4.2 out of 5 – Kidspot mums would purchase Bargain Box Veggie again and/or recommend it to their friends and family.
Introducing the new Bargain Box Veggie!
Family food box favourites, My Food Bag, have just launched a Bargain Box Veggie option! That’s great news for those of us who are choosing meat-free meals – and for those of us who would like to expand our veggie meals repertoire!
Even better news – new Bargain Box Veggie is the cheapest meal-kit in the My Food Bag family.
Family favourite recipes at bargain prices
The Bargain Box kitchen team have created meals that include plenty of veggies, easy-to-follow instructions and tastes the whole family will love. The recipes feature a variety of vegetarian protein sources including eggs, dairy, legumes, and nuts/seeds. A typical three-meal week will have one recipe with bread or pasta, once recipe with potatoes or kumara and one recipe with rice or couscous – however this will vary week to week and recipe to recipe.
Like all My Food Bag products, Bargain Box Veggie is crammed with local seasonal produce. Ninety eight per cent of the fresh ingredients are sourced in New Zealand, with My Food Bag supporting more than 100 big and small suppliers across the country,
Recipes are simple enough that they can be whipped up in a flash at the end of a busy day, or organise your teens to cook once a week – you’ll get the night off and they’ll learn essential life skills. Designed to help families enjoy more time together in the kitchen and around the table, Bargain Box Veggie takes the stress out of making delicious and nutritious vegetarian meals at an affordable price.
Bargain Box Veggie options
Bargain Box Veggie is available for three nights per week and comes in two sizes:
- Serves 2: Great for a couple, or two adults with a young child, or
- Serves 4: Feeds four adults, or two adults and three kids
For more information, visit the Bargain Box website.
Read the reviews below!
We have given 25 members the chance to trial Bargain Box Veggie.
- If you are ready to review, please scroll to the bottom of the page and add your feedback as a comment. Upload your review photos to this Dropbox folder.
- Each selected reviewer will receive a Bargain Box Veggie with meals for three nights (either Serves 2 or Serves 4). In order to arrange delivery of your trial pack, you will need to register with bargainbox.co.nz. Details will be sent to you if you are selected for the trial.
- PLEASE NOTE: You will be required to submit photos as part of your review
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Please note
- If you are selected to trial, the product will be sent to the address on your profile.
- Please check your address now to ensure that it is up to date.
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- Kidspot Terms and Conditions: Open to Kidspot members 18+ only. Only available for NZ residents. If you are selected, you will be required to use the product as soon as possible plus supply a review, as set out in our review instructions. Your name and postal address will be given to the supplier for the purpose of delivery of the voucher only.
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See photos from our reviewers
Thank you for choosing us to review the Veggie Bargain Box.
We received the four adults for three nights. Our three meals were Cauli Mac and Cheese, Haloumi and Kumara Bombay Curry and Mexican Black Bean Tacos, plus we got a dessert – Pear Crumble with Butterscotch Sauce.(so yummy!!!)
We liked the veggie box so much, we are soon to receive our third box and have opted for a regular delivery every second week.
Our only real criticism would be the packaging. We find the chilled pack leaves a lot of the packaging damp. On opening the first box, my husband was unpacking it and the rice packet split open, spilling rice all over the floor – the packet was wet from the chilled bag. Our second box had nacho corn chips loosely packed with canned goods so the corn chips arrived as corn crumble!
My husband and I really like the recipes (and he is a carnivore!). Our 9 yr old twins so far have loved 2 of the 3 options in each box. Funnily enough, the Mexican Black Bean Tacos were a hit and in the past we have struggled to get anything containing beans into them.
The recipes are easy to follow, quick to prepare and the packages contain the correct measurement, making life that wee bit easier.We also love having the ability to set the delivery at every two weeks – this is working really well for our family.
Thanks again for allowing us to trail the veggie box – the fact we now have a standing order for delivery every two weeks is testament of how popular it has been and how happy we are with it. Thank you so much!
We were thrilled to receive the vegetarian option Bargain Box – four adults for three nights. Our three meals were Haloumi and Kumara Bombay Curry, Mexi Black Bean Tacos, Cauli Mac and Cheese AND we got a dessert – Pear Crumble with Butterscotch Sauce. We hadn’t expected the dessert so it was a lovely surprise.
All meals were tasty and the recipes were easy to follow. Servings were good adult sizes and the food was super fresh. The chilled food was still chilled. I really like that most of the packaging is recyclable – even the ice packs only contain water ie no chemicals.
The meals used seasonal veges which I also liked. I would definitely use this again – we even adjusted the recipe slightly and added in the veg we had in the fridge when we had five for dinner – easy to do and plenty of food. I really appreciate that you are able to stop and start your subscription multiple times – probably jolly inconvenient for them but really practical as we never have two weeks in a row with exactly the same routine!
I received the three meals for four people.
Upon opening the box, I noted that apart from the fridge/freezer items, everything else was loose in the box. This is a good way of saving on money for packaging, however the rice and breadcrumbs were a little damp as a result of rolling around with the veges. I did also find that our frozen peas, were no longer frozen. The box was nice and sturdy and I didn’t notice any damage or wear and tear, which I half expected with tins bouncing around in there.
The first meal we made was the Cauli Mac n Cheese, my 12 year old helped me prep this meal. The instructions were nice and easy to follow. The 12 year old declared it the best cheese sauce that they had ever tasted, though they did change their mind once the spinach was in. I really like the garlic mixed with the breadcrumbs, this was the only part of the recipe that I deviated from, simply because we all love garlic. This ended up feeding two adults and three children, with enough leftover for one adult to have seconds and one to have a decent helping for lunch the next day. Despite the reaction to the spinach, I’d happily make this again.
Black Bean Tacos was the next nights dinner, this time my 9 year old helped me cook. I will note here that they are mentally 6, but coped just fine following the instructions that I read out to them. They were very keen to know what was coming next and what they could do, having to be reminded that we needed to work in order. The red onion and tomato salsa was the big hit of this meal, with the 9 year old snacking away at it, to the point where I had to hide it… They happily finished off the leftovers. The one thing that I did find with this, was that it took at least three times longer than written, for the beans to simmer enough and thicken, despite following the recipe fully. Other than that, this was enjoyed but not a hit. We also had a pear crumble to make, it would have been nice if the cream had come in the box as they could have potentially had only what was needed for the recipe (I always end up with wasted cream if not needing the whole bottle). It was nice, but not a hit as no big fans of pears in our household.
