I am a good cook, I enjoy cooking and I love filling up the stomachs of my family. However, I absolutely loathe meal planning and going to the grocery store. With this nifty new service I kill two birds (more like 3-4) with one stone.
I first heard about this service on the streets in Atlanta while Mike and I were on vacation. And as always, Mike is notorious for stopping for anyone and everyone trying to sell a good deal . This drives me bananas so obviously when they were doing their little speech about how great their product was and how we could save money it fell on my deaf ears. I kept trying to drag my husband away as he was intensely listening on how we could help keep dollars in our banking account. Finally, he nicely declined as he always does and I was aggravated we stood there five minutes listening to their crap.
Hold up, I just called it crap....far from the truth. As we drove home from vacation I started thinking about this whole meal delivery concept and it hit me like a ton of brick.....this is the answer to me spending less time in Satan's Playground (Wal-Mart) and keeps me from stressing out on how to make our meals from becoming the same every single week. I am a creative person, I thrive on coming up with neat and fun things but meal planning ain't one of them. Crickets just go off in my head as I sit there, pen in hand trying to figure out dinner ideas.
I googled Hello Fresh when we got home and downloaded the really cool app on my phone. I was amazed at how simple it was to use and how many choices you really had when it came down to it. There is something for everyone; even if you don't eat meat. They even have a couple of breakfast items to choose from if you really want to switch it up at meal time. I signed up as fast as I could when they mentioned $40 off my first box.
Your box will contain a paper bag labeled for each entree with the ALL of the ingredients you will need besides oil, salt and pepper. When you open the box for the first time you think they have failed to send you the main ingredient; the meat! Don't fret, it's in there, its in the bottom of the box covered with two heavy duty frozen ice packs covered with cardboard. I know several people who panicked thinking they were meatless so this is your tip for today! You will also receive large, easy to read recipe cards that tells you STEP BY STEP on how to prepare your meal. It also gives you the list of ingredients and the nutritional values in case you are into counting that stuff.
I will forewarn you this meal won't cook itself or prepare itself. You have to do the work. You have to cut up the meat if needed, cook it because it is organic and fresh. All of the vegetables will need to be washed and cut up as well. However, I do not mind that part at all, I actually enjoy and prefer it that way. Most meals only take 30 - 40 minutes max to prepare and cook. Totally winning at this point. I also like the fact that all of the ingredients are fresh, organic and most are gluten free.
All in all, this has been a lifesaver for me and my nerves. I pay $59 a week for three meals that is only supposed to feed two but the portions are large enough that Brody could have a plate if he so desired. I spend way more than that at the grocery store and local meat market if I have to do the planning myself. I don't spend an hour aimlessly walking around the playground looking for ingredients to use to perk my typical boring meals up. I highly suggest this if you are in a rut or just in a rush sailing through the week. The meals are delish and we have had 7 now from the service....and we cleaned our plates each time. That says something in itself. I also like the fact that I am not obligated to buy something each week. There is no meal minimum and you can't just skip weeks if you are out of town or not feeling what the menu choices are for that week.
I encourage you to take advantage of the savings off your first box which you can access online or on the Hello Fresh app when you sign up. I promise you, you will be pleased as punch!
