The escabeche and roasted jalapeno ranch dressing was the star of this dish bringing a lot of interesting flavors.
Unlike similar plant-forward services, we love that Thistle offers a meat protein option giving customers the ability to enjoy a plant-forward diet without giving up meat. SHOP NOW >>
Leafy Green Salad with Goji-Lemon Vinaigrette and Herb Black Lentils
Like the Green Grain Taco Salad, the Leafy Green Salad with Goji-Lemon Vinaigrette and Herb Black Lentils tasted great and was very large for a salad (over 14 oz).
This meal is labeled as “lunch”, but for me, this 14.25 oz salad could have easily filled me up for lunch or dinner.
The star of this salad, like the taco salad, was the lemon goji vinaigrette dressing. It was vibrant and fresh.
I also loved the mixture of textures in this salad. You get a crunch from the toasted pepitas, radishes, and cucumbers, and a creaminess from the lentils, on top of the mixed greens. SHOP NOW >>
Aloo Gobi with Cilantro Tamarind Sauce and Herb Pea Protein Crumbles
The Aloo Gobi with Cilantro Tamarind Sauce and Herb Pea Protein Crumbles meal was a very flavorful and filling (over 15 oz) dinner.
This was the only meal that we heated on the stovetop. It took less than 5 minutes to heat through as I cooked it until the spinach was slightly wilted.
The bold Indian spices, including turmeric, cumin, and coriander, were wonderful and like other dishes, the sauce really made the dish.
The cilantro tamarind sauce was slightly sweet, and slightly tangy, and went perfectly with the warm spices that coated the veggies.
It was filling and tasted very healthy. I would definitely order again! SHOP NOW >>
Raw Dragonfruit Cheesecake Mousse
The Raw Dragonfruit Cheesecake Mousse is listed as a Snack on the Thistle site, but could easily be breakfast or dessert.
It had a lovely creamy texture and wasn’t too sweet with a nice balance of the dragonfruit topping, coconut and cashew cream, and oat and coconut “crust”.
I found this snack to be just OK and lacked texture with a strong coconut taste.
I don’t think that I would order this snack again but would try similar snacks in the future. SHOP NOW >>
Crunch Thai Peanut Salad
The Crunch Thai Peanut Salad was delicious and very filling for lunch or a light dinner.
To make this salad you simply open up the container and remove the peanuts and sesame seeds tray, then put the lid back on and shake. I had to really shake (and bang) to get the peanut dressing to come away from the container and coat the salad.
Then you dump the whole thing in a bowl and add the toppings.
This salad was very filling even at just 8.75 oz. and super portable making it great for on-the-go, work, school, etc.
I loved the spicy coconut dressing as it was full of flavor and the crunchy salty peanuts and sesame seeds added interesting textures to the salad.
This meal is actually listed under “Sides” along with several soup and salad options. These “Sides” can be added to any order.
The cost of Side Salads is just $9 and is definitely worth it! SHOP NOW >>
Intense Greens Juice and Probiotic Shot
The Intense Greens Juice lives up to its name.
It had a very strong/intense flavor primarily of celery and lime, but it tasted refreshingly delicious.
I love that it is packed with 100% Organic fruits and veggies including Kale, Cucumber, Spinach, Celery, Lime, Parsley, and Broccoli, and is a nice way to boost your greens intake.
Thistle says that this juice is good for restoration.
The Probiotic Shot was really smooth with dominant flavors of ginger and cabbage.
It tasted light and refreshing and didn’t burn at all like some other shots that I’ve tried.
This shot contains Organic Cabbage, Organic Lemon, Organic Orange, Organic Ginger, Organic Apple, and a Probiotic Blend with 40% Lactobacillus acidophilus, 20% Lactobacillus plantarum, 20% Lactobacillus salivarius, 10% Bifidobacterium breve, and 10% Bifidobacterium lactis. (1.1 Billion CFU per serving) SHOP NOW >>
The Thistle cold-pressed juices and shots are made with real, whole, organic cold-pressed fruit and vegetables and nothing else!
Each cold-pressed juice is 12 ounces and costs $8.
Each shot is 2 ounces and costs $4.95.
Juices and Shots, like the Sides, are add-on items.
You can add as many or as few to your weekly order. SHOP NOW >>
Yes! All meals were very fresh, seasonal, healthy, and filling.
Most meals were around or above 14 oz, which is a larger serving compared to other prepared meal delivery options.
Thistle focuses on plant-forward seasonal meals with the option of plant protein or meat protein which is unique for this type of service.
And priced between $9.50-$14.99, Thistle is less expensive than Sakara or Sprinly. SHOP NOW >>
Thistle delivers delicious, nutritious fully prepared meals, with plant and meat protein options, along with snacks and cold-pressed juices designed by nutritionists and chefs directly to your door.
We love that you can choose from meals with plant protein, meat protein, or a combination of both and that plant-forward breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack options are available.
We also like that all prepared meals are gluten and dairy free and DO NOT include refined white sugars or artificial sweeteners, artificial preservatives, additives, or dyes.
And while the Thistle meals that we tried tasted seasonal, fresh, and healthy, Thistle has limited weekly menu options. In addition, they only ship and deliver to parts of the West Coast and East Coast, and shipping/delivery is not included.
Compared to similar services, like Sprinly, we like that Thistle offers meat protein options and meals are at a lower price point (though Sprinly does include free shipping). Both services do have a limited menu and a limited delivery area.
We recommend Thistle to anyone looking for healthy, fresh meal options, for those that want to avoid gluten and dairy, and for those who want to eat more seasonal salads and meals. SHOP NOW >>
Enjoy!
Looking for prepared meal reviews? Check out our Prepared Meal Reviews here or our Prepared Meals Directory.