The final meal was the Kumara and Halloumi Curry, the one that I was least sure about, mostly because I don’t like kumara. My biggest concern was the spices, other kits like this, that I have used, I have had to use half the packet of spices to ensure that all three kids could eat it. With this though, it added no heat and nothing but wonderful flavour. When this was served, my mum said that she could have done with a little heat but otherwise it was nice. My 12, 11 and 9 year olds all ate theirs without complaint, which was good, especially as the 12 year old doesn’t like haloumi at all. I thought this was delicious and happily ate mine, only sad that there was no seconds to be had. This is one meal I would absolutely make again.
I’m feeling very mixed about this, $99 is a good price compared to other brands, but it is still almost two thirds of my weekly grocery bill. I will keep an eye, however, on their recipes and may get it just for a change now and then.
It was great to be given the opportunity to try the Veggie Bargain Box! Thank you!
When the box arrived I was pretty impressed with the overall quality and freshness of the produce.
I was also excited to receive an extra recipe for the Pear Crumble which went down a treat.
However, I was slightly disappointed with the paper packaging of rice and other dry ingredients which, mixed with the other stuff in the box, became a little wet so got me worried about how those dry ingredients were going to turn out.
I received 3 recipes for 4 people and I will review them as follows:
The Cauli Mac & Cheese
It has already been a family favourite for a number of years (albeit in a slightly different form). I was not too keen on the leek (I use onion and sometimes mushrooms in mine). We all did like the addition of pangrattato which we will incorporate in our future renditions of this dish.
Black Bean Tacos
Not very keen on those. We were all disappointed with the overall flavour and how ‘runny’ the filling was. We are big fans of tacos in our house (even had vegetarian ones before) but this BB recipe was somewhat lacking.
Haloumi & Kumara Bombay Curry
That was a surprising favourite of mine. I was impressed with how the haloumi tasted like paneer when cooked that way. Unfortunately, the kids were not that keen so it was not a crowd pleaser in our house.
It may be a dish I would replicate with some slight tweaks in the future.
Overall, I felt that I didn’t really get to expand my vegetarian cooking horizons by receiving this box neither do I feel it would be good value for money if I subscribed to receive it in the future. The portions were generous and offered plenty of leftovers but BB still falls short compared to my current meal box provider. My kids love vegetables and are very adventurous eaters who will try everything so it was quite disappointing to see them not particularly keen on any of the meals on offer. Even the all-time favourite Cauli Mac & Cheese scored lower than the version I’ve already been making for a number of years.
It was certainly a nice touch to get the free dessert recipe and ingredients and went some way to justify the total cost of the box for a paying customer. It would need to be a regular thing though, rather than an extra ‘freebie’ to make it a better value.
Thank you again for letting me and my family try it out. Sadly, our journey with Veggie Bargain Box ends here.
It was such a blessing to have the Bargain Box on the last week of a long hard school term. When it arrived it was like Christmas – unpacking all the bits and pieces. I love that the packaging (incl food packaging) is almost all recyclable – although I have saved the wool lining for my strawberry plants this summer!
We got 3 meals – Cauli Mac n’ Cheese, Kumara and Halloumi Curry, and Black Bean Tacos. Plus a pear crumble.
I have had My Food Bag in the past and loved the mac n cheese we had then so was keen to try that first and this one didn’t disappoint either – so yum and a perfect family meal.
Next up was the bean tacos – wasn’t sure how our carnivore household would go with these but they loved them. I wrapped them up tight and the kids coped really well with them – good learning skills! and omg the chipotle crema was amazing.
Was excited for the curry too – the adults in our house like a bit of spice so we just pooped chilli flakes on top so it suited the whole family. I hadn’t thought to use haloumi like this and i have a vegetarian niece so keen to make her a curry like this in the future.
The communication from Bargain Box about what pantry staples were needed and also delivery information was amazing.
Overall Bargain Box was a huge hit for us. I loved the convenience and knowing that i didn’t need to think about what was for dinner that night. I loved being free of themotional labour of meal planning! Its a bonus to have meat free meals – and not having to remember to get some meat out of the freezer during the morning rush. Even though we are meat lovers we didnt feel as if we missed that sort of protein in the meals.
The meals were all a fabulous size for us and i think the biggest thing for me was that the food was so flavoursome that even though it might cost a bit more than if you bought the ingredients your self i think in the long term you would save money because you are less likely to order in takeaways, you dont do impulse buys at the supermarket and also you dont buy a whole packet of something for a new recipe and then what you don’t use ends up sitting in the pantry for years until you finally throw it out.
Thank you Bargain Box and Kidspot for this trial. We are away for the school holidays this week but will start up fortnightly orders once the school term madness starts!
We were very grateful to have been chosen for a Bargain Box Veggie, opting for 3 nights to feed 4.
Our box arrived via courier earlier in the morning, the kids were so excited to unpack the contents that I forgot to take a snap! Everything was very fresh and well packaged and labeled, and the chilled items packed in a ‘blanket’ with frozen slicker pads. We checked through all the items on the ingredient checklist, which the kids enjoyed doing.
First up we decided on the Haloumi & Kumara Bombay Curry.
Our 4 year old daughter helped to grate the carrots, and then diced the haloumi, while I got the other ingredients ready. We decided not to add chilli flakes to this meal. This meal smelt really devine while cooking, perhaps the bombay spices!
The verdict – Mum enjoyed this one the most. Definitely super tasty and there were no leftovers!!!
Our next meal was the Cauli Mac & Cheese. Our kids love Cauli so that’s why this was chosen as #2 to eat!
They haven’t had leek before so was a new flavour sensation .. I was a bit sceptical. Our daughter was keen to slice up the leek, and enjoyed watching the rest of the prep. Dad even had a go at cooking this meal!!
The verdict – it was definitely very tasty, but the kids weren’t too fussy on the spinach and perhaps the leek was a bit overpowering, I would cook this again but use half a leek.
Lastly, the Mexi Black Bean Tacos.
