Meal Delivery services are all the rage and for good reason. They help people, like me, who are short on time still have an opportunity to cook tasty/healthy meals without having to even step foot in a store or search for recipes. Being a new mom to two kiddos, my normal dinner routine is usually organic chicken nuggets and Annie's macaroni and cheese (trying to be somewhat healthy) so when I heard about these services, I quickly decided we would try it. We are trying both HelloFresh and Blue Apron. Here I will share our experiences in case you have been thinking about it but had questions.
This blog will cover our first HelloFresh Delivery and I will review my Blue Apron delivery next week.
HelloFresh
www.hellofresh.com (use code: F5GXE4)
HOW IT WORKS: You select meal choices the Wednesday before your delivery for the next week. You have an option of 5 meals depending on your taste and they must be entered before the deadline (midnight) or they send you the default meals for that week. You pick your delivery day of Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday and it arrives at your door step in a big box with cold packs, farm fresh ingredients and recipes. They have classic box which includes meats or a veggie box too. We choose the Classic box 3 meals per week for 2 people, cost $54 but they have a 4 person option for $114. Your first box though is only $34. You have to sign up for continued delivery but you can skip any week for no penalty or can cancel at any time.
HOW IT ARRIVES: In a large box with cold packs individually wrapped per meal.
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OUR MEALS:
Tex Mex Risotto
Ingreditents: arborio rice, cumin, cilantro, garlic, shallot, jalapeno, corn on the cob, red bell pepper, stock concentrate, Monterrey jack cheese
Cook time: 50 min.
Vedict: Delicious. John and I both loved the flavor especially that it had a little spice but not too bad. I had never made risotto and the instructions made it easy. This was John's favorite of the three.
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Chicken and Nectarine Panzanella
Ingredients: chicken breast, nectarine, demi baguette, fresh mozzarella, mint, arugula, shallot, white wine vinegar, and zucchini
Cook time: 35 min.
Verdict: I ha never heard of Panzanella but this was my favorite of the three! The mix of mint and vinegar in dressing was perfect, the warm tender chicken and cruncy home-made croutons on top were the icing on the cake. Deceivingly filling!
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Crispy Skillet Chicken
Ingredients: chicken, cracked Bulgar, carrot, zucchini, parsley, lemon, stock concentrate, dried apricots and shallot
Cook time: 40 min.
Verdict: Good but our least favorite. The Bulgar and veggies were yummy but we had trouble getting the chicken cooked completely with the suggested cook time. I ended up cooking it for an extra 20 minutes but that made it less juicy. I wouldn't make this again.
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Finally Opinion: We will definitely be ordering HelloFresh again. Was very pleased with the
way it was delivered and how helpful the instructions were. We had one item arrive different that was indicated (fresh mozzarella actually came as packaged) and I emailed their Help Desk and they credited my account for the mistake.
