*update: 3 years later and I’m still on a Thistle meal plan & article is as true as ever!
Forget the obvious. Like the convenience of having fresh, healthy, vegan, organic, delicious, satisfying food delivered right to my doorstep for a fraction of what I would pay to buy it at a restaurant. Put that aside for a moment. What I’m going to tell you is much much more important.
Thistle is not just another meal delivery service. It’s a complete lifestyle change, an overhaul, if you will. It’s for plant-based ballers. Straight up vegan Gs.
…and here’s why:
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Thistle While you Work.
A friend of mine is a successful young CEO who is always up to date on the latest and greatest ‘leadership trends’ (you know the type of dude I’m talking about here). Well, awhile ago he told me that a successful CEO never chooses his own lunch. Whhhhhat? I only want to get uber-rich so I can order whatever the hell I want, am I right? And no, it’s not that every day is just a surprise, it’s that his assistant is trained to get inside his brain and choose the very best option each day for the CEO. That’s what Thistle does. It’s basically my proactive assistant. Thistle knows I value healthy and vegan foremost, well-balanced and nutritious second, and third, that I want my taste buds to sing glorious melodies for each and every bite of each and every meal. Tall orders? Yes. But my assistant gets me. Just fast-track me to the big leagues.
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Hostess with ze Mostess.
There were a few occasions where I used Thistle as an illusion of being a stepford-esque host. Exhibit A: A friend surprised me at lunch time. You know what I did? Split my enormous Thistle lunch salad between two plates and cooked my enormous Thistle gluten free pasta dinner for the second course of lunch. Who does that? Who has a two course meal just ready when you show up unexpected? People with Thistle do. That’s who. And no one was the wiser.
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Crop Tops & Skinny Jeans.
A decadent chocolate strawberry smoothie bowl for breakfast, a blush smoothie for a snack, abundent fall harvest salad for lunch, enchiladas and coleslaw salad for dinner. I just know this food must be unhealthy. There has to be hidden sugars, fat, carbs and calories. There’s no possible way everything could taste this exceptional. Not to mention I’m SO full and satisfied. Like stuffed to the brim after each meal. …Yet I keep losing weight. Riddle me that. Losing weight by not starving myself? Revolutionary.
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From Vegan Rookie to MVP.
I’m not some vegan guru. Scroll back 6 months in my blog and you’ll find recipes for stuffed chicken breasts and nutella babka breads. I was down right carnivorous right until I took that little month sabbatical in Bali and came to the zen realization that animals are my friends, and it’s economically and environmentally responsible to abstain from barbarically slaughtering them for my consumption (insert me slapping a ‘save the whales’ bumper sticker on my prius here).
Anywho, being vegan isn’t easy. I actually would say it’s downright exhausting …and I pretty much suck at it. Skipping out on meat is a no-brainer. But dairy and animal by-products are hidden in everything. And don’t even get me started on dining out. I praise vegans for having the diligence of saints. And well, I’m just not there yet, you know? But Thistle picks me up when I fall. Not only does Thistle take the guesswork out of eating vegan, it also puts my mind at ease that I’m receiving adequate nutrition for my day. I’m just not up for calculating how much protein I’m getting from peas. Without Thistle I’d be making the rookie vegan mistakes of over-dosing on bread, vegan dessert, copious amounts of sugar, and all the carbs (fries are still vegan people). Thistle keeps my diet well rounded and balanced so my body doesn’t literally become well-rounded.
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You So Saucey.
I’m culinary-creative fo’sho’. but I’m not like coconut bacon creative. And I don’t really excel in the vegan sauce category, yet. Because you know… it’s expensive. And then there’s the nuts soaking. And a bunch of other things that can take a million years and go terribly wrong. You know who does excel in sauces? You guessed it. And when I say excel I mean… the fact they’re not bottling this for mass market has me perplexed. What I’m getting at, is that everything I’ve eaten from Thistle has been enjoyable. So fresh, creative and delicious. But the sauces, dressings, spreads, and dips? Well, they’re just something special. And if you’re not a sauce aficionado (addict) like me, they’ve thought of you too. Sauces are always on the side.
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Nifty Thrifty.
Me unboxing my first delivery: “I’m going to steal all the meal ideas and recreate them myself!” Me at the grocery store: “Actually no. Because to buy all these ingredients would be exponentially more expensive and incredibly time-consuming to prepare.” Obviously Thistle is less expensive than eating out for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But what I’m arguing is that it’s actually less expensive than grocery shopping if you’re going to try to recreate anything with a semblance of the creativity and diversity of their meals.
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Tiiiiime is on my side, yes it is.
Speaking of time. How many collective hours do you spend on groceries, restaurants, food prep, dishes, driving to said grocer or eatery, dishes, scrutinizing labels, putting the food away, carrying it to and from the car, dishes. What Thistle affords you: More time for taking weird photos like this. Also, more time for online shopping and binge watching ‘This is Us’.
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Vegan Status.
Purchase Thistle. Take beautiful flatlay photos of your meals. Hashtag #vegan. Gain instagram followers. …because that’s all that really matters, no? (@organictravel)
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You so faaaancy.
I like a restaurant so fancy that each of the 12 menu offerings have a paragraph description, of which I can only define 15%. A place that can get away with descriptions like, “essence of truffle” is just always going to get a nod of approval from me, you know? I imagine the author who pens the poetic narrative on each and every thistle package is an enlightened and zen individual who eats mindfully (still something I haven’t mastered), and with the refined palate of a swiss chocolatier. Or a grad student in a cubicle. Either way, thistle delivers poetry on every box. And I dig it. - Fight the good fight against meal boredom.
You choose the meal plan that works for you, and as many fancy add-ons as you’d like. So instead of just breakfast, lunch and dinner… you can add a small or large juice, cold brew coffee, lattes, ginger or glow shots, a cup of soup, small avocados… I mean the possibilities are endless. But whatever the combination, the creativity and variety of the meals is downright impressive. Using organic fruits and vegetables in season enables Thistle to continually offer fresh and innovative ingredients and options. In three weeks, I haven’t had the same meal twice! And if I had? Well I truly wouldn’t have minded — everything has been delicious!!
Here’s the bottom line: I genuinely look forward to each and every single one of my Thistle meals. And not just because they are down right delectable, but because I feel good nourishing my body with wholesome nutrient dense meals day in and day out. Your body doesn’t change bad habits in a day… but give it a Thistle week? You’ll be amazed what happens.
|| Promo Code MAT081621 gets you $50 off at www.thistle.co ||
P.S. The Almond Latte is next level
PPS. Your dogs will be devastated that you lick each and every one of your thistle plates clean, thus leaving them no ‘leftovers’. 
