I was quite skeptical of this - it was my wife’s idea. We are a bit unique in that she primarily eats vegetarian and I am not, so we usually cook different stuff and thus grocery shopping is a chore. After 18 months of the pandemic, I’ve also been tiring of making the same stuff again and again without the variety of restaurant meals thrown in once or twice a week, and wanted something a bit different. I’m about done with turkey sandwiches every day for lunch. We also both like to cook after work.
I’ve been thoroughly impressed. Our first week had very tasty meals and very fresh produce, and given that they include two servings per meal, it gives us something to eat for lunch the following day. It allows us to easily eat two different things. The recipes are easy to follow and typically only require basic knife and saute skills. If you don’t like an ingredient (for me, it’s sour cream), it is very easy to omit it or substitute it with something else in your pantry.
It is definitely more expensive than going to the store - about $25 or so per week between the two of us. However, in return, we don’t have to go to the store, we get good variety, and I don’t have to think about how I can stretch a pound of ground turkey through various meals throughout a week. The clear portion sizes are also a nice side benefit - we don’t end up eating surplus food for the sake of avoiding waste.
I don’t know how long we’ll continue to use this, but as someone who thought these meal kits were a rip off, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed some of the benefits.
In the same boat here, but I only cook the BBQ and spice/smoke the meat. My wife cooks everything else, thank goodness.
Thanks for posting. This is good to know. I’ve seen the ads, but figured the quality was low or the price was high, or the service was unreliable.
Is your wife very picky as to the quality/freshness/bruising of the vegetables and fruits? I know that “very” is subjective, but does she complain more than once a month as to the quality available at her regular haunt?
I appreciate the specifics, and am not trying to be too intrusive, but what percentage is that? Is that for 14 (7 for each of you) total meals ? My wife is a vegetarian, and I’m anything but. We spend on average, $160/week. It would only be about 15% more for the meal kit. I certainly wouldn’t want to do it every week, being conditioned to eat the same thing for two or three days in a row.
Thanks again for posting, as I would have thought the same as you.
We tried a few of these services years ago when they just started. It was fun a few times, but eventually we got over it. The boxes produced too much landfill waste (each ingredient was in its own plastic bag, plus ice packs and foam to keep the food cool), the ingredients weren’t always the best, and portions were a bit small – I don’t want to spend 20-40 minutes cooking and then make something else after. Maybe they’re better now. This Hello Fresh definitely seems better since you can select more portions. I’d rather have leftovers than be hungry.
She’s less picky, but I am definitely picky. I don’t bother visiting Safeway because their produce is terrible - we go to the Kroger affiliate instead which is better. The produce I’ve gotten - broccoli, potatoes, scallions, green beans, lemons, and carrots have all been very fresh. Granted, it’s only been a couple weeks, but it’s still impressive.
This is definitely going to vary. For me, it’s about 35% more expensive but that’s because I let sales dictate what I am going to eat rather than picking something beforehand. I almost always threw in pasta with marinara for the week as well which is a cheap meal. My weekly total is under $50 at the grocery store, hers is around $70. This is for four meals including lunches and excluding other things like breakfast that we might pick up.
Based on reading reviews, this has gotten better over the years. The foam has been replaced with a recyclable PET (#1) plastic. Produce is bagged, but then again, I reach for one of those thin bags for produce at the store. The meat is vacuum sealed so you avoid the styrofoam trays that the store has, but yes, it’s plastic. I’d say the ice packs are probably the most annoying thing, but they claim you can let these melt and put them down the drain. We are on septic and so I don’t trust this but perhaps this is accurate.
You probably put a lot more in that bag than the tiny portion that comes in the meal kit. And those store bags are reusable. I reuse them until they rip, but they last a surprisingly long time if you’re careful.
“They” also claimed that “flushable wet wipes” were “flushable” . Can’t trust “them”.
A couple years ago I thought I’d give Hello Fresh a tryout. When first signing up they offer good bargains on their various combinations.
( mixed up)
As well, pretty impressive for a month but then I never used all of the ingredients mailed. So the good deal turns into some waste.
Actually my husband and I pretty much like meat served with veggies most meals. So not a problem shopping weekly. I buy the groceries and husband is pretty satisfied. I really enjoyed the taco dish offered one week, different combination but worthy.
I may give the meal kit another try. Cooking isn’t the worst thing on my list, but this a nice change.
. Can’t trust “them”.