This past year we have been making an effort to cook more and in general be healthier. We planted a salad and herb garden, but didn’t really know what to do with all the herbs. We are not the most creative or skilled in the kitchen so we end up in a rut and soon tire of trying.
Enter HelloFresh! (Use code N4UXCY for $20 off)
A few weeks ago I received a Living Social email about a service providing everything included meal kits containing all fresh ingredients and step-by-step instructions on how to prepare. They claimed that the recipes were easy to prepare and each meal took less than 30 minutes. Hmmm, I had my doubts, but it was a good deal and what could be the harm in giving it a try. Worst case scenario, we feed it to the dogs and cancel (which you can do by email instead of getting the “hard sell” on the phone).
The Website – The site is well designed. It is clean, simple, without all the flash and irrelevant extras that can be overwhelming. I found it to be very intuitive and easy to navigate. I would like to see more nutritional information listed with the meals as I am reviewing next week’s selections. However that information is provided on the recipe cards that come in your kit, so it’s a small quibble.
Meal Selection – Whenever I think of receiving goods using a subscription system, I cringe. My mind flashes back to Columbia House and trying to beat the clock mailing the postcard holding delivery of the selection of the month. How many of you ended up with tapes/CD’s you didn’t want and never listened to? (If you’re under 30, you may not get this reference, ask your parents)
HelloFresh makes it simple. You receive 3 meals automatically every Thursday by doing nothing, but there are 2 alternates to swap out. Personally I love this, because I hate seafood. Changing your meals is as simple as unchecking one box and checking another. It took all of 30 seconds to log in, change my selection and resume my life.
You can also skip a week, pause your subscription, or select vegetarian meals.
Delivery – As promised, when we arrived home on Thursday, our box was waiting for us. On the outside it looks like a plain brown box. Once you open it, you will find insulated padding about an inch thick lining the entire box. Dispersed throughout the box we found 4 re-usable gel packs keeping everything cool.
I would like to see deliveries made earlier in the week. The convenience of having these “kits’ delivered is reduced by feeling the need to cook them before they go bad. This means that at least one or two have to be cooked over the weekend when many people like to eat out. I think is especially true of couples like me and my husband. Monday or Tuesday deliveries would better suit the needs of a working household looking for easy to prepare healthier meals after a long day at work.
Finally, the pièce de résistance, the meals! If you are like me, you wouldn’t be able to tell a bag of fresh Rosemary from Thyme. Thankfully, you don’t have to! Everything was pre-measured, clearly labeled telling you not only what it was, but what meal it went with, and sealed.
The “recipe” cards that come with each meal are so much more than just your Grandma's recipe cards. They start with a clear picture of everything you should have in front of you then tell you how to proceed step by step in both words and pictures. The cards are over sized (think half a letter size paper), sturdy and laminated. The lamination comes in handy when you get them wet or dirty, they wipe clean.
Our first box contained Pasta with Basil, Spinach and Garlic; Chicken with Mushrooms; and, Balsamic Steak with Garlic Zucchini. They were all delicious and surprisingly easy to make. Each recipe took 30 – 45 minutes from start to finish, but I think that will become shorter as we learn how to chop, dice and slice more efficiently (I think I've run on long enough without reviewing each meal individually, though I most certainly could).
My husband had so much fun making them; he pulled chicken breasts from the freezer to recreate the Chicken w/Mushrooms the next day.
We receive the 2 person meal plan which is $69.99 per week or $11.66 per meal. That may seem a little high for some, but what you are receiving is more than just “food”.
For $11.66 a meal per person, you are receiving fresh ingredients, a complete meal kit, a delicious variety of dishes delivered to your door and the ability to prepare them yourself and taste like they were from a restaurant. No shopping, no measuring, no guessing. Not to mention it's like having a cooking class in your kitchen three times a week.
We are trying things we never would have thought of or even thought we would like. Balsamic Vinegar Steak? Say what?!?! Much less thought we could cook these dishes in our own kitchen in the time it took to watch the news.
Best of all, we are enjoying learning new things and having fun doing it together!
Feel free to comment below with your own experience or questions about ours.