We love having wraps in this house so I knew it would be a hit. I’ve been using black beans with nachos lately so knew the kids would enjoy this and not miss the mince. Our daughter diced the tomatoes under the watchful eye of her 2 year old brother, and then the carrot. She had a bit more focus tonight and helped with the cooking, enjoying the stirring and adding of each ingredient.
The verdict – A firm fav from the kids and Dad. They enjoyed putting the wraps together. I reserved some diced tomato for them, leaving out the red onion, otherwise all was gobbled up!
A lovely surprise in the box was the Pear Crumble with Butterscotch Sauce. We had to wait for the pears to ripen up a bit, and cooked this at the Grandparent’s place, as they love fruity desserts!
The verdict – wow what a flavoursome dessert – loved the sauce and pop of pears. Enjoyed with the leftover cream!
In all, I was very impressed with our veggie Bargain Box meals. All veggies were fresh and seasonal, and I liked how the packaging was mostly all able to be recycled (unlike a competitor’s environmentally horrible packaging). Each meal’s method was easy to read and follow, the flavour combinations came together generally well and I enjoyed (along with the kids) preparing and cooking these new meals, I can see us cooking these again down the track! Loved the convenience too, and the thought taken out of what to cook. A thumbs up from us all!!!
We were very excited to get a Bargain Box Veggie for 2 for 3 nights. At the moment we’re struggling to get veges into the kids and I think it may be because hubby isn’t the biggest fan, so I was keen to try this box so that the buy in for veges was from him and if he enjoyed it then maybe the kids would too.
The kids were so excited to get the box delivered. They opened it up and helped me check everything on the checklist (I personally loved the checklist -competitors don’t do it so this was a win for me). Initially I didn’t think it looked like a lot in the box but after making the meals I understand that there was plenty (and no wastage). I also loved how there was very little plastic packaging and the chiller bag was compostable!!!!
We had 3 delicious meals and they even snuck in a dessert. The meals were really nutritious and yum and it surprised me how easy it is to add veges into a meal and how filling they were without meat. Our absolute favourite meal was the Haloumi and Kumara curry, and it certainly opened my eyes to how Haloumi dan be used and substituted for meat. For this reason alone I feel that the Bargain Box veggie was not only convenient but also a bit of a lesson in meat free meals.
I would definitely recommend this box to friends and family, and although the price was quite expensive for us to do all the time, I like how there is the option to give it a go whenever you can. I can see us getting it maybe once a month so we can get access to more veggie meal ideas.
Thanks Kidspot and Bargain Box for letting us review this meal kit
As a family of 4 with a tween and teen, we were all really excited to try Bargain Box Vege! I was particularly looking forward to being inspired by cooking again instead of the usual 5 meals I usually make on rotation! Opening up the box was like Christmas! I was really impressed with the recipes supplied and the quality of the ingredients. The veges were fresh and of very high quality and our supplied cauliflower was the biggest cauliflower I have ever seen!
The first meal we tried was the Kumara and Halloumi Curry, this was super easy to make, very flavoursome and an absolute hit with the family! As a bonus and we were able to feed 5 adults with this meal despite it being for 4!
Next up we tried the tacos. This is where my usually kitchen-shy husband was able to step in and cook and give me a break. The tacos were not only delicious and incorporated ingredients we don’t usually include in our own taco recipes, he agreed the instructions were very easy to follow and I will be encouraging him in the kitchen more after this!
Our next meal was the mac and cheese and again, very easy, didn’t take long to prepare and filled with lots of nutritious veges!
The biggest surprise of all was having the bonus extra recipe supplied for Pear Pudding! We couldn’t get enough of this and despite it being a very generous-sized dish this was demolished the first night it was made!
As a typical carnivore family, I have to say we didn’t miss the meat at all. These meals are packed full of flavour and nutrition and as a result we have kept our Bargain Box Vege subscription going due to this and the convenience. As a working Mum, not having to think about what to make for dinner every single night of the week and having a husband gain confidence in the kitchen and lend a hand with the dinner is invaluable.
Thank you Bargain Box for making our very first experience with a Food Bag such a no-brainer for the future!
Positives… delivered to the front door – yay! This was soooo convenient as it is a mission to go shopping with 2 children under 2. Hats off to bigger families. Really good choice of meals – we tend to struggle coming up with ideas for meals to try so it was very helpful to be set out for us. I sometimes see recipes I want to try but never get around to buying the ingredients and making it – this definitely takes away the hassle and forces you to try something new which is a big positive. The meals felt complete and tasty- you forget there is no meat in them. The box arriving created excitement and our toddler was keen to help with the unpacking. This is a small indicatation of how tragically boring our lives are with 2 small children (no, we don’t get out much). With almost all the ingredients included in the box meant it super easy for meal preparation – no brain power required 😉 win. The box itself was very sturdy and the cold bits were well packed (insulated packing and ice packs which we are reusing). They are practical – it kept all the chilled stuff …well chilled. Nice little recipe cards included, pretty straightforward.
Negatives… the recipe little process heavy – a few too many steps for my convenience (ie a baby on the hip and a toddler around my feet). One pot meals are my friend. It would be good to make the recipe cards a little easier to follow- they are a bit text heavy- simple bullet points nicely spaced out (something easy to see where you are up to when get interrupted and have to go back to it). Plastic wrappings were a negative as we are trying to reduce our plastic use, especially for Plastic Free July – so would have preferred less or no plastic at all. But I did see that most of the packaging is recyclable though, so that’s good.
Meals – Cauli Mac and Cheese was up first… good hearty meal – we even managed to sneak some veggies into the toddler who usually notices and picks them out. It had a decent amount of veggies in there so not just your typical mac n cheese carb fest. Really generous portion – lasted a couple of meals (leftovers made it into the lunchbox). Very economical. A thumbs up from the family.
Taco bean wrap… I really like Mexican food so this was a win for me from the start, but I don’t usually make it at home. The toddler was not keen on the beans and veggies but happily ate the bread wraps (he seems to live on bread) and picked at the tomatoes. Small wins. A surprisingly filing meal with lots of veggies – it felt very healthy. Would have liked a bit more heat in it (just my personal taste) so I added Tabasco sauce 🙂 all about the improvisation.
Pear crumble…delicious, seriously really really delicious.Two thumbs up from the family.
