This blog post was written in partnership with Perfectly Imperfect Produce. All pictures and thoughts are my own unless noted otherwise.

This last year has been a wild one, am I right? With all the things shifting, one thing that really changed for us was how much we started cooking at home. While I am sure my husband and kids would eat mac n’ cheese and chicken nuggets for every meal, I don’t think that was the healthiest diet. Ha. Plus, the girls have such great appetites and are such adventurous eaters; I owed it to them to venture out a bit in the kitchen. However, doing so started to overwhelm me! Trying to find different recipes, where (and when) to grocery shop, how to meal plan realistically, and mostly, how to fit it all in was a lot. Luckily, there are great companies who offer the perfect solution – meal kits. I’m sure you’ve seen them. They come with all the things that you need to make a delicious dinner, and it’s all delivered right to your front door!

Well, have you heard of Perfectly Imperfect Produce? They’re a local (to Ohio) company whose mission is to end food waste and improve healthy food access for all. Did you know that six billion pounds of produce are wasted due to “imperfections?” Supermarkets reject fruits and veggies unique in size, shape, or color to meet consumer demand for perfection. It’s part of the reason our country throws away 40% of the food we produce. That is WILD to read. I didn’t know the stats, and they blow my mind, not in a good way. 

WHO IS PERFECTLY IMPERFECT PRODUCE?
Perfectly Imperfect Produce (PIP) was born right here in Ohio, back in 2016. Founder and CEO,
Ashley Weingart, created the program as part of her family’s 100-year-old produce company,
which strives to end food waste and improve healthy food access for all. Their mission is to reduce food waste and improve healthy food access for all. They accomplish this by rescuing fresh fruits and veggies that are at risk of going to waste because they are a bit blemished or imperfect on the outside, misshapen or unique in size, shape, or color. Yet they are all perfectly fresh and just as delicious and nutritious as the “perfect” fruits and veggies grocery stores think we demand. For every box purchased, they also donate fresh produce to our neighbors in need. homes throughout Ohio.

www.perfectlyimperfectproduce.com

They’ve been around for a few years, but recently they released a new product line – Diced & Easy. It is a new meal kit brand featuring their fresh, rescued produce; everything is already sliced, diced, and pre-measured for you, making dinner on busy weeknights easier than ever before! I love this meal kit box because all of their recipes are created by a registered dietitian and are all “veggie-forward” (many are vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free, too), helping us to eat more veggies in a way that is tastier and easier than ever! 

Keep in mind that even though the foods are considered “imperfect,” that doesn’t mean they’re not fresh or delicious. All of the fruits and veggies in their boxes are just as nutritious as the “perfect looking” veggies you see at the grocery store.

To date, they estimate that they have rescued over 2 million pounds of produce that would otherwise have gone to waste!

In addition, they offer six pre-made salads and five pre-made grain bowls, as well as fruit and veggie snack-on-the-go cups and fruit-infused waters to help you pack lunches faster. These are always available and can be added to your order for delivery weekly or biweekly.

Things I love about Diced & Easy

• Family-friendly
• Timesaving
• Hassle-free grocery shopping
• Perfect for the on-the-go mom aka ME
• It helps reduce produce that would have gone to waste.
• Healthy choices + veggie forward

What was in the box…

It depends on what you order. With each box, you have the flexibility to order what you want and how much you want. One week you might order two meal kits and a salad or two. The following week, you might order one meal kit and four salads. That is something I love about it. It is catered to what your family needs and what will make your life just a little bit easier.

Our first box had one meal kit, one grain bowl, one salad bowl, two fruit fusion waters, diced up fruit and carrot sticks. I can’t tell you how nice it was to have the carrot sticks and fruit ready to go. I literally grabbed them as we were walking out the door. Super easy and convenient.

