I might have mentioned a few times that I was going to start a bit of a lifestyle change. That change includes more conscious eating and more physical activity and the end results will be a body that makes Hollywood movie stars envious.
Okay. That last part might be a bit of an exaggeration. But I am on a meal plan that calls for a a shake or meal replacement bar for breakfast or lunch and then a “sensible” dinner.
Easier said than done.
I know what to eat. I just don’t always know how much of it to eat.
I know how to cook. I just get lazy when it comes to meal planning.
So I fall into the same trap. I order Chinese food and get a dish full of chicken and vegetables and tell myself it’s healthy. And then I order steamed dumplings instead of fried and tell myself it’s healthy. I’ll even get brown rice instead of white rice and tell myself it’s healthy.
All in all, it’s not too bad. I just eat way too much of eat.
And other times, I simply order a pizza.
FAIL.
So when I had to chance to review Hello Fresh, a meal delivery service offering healthy cooking choices, I was like YES! PLEASE! And the timing of the delivery of the meals exactly coincided with the start of my lifestyle change.
Let me explain how it all works (which I wasn’t entirely clear on until I opened my box)…
1. A box shows up thanks to your FedEx guy and you find a lovely assortment of packaged and labeled vegetables, meats, and seasonings in well insulated and cooled packaging.
2. Then you look at the three recipes cards that came with your box so you know exactly what you’ll be cooking.
3. You examine the ingredients further by sorting them into piles by recipe before placing them all in the refrigerator. (Or maybe that’s just me.)
4. Then you wait until it’s dinner time. Pick out one meal package (with no forethought) and GO!
Let me show you what I made and then I’ll tell you what I really thought.
Night 1: Potato-Crusted Fish with Shaved Fennel Salad
Easy to make and cook Fluke fillets, with small boiled and butter potatoes, along with a salad made from olive oil, white wine vinegar, fennel, chives, and cranberries.
The verdict?
Delicious meal intended for two but we squeezed it into a meal for three (my son ate some). I’ve never had fluke but I loved it and apparently, I like fennel (I thought I didn’t). This was a total and delicious win.
Night 2: Sesame Beef Pasta with Asparagus
Tender beef stir fried with tomatoes and asparagus and mixed with pasta and toasted sesame seeds.
The verdict?
HOT and SPICY meal intended for two could easily feed three but it was way too spicy for my son to even try. The good part about eating spicy is that you tend to eat less. We had quite a bit of leftovers too.
Night 3: Chicken Quinoa Stew
A hearty stew full of protein with tender chicken and quinoa with just a touch of a Mediterranean flair.
The verdict?
My husband actually made this one and we both enjoyed it. He’s not normally a fan of quinoa but used in a stew, he thought it was delicious. Full of flavor with just a touch of spice, this could have easily fed my family of three,
So let’s talk overall…
The Pros
- It’s pretty clear that these recipes have been developed by a chef. They are delicious, full of flavor, and use a nice variety of fresh ingredients.
- The meat is top quality. No skimping there. Everything is trimmed and vacuum sealed and fresh. The beef was surprisingly tender!
- Everything is preportioned. Except for a few additional staples and some chopping, everything is put together in just the right amount and ready to go.
- Minimal clean up. I’m SERIOUS! Whoever created these recipes wrote them to maximize your time and your dishes TO A TEE.
- There’s not much thinking involved. From the moment I started to the moment we sat down to eat, it was 30 minutes for every recipe.
- Everything was delicious and relatively low calorie (depending on your portion size) but all recipe cards come with nutritional information.
- It costs money (as does everything). No one will argue that eating healthy is inexpensive. It’s cheaper to shop on your own but then you have to factor the time it takes to shop, meal plan, and prepare. And also factor in the times that you’re too lazy and just order take out instead. And the recipe cards are all reusable so you could make the meals on your own if you wanted.
Each week you can choose 3 out of 5 options, leaving out what you do not like. There is also a great variety in vegetarian meals every week, going well beyond just regular tofu. If you’re looking to eliminate the hassle of grocery shopping from your already packed schedule and experience quality time cooking together with your loved ones, then HelloFresh is for you.
Think of HelloFresh as your private sous chef! Visit http://www.hellofresh.com/ to join the 200M people in 20 eastern states in the U.S. (and beyond) receiving these meals.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of HelloFresh.
6 comments
Wow! That sounds great! The bad news is that I’m on the west coast! I don’t think I could afford it anyway; however, it’s already in the plans that when I win millions of dollars, the first thing I’m going to do is hire a full-time chef! I love healthy foods, but I hate to cook! I also have to eat gluten-free, which makes it a bit more difficult. Actually, it really doesn’t – it’s just that it involves cooking. lol
Good luck with your lifestyle change!
I like to cook but I don’t like to create. I need someone to tell me what to do! Hope they make it to the West coast and then maybe you could at least try it! Or just do that millions of dollars-personal chef thing.
I suppose I’d have to actually play lotto or something for any chance of winning millions of dollars, eh? lol :o)
OK You sold me. After spending $250 at the grocery store last week I’m up for anything new. My first HelloFresh order is in – can’t wait to try it! Thank you!
Will you please let me know what you think? And you reminded me to put in my own order. I want to keep up with it!
I loved this service as well and want to start ordering it. It’s a little trickier for my family b/c there are 5 of us. My brother and his wife started ordering after I told them about it- they both work outside the home and have a baby girl. They are absolutely in love with the convenience of this and how healthy it is.