Sorry we did not get around to cooking the curry yet (the reality of a crazy busy life). Actually saved it till the end as it is the one I am most excited about. We’ll cook it tomorrow and let you know how it goes (with more pics) tomorrow. Thank you.
Final thoughts…initially I felt the box was a bit expensive, but when I thought about what we sometimes spend on takeout and convenience food this is actually a cheaper and healthier alternative. The box would probably not be something we would order regularly but as an occasional treat and to have a change from our usual pretty meaty diet, we would definitely consider it. I don’t think my husband and son would survive meat -free for extended periods of time but I really enjoyed it and felt better for not eating meat for some meals. I can imagine this box being great if you have older children to get them involved in cooking. I know my brother and his family order meal boxes and love them. My brother actually cooks (which is a miracle, and you’d be impressed if you knew him – he’s very undomesticated) and his kids love to help with the cooking, particularly the 9 year old, less so with the 5 year old who is more joing in to not miss out. It’s a nice bit of family bonding time.
Thanks for the opportunity to try the Bargain Box Veggie – it was an all around positive experience.
We were very excited to try the new Bargain Box with veggie dishes. We’ve been moving more towards a regular non-meat dinner to both save money and eat healthier but I was running out of ideas. Ordering the Bargain Box was easy and delivery was made with no fuss. The fridge/freezer items had cool wool around them to keep them cold and it’s all recyclable or returnable to BB. Our produce looked very fresh (with the exception of a red onion which had a soft bit in it) and we even got a bonus recipe of pear crumble with the hugest pears!
We tried the Mexi bean tacos first. This was a hit with the family as we love Mexican dishes and you didn’t even miss the meat. My husband and son made this dish for the family and the instructions were easy to follow. The addition of a salsa made it fresh and delicious.
The second dish we had was the cauli mac and cheese. I don’t mac and cheese (despite the family loving pasta) as I never seem to be able to get a good amount of flavour in to it. However, my son and I made this and it was very tasty. The addition of leek gave it a nice taste.
The final dish was the haloumi and kumara curry with rice and peas. Whilst it said kumara, it was more like a cauliflower curry as there was more cauli than anything else, but it was still good. The sauce was yum! I have never considered using haloumi in this way. The rice and peas were a good combination for soaking up all the yummy sauce.
Overall, we liked trying the Bargain Box Veggie dishes. It’s a good idea for opening up the family to trying new dishes and tastes. I like that I didn’t have to think about what’s for dinner and if I have everything I need for it. There was plenty of leftovers from two of the meals which gave us ready-made lunches too. I would consider getting the veggie box perhaps once a month or alternate with the standard ones depending on how our budget is looking. Thanks for the opportunity to try this awesome food box.
Was very excited to be picked to review the Bargain Box Veggie.. i have been trying for a while to incorporate more plant based recipes into the family meals and this really was the inspiration I needed. Very easy to go online and register .. pick a date for delivery and everything is easy to follow and clear .. I love the fact that I get follow up emails to remind me I am all set for the week and recipes and also a txt on my phone when box was on its way. We received the box in the day I chose which was a Monday and it arrived safe and sound by mid day .. our dishes were Cauli Mac & Cheese, Mexi Black Bean Tacos and Halloumi & Kumara Bombay Curry. The items are all packed well in compostable bags which I was happy to see, the veggies are very fresh and I was overjoyed to see a dessert too .. Butterscotch Pear Crumble .. yum!
Herewith the family feedback .. cauliflower Mac and cheese was delicious, lovely herby flavour, did not miss the meat element at all and cauliflower in a Mac n cheese .. what a revelation. The whole family gobbled it up. The Mexi Tacos was a huge hit too .. love the flavours, even mr 11 ate all his up and he normally not even like tomatoes. Very generous with the wraps and they were lovely .. plenty for all .. The pear crumble was fun to make with my son .. super yum and we felt so spoilt. We did not get the chance to make the third one yet .. Bombay Spice satchel was missing from the box, replied email gave apologies and will slip into next order plus something extra so that was a good solution but we can’t wait to try this too.. recipe looks delicious. In conclusion I must say that I now have more confidence to try more vegetarian dishes for the family and Bargain Box Veggie I do recommend .. so convenient and everything very fresh … thank you Kidspot and Bargain Box
Our family was very excited to get the chance to review the new Bargain Box-Veggie. We received 3 nights for 4 people. I have been wanting to reduce the amount of meat and chicken we eat in our house but struggle to come up with yummy meals without having meat as the main part on the plate.
It was like Christmas opening our box and going through the delicious ingredients. Not only were we impressed with what was in our Veggie bargain box, including the fresh and organic New Zealand produce. But the box itself was very striking and made the opening of the box a lot more exciting than a plain cardboard box. Once I checked off the list of ingredients to make sure we had received everything, I started reading the packaging that was protecting the food from getting damaged in transit. What was so cool and interesting about it was that a business called ‘WoolCool’ source and make an environmentally friendly insulated packaging. It uses 100% natural and I was reassured that no sheep were harmed to make this award-winning biodegradable sustainable insulation. It can also be collected if you live in a ‘Metro Zone’, so it can be used again.
Another awesome surprise was I found extra ingredients including pears and a crumble mix, with a recipe to make a delicious dessert of Pear Crumble with butterscotch sauce. This was such a treat as we weren’t expecting it.
We decided to make the Cauli Mac & Cheese for our first night. I’ve always been interested in making a healthier version of a family favourite. It was nice and easy to make. I made sure to chop the veges and prepare the ingredients I was going to use. I usually like to fry up onion to add to my pasta, but the leeks were a perfect substitute for that in this recipe. My youngest daughter was positive she wouldn’t like it because she’s not a fan of cauliflower. Once I dished the rest of the family’s dinners up, she decided to try a little of mine and ended up with her own bowl of pasta because she was enjoying it that much. We all agreed how yummy it was, and very filling. As part of this meal, I used a frying pan to cook panko breadcrumbs with garlic until golden and ready to be sprinkled over the meal as a seasoning. This gave an already delicious meal, a beautiful texture and extra flavour.
