Last week, we had our first HelloFresh dinner kit meal delivery. My husband and I cook dinner every night for our family, but sometimes the hassle of heading to the grocery store with my three-year-old or my husband going after work is just that…a hassle. I was interested in giving HelloFresh a try, for two reasons; one I wanted to see if incorporating a meal service three nights a week (on our busy evenings) was helpful and would enhance our lives and two I wanted to know if budget wise it would be “doable” as we try and remain on a strict budget.
When the kit arrived everything was packaged with cold packs and insulated so that it would stay fresh, and that was a major plus for me. There were three separate meals that arrived, each in its own individually labeled box with the ingredients inside. So I am going to put this out there so that no one makes the same mistake I did, look under the boxes for meat! I was in a rush out the door to unpack the boxes and did not check. So when I went to make the meal the next night I couldn’t figure out why there was no meat in the recipe. Well, my husband ended up finding it under the cold packs. There was a separate section that was a reminder to look under to grab the meat. Luckily because it was still insulated, the packs were still frozen and the meat was fine. Don’t be me!
Because each meal was individually boxed with its own ingredients, it was easy to just reach in the fridge and decide which meal I was going to cook that night. This particular night (because of our impending visit from Irma), I decided to make Presto Pest Panko Chicken.
Here are a few details about HelloFresh:
How does HelloFresh work?
When you sign up for your account you can choose from the Veggie, Classic, and Family Plan; as well as a number of servings (2 or 4), and the number of meals (3 or 4). You can also choose the date that your box arrives (Monday-Friday). The best part about HelloFresh is that there is absolutely no commitment. This is not a subscription service that you are trapped in once you sign up. You can choose to cancel anytime.
When your meal kit arrives as I stated, each individual meal is boxed up with the ingredients, as well as the color photo recipe card, and a HelloFresh apron.
Are the ingredients really fresh?
Yes. Everything was fresh and crisp when it arrived. Even the potatoes looked absolutely amazing. I haven’t potatoes this golden ever in in my grocery store! The quality of the foods we received is definitely unmatched and there weren’t any signs of the food going bad. The box arrived while I was not home so it sat on my porch for about five hours; living in the south I was concerned about the heat, but everything was perfect when we finally got the box open (and having to subsequently rush back out again).
Is it enough for large families?
There are six of us, and we have the four serving meal. With four kids 13, 9, 2, 4, and a husband who all have humungous appetites, the four serving meals were more than enough for us. It seemed as if there were actually too many ingredients in the box, we had a lot left over, which was great for my husband to take to work the next day, and I was able to give Sarah for lunch. What I loved most is that my kids were actually filled up on the meals. We try and cook healthy foods as much as possible, but they are still never full after one plate. With HelloFresh we all had more than enough, and it was perfect for our family size.
Are the recipes family friendly?
I’ve been fortunate to not have picky eaters, but I am a very picky eater! I honestly did not think that I would enjoy every meal. The kids absolutely loved the spaghetti and the burritos, as they are meals that we would normally cook anyway. If you have young children or picky eaters, I do feel that HelloFresh would still be a great option.
I already cook every evening, is it still a great service to use?
Definitely! I cook every evening, but now that school has started back and it’s time for fall sports, these kits were a lifesaver for me. I was able to get all of the meals cooked in under 30 minutes which was an amazing feat in itself. Even if you are used to cooking full meals every evening, this is still a great service since it offers variety and there is no extra work involved on your part.
Do I have to know how to cook?
Absolutely not. To be perfectly honest, I am not a great cook, my husband is. HelloFresh makes me feel like I am the best cook in my family! The recipe card has photos for each step which helps. But trust me, knowing how to cook should not stop you from trying this out.
I definitely recommend giving HelloFresh a try. Last week was absolutely amazing, and I didn’t feel stressed after going to my kid’s activities about what I was going to cook, and would it be ready in time for them to get to bed. Be sure to check out this short video I made documenting the cooking process. From start to finish it was about 25-30 minutes total for dinner to be ready.
Thank you to HelloFresh for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.
Love of impromptu dance parties, 80’s cartoons, and horizontal life pauses (aka naps); Natasha Brown is a stay at home mom of 4 kids, and wife to one lucky guy! In her spare time, she is co-editor of Grits & Grace, as well as editor for The Mother Hustler Blog and Creative Director for the Mother Hustler podcast.
