The review that is far overdue, the vegan collab that everyone wants to know more about… My Muscle Chef Vegan Meal Plan! My Muscle Chef has gained a lot of attention within the fitness communities for their convenient and delicious meal delivery services focusing on fitness plans and calorie-controlled meals. They have an impressive menu catering to meals, snacks, sides and drinks for which they deliver to over 4,500 plus suburbs Australia wide. So whether it’s a goal-based meal delivery that you’re leaning towards or just a few meals to throw in the fridge during the week to take the pressure off, My Muscle Chef has answered your calls.
Meet the new kid on the block – the Vegan Booster Pack. This beauty helps make vegan meal prep easy with 14 vegan prepared meals full of protein packs meals utilising consumer favourites; falafel, tofu and seitan, plus lentils, beans and a heap of veggies. This pack starts from $129.95 and ships to most areas in Australia. If you’re wanting to try a wide variety of the offered vegan range this is your starter pack!
Otherwise, if you’re wanting to pick and choose and not stay confined to The Vegan Booster Pack, head to the ‘Our Range’ category on their website and select the ‘Menu Builder’ option to customise your meal plan. From here filter the protein option to show the vegan options and you can select the meals that tickle your fancy. These vegan meal options start from $9.95, and snacks start from as little as $2.95.
Our Picks
Mexican Superfood Bowl – $9.95
- 492 CAL
- 20 Protein
- 69 Carbs
- 12 Fats
A Mexican food bowl sitting on a bed of brown rice, paired with black and kidney beans, sweet potato, grilled corn, roasted kale, smashed avocado and polished off with a tomato-based sauce.
Vegetable Lasagne With Vegan Bolognese & Cashew Sauce – $9.95
- 471 CAL
- 20 Protein
- 40 Carbs
- 24 Fats
A roast vegetable layer stacked lasagne with tomato, zucchini, eggplant, mushroom, capsicum and spinach topped with a cashew nut sauce adding that white sauce substitute often salivated upon in traditional lasagne.
Shopping for My Muscle Chef
Upon trying to find the vegan meal options in stores this proved to be a little bit of a hunter-gatherer mission often finding the My Muscle Chef meals in Coles and IGA stores, however, lacking the vegan range. I was wanting to choose options that would suit some lunchtime cravings and dinner convenience after a busy day of work and between training.
After reviewing the portion sizes on first impression I was really happy to see volume! Often a stigma vegan meals have attached to them is that you have to eat a LOT to feel satisfied and full when eating vegan, this isn’t the case. It’s all about getting the ingredients right focusing attention on macronutrients are a great way to set up a plate of food to determine its protein, fat and carbohydrate contributions and My Muscle Chef has conveniently mapped this out for consumers not only for those wanting to track portion controls but for those that are consciously trying to ensure they eat enough of a certain macronutrient throughout the day i.e. protein or carbohydrates for satiety or optimising training performance/ recovery.
Preparation and Cooking
Although the convenience is in the packaged meal, it doesn’t mean you have to eat from the container too – no judgments if that’s a part of the time hacking appeal. I wanted to put the meals to the real test, putting it in a bowl and serving it with the portrayed ignorance is bliss, as if it was a home-cooked meal that was slaved over.
Following the heating guide, I heated the meals within the microwave for 1 minute 30 seconds (fresh meal, not frozen) with the plastic film left on to encapsulate the heat. Then leaving the meal to stand for 1 minute, remove the film and stir well to distribute the heat. If it needs a bit longer return to the microwave until you reach the desired temperature sweet spot.
So, I did what I was told, I heated the meal until just right and transferred it to a bowl for the real test. The one thing I will admit to is from the start I felt apprehensive about the smashed avocado not being freshly smashed and served – and how it would withstand the heating process. The avocado did admittedly hold up quite well despite my burning doubts!
The vegetable lasagne I wanted to eat from the container – the real meal delivery service experience. I imagine most people would be eating their meals like this because
a. No washing up
b. It’s quicker
c. A more convenient way of eating when in the office or on the run.
This meal was by far my favourite, it felt like more of a home-cooked meal. It was tasty, satiating and visually you could see a handful of different veges distributed throughout the meal.
Value for money and size
For $10 each these meals are a great option to have in the fridge for those busy days. The portions feel giving and they are filling. The cuisine tastes match their recipe intentions and there is a variety of veg and protein throughout the meals. I would recommend if you’re wanting to create more texture throughout meals or an element of freshness adding a handful of fresh salad leaves and diced veg for some crunch.
Nutritional Takeaways
As mentioned, My Muscle Chef takes the macro counting or calorie counting out of their meals for you. This is not only helpful for those wanting to track nutritional or training-based goals but also can just be insightful for those needing to pay attention to elements of their meals such as the protein quantities if they’re struggling to consume enough protein in meals during the day. This may be especially useful to those who are new to a plant-based diet or vegan diet.
Meals are delivered fresh, not frozen which helps contain maximum flavour and nutrients. The ranges are dedicated to supplying high protein meals which not only is great for those looking to support their training and recovery but also great for supporting hunger levels. Their ranges offer a variety of flavours, cuisines and protein types – so if you’re not a fan of mock meat, there are a variety of other protein sources such as tofu, tempeh or bean mixes available.
Their meals last fresh for up to 7-10 days in the fridge from their delivery dates, or up to 12 weeks frozen from their delivery dates. These time frames create lots of wiggle room for consumers to eat when convenient without compromising taste or freshness.
If you’re trying to increase vegetable intake or meet daily requirements, you may find yourself wanting to add more vegetables to the meals which is totally fine! Try adding a side salad or some steamed vegetables to complement the meals and boost your vegetable intake.
My Muscle Chef Vegan Meal Review
Summary
My Muscle Chef offers a highly accessible product both online and in stores whilst remaining a high quality and affordable offering to those interested in adding a prepared meal service into their weekly routine.
FAQs
When creating a custom meal plan with My Muscle Chef there is a minimum requirement to spend $99.
There are plenty of stockists that supply My Muscle Chef Meals from Woolworths, IGA, petrol stations, some gyms such as Fitness First. Jump on their website and click on their stockist option, you can enter your postcode and they will locate your nearest options.
Some meals cater to certain dietary restrictions such as dairy, gluten, nut or crustacean free, however, it is important to note that meals are prepared in commercial kitchens which means they can’t guarantee meals are completely allergen-free. If you have a life-threatening or serious allergy it’s important to consider that these meals may not be right for you.
