Does anyone subscribe to Hello Fresh?

joannegustyn1971

There are a few people at work who subscribe to HelloFresh and I’m very tempted. I’m thinking that it will keep me eating real food rather than take out or processed. Our current meals are a combination of both… Example a Costco rotisserie chicken and vegetables that we prepare.
My colleagues really enjoy the convenience and the food from there.

I’m wondering if anyone does this and how it works into your diet?

skelterhelter

Not a subscriber, but my boss gave me a coupon worth $69.95, which allowed me to pick out a family-sized box with two meals. I'll let you know how I like the meals (I picked apricot chicken with asparagus and potatoes and pineapple chicken quesadillas, but there were about six other choices). From what I understand, the meals change every week.

Noreenmarie1234

I've tried at least 10 boxes. (When they have free promos I jump on it and get a few times) So I have never paid for them, but if I had I would have been disappointed.

I didn't like it too much because I ended up making my own recipes using whatever they gave me, haha. It was convenient, but I found myself not actually following the recipes or anything. The food was good, but small portions and I am a volume eater.

cheriej2042

I’ve never tried it but a couple who I knew went on that for 7 or 8 months. Yes they lost a ton of weight but they subsequently stopped using it and gained the weight back. When I asked about the food they said it was really bland. So I guess it might be good to use on occasion but also know what you are going to do when you stop.

manicdaisy

I do Blue Apron and Hello Fresh. You can skip weeks so I only do it on weeks I like the meal choices. I do really like both though I'd say the quality of BA is probably a bit higher.

What I love is that the calories are already counted so as long as I follow the recipe, I dont have to figure it out and that saves me time. They aren't all super low calorie though, some are upwards to 800 to 900 per serving with some closer to 600. You can choose your recipes based on that too though.

No meal I've ever had has been bland so disagree with that comment. They are restaurant level quality. I'm a good cook and good at planning meals so it's not like I need these services like some people do to help with having nicer dinners, but it's fun to try new things and not have to meal plan those weeks.

I definitely recommend trying!

yirara

No as it's very expensive and I can't justify all the packaging material with a good conscience. I do every now and then nick a recipe from their website and cook it. Though most of the things they offer in the Netherlands is rather poor. Recipes in the UK are more interesting

lemurcat2

I've tried it, and referred my sister and a male friend. It was highly recommended by someone I met at a running camp and then I got a free offer, so figured why not. I tried another service too (SunBasket) and found the latter recipes a bit more interesting, but in that I am a comfortable cook and find no issues using up ingredients, and can come up with fast cooking ideas, it wasn't that useful for me. I did look at SunBasket for ideas for vegan meals when I was doing that for a while, as it has lots of vegan options. I thought the HelloFresh recipes were boring.

I decided pretty quickly that for me a meal service wasn't worth the hassle of dealing with the packaging (and slight guilt that it might not be recycled properly). But my sister and the friend still use it off and on.

sulwen314

It's too expensive for me to use regularly, but I'll order a box when they offer discounts. I like it a lot! I feel like it helps me get more variety in my diet. Left to my own devices, I tend to make the same things over and over. It's also really nice to have the nutritional info already calculated rather than having to weigh every ingredient. I'd recommend it!

I also like Sun Basket and Home Chef, but the one time I tried Blue Apron I was not impressed. My least favorite by far.

onefortypoint6

Some grocery stores sell Hello Fresh meal kits now. One dinner is $17-18. It’s a good way to try it without signing up for a whole box.

fuzzylop_

I signed up to a similar service (purple carrot -- but I no longer subscribe), but at the end of the day you're still cooking, so if lack of motivation is stopping you from eating healthy (whatever that means to you), it might be problematic and most of these services are somewhat expensive.

nocgirl72

I saw that including Kroger. Good for 2 people Kroger was giving away a free Angel food cake with the purchase of 1. Not on my diet so I passed I think the price is a little steep unless you want just a 1 off to make a nice dinner with little effort or planning.

onefortypoint6 wrote: »

Some grocery stores sell Hello Fresh meal kits now. One dinner is $17-18. It’s a good way to try it without signing up for a whole box.

onefortypoint6 wrote: »

Some grocery stores sell Hello Fresh meal kits now. One dinner is $17-18. It’s a good way to try it without signing up for a whole box.

onepebble

I used to get a local version (Dinner Twist - for anyone in Western Australia), and loved it. It was definitely more expensive compared to doing my own planning and shopping but the food was mostly locally sourced and great quality. At that point in time I was finding it hard to get motivated to cook for just me as my husband was away, so it suited me to have recipes and lovely produce turn up on my doorstep every fortnight.
I didn't keep it up, as I really prefer to plan and cook my own recipes, but it was just what I needed at that time.

