A week ago I was handed a coupon for $40 off my first order online with Hello Fresh. For those who do not know what Hello Fresh is, it is a pre-packaged meal delivery service. The company picks a number of recipes each week, you decide which 3 (or 4) you would like to cook and they deliver them (free) to your door step.
If you like to cook, like myself, this is a fun option to try. They have family plans, couples plans and vegetarian plans to choose from. You can choose dinner for 2 or 4 and whether you want 3 meals that week or 4. The prices do vary on what you select. I chose a 3 day a week meal plan for two people. The regular cost is $79.99 but with my coupon it was only $39.99. This makes 6 meals at a cost of roughly $6.66. You can decide if you want to order that week or if you want to skip that week.. or two weeks…. or 3 weeks… You decide.
The box arrived at 8:12am Sunday morning. It took everything in me not to open the box and start cooking (just a little excited to really see if Hello Fresh is worthwhile). It came really nicely packaged. I was impressed actually. The delivery box is 100% recyclable and 99% of the packaging on the inside is as well. You can schedule a pick up of ice packs to be returned as well after about 3 – 4 weeks (that way there is 9 – 12 ice packs not just 3). The box is also insulated to keep the ingredients cold. Once I got in to the box there were menu cards for the meals, a soda stream menu card (if you happen to have one), a card that tells you where the food comes from and how the packaging is sustainable.
Under those cards were 3 brightly coloured paper bags. Each with the meals labeled on it and all of the ingredients inside that you need to make it. Each meal is colour coordinated to the menu – so easy! Under those 3 bags was a “freezer” section of the box with the meat sitting on ice packs. Everything that came was SO FRESH!!! No brown spots or rotten leaves of lettuce and arugula.
For $40 I cannot even buy this amount of groceries to prepare these meals. Ingredients like Goat Cheese and Shrimp – And I mean a $10 bag of shrimp. Or the two Chicken breasts that are raised without the use of antibiotic, added hormones and animal by-products. I also got a large bag of arugula which I still have leftovers from.
My hardest decision of the day was “what meal do I make first???” I decided to go with the Lemon Chicken and Goat Cheese with Crisp Pear, Arugula and Lemon Vinaigrette – So fancy right!. It would take approximately 40 minutes from start of prep to finishing cooking. And it wasn’t that far off. Each menu has pictures of everything you get in the bag, step by step instructions, calorie count and allergy warnings for each item that requires one. Certain items in the bag do come in plastic packaging for freshness. It tells you that the items that Hello Fresh would expect every household to have is salt & pepper, sugar, oil and butter. And they do not expect you to have the fanciest cooking tools. Basic pots, pans, baking sheets, graters, tongs, spoons and knives.
I’ve only made one meal thus far and I have to say I love this concept. It was made better with the $40 off coupon saving 50%. I would absolutely order from here again. It was fun making a fancier meal than usual for myself. I would not order it every week however. I do not have a significant other so spending $80 a week on groceries (meals) is more than I’d like to pay. I can usually get away with $40 or less a week being solo in a grocery store. I would consider going through the menus for the weeks it allows you to see (about 5 in a advance) and choose which week has the best meals that I will like and do it then.
If you like to cook your own meals with super fresh ingredients and are a couple this might be great for you on a weekly basis. This is a great service and I would suggest if you get your hands on a coupon you give it a try. You also end up with some recipes to do on your own later or to hand to friends and family to try if they prefer to do their own groceries and not have them personally delivered to they door 😉
So go on and give it a try!
My Country Farmhouse 