For our second night, we made something more in our comfort zone,- Mexi Black Bean Tacos. We love tacos and wraps at our house, but admittedly usually have chicken, beef or mince in them. Before I got into making the tacos, we decided to make the Pear Crumble, so it was all ready to eat after dinner. I didn’t expect the dessert to be so easy to make. After prepping the pears making the crumble and sauce, and pouring over the pears in an oven dish, it was all ready to go in the oven. It made our house smell like delicious baking, which was a great bonus! Which this was baking, we prepared the veges and cooked the black beans along with other ingredients like onion, grated carrot and a little sachet of Mexican Spices. We were all very surprised at how much the bean mix tasted like a typical taco with meat. I also made the salsa to be served on the tacos, which was so easy but so tasty! We all made our own tacos like we usually would. Everyone loved the flavours it packed together, as well as the Chipotle Crema that went over the tacos with cheese and sour cream. This meal made so much for everyone, as well as leftovers for the next day. I was a bit surprised at how much we all enjoyed these tacos, more than we do when we make them with meat.
Once we got thru our yummy dinner, we served up the pear crumble with some icecream. It was even better than we had expected, and was all gone by the next day.
On the third night, I made The Haloumi and Kumara Bombay Curry, which was the one I was sceptical we may not like as much. Before this meal, I was the only one who had tried Haloumi before and had never thought to add Kumara to a curry. I also presumed this meal would be the most difficult to make out of the three, which it wasn’t. I actually found this meal really fun to make and the delicious smell it produced when cooking, made us excited to try. It was served on Jasmine rice with beautiful garden peas, grown in Gisborne. This meal ended up being probably the most enjoyed meal of the week for the family! I will definitely be using kumara in curries more often. The halloumi surprisingly (to us) gave it another beautiful taste. I did use the optional chilli flake in the curry. I was a bit worried about this as we don’t like spicy food very much, but it actually gave it the kick it needed and tasted perfect! What’s great about using chilli flakes to season this meal, is that you can spice it up more if you’re into spicy food.
Overall the whole family loved the meals and want to thank Kidspot and My Food Bag so much for the opportunity to review such an awesome product. I should have mentioned earlier that we’ve never tried a food box before, and we were so pleased with it! I’ll definitely be recommending the bargain box to family and friends! A much cheaper option to get a food box, with the benefits of not having to stress to rush dinner so everyone’s fed, and took the hard work of finding meals that everyone will enjoy of our hands. It was the perfect chance for a family who would like to lessen meat in their diet to try delicious vege based and healthy versions of meals that are already very popular in New Zealand homes. I got so many great ideas from this box and can’t wait to try and replicate these meals.
It was with much excitement that my three kids descended on the Bargain Box as soon as it arrived! Quickly emptying all of the contents and scrutinising the recipe cards, they each declared which recipe they were going to help cook! Brilliant!
I wish I had a photo – but we all got a bit carried away with the unpacking in our enthusiasm! I have to say though, that I was impressed at the obvious care taken to pack all of the items, and the insulation packs were really cool – literally! All the chilled and frozen foods arrived that way. Despite being told it can be collected for reuse, I’ve retained the inner to use for packing some breakables when we move house – and the sturdy box will come in handy for that too! Definitely not just throw away materials – it all seems very well considered from an environmental aspect.
First up was the Cauliflower Mac and Cheese. This was so easy – the 11 yr old managed the whole process start to finish. Bargain Box’s clear instructions are just ideal for getting kids in the kitchen cooking real, nutritious food.
I was worried about this recipe being a little bland, but the leeks are a master stroke, that herb sachet ramped up the flavour, and it was oh so cheesy. Add the little crunch on the top and – YUM!
This even won over the fussiest little person in the house. Unheard of.
Such a generous meal, the kids were stoked to have the leftovers for lunch the next day – they even fought over it. My kids fought over veges!!
Next up was the Kumara and Halloumi Curry. Again, so easy. That Bombay Spice blend was magic. I was unsure about the halloumi but it worked. We didn’t miss the meat at all – I claimed
the leftovers for my lunch this time, much to the disgruntlement of other household members! Master 13 helped me in the kitchen and it was so easy for him to quickly grab all
the pre portioned ingredients out ready to go- not having to measure
saves SO much time. And with work and school we don’t have much time to spare. Dinner is usually such a drag, so it was nice to be excited to get in the kitchen and make something new.
Master 6 was most excited for the Tacos. This was so simple – all in one pan which I absolutely love! The salsa gave it so much freshness and the kids loved a meal they could get in and eat with their hands.
The beans made this really hearty, it will feature as an easy Friday dinner in our house in future for sure!
Great inspiration overall for being creative in the kitchen with veges as meals, not just as sides. The best part is not having to plan and shop for meals – that becomes such a drag! And I think because it comes out of a box, the kids are more inclined to try new things.
We will definitely buy again!
We were very fortunate to be selected to review the Bargain Box Vege for 3 meals for 2 people.
Navigating the website was a bit tricky and as a result, I received my Bargain Box a week early.
The three meals that I had were
Cheesy Potato Caesar
Moroccan Chickpeas Tagine with Caucus
Pesto Cream Cheese and Mushroom Pizza
Sticky Date Pudding (bonus dessert)
All ingredients were fresh and quality.
The first meal we made was the Cheesy Potato Ceaser. The preparation process was a bit lengthy (chopping up all the ingredients, boiling the egg, then baking the potatoes and broccoli) but nonetheless super fun and easy for my little 3 years old to get involved. We had that meal on a cold winter night and it was somewhat satisfying.
The next meal was the Moroccan Chickpeas Tagine with Caucus. This was a super easy meal to make and it was a hit with the family.
The last meal we made was the Pesto Cream Cheese and Mushroom pizza. It was absolutely easy to prepare and super delicious. We devoured it. It is also a real bonus when you have a toddler and an infant to look after while trying to preparing dinner
The sticky date pudding which was the bonus dessert was straight forward. Although it did require a few ‘pantry’ items, we had them ready at hand. Again another hit with the family.
Overall
Most of the meals were ‘child friendly’ and easy to make on busy weekday nights
The portions were large and we had leftovers for lunch the next day
It was a very creative way to get kids to eat vegetables
The meals were very flavoursome and it is amazing what you can do with vegetables
We dont have to think what are we going to prepare for dinner as it has already been done for us!
The price is a bit on the high side for 3 vegetarian meals and 1 dessert
If we do purchase this bargain box in the future, it would be nice for us to have the flexibility to select 3 meals from a range of meal options. This is because my husband is Gluten Intolerance and we had to quickly substitute the caucus with rice and the pizza base with a Gluten-Free Pizza base.
