We say it all the time – eating plants just makes you feel better. Michelle, from the blog My Purse Strings,  has been fueling her body with Splendid Spoon for a little over a year now so we asked her to weigh in on what a year of Spooning looks like.

Although I had been ordering Splendid Spoon from time to time, I made the decision to make Splendid Spoon a regular part of my life about a year ago. So now, once per month, I look forward to getting my delivery of vegan soups and smoothies. Here's why.

It's a Mental & Physical Reset.

Mental Reset

When delivery day arrives, I have a sense of calm in knowing that no matter what happens that week, I will not have to worry about healthy eating. I try to eat clean: I’m a vegetarian, read labels, and try to avoid processed foods. There’s always some bad choices that sneak their way into my day (I’m looking at you, Ben and Jerry’s!).

Splendid Spoon delivers on either Wednesday or Friday. My meals  arrive cold on ice, all the way from Brooklyn, New York, to my home in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

I always choose a Friday delivery so that I can start the week with fresh Splendid Spoon on Monday morning. What’s the first thing I do after I unpack? I pop the smoothies and soups directly into the freezer. Yep, that’s right. It’s all part of my reset.

At the end of the week, besides calmness, I also feel a sense of accomplishment. Splendid Spoon takes all the thought out of making healthy food choices. It’s seriously so easy.

Physical Reset

I start my morning with coffee. And although Splendid Spoon calls their smoothies “breakfast smoothies,” I usually have them for lunch. For breakfast, I eat something like oatmeal or yogurt.

Lately, I’ve been doing 16:8 Intermittent Fasting (16 hours of fasting with an 8-hour eating window), so I have nothing other than black coffee until lunchtime. Then, I work out, shower, and have my smoothie for lunch.

If I’m hungry at any time throughout the day, I try to stay mindful with my choices: a piece of fruit, almonds, or sometimes a cup of popcorn, if I need something crunchy. Mostly, I try to drink water when I’m hungry or have a cup of herbal tea, which often curbs my cravings.

So how do I feel during the week? I’m not hungry, which is amazing, as I am often snacking throughout the day on my off-weeks.  However, with Splendid Spoon, I’m honestly less hungry. Sometimes, I can’t even finish a smoothie in one sitting. Furthermore, my energy level is way up all week.

Besides feeling more satisfied with my food choices, I’m also less bloated. Normally, I’m someone who doesn’t take many bathroom breaks, probably because I’m not drinking enough water (Is that TMI?). That all changed, as my sister-in-law, who recently joined Splendid Spoon, noticed. Even after just one week, my clothes fit better. I walk around with confidence.

For those focused on the scale, I usually lose between one and three pounds after a week of mindful eating and Splendid Spoon meals. After a successful week of spooning, you won’t want to throw it all away. I find myself continuing to make healthy choices throughout the next week. As I said, it really does reset my body.

It's so Convenient.

My smoothies accompany me everywhere: shopping, soccer practice, coffee shops where I write, field trips, and school picnics. It fits into my lifestyle so seamlessly, and involves nothing more than me throwing a smoothie into my purse.

Flexibility

If I’m meeting a friend for dinner, I just switch things around and have soup for lunch. Then, I’ll choose something light from the menu, usually a salad. You can make it work around any schedule.

I got a good friend hooked on Splendid Spoon. She works in Manhattan and on most days eats at her desk, so she keeps soup in the office fridge. Not only is she saving money, but she also doesn’t have to take time out to order and a healthy meal is already there, waiting for her.

Dinners

When it comes to dinner, I usually do my own thing. I’m a vegetarian but the rest of my family is not. So, I make their meal and then put together something for myself. I love the smoothies but the soups are what sold me on Splendid Spoon. I had been buying Splendid Spoon from their earliest days, and have always thought they were delicious.

Soup for dinner has always been one of my favorite meals. I use my Instant Pot a lot to make soups for the week, but, if I’m being honest, they’re never as good as those made by Splendid Spoon. I rotate the same recipes over and over, whereas Splendid Spoon is always adding different flavors to their menus and there’s always something new to try. Seriously – the Kabocha Congee is my all-time favorite. If it were on the menu at my favorite restaurant, I’d order it every time. It’s that good.

At dinnertime, it’s not uncommon for someone in my family to ask for some of my soup, especially my 8-year old daughter. I can’t lie…  I hate to share it! I always put notes on my soups to remind my husband to “please don’t eat it”, because that’s my dinner.

If they sold Splendid Spoon at my grocery store, I would stock up on it, just as I do for yogurt and hummus. It would definitely become a household staple. But even better than having to remember to pick it up, my favorite meals are dropped off at my door weekly.

Variety

One of my concerns with eating a vegetarian diet is that I’m not getting all the nutrients I need. I tend to eat the same foods over and over, and I get bored. I’m always questioning myself: Am I getting enough iron? Am I getting enough protein?

When you take a look at a Splendid Spoon label, you’ll notice tons of antioxidants, proteins, and a variety of other ingredients, many of them that you never would have included in your own homemade meals.

I recently started following Splendid Spoon and a lot of their devotees on Instagram. I get so much inspiration from there. While I’m perfectly happy eating my soup in a bowl, I had never thought to slice avocados on top, or turn my smoothie into a bowl complete with nuts and berries. It’s genius!

Final Thoughts

In the year that I started regularly ordering Splendid Spoon, I’ve been inspired to work out almost every day, and kept my weight down.

I’ve also begun buying new ingredients at the supermarket, inspired by the yummy additions to Splendid's meals. I’m obsessed with cacao nibs, inspired by the Chocolate Cherry smoothie, and I now always have acai in my freezer.

When I’m eating Splendid Spoon, I don’t have to worry about whether or not I’m eating the right things - I know I am. It gives me a needed structure, and a plan I can stick to. What’s next for me? Another month of Splendid Spoon!

Want to see the result, both physical and mental, from starting Splendid Spoon?  Get started now with a weekly delivery and see the results right away (and long term)!

Michelle Platt is the creator of the blog, My Purse Strings. It features articles for moms who want to focus again on themselves and not just their children. You’ll find health and wellness articles, self-care and saving money tips, and even a virtual book club. A native New Yorker, she recently moved to the suburbs of Minneapolis with her husband, two children, and two pups. You can read her review of Splendid Spoon on her site here.