When I had the opportunity to try Relay Foods for myself, I thought – why not? There are many food delivery services out there, and I wanted to know why this one was different from the others. From my experience, these services either focus on meal planning and delivering the ingredients to make those meals or a more general grocery order. Relay Foods strives to bring the pieces together and be a “one-stop shop” by providing a meal planning component as well as a larger, everyday grocery selection. The company has Registered Dietitians on staff who review each of the recipes available.
I found their site easy to use, and I enjoyed certain features, such as adding a recipe to my plan and then the ingredients to my order. I was able to choose the kind of protein I wanted with the “Crock Pot Sweet and Smoky Chicken Over Quinoa” recipe I decided upon. They had many vegan and vegetarian options for those who choose not to consume meat, and I could have easily swapped vegan protein strips for the chicken. I also liked that I was able to choose either precut pineapple or a whole pineapple. I had a few extra minutes on my hands so it was worth it to me to choose the less convenient whole fruit option and have a greater quantity of pineapple. It was also possible to remove ingredients that I already had in my kitchen from the cart.
“Local” is defined by Relay Foods as being within 150 miles. You may find items from Virginia or other states located in this radius but you will not find big brand foods. Want chocolate chip cookies? You might get them from a bakery in Richmond. Eating real food that is unprocessed is important to my family, so ordering through Relay Foods is a great option for those weeks when I do not have the time to head to the farmers’ market or go to the three grocery stores I generally frequent. I look forward to seeing more North Carolina foods available as the company grows in our state and to using the service for both meal planning and placing a grocery order from the comfort of my laptop.
Crock Pot Sweet and Smoky Chicken Over Quinoa
Ready In: 4 hours 10 mins | Prep: 10 mins | Cook: 4 hours
Ingredients:
1 pound chicken, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 red onion
2 cups pineapple, cut into chunks
~2 cups sliced bell peppers
1/2 cup scallions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pepper, to taste
3/4 cup smoky bourbon barbecue sauce
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
Crock-pot directions:
1. Cut chicken breast, onion and pineapple into bite-sized, 1/2-inch chunks and add to crock pot along with the sliced peppers.
2. Season with salt and pepper and pour 2/3 of the bbq sauce into the pot.
3. Cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 2 hours, until chicken is tender and cooked through.
4. About 30 minutes before you plan to eat, bring quinoa and water to a boil in a medium pot, over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until most of the liquid absorbs, 15 to 20 minutes. Fluff quinoa with a fork.
How to assemble dish:
1. Drain excess juices that accumulated in the crock pot while cooking and then add the remaining barbecue sauce. Stir the pot to combine, then ladle over cooked quinoa and garnish with chopped scallions.
Want to try Relay Foods for yourself? Use this link to save $20 off your first order.
