Meal Delivery: Green Chef

A couple weeks ago I posted a blog reviewing the meal delivery services of HelloFresh and Blue Apron. We have tried another service, Green Chef. This was another one my friend Katie has tried and sent some free meals my way (free meal code is below if you are interested).

If you want to review what we though to HelloFresh, read my post here: http://www.hamratime.com/2015/08/meal-delivery-hellofresh.html
http://www.hamratime.com/2015/09/meal-delivery-blue-apron.html

Green Chef

use my code for 4 free meals: http://greenchef.com/invite/rn4w5

HOW IT WORKS: Same as the other companies I have reviewed except they are USDA Certified Organic with no synthetic pesticides, modified organisms, artificial ingredients, or GMOs/antibiotics plus eco-friendly packaging.

PRICING 
$10.49 per person per meal for 3 Vegetarian Recipes
$11.99 per person per meal for 3 Omnivore recipes (veggie, meat, seafood)
$13.49 per person per meal for 3 Carnivore recipes (meat and seafood)

HOW IT ARRIVES: In a large box, all ingredients wrapped in a giant insulated bag with cold packs and instructions, color coded. They aren't individually wrapped per meal, but do color coded stickers on each ingredient that matches the instruction sheets.

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OUR MEALS:

Ginger-steamed Cobia

with chard argue & scallion rice cakes

Ingredients (all organic): cobia fillets, aromatic vegetables, herbs, dried shiitake mushrooms, vegetable stock, celery, Swiss chard, sushi rice, sushi sauce, mirin
Cook time: 30 minutes

Verdict: We loved the scallion rice cakes, crispy and very tasty. I liked the fish but wasn't a huge fan of the ragu. Overall it was very good, can't wait to make the rice cakes again.

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Molasses Chicken

with veggie fries & caramelized onion couscous

I forgot to take a picture, here is the one from their site

Ingredients (all organic): marinated chicken breasts, spiced orange-ginger sauce, rainbow carrots, green beans, honey-glaze, rosemary, parsley, pearl couscous, yellow onion, smoked salt

Cook time: 40 minutes

Verdict: Everything was very good. It was hard to get the chicken to cook thoroughly but not burn the outside because of the molasses marinade. It was still tasty but a little over crispy for my taste. The pearl couscous was delicious!

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Pesto Grilled Cheese

with marinated artichoke salad & tomato jam

Ingredients: ciabatta, organic butter, organic mozzarella & Swiss cheese, organic arugula pesto, organic olives, organic grape tomatoes, organic garlic, organic balsamic brown sugar, marinated artichokes, organic sprouted lentils
Cook time: 15 minutes

Verdict: Definitely my favorite of all of them. The arugula pesto was amazing and I actually saved some to put on my sandwiches the rest of the week. The balsamic glaze on the tomato salad was super tasty! I will be making this again.

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Finally Opinion: Very happy that they are Certified Organic on all ingredients compared to the other companies. I wasn't a huge fan of the color coding because the colors they sent were too close to tell (pink and red) when in the refrigerator. I actually got a couple ingredients mixed up. If they picked different colors I think it would work great.

Again...here are our PROs and CONs
My biggest PROS for using a delivery service:

• It has prevented us from eating out, we have been having dinner at home almost every night.
• Opened us up to trying new types of recipes I would have never thought of
• taught me cooking techniques I usually shy away from (ex. cutting corn off the cob instead of buying frozen or canned corn)
• And my favorite, I get 20-40 minutes of ME time to cook. It has been a huge de-stresser but still Sawyer likes to help with some recipes and that is still just as enjoyable.

And CONS:

I really don't have cons except maybe the choices of how many meals and for how many people. It would be nice to get one for 3 people and maybe just 2 times a week.

Meal Delivery: Blue Apron

Last week I posted a blog reviewing the meal delivery services of HelloFresh. This last week we tried another service, Blue Apron. Thanks to my friend Katie for sharing the company with us and sending us free meals to try (message me if you want some free meals and as I earn them I will send them out). They have almost identical concepts but just a few differences in the details.

If you want to review what we though to HelloFresh, read my post here: http://www.hamratime.com/2015/08/meal-delivery-hellofresh.html

Blue Apron

www.blueapron.com

HOW IT WORKS: Same as HelloFresh except for price and how you receive your meals. It still comes in a big box with cold packs but they aren't individually wrapped per meal, just one big box of ingredients (with labels when needed). You get little bags called "knick knacks" that have additional ingredients that aren't the meats veggies or fruits (like butter, sauces, garlic, etc.) You pick your plan type (2-person or Family), delivery day (Wednesday through Saturday), and dietary preferences (uncheck the foods you don't eat). The 2 person plan for 3 meals per week is $59. The Family plan for 4 meals per week is $139.84 or you can do 2 meals per week for $69.92. Just like the other service you can skip any week or cancel with no penalty.

HOW IT ARRIVES: In a large box, all ingredients wrapped in a giant insulated bag with cold packs.

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OUR MEALS:

Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken

with choy sum & jasmine rice

Ingredients: boneless chicken breast, jasmine rice, garlic, scallions, choy sum, thai basil, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, rice vinegar
Cook time: 35-45 minutes

Verdict: This was DELICIOUS, the mix of ginger, soy and sesame really give it a bold taste. This was John's favorite, he referred to it as "that yummy stuff that was as good as take out". I had never eaten choy sum as a side and it was really good and easy to prepare.

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Southern-Style Shrimp & Grits

with corn, zucchini & cherry tomatoes

Ingredients: shrimp, yellow grits, scallions, garlic, corn, lemon, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, butter, cheddar cheese, smoked paprika

Cook time: 25-35 minutes

Verdict: My favorite! Completely obsessed with this one, I would never in a million years think to make this but will most definitely make it again. Unfortunately John wasn't a fan because he doesn't like shrimp but he still ate it. The best part about it is the smoked paprika seasoned shrimp, which compliments the smooth, buttery and cheesy grits.

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Whole Grain Spaghetti

with corn, cherry tomatoes & mascarpone cheese

Ingredients: whole grain spaghetti, multicolored cherry tomatoes, garlic, corn, basil, mascarpone cheese, shallot, Parmesan cheese, crushed red pepper flakes

Cook time: 25-35 minutes

Verdict: Both of our least favorites but still really good. I never eat tomatoes because of the texture but I had no problem eating them in this dish. It is nice and light. The mascarpone cheese paired with the garlic make for a nice sauce.

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Finally Opinion: We loved Blue Apron and I already ordered our second box. I like their variety of recipes (this week we get to try Thai Chicken burgers and Catfish & Freekeh!) I prefer the way HelloFresh is individually wrapped in boxes. It helps to keep it all together in your refrigerator and for newbies prevent making mistakes....which I did. I used all the garlic in the first recipe because I hadn't read that the other recipes would need cloves from it later. HelloFresh is cheaper but not by very much. We will probably use both and just pick and choose based on the recipe offerings. I plan to try a few other services as well and will report back after we try them out.

My biggest PROS for using a delivery service:

• It has prevented us from eating out, we have been having dinner at home almost every night.
• Opened us up to trying new types of recipes I would have never thought of
• taught me cooking techniques I usually shy away from (ex. cutting corn off the cob instead of buying frozen or canned corn)
• And my favorite, I get 20-40 minutes of ME time to cook. It has been a huge de-stresser but still Sawyer likes to help with some recipes and that is still just as enjoyable.

And CONS:

I really don't have cons except maybe the choices of how many meals and for how many people. It would be nice to get one for 3 people and maybe just 2 times a week.

Meal Delivery: HelloFresh

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.