Shelley Massey, our Atlanta editor and a mom of four, tried plant-powered sweetgreen for a stress-free family dinner. Here’s how it went:
The last Thursday of the semester was predictably chaotic. With two end-of-year parties, one preschool performance, one baseball team white elephant party and two basketball practices to navigate, it seemed like finding time (or the groceries for) a healthy dinner was a pipe dream. But, Wednesday night wasn't much different in terms of commitments and chaos, so I'd already played my microwaved quesadilla hand. My fridge was empty and my conscience was heavy. It was one of those days where I wondered if scurvy was still a thing, and whether my kids could, in fact, get it. Luckily, I didn't have to find out. sweetgreen saved the day.
Tinybeans readers can get $5 off their first sweetgreen order. Valid for new customers only. Order Now—Expires 3/31/22.*
What I knew about sweetgreen was very little. I’d heard they were new to the scene in the fast-casual food category, and I also knew that they delivered. Unfortunately, our recent move to the country put us just outside of their delivery range, but they are conveniently located so I decided to route my errands (did you really think I'd shopped in advance for that white elephant party?) near their Atlanta storefront. I downloaded their app, customized my order and placed it—all in about six minutes. When I pulled into the reserved pick-up spot, I knew my order was ready because of the status tracker on the app. I was inside the store for literally three minutes, just long enough for a polite employee to verify my name and show me where my food was waiting, and I was back in my car before the song on the radio ended.
With four kids, I knew better than to ask them what they wanted. The upside of sweetgreen is that they can customize your order however you'd like. The downside of sweetgreen is that my kids, given the option to customize their order, would most likely pick every single item on the menu. Instead, I chose for us. I started with an order of buffalo cauliflower topped with crispy rice, then proceeded to select a warm bowl customized with quinoa, goat cheese, marinated portobellos, blackened chicken and arugula—and a side of green goddess dressing. I also picked up a seasonal bowl with chicken and brussels, which came on a bed of romaine, spring mix and had roasted sweet potato, toasted almonds, apples, roasted brussels, blackened chicken and a cranberry maple vinaigrette dressing. The servings are large, so instead of ordering something for each child, I picked three entrees to share.
Tinybeans readers can get $5 off their first sweetgreen order. Valid for new customers only. Order Now—Expires 3/31/22.*
While I know that we should eat every meal as a family (and limit screen time, eliminate plastics and make our own lip balm), I definitely had to dish dinner up on Thursday in shifts. My preschooler and 2nd grader got first dibs, because they had earlier engagements. I took the lids off of everything from sweetgreen and let them pick and choose from each dish. Since the entrees resembled rainbows, my kids picked whatever they wanted and I felt good about whatever they chose for themselves. The best part was watching them dig in for seconds—of sweet potatoes, boiled eggs and brussels. My older two, in 5th and 7th grade, tucked into dinner about an hour later, after I'd dropped the littles. My 13 year old son in particular loved the buffalo cauliflower, and my daughter may or may not have been caught licking the green goddess container.
What could have been another nutritional disaster on Thursday turned into a seriously supercharged meal that each of my kids loved. They picked and chose what they liked the most, and now I know exactly what to custom order the next time practice, parties and performances create a perfect storm. sweetgreen is a choose-your-own culinary adventure that made this momma feel like she was getting something right.
Tinybeans readers can get $5 off of their first sweetgreen order! Order Now — Expires 3/31/22.*
—Shelley Massey
*$5 credit offer is only valid for new customers placing their first order on the sweetgreen app (iPhone or Android) or order.sweetgreen.com with a qualifying minimum $7.95 order value calculated before tax, service fees, delivery fees and tips, and after discounts and reward credits have been applied. Promotional credit offer can only be used by original recipient of this sweetgreen offer. Offer only valid for purchases made using the sweetgreen app or order.sweetgreen.com until 3/31/22. The $5 credit offer will be added to your account and you can add the “$5 credit” offer to your bag to verify at checkout. $5 credit offer expires at 11:59 pm EST on 3/31/22. Offer can only be claimed once per eligible user and must be redeemed in the sweetgreen account associated with the email address at which you received this offer from sweetgreen. Offer cannot be used to purchase gift cards. Not valid for orders on GrubHub, DoorDash, Uber Eats, Postmates, MealPal or other marketplace sites. This offer is non-transferable, subject to change, and has no cash value (except as required by law).
