Hello, lovelies! I’m so excited about today’s post because one – it involves food and two – it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. If you’ve been following me via Instagram, you may have seen my Insta-story a couple weeks ago about all the Hello Fresh meals I made for dinner. With 2017 just around the corner, I’ve been working hard at getting my ducks in a row to kick start the new year off to a great and healthier start. While I LOVE cooking, sometimes it’s such a hassle because I just don’t have the time like I used to to plan out yummy dinners. Luckily, that’s where Hello Fresh comes in! I get weekly meals delivered to me with ALL the ingredients to cook my meals in less than 30 minutes flat. This is pure music to this momma’s ears!
If you’re a newbie to meal subscription services, here’s a quick lowdown of how Hello Fresh works. You visit their site and select which plan works best for you (and your family) according to the number of people and number of meals you’d like. They have 3 options to choose from – Classic, Family, and Veggie.
Once you create an account, you can also select what day you’d like for delivery and opt out of weeks you don’t want/need the service. I love that you can view 3 weeks worth of meal options (past, present, and the upcoming week) to give you a better idea of their variety.
The package comes individually labeled according to the meals you selected with all the meats in their own separate containers as well (if applicable). I selected the Classic Option with 3 meals to cook and I kid you not – it was the easiest and most organized packaging ever. All I had to do for each meal was grab the box with the corresponding meat and start cooking.
The box also included a cute little apron, an informative pamphlet about their company and its goal for using sustainable products, and a booklet of that week’s recipes. While I only chose the 3-meal option, I still got the entire week’s worth of recipes to keep. So, I could purchase those items at the grocery store and make the other 3 recipes when I have more time. Yay!
For meal #1, we had Upgraded Steak and Potatoes with Green Bean Amandine. Guys, you know I am a HUGE meat lover and this meal did not disappoint! I am not going to lie – I was afraid the steak was going to be bland and rubbery, but it was delicious especially with the sauce I made. I’m a huge veggie roast lover because it’s healthy and so easy, but I never thought to add almonds to the mix so this meal gave me a great idea. Cool fact – amandine is a french garnish of toasty almonds!
For meal #2, I made Winner Winner Chicken Orzo Dinner with Cheesy Roasted Veggies and it was also delish! The recipe called for some cheesy toppings and it took everything in my power not to eat all the fresh mozzarella as I was chopping it up. My hubby isn’t a big cheese fan so I didn’t add any onto his veggies, but that just meant more for Marli and I. The chicken seasoning and hint of lemon was the perfect combination to our roasted veggies and orzo.
For our last meal, we had Creamy Mushroom Pork Chops with Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Crispy Potatoes and Marli was the biggest help! I absolutely LOVE teaching her to cook and it makes my heart smile that she thoroughly enjoys helping out around the kitchen. We roasted the vegetables like the other meals and the cream of mushroom soup definitely took this dish up a notch. So simple, but so so good!
What I’ve loved about cooking these meals is how convenient and simple Hello Fresh makes the whole process of preparing dinner. I can actually enjoy cooking and have my girls take part in it as well. Not only that, but I’m reteaching myself about portion control, which has been nonexistent with all the holiday indulging.
In comparison to Blue Apron which I tried a few months ago, I definitely enjoy this service more. The packaging is more organized with the different labeled boxes for each meal. Blue Apron packages their seasonings/condiments according to the meals, but other than that, all of the produce is simply placed in the box so you have to go through each item to see what you need for that particular meal.
Also, the pricing is almost the same, but it looks as though Blue Apron only has 2 meal options to choose from and no “veggie” option for those who don’t eat meat. With Blue Apron being so popular, I for sure thought I would love the meals I got. However, my hubby and I only loved 1 of their meals and the other 2 were just ok. For Hello Fresh , I absolutely LOVED all of these dishes and so did my husband.
I am so glad I was able to try out Hello Fresh. We will definitely be using their service more often. If you haven’t tried them yet, it’s a must try! I promise you won’t regret it. Their meals are so easy to cook and they are amazingly good. Get $30 off your first box now!
*This post was sponsored by Hello Fresh. As always, all opinions are my own.
I haven’t tried any others but agree that the organization is amazing in these boxes!
I’ve always wondered if these were pretty much the same or not. I love that everything comes all together in the of with Hello Fresh, that is so convenient for those of us who are so busy all the time.
I’m trying Hello Fresh in January and cannot wait! I’ve heard so many great things about it! 🙂
The meals turned out lovely. I love to cook but sometimes life happens and there just isn’t the time. It is one of my goals for this new year to become a little more organized with meal planning and shopping so I can get that time back.
I tried Hello Fresh awhile ago but it was before they have the family option and that is really the main reason that I didn’t continue the service, for our family it just didn’t make sense to use a service that only gave you food for two. I love that they’ve expanded their options now and would love to try them again!