Hello, Fresh!

Our 1st dinner kit from Hello Fresh came on Mon.  We were super-impressed with the packaging.  The box is lined with insulated cardboard and the meats were packed between 2 freezer packs and were still cold after sitting on my porch for several hours.

Our 1st meal was Honey Mustard Chicken with roasted sweet potatoes, zucchini and onions.

Our 2nd meal was Thyme Honey Pork Chops over couscous with a nectarine arugula salad.

Our 3rd meal was Buttered Up Steak with roasted potatoes and garlicky green beans.

Spouse & I really liked all the meals.  One of his concerns prior to signing up was about the quality of the meats, but we both found them to be good/high quality.  Another of his concerns prior to signing up was that the portions would be too small, but we both felt they were perfectly sized.  In fact, Spouse feels these meal kits actually help with portion control and not over-eating.  I know we've both over-eaten simply because there was food that would be left-over, so we just ate it.

The things I enjoy most about the program:

• Its fresh, real, whole food.  Whole vegetables you cut up, fresh garlic, herbs and spices, chilled (not frozen) meats.  You actually prepare/cook the food as opposed to defrosting or microwaving.
• The menu is decided for you.  I don't have to struggle with what to make for dinner.
• The ingredients are all provided, in the correct proportion.  No more forgetting a key ingredient at the grocery store, and no more wasted food from having to buy an entire bunch of celery when you only need 1 stalk.
• The app allows you to see what menus are coming in the next week AND swap out any you don't like or have an allergy to.  You can also 'pause' a week if you're going away.
• The program allows you to choose your delivery day of the week, which was really important to me.

The only 'negative' thing I've found about the program is the only 'negative' thing I anticipated: using a lot more pots, pans, plates and utensils than I did before.  And this is a relatively minor 'negative' thing since most of those items can be tossed in the dishwasher.

I think the cost is right on target.  The program costs $60 per week which gives you 3 meals for 2 people, so it averages out to $10 per meal.  You certainly couldn't get these meals in a restaurant for $10.  You may be able to purchase the ingredients in a grocery store for $10 or less, but the convenience of NOT having to shop is well worth it to me.

All in all I would say our 1st week was a big success!  I'm looking forward to next week's delivery.