Meal Delivery Kits

Meal kits are pretty popular these days. I think it was maybe 8 months ago that I asked a friend about it, but then never actually went through with it.

Since many of these companies run promotions for first-timers, I signed up first, for HelloFresh.

I paid $30 for my first box, which included 3 meals for 2 people.

I chose recipes that were quick and easy to make. The reason I decided to try a meal delivery kit is because I struggle with time after work. Just coming up with dinner ideas can be overwhelming. It's boring to eat the same thing over and over again too. So, I figured I'd give it a shot.

I don't have any of the finished plated photos, since I did this prior to starting a blog. Anyway, the three recipes I went with were: pork loin with cherry balsamic glaze with carrots and broccoli, meatloaf with sweet potato and green beans, and a Korean Bulgogi recipe.

All of them were quite tasty and simple to make. They provide every single ingredient you'd need, except for the basics: salt, pepper, oil/butter. This is probably the best part - instead of buying a huge bottle of something that I may not use a lot of, they send a tiny bottle. And I like the different techniques in cooking. I hadn't roasted broccoli in the oven before and now I love it! 

The other part that I love is the recipe cards. I kept them all (we have done Hello Fresh 3 times, I think) and reference back. The sauces and glazes have been really good. 

Each of the recipes took about 30 minutes - which is perfect for me. By the time I get the girls in bed and I'm back downstairs - I have just about 30 - 45 minutes before Steve gets home (if he leaves on time). Then we're able to sit and eat together.

Alone. 

Was it worth it financially? No. The items they sent were fresh, good quality and were very good. But, if you went to the grocery store to buy the exact same items? You'd probably save 30% if you bought the ingredients yourself. 

If you follow me, you'll realize soon enough that while I'm budget conscious, I also look for convenience. I will absolutely pay a premium price for convenience. 

Will I pay $60 (regular price) for a box? No. I will not. 

Not unless the food comes wrapped in 24K gold. 

Next, I tried Dinnerly. They claim to be cheaper than the other meal delivery companies, so I figured, why not?

Because of a promotion, I paid $29 for a box of 3 meals, for two people. 

Right off the bat, I noticed that Dinnerly doesn't have nearly amount of recipes each week that Hello Fresh has. I think there were only 8 to choose from. Hello Fresh had maybe 15? I forget. 

I had to pay before picking my meals. That was #2 that made me go "huh".

My expectations were not as high. I went into it thinking "just wanted to try it, it's ok if it sucks." 

The box was scheduled to arrive Wednesday (3/6) night. I was planning to make one meal for Steve and I for dinner. He put the girls to bed, I checked tracking. Nothing. Says it's on its way.

We go to bed without the food being delivered to the house. 

I check tracking the next morning and see that it's scheduled to arrive Thursday. Ok. 

I get home and see that the box is there - phew. 

I go through the box after kids have been taken care of and right away I noticed that the food items were not separated into separate bags - per meal. Not a big deal, and likely a way to save some money on packaging. I didn't mind this - of course not as convenient to have all things you need in one handy bag, but it's not hard to figure out.

I was confused when I didn't see any meat in the box. WTF? Did I not read the whole thing? Is that why it's cheaper? Then I smartened up and looked in the dry ice bag and ta-da! There it is. 

I went with the "chow fun" rice noodle dish (funny, because in Mandarin, I grew up with "chow fun" meaning fried rice -  but I think it actually means stir fry? I should look it up...)

ANYWAY.

As I was cooking the dish, I knew it was going to be great. It smelled amazing. Again, I think the sauce is what did the trick. 

It was pretty good! And there's way more than needed for 2 people for one meal. We easily can get 4 servings out of this. 

I was a little skeptical at first, but I have to say that after making and eating that first dish, I'm not as skeptical. I hope the next two meals are just as good or better! 

Will report back. 

*Thoughts and opinions are my own. Neither HelloFresh or Dinnerly provided me with anything - I just wanted to share my personal opinions.