Thank you once again for giving us the opportunity to review this product
We were lucky enough to be picked for the Bargain Box 3 meals for 2. My son (12) picked the Haloumi & Kumara Curry for the first meal. I left out the optional chilli flakes and the curry was lovely not too hot at all. My son doesn’t like Kumara but ate this curry no problems.
Next, we picked the Black Bean Tacos they were very tasty but we both found the Black Bean casings were quite tough (we don’t eat black beans very often). That night I also made the bonus Pear Crumble, it was delicious and a nice change from apple crumble.
Lastly, we had the Cauli Mac & Cheese. I loved having Leek instead of onion but my son found the taste too strong for him. I enjoyed having the decision making taken out of my hands, the instructions were very clear, portions were huge. Lots of extra ingredients to use for later dishes.
So nice to get a bonus dessert. But the cost would be the big negative for me. I’m on a strict budget & the price of the box is almost my whole weekly budget for the week, and I’ll still need to buy cat food, snacks, breakfast, lunches & food for the other 4 nights.
If I had extra money I would look at getting these boxes again it felt good to have a week of mostly vegetable meals, felt nice & healthy. Thank you again for the chance to trail this box. I think it is a great addition to the rest of their menus.
We were lucky enough to get the vege bargain box for 2 – very exciting! We’ve had bargain box before, but I was keen to try the vege option and convince the family that all meals need meat!
Box arrived on time with contents looking fresh and delisious to feed myself, my husband and our 10 year old (even though its only a 2 person box.
CAULI MAC AND CHEESE
I’m not a huge cauliflower fan, but this was nice to have it combined through, especially with the spinach for an extra vege hit. Nice and easy to make (hubby made it) and was enjoyed by everyone. Didn’t feel like it wasn’t quite a complete meal though and it needed something a bit extra.
MEXI BLACK BEAN TACOS
I was a bit weary as to how these were going to taste as the bean mix didn’t have a lot too it. I wasn’t pleasantly surprised though as these were delish. Mr 10 really enjoyed them which was great.
HALOUMI AND KUMURA BOMBAY CURRY
This was really delicious! Hearty and well rounded. Mr 10 wasn’t a huge fan but that just meant I got his for lunch the next day!
Overall I was impressed with the recipes and the taste of the food. The rest of the family enjoyed it as well. I think we’ll add it into our routine to get on occasion.
Thanks so much for the opportunity to trial!
Wow, what a treat to be selected for trialing Bargain Box Veggie. Not only did I not have to worry about meal planning for three nights, nor think how I am going to get some healthy vegetables into my kids, but I also had four enthusiastic children wanting to help cook!!!
It was like Christmas receiving the box at our door. So convenient! With amazement we opened the box and ticked off that everything on the list was in the box. It was well packaged, including the freezer and fridge items. We loved all the little packets ready with spice mixes etc.
We divided up which kids were going to cook what. With my 11 and 13 year olds I was able to leave to it with such detailed and straight forward instructions. I thoroughly enjoyed having a couple of nights off. My younger two kids helped me make the ‘Cauli Mac & Cheese’. It’s simply genius to cook cauliflower with the macaroni. There’s no going back now to just macaroni! I thought my kids would be missing bacon, but no! Although there was the odd comment about the flavours being interesting, they ate it all up. This meal though was the least favorite in comparison to the ‘Mexi Black Bean Tacos’ and the ‘Haloumi & Kumara Bombay Curry’. Both of these were divine!
I was intrigued how the family would fine the tacos with using spinach instead of lettuce but they loved it. Such a delicious combination of flavours. And the curry was amazing. Again cooking the peas with the rice. Genius! My kids weren’t really into the Haloumi, but enjoyed the rest which was fine as my husband and love Haloumi. I actually have four kids and one husband so I was interested in seeing if it would feed all of us since it was for actually for 4 people. Only for the curry did I need some extra rice and a few more wraps for the tacos, but actually we had leftover lunches with the macaroni and the curry for both my husband and I. Such value!!!!
What we weren’t expecting was the Pear Crumble ingredients and recipe. This was such a beautiful dessert and such a treat. I accidentally didn’t cancel my order in time so I now have three more vegetarian meals for this week. Oh well, how sad, never mind!!!
We were thrilled to get to review the Bargain Box Veggie option. Although we eat meat regularly, we are keen to reduce this and to find more exciting ways to prepare veggies. We received the three nights for two box for two adults and one child. Ordering was really easy, and it was great to be able to see what the meals would be in advance. A while ago we ordered from Bargain Box and at that time it wasn’t an option to see in advance what the meals would be. It now shows a few weeks in advance so it is possible to skip the week if you decide the meals don’t suit. This is a definite bonus in my opinion. We were able to choose either Saturday or Monday delivery, and went with Saturday. On the morning of delivery we received a text with tracking details and could see it was on board for delivery. It was delivered as expected and all the contents were well packed. The refrigerator items were in a separate section inside the box and were kept cool with several ice packs and a wool cool. On opening we were excited to see we received a bonus recipe for pear crumble with butterscotch sauce – an unexpected and welcome bonus – thanks Bargain Box! My daughter helped me to unpack the bargain box and enjoyed telling me what each item was. The handy checklist with the box meant we could check off each item and know nothing had been missed.
The first meal we made was the Cauli Mac & Cheese. Mostly this was easy to prepare – [as with all the meals] I chopped all the veggies prior to starting to cook it as I thought this was easier than prepping along the way. I was dubious whether our daughter would eat this, as she is quite fussy and does not eat a lot of pasta, but pleasingly she tried it and commented that it was actually quite nice and that it tasted better than it looked. She liked the garlic breadcrumbs the most, and she did remove the spinach, but she ate a fair bit of the meal overall. My partner and I also enjoyed it, and despite thinking it would not be enough to feed us all, we were all satisfied after eating it and did not feel anything was lacking. I think in future we would likely make this as a side to accompany something else, but overall it was a winner.
