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We’ve all seen those ads online for the various meal kit home delivery companies. Each promising delicious, healthy, budget recipes delivered right to our doorstep. Last month I was provided the opportunity to give one of these companies a go. I decided to try out Hello Fresh and ordered a standard meal kit box for 2 adults. This provided me with ingredients and recipes to make 3 meals per person per week. You'll be happy to hear that I've also snagged a Hello Fresh coupon code incase you want to try them out too! But before you make your decision – here are my thoughts on the meal kit service + meal planning app after a 2-week trial.
Hello Fresh Delivery
One of my clients recently introduced me to one of the leading national meal kit delivery services, Hello Fresh. Not only is she cooking more, but she’s lost more weight because of it (hello, portion control!). The company claims to “deliver weekly recipes and fresh ingredients straight to your doorstep, so you can cook delicious, quick and healthy meals at home.” Naturally, it piqued my interest and I had to give it a shot.
When I contacted the company several months ago to ask about dietary restrictions, I was directed to the Registered Dietitian on staff (hey…I like them already!). While they don’t specifically have kits that accommodate for allergies, they are very clear on each meal about the most common allergens (nuts, wheat, dairy, etc). She sent me three meals for two people on their classic plan.
Hello Fresh Meal Options + Plans
On the classic plan, there are 8 meal choices. For each meal, I can view a description, ingredients, instructions, utensils needed, meal preparation time, pictures, nutrition values, and cooking difficulty. It’s very easy to select the meals on their website or via the Hello Fresh app.
The three box options are veggie, family and classic. The classic options are 3, 4, or 5 meals for 2 people or 3 meals for 4 people. So if you’re a large family, it may not be a great deal for you.
Next, I was able to choose the delivery date. When the box arrived, it had a bubble-wrapped cooler sleeve. Inside, I wanted to ensure proper food safety, so I took out my handy dandy infrared thermometer (if you are a food safety nerd too, you need one of these!) and temped the items. They passed! Each kit was contained in a box with the label on it.
Pro's
Saves time and “opportunity cost” of planning, shopping and most of the meal prepping
Easy to follow recipes with pretty pictures (I’m visual…gotta eat with my eyes first!)
Convenient
Delicious
Family-friendly (even my kids went for them)
Well-packaged for food safety (thanks to my infrared thermometer!)
Healthy recipes, with RDs behind them
Detailed ingredients and nutrition facts
Easy to use app and website
Can save your favorite recipes online
Recipes are easy to save to use later
Discloses allergen information
Very responsive customer service
Great confidence builder for cooking
Great to introduce some variety into your diet
Portions are controlled
Can “skip” weeks if you’re traveling and only pay for what’s delivered
Con's
Not very earth friendly, although just about everything they provide is recyclable.
Not organic, although they’re very clear that they’re priority is to provide a variety of fresh foods
Options for only 2 or 4 people, although they say you can order multiple boxes
Not great for specific dietary restrictions, although they’re upfront about allergens and nutrition information
Let me know if you’ve tried Hello Fresh before and if so what’s your favourite meal?
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