Friday, August 9, 2019

Sakara OBSESSION


"Food contains information. Every bit of food you eat broadcasts a set of coded instructions to your body - instructions that can create either health or disease." -Dr. Mark Hyman

"Food is information that tells your genes how to best replicate and repair. Each bite is an opportunity to instruct your body to heal." -Danielle Duboise and Whitney Tingle, Sakara co-founders

S A K A R A
(suh-KAR-uh) Sanskrit.

adj: With form. Or giving form to that which does not have form.

n: 1. The physical manifestation of Brahman - in Hinduism, the ultimate principle of the universe. 2. The action of turning thoughts to things and dreams to reality.

I've been coveting the Sakara signature meal delivery program for years. YEARS. Every meal is vegan, organic, plant-based, gluten-free, dairy-free, non-GMO, and contains no refined sugar. Three days of Sakara meals flood your body with over 100% of your daily requirements for protein, essential vitamins and minerals, more than 15 cups of leafy greens to heal your gut, 100+ disease-fighting, youth-promoting phytochemicals and antioxidants, 200% of the fiber you need daily to support digestion, and more than 100 unique ingredients for ultimate health.

Do you know how much planning, shopping, prepping, and cooking it would take to do that yourself? A LOT. I know a fair bit about nutrition, and I'm a good cook. I've done lots of cleanses and meal plans; I've prepped three-day cleanses for myself and my sister over the years. IT IS A TON OF WORK. When I think about trying to create that kind of meal plan for myself, the price tag on Sakara starts to make a lot more sense to me.

Let's just get this out of the way: the Sakara meal delivery program is expensive. It just IS. For me, it was a long-anticipated splurge. I found a long-lost Visa gift card someone gave me at Christmas, and also happened to make some extra money editing a poetry collection for a friend last month. It's certainly not in my standard budget. But if you are able to swing it, it is categorically worth every last penny. And because the entire program is designed around the idea of food as medicine, and because the people behind it work with doctors, scientists, and healers to create exceptionally thoughtful, delicious, and nourishing meals, what you're paying for goes far beyond the meals themselves (which are absolutely divine) and includes your overall health, your productivity, your mood, your ability to enjoy your life and feel good in your body, and so much more.

When I finally (FINALLY) ordered three days of Sakara meal-delivery, I had high expectations - in fact, I had extremely high expectations. Probably the highest of expectations! My yoga crush, Kathryn Budig, had been Instagraming about Sakara on the regular, and I know she knows good food. I had poured over the website longingly enough times to know that everyone from Oprah to supermodels raved about it, and had picked up on the fact that Sakara often had menus created by Michelin star chefs by following all of their social media accounts. And although I've tried a lot of food delivery services that I've really enjoyed, and regularly use a couple that are within my budget (Daily Harvest and Hungryroot are both fantastic and affordable), I've never had my mind completely blown by anything I've tried. Until now.

My nine Sakara meals - plus the Detox tea (roobios, lemongrass, and rose - it's SO SOOTHING) and their probiotic that comes with your meal delivery order - absolutely exceeded every expectation that I had. There were a couple of meals that rank among the best things I've ever ate, EVER, and I've been lucky to go to many excellent restaurants. This food is something seriously special. It's beautiful. It's fresh. And it is DELICIOUS. I mean slowing down and savoring because every single bite is a treat, licking the bowl, feeling emotional when it's all gone DELICIOUS.

Those three days were absolutely amazing. And not just because every meal felt like unwrapping a present and was absolutely delicious. By dinner on Wednesday, I knew something was happening. I felt so much more energetic, I was already less bloated, and I wasn't hungry in between meals. I didn't crave junk food or late-night snacks. By breakfast on Thursday I was noticing my mood: namely that my mind felt less cloudy and I was feeling unusually happy. By Thursday dinner I felt downright giddy and clear-headed in a way I didn't realize I was missing. I stuck with plant-based eating after my meals were gone (but I absolutely had martinis and fries on Saturday night) and on Sunday I actually felt like exercising.

If you want to try Sakara, you can use my link to get $50 off your first meal delivery order. And full disclosure: I'll get $50, too. And that would be awesome because my dream life involves being able to flood my body with this kind of super-power nutrition as often as I can! And I hope the same for you.

So without further ado, here are my nine glorious Sakara meals, from packaging, to what's inside, to plated. Enjoy!

Click here to order Sakara and get $50 off!

Tuesday dinner:
Dinner #1 - Tuesday
Beauty Blend Salad. This dressing was so flavorful and the seed covered avocado did, actually, change my life.

Wednesday breakfast:

Breakfast #1 - Wednesday
This was one of the most delicious things I've ever had for breakfast. I could eat it for dessert. It was like a banana pudding Tira Misu. That vanilla specked cream was revelatory. 
This was a good breakfast to have in the bath.
Wednesday lunch:

Lunch #1 - Wednesday
Love the metta meditation.

Sweet beet and toasted cashew medley. The ginger glow dressing was amazing.

Wednesday dinner:

Dinner #2 - Wednesday 
Thai Burger and Root Fries. Still thinking about this one. Especially that sauce.
Thursday breakfast:
Breakfast #2 - Thursday
Looks can be deceiving. This doesn't look like much in the package,
but it was actually incredibly substantial and unbelievably delicious!
The muffin was so moist. That lemongrass butter was like candy. This was such a pleasure to eat.
Thursday lunch:
Lunch #2 - Thursday
Watermelon radish is beautiful.
This is the meal that took me over the edge. It was unlike anything I've ever had before, and just spectacularly tasty. One of the best things I've ever had to eat all told, not just via a meal delivery service. SO. GOOD. I get emotional about it. :)
Thursday dinner:
Dinner #3 - Thursday
This felt so indulgent! The sunflower "chorizo" actually blew my mind. So did the crema. Just amazing.
Friday breakfast:
Breakfast #3 - Friday
I love granola. I had high hopes for this one, especially after hearing Kathryn Budig talk about how her wife, Kate, always eats all of the Sakara granola as soon as they get a delivery.
Probably the best granola I've ever had. And that MYLK! This was so decadent but left me feeling amazing!
Friday lunch:
Lunch #3 - Friday
Sunshine Curry Bowl
This was so delicious, but also so FRESH. The vegetables were actually beautiful.

If you are able to try Sakara, please use this link; you will get $50 off your first order, and I'll earn $50 off a future order, which would be the best thing ever! Happy eating and healing!