Written: by Ellen Masters Postel
Photography: Marie Josée Bédard
If I were to tell my husband’s family and friends he ate vegan for a week, they’d never believe me! It’s true!!! In fact, we were sad to see our week of Evergreen Organics Clean and Lean meal service come to an end!! The recommendation from friends plus the BOGO offer in the Entertainer are really what convinced us to give it a go!
With a shared vision and passion for healthier lifestyles and impact on society, Ghanim Al-Sulaiti and Joujou Al Fardan Co-Founded Evergreen Organics. As a serial entrepreneur, Ghanim has since developed or is developing other projects and concepts including Green & Go, Botany, Botany Lab, Thalatheen, Mylk, and Papercup Factory. Meanwhile, Joujou has extensive and international experience with yoga and other fitness practices as well as raw foods, vegetarianism, and veganism. The duo is open to teaming up with local artisans who have shared interests and values. Regardless of the initiative, “organic” remains at the heart and soul.
From that shared passion, three Evergreen Organic Cafe locations throughout Qatar evolved, each offering slightly different menus given the nature of the Cafe and its traditional audience. While the Cafes were familiar to me (with so many delicious options!!), the meal plan service was an entirely new and pleasant experience, and one worth sharing.
Like the Cafes, the farm to table Meal Delivery Service “focuses on nourishing and delicious filling meals. It has a unique variety of savory bowls full of healthy fats and protein, plant based burgers made like no other, and guilt-free desserts curated by our highly-trained chefs from international backgrounds. A menu designed to satisfy any lifestyle, diet choices, and with attention to nutritional information and allergens computed and labeled by the in-house nutritionist.” as stated on the website.
There are currently 3 different plans to choose from all of which are 100% vegan and plant based; however, based on customer feedback, keep your eye out for new plans launching soon!
Balanced - designed for those wishing to adopt healthier eating habits by following a vegan lifestyle that incorporates protein and other nutrients. This classic plan contains 2000 calories.
Clean and Lean - geared towards those wishing to shed a few pounds with high fiber, low fat, and low calorie portioned elixir, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack and fresh fruit. While keeping your calories in a deficit, the intention is to keep hunger at bay with all the nutrients your body needs. There are 1200 and 1600 calorie plans to choose from.
Athletic - for those aiming to gain muscle or regularly resistance training, this protein packed meal plan is designed with 2800 calories of which 125 g is protein.
In addition to the meal plans, Evergreen Organics offers Juice Cleanses consisting of Beginner and Advanced plans over the course of 1, 3, 5 or 7 days. Ingredients go through a natural extraction process to maximize benefits including healing, cellular repair and detoxification. Perhaps this will be an experience the Origine Mag Qatar team will experience and cover in the future?
Health Benefits:
There are several benefits of following a vegan diet (one based on plants, vegetables, grains, nuts, and fruits and that are free from animals including dairy and eggs). Evergreen Organics boasts increased energy, clearer skin and eyes, more restful sleep, weight loss (my husband lost 5 pounds!!), improved digestion, a boosted immune system, mental clarity, and overall improvement to your well-being.
Free consultations with the Dietitian are encouraged, especially for those with dietary concerns and/or restrictions. The menu is carefully curated by the Dietitian in collaboration with the Chef to ensure you are getting the tastiest and healthiest benefits. Having received nutritional information (upon request) was incredibly helpful as a type 1 diabetic for insulin delivery purposes. As a result, my blood sugars were AMAZING all week! Furthermore, the menu can be customized to be gluten free. The best part, there were exceptional gluten free options AND for no additional cost!!
Delivery & Favorites:
Deliveries are made each evening (starting on Saturdays) to be enjoyed the following day, over the course of six days, and with the idea of you feeling inspired to prepare your own (vegan or healthy) meals on the seventh day. The menu varies from week to week, and there’s an option to subscribe for the entire month.
We greeted the deliveries with great anticipation each evening, and were pleasantly surprised with the entire week’s worth of goodies. It was such a treat to try different foods and to guess what we’re eating. For example, the first breakfast was “eggs and bacon” (or chickpeas and carrots).
Worthy of our high praise was the efficient ordering, smooth delivery, plentiful portions, the variety, nutritional information provided upon request, clear labeling of gluten free foods, use of recycled materials, and quick and clear responses to all inquiries.
While it would be nice to pick and choose menu items, we both agreed the set menu was beneficial as we may not have otherwise tried those selections. Here’s a look at some of our favorites:
Juices & Fruits - What’s not to love and appreciate about someone else cutting up all the fresh fruit for you? The lemon mint juice by far was my favorite! While at the restaurant recently, I was introduced to and became a huge fan of the Be Inspired juice – the Beauty Tonic, and not just because of its beautiful color and taste. Made with carrot, pineapple, turmeric, black pepper and cayenne it is anti-inflammatory, improves digestion, and can help protect your immune system.
Breakfast - My husband loved the croissant, and the gluten free pancakes were a nice substitute for the spinach fatayer.
Lunch - From the alfredo spaghetti, quinoa poke bowl, Singaporean noodles, cheese burger, dawood basha and curry tofu, we were equally full and happy every day.
Dinner - We appreciated the bigger lunches & smaller dinners. Some palate pleasers were the vitamin C salad, spring rolls, shiitake delight salad, and even the beet salad.
Sweet & Savory Snacks - Favorites included the sunshine (sweet potato) pudding, hazelnut brownie, chocolate muffin, veggie/ranch dip (seriously, my husband would buy this dressing by the gallon!), and the spicy nuts.
Cost:
We found the meal delivery to be comparable to our average weekly grocery + eating out costs. Plus, we had leftovers to sip and nibble on once the deliveries had ended. One of the biggest savers was TIME…menu planning, grocery shopping, preparing meals, and best of all - cleaning up!!
Sustainability:
In keeping with the vision and values of the pioneer vegan establishment, everything is organically sourced including their marketing efforts. Even the delivery boxes are plant based. In fact, it was fun to learn that the delivery boxes are made from sugar cane! Additionally, the eco-friendly cups are manufactured at Papercut Factory in Qatar. The packing materials are recyclable, boxes reused, and juice bottles can be returned, sterilized and reused; however, if you choose to keep the bottles, Evergreen provides fun and practical ways to put them to good use. There’s also an option to opt out of cutlery when ordering.
Despite all of the assumptions going into this vegan endeavor, we couldn’t be more pleased with our decision to try the meal service, our overall experience including how we felt as a result, and the inspiration it instilled - to be part of the growing community and to experiment with creating our own vegan meals. Needless to say, we highly recommend Evergreen Organics and will be ordering again - only this time, we are eager to try out a different week’s menu.
Visit the three Cafe locations in Qatar or visit them online:
The Pearl, Qanat Quartier (open 7 am -11 pm)
Gate Mall (open 7 am -11 pm)
Hamad International Airport (open 24 hours)
Ellen Masters Postel
Ellen is a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach supporting individuals reach and even exceed their personal goals.
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