My best suggestion is to check reviews from people in your local area to see what they say about the quality of the food and the recipes and give it a try to see if it works for you.

joannegustyn1971

cheriej2042 wrote: »

I’ve never tried it but a couple who I knew went on that for 7 or 8 months. Yes they lost a ton of weight but they subsequently stopped using it and gained the weight back. When I asked about the food they said it was really bland. So I guess it might be good to use on occasion but also know what you are going to do when you stop.

Thanks everyone I know the Canadian ones are not bland as they come with lots of spices and flavour packets etc. The girl at work who uses it says all the recipes she has tried are really good.
I have signed up and will get my first box on Monday!
Tandoori Chicken
A Harissa lamb dish on naan
Italian sausage and couscous meal!

I will let you all know how it goes!

Crafty_camper123

I tried a free week, and was not very impressed. The time saved not having to go grocery shopping was not worth the extra cost IMO. I did the 4 servings plan. My husband is a volume eater, so that would give us enough for dinner, and maybe a leftover portion for lunch the next day. Everything looked really good, and was nice and fresh. But since I had to still prep everything & mess with all the packaging, I feel like it saved zero time in the kitchen. I suppose the benefit is not having to remember to take out meat the night before, since I just put my hello fresh stuff in the fridge for the week and it's gathered and ready. I just don't feel like the time and energy saved was worth the extra cost. I can buy my groceries online and pick them up at a store if I was really desperate to not grocery shop. Plus I can buy double the amount of fresh meat & produce for the same price as a 4 serving week would give me. The new and different recipies in a step by step layout with pictures for reference is nice though. It would be a nice thing for someone new to cooking, or looking to add more to thier recipie stash. Or for someone where the grocery store isn't conveniently located for them, such as out of the way of thier daily commute, or a small town where the stores are lacking in a variety fresh produce.

smoofinator

I use Plated.com. I usually do like 4 meals a month. It's too expensive tbh ($13/meal if you include the shipping), but I like that it forces me to cook things I'd probably never try on my own. I get in ruts, just like @sulwen314, so the meals force me to try new things with quality ingredients. I probably won't use it long term, but I kind of like getting home from work and cooking a nice, fancy (to me) meal with all the ingredients already weighed/measured.

buckykatt1

Hello Fresh is my least favorite meal service. Blue Apron and Home Chef have delivered consistently better quality recipes and food for me. Don't get me started on Marley Spoon- yuck.
HF also likes to use LaserShip so I never even got my last box. Tracking says it's permanently living in New Jersey. Got a refund for that one.
You do need to watch the calories on the recipes. I have gotten some ideas for recipes that I never would have thought of trying and we make them again and again.
The Runner's World cookbook has great, low calorie recipes.

COGypsy

My problem with Hello Fresh and those services is that you still have to cook and clean. I’ve been using Freshly lately and really like it. Meals are cheaper than the takeout I’d most likely order instead and heat up in just a couple of minutes. I get variety, nutrition and convenience all in one!

joannegustyn1971

COGypsy wrote: »

My problem with Hello Fresh and those services is that you still have to cook and clean. I’ve been using Freshly lately and really like it. Meals are cheaper than the takeout I’d most likely order instead and heat up in just a couple of minutes. I get variety, nutrition and convenience all in one!

I’m excited about the cooking part. I’m not really good at it and my friends that do it say that they’ve learned a lot. I am more of a person who buys things just to heat up but now I’m excited that I’m going to be making it from scratch.

HollyPFlax

I have tried both Blue Apron and Hello Fresh because my family members do them. They get coupons to give out free weeks and give them to me sometimes. Both services are similar in cost and calorie range for the dinners.

What I dislike the most about them is the prep time and the cleanup caused by way more dishes used than necessary. They can't send pre-chopped or peeled produce because it wouldn't stay fresh. So you have to spend a considerable amount of time preparing everything. The meals totally lie and say things like "10 minute prep time, 20 minute cook time ". One hour and 43 minutes later, I'll finally be done.

After you're done cooking, you end up with a 600-850 calorie meal. You paid around $10 for it, so you want to eat most of it. Which makes me feel "locked in" to eating more calories than I want or need for dinner. I can plan ahead by eating less earlier in the day, but I'd rather not have to.

Then comes the cleanup. You had to chop, dice, peel, and separate every ingredient into its own bowl, so you have all of that to wash on top of everything else.

I don't even take the freebies any more. My dad still subscribes and this is how he invites me to dinner on a Blue Apron night: "Hey, do you want to come over and chop some produce on Tuesday?"

Try it, you might like it. Just be sure to set aside enough time! And also, that rotisserie chicken with vegetables is a great dinner!

Scottgriesser

Got a coupon, tried it for a week. Decent, but nothing special. Definitely not worth it at full price. However, I am a capable home chef so my experience may be different.

gentlygently

If you are trying to cook more at home and eat a lot of veg - another option is to stock your pantry with lots of staples (rice, pasta, timned tomotos, good quality pesto/pasta sauces etc) and fill your freezer with fish/meat portions (and veg) Add a veggie box delivery - and then you are all prepared. Always something in the house to cook ... I’ve cooked this way for years.