The second meal we cooked was the Mexi Black Bean Tacos. We are a fan of tacos in our house, but normally make these with beef mince or shredded chicken, and with hard taco shells, so the beans and soft taco wraps were new for us. I was surprised at how tasty the bean mix was – I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did, however, we could have used a few more wraps as we ended up with a lot of bean mix left over and we did not enjoy the beans on its own as much as we might if it was beef mince. I think this recipe was more suited to two people than to three, however, a few more wraps would make it enough for three people. Our daughter tried this, but again did not eat the spinach, and did not enjoy the beans as much as we did. When cooking it, I found the sauce did not thicken up on its own, and so I had to create a thickening paste with cornflour to get it less runny, but that can happen with other recipes too so was not a big deal. This is a recipe that we would likely not make again, although we would be happy to substitute soft tacos for our usual hard taco shells some nights.
The last meal we made was the Haloumi and Kumara Bombay Curry. This was our most favourite meal and the one our daughter ate most of. Ironically she did not enjoy the rice and my partner did not enjoy the peas, so when making this again I would separate the rice and the peas into two sides rather than one. The recipe was easy to cook and there was the right amount for the three of us without any leftovers (other than what was not eaten off plates – rice for my daughter and peas for my partner). I think it is useful that the recipes state what is in each spice mix, however it would be hard to replicate exactly as the amount/proportion of each spice is not specified, although it might not matter when it is made and if you taste it as you go.
I am a fan of easy cooking though, and if it was possible to buy pre-made spice mixes for recipes I would absolutely do this to make the ones we liked again – making the spice mixes from scratch to recreate the meal in future might be a bit fiddly and time consuming for my preferences. We already had all the staple ingredients so did not need to go out to purchase anything specific which made it really easy. It is also handy that Bargain Box send an email in advance to let you know what staple ingredients you will need, so no last minute dashes to the supermarket are required. I liked that the recipes did not require a heap of dishes to be used or fancy kitchen equipment – you could make all the recipes with the most basic of kitchen equipment. The bonus Pear Crumble and Butterscotch Sauce recipe was a lovely treat, and was enjoyed by us all. Unfortunately that recipe did not state what the crumble mix was made up of, so we might not be able to make that exactly again, but it was really delicious. I found there was a bit too much sauce, and not quite enough crumble, but despite this it tasted great mixed up and served with ice cream. Overall I think the Bargain Box Veggie option was great – it is something we will consider trying again on a regular basis, depending on whether the recipes look like we would enjoy them – if not we will skip that week. In the meantime I have found a couple of new ways to incorporate veggies into our family meals. Thanks so much for the opportunity to try this out – I would definitely recommend giving it a go if you want to try more veggies in ways that are more exciting than just steamed veggies.
Thanks Kidspot and My Food Bag for the opportunity to trial Bargain Box Vege – this was such a cool product to receive and review! It was quite an exciting start to the week having the box delivered and unpacking all the goodies inside. The produce and everything else inside was great quality and known brands (eg. Mainland, Ceres), well packed and received in good condition. Packaging was minimised where possible, and I liked the reusable nature of the ice packs and the compostable wool liner. We received 3 nights for 4 serves, as well as a bonus dessert recipe (with the pears and crumble mix included) to make Pear Crumble with Butterscotch Sauce.
Cauli Mac and Cheese was our first meal, and the favourite of Miss 5. I loved the addition of leek, spinach and cauliflower, and the dired stock herb mix made it especially tasty. The garlic panko crumbs on top were also a winner. I think I’ll keep all these ‘tweaks’ to our regular mac and cheese in future!
Mexi Black Bean Tacos were next up, and perhaps the most surprising all-round favourite. I thought it would be an especially hard sell to Miss 8 who hates beans usually (I need to mash them in!), but this ended up being her favourite meal. We’ll definitely substitute red kidney beans with black beans in all recipes going forward – we all much preferred them. We ended up with an extra packet of mexican spices in our box, so we’ll definitely repeat this meal again next week.
The final meal, Haloumi and Kumara Bombay Curry was the adults favourite (even though I completely forgot to add the frozen peas into the rice at the end!). Haloumi is the absolute last thing I would think to add to a curry, but it worked really well. I left out the optional chill flakes to avoid the ‘its toooooo spicy’ complaints, but it was still super tasty and looked delicious on the plate. The jasmine rice was missing from our box, but luckily was already a pantry staple ingredient I had on hand. Leftovers tasted even better the next day for lunch.
The Pear Crumble with Butterscotch Sauce was also devine, and ended up being dessert on my birthday! I added a few more oats and some coconut to the crumble mix, but the butterscotch sauce poured over the fruit before cooking was a crumble game changer! Another recipe I will definitely cook again.
Overall I was very pleasantly surprised with how much we all enjoyed these non-meat meals – I was honestly expecting a bit more resistance to eating ‘all veg’ meals, myself included! We are a predominately meat-eating family, but this has definitely shown that three vegetarian meals a week would be completely do-able in our family. The meals were all really tasty and filling, and the portion sizes were generous too – we had leftovers from each meal, enough for 1-2 lunch serves in each case. The recipes required a little bit of prep, but were quite easy to follow and not too time consuming either. Communication around the ordering, delivery and staples ingredients required for the menu was good also.
The cost of the boxes would honestly be a bit beyond our budget for other than occasional use currently – though I can definitely see they would be a great option for many families to eat better meals. So if you are time poor, or lacking confidence or inspiration to cook new meals, then absolutely give it a go! I have never used a food bag subscription before, but I would have really loved to have options like this around when I had young babies, so also consider gifting one to a new mum too!
Trying these recipes has certainly expanded my mind in regard to adding more vegetarian meals to our weekly menu. This was the perfect thing to inspire me to try some different recipe ingredients and options – I’d really recommend this if you’re ever feeling in a bit of a food rut with your family. I’m seriously thinking of buying Nadia Lim’s new cookbook ‘Vegeful’ now too! I’ll definitely consider trying some of My Food Bag’s other meal bags also, for some more non-veg inspiration as well. Thanks again!
We were so fortunate to be selected to trial the Bargain Box Veggie, serving two people for three nights. Thank you! We are mindful of trying to eat more veges and reduce our meat consumption, so this was a great way to get some new ideas! A lovely courier dropped it off on Saturday morning and it was very exciting opening it to see it loaded with lots of goodies. Everything was in perfect condition and was pleased to see the fresh goodies were just as I’d select myself.