What we took TO-GO

You know that feeling when you are scrambling to get out the door? You check the kids. They’re ready to go. You’ve got diapers, wipes, extra clothes, blankets for a picnic, bug spray, an extra bag or too, toys for the car ride…I mean, you’ve got all the things, and then you realize, OH MAN!! I don’t have any snacks ready!? If you have toddlers, you know you need snacks! Well, this was me last week before we went to the Arboretum! Luckily, we had just gotten a delivery, and I was able to grab fruit-infused water quickly, carrots that were cut into perfect dipping sticks, and diced up fruit that the girls can quickly eat. Phew. Crisis adverted, and we made it on time! Best part? I didn’t even have to run to the store and cut up the fruits and vegetables. They were delivered to my door just like that! #timesaver

• 

• 

• 

• 

Can you believe these fruits and vegetables were going to go to waste because they were blemished on the outside? They tasted amazing! You’d never know they weren’t “perfect.”

What I made for dinner…

Each meal kit dinner comes together in 30 minutes or less (some take only 15 minutes), which is just about the time I have to make dinner. The first meal I made for dinner was Spiced and Roasted Cauliflower Tacos. I like cauliflower, but I’ve never had an luck at home making it. When I saw this was cauliflower tacos, I was excited – but not sure how well they would turn out. The lack of trust was in me, not the recipe! All I gotta say is – WOWZA. I literally ate all three standing up in the kitchen because they were delicious. The recipe was very easy to follow and that was in part to not having to dice everything up. It was well organized and because I didn’t have to do any of the prep – I wasn’t overwhelmed as soon as I started.

Watch me make dinner ⬇

What I had for lunch…

A lot of times, meal kits come with all the ingredients to make dinner – but, don’t offer an option for easy lunches. Until now that is. Diced & Easy has the options to add on salads, grain bowls, and snacks. They are pretty much ready to go. I like to throw the rice bowls in a pan to heat them up.

Sesame Ginger Grain Bowl – Brown Rice, Purple Cabbage, Edamame, Snowpeas, Carrots, Sesame Seeds, Scallion and Ginger Sauce (GF, DF, NF, V)

• 

• 

Southwest Salad – Mixed Greens, Chopped Tomato, Corn, Red Onion, Black Beans, Cheddar Cheese
(GF, NF, V)

How to order…

To order your Diced & Easy meal kits, salads, grain bowls, and snacks, simply visit their website,
www.dicedandeasy.com. It is very user-friendly and easy to order.

1 – Tell them how many people in your home you are feeding at each meal (2, 4, or 6).
2 – Choose a cuisine category that you know you and your family enjoy eating. For launch, they are offering three world cuisine category options, including Asian, Italian, and Tex Mex. Soon they will also be adding an All American option and Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine kit categories. Select one, two, or three cuisine category kits based on the foods you and your family love most and how many recipes you want per week.
3 – Choose how often you want them (weekly or biweekly). You can change out your preferences weekly if you wish. The recipes for each kit will change weekly, and recipes for the coming week will be shown on the site each week before the order deadline, so you can log in and change out which kits you want to receive based on the recipes available that week. All recipes will list all allergens so you can make your selections weekly based on your needs. Printed recipe cards will come in each kit to walk you through the instructions of making each recipe; they are also available online.

Use code EATPLAYCBUS20 for 20% of your first order!

All packaging for their kits is the most environmentally friendly available. Containers are all made
of compostable plant fibers, 100% post-consumer recycled plastic, or recycled plastic. Box liners
are all made of corn and can be dissolved in water or burned. Ice packs can be cut open and
emptied down your drain or used as plant food.

What about delivery? They deliver all across the state of Ohio, currently serve all of Northeast Ohio, including Cleveland, Akron, Canton, and Youngstown, as well as Columbus, Toledo, Cincinnati and
Dayton. Depending on where you are ordering from will determine your day of delivery.

We are big fans of this product. Not only does it save me a ton of time, but it also saves a ton of imperfect yet delicious fruits and veggies from going to our landfills. A win-win!! To learn more about Perfectly Imperfect Produce and the new Diced & Easy product line, visit their websites, www.perfectlyimperfectproduce.com and www.dicedandeasy.com.