We had three delicious meals – Black Bean Tacos, Cauli Mac n’ Cheese, Kumara and Halloumi Curry, and we also received a bonus dessert – pear and butterscotch crumble which was devine. We loved all of the meals but the stand out favourite was the black bean tacos – they were so tasty and we will definitely make them again soon! Also, using leek instead of onion in the mac’n’cheese was delicious! Such a nice twist on an old classic.
Every meal was easy and quick to cook and the recipes easy to follow. It was great having everything there and ready to go – quite a treat to have a break from thinking about what to cook. There was minimal waste and no excessive packaging which was great to see. Generously it included a full bag of macaroni (when you only need a portion of the bag) so can use the leftover for another meal.
The only downside is lack of flexibility or if for example you dislike one of the main ingredients (my partner isn’t a fan of kumara – but I love it so I enjoyed the curry).
Overall we really loved this box and while we won’t get it every week, we will definitely use again from time to time. It’s a great way of making life easier while learning new recipes, tips and tricks. Thank you!
The Bargain Box was delivered on the chosen day and between the hours specified. The ingredients were all fresh and looked amazing. We were a bit disappointed in the amount of rubbish to discard of that surrounded the frozen/chilled goods though.
The first meal we made were the Mexi Black Bean Tacos. The recipe was easy to follow but the spices package was not labelled nor did it specify what ingredients were in it, which would not be good if you have someone with an allergy in the family. Everyone enjoyed the bean tacos and didn’t even mind that they didn’t have meat in them, they were just as flavoursome, if not better than our usual mince tacos! Even miss 5 enjoyed them which really surprised me as she is usually quite fussy.
The next meal we tried was the Cauli Mac and Cheese. I was surprised by how many vegetables you can hide in a macaroni cheese and the children not notice. It was really delicious and easy to make. It was a HUGE portion though, it would have easily feed more people, we had the leftovers for lunch the next day.
The final meal we made was the Haloumi and Kumara Bombay Curry. Again the recipe was easy to follow and the meal was delicious. However, this one I don’t feel was child friendly (which I thought as soon as I saw it) and my daughter confirmed it. The adults loved it though, more for us!
Overall the bargain box definitely delivered on flavoursome meals, it got A LOT more vegetables into us and more variety than we would usually eat. It was great to have the meals already planned out for you so you don’t have to come up with your own ideas and they were meals I would have never thought of trying had I not done this review. My only negative would be the price. I feel at $99.99 for 3 vegetarian meals for a family of four is quite expensive – so it isn’t something I would regularly subscribe too, even though it was convenient having the meals planned out and the ingredients delivered to your door. It has however opened my mind to trying new foods and I will definitely be looking up more vegetarian recipes from now on.
Thank you for your review. Just a note that the majority of the packaging is recyclable. You can read more here “What Can I Recycle?”. Also, the contents of the premixed spices, etc, are shown on the bottom of the relevant recipe card.
We were lucky enough to trial the Bargain Box Veggie, serving two people for three nights. This was our first time ever using one of these food bag subscriptions so it was very exciting receiving the box on Saturday morning and opening it to see it loaded with lots of local fresh goodies. All the contents were well packed so everything was unbroken, unbruised and all the cold items were still well chilled.
We had three really delicious meals – Cauli Mac n’ Cheese, Kumara and Halloumi Curry, and Black Bean Tacos. They also even threw in a bonus dessert – Pear Crumble.
Every meal was easy to cook and was done in under 40 minutes. It was great having delicious vege meals and trying out new recipes as it can get very easy just to always centre a meal around meat. We don’t often make meals from a recipe so we did make the rookie mistake on the first night of not reading through the recipe in full first.
The best part of the Bargain Box was not having the hassle of thinking of all the ingredients you need to buy – it is all done for you and is organised so there is minimal waste (though I did enjoy having some left over halluomi for breakfast the next day).
One down side to having the box every week would be having a meal or ingredient you don’t like eg my daughter didn’t like the leek in the mac n’ cheese, and we don’t like mushrooms. But there is flexibility to put a week on hold if the meals don’t suit.
Overall we really enjoyed this box. We will definitely buy this again and maybe try out some of the other boxes they offer too.
We were lucky enough to be selected as a reviewer for the Bargain Box Vege for 2 and wow! It was such a hit in our house. We’re usually big meat eaters, and found we didn’t miss meat at all with these recipes. They were really tasty and my 3 year old son has even requested that I make these meals again for him – in fact, they were so good that I didn’t manage to get a photo of the last dish as it was demolished by son & husband before I had a chance! Although it was a box for 2, there was more than enough food for my husband, 3 year old son & I with there some left overs. The Bargain Box definitely helped in the madness after work and daycare – we have to feed our son quick or he turns in to a hangry monster, so I really appreciated the clear & easy to follow instructions and the fact that the meals each only took about 30 mins to make. We’ll absolutely be getting one of these again.
I definitely saved the best till last. The Cauli mac & cheese was a huge hit in our house. My daughter doesn’t like normal mac and cheese and she ate her whole plate. It was also the easiest of the 3 dishes to prepare.
I’m would love if they could give you about 5 options of meals and then you can choose 3 meals out of the 5 options.
And I would also like it if they prepare more veggies for you.
Other than those 2 things, I was really happy with it. The portion sizes was huge and every meal had leftovers for at least one lunch. It is very tasty meals and I love the clear instructions.
Thank you for letting me trial this Bargain box.
I’ve decided to make the Mexi Black Bean Tacos. It was definitely less preparation time than the curry. Unfortunately the kids didn’t like it, they aren’t very keen with anything with beans in it. I found it very tasty and there were heaps left over. Once again, the recipe was very easy to follow.
Thank you so much for choosing me to review the Bargain Box. I’ve received it this morning. All the ingredients were well packed and the fridge/freezer items were in a cooler bag with ice packs.
I love it that all the packages was exactly the correct quantities that you need. The quality of the veggies are excellent.
I’ve decided to make the Haloumi & Kumara Bombay Curry. The only downside was that the chopping and grating of the veggies takes quite long. It would’ve been nice if it came all prepared. But other than that, the recipe was very easy to follow. It was a huge success with the family. It was more than enough for 2 adults and 2 x 7 year olds and 1 x big lunch.
I will place more feedback and photo’s tomorrow after I’ve made the cauli mac & cheese.