Plated and Blue Apron

I had a Plated order recently - 3 meals and 1 dessert. The trout was amazing, and the dessert (poached pears plus marscapone) was also delicious. One of the meals was not my favorite. I didn't continue my subscription though because I found it stressful to have the time to make the meals before the ingredients started to go bad, and it is pricier than I would like to spend on my regular meals. It is a nice way to force yourself to learn new techniques and try new foods though, if it fits in your budget.

I get Hello Fresh, which is essentially the same thing. You choose 3 meals out of 5 options per week (if you eat meat/fish- the vegetarian plan only offers 3 options, so you get those three). I wouldn't always classify the meals as low calorie, as they range from about 400 to as high as 950. Most are right around 550-750, though. It costs $69 per week for 3 meals for 2 people.

I LOVE it because I don't care to spend time looking up recipes or shopping for ingredients. My boyfriend and I also don't really like to eat leftovers. Hello Fresh sends everything you need to make each meal in the exact quantity you need. The only things they don't include (and assume you have) are olive oil, salt, pepper, and butter. The meals take between 30-45 minutes to prepare. Also- the quality of the meat/seafood they send is excellent. I've been using this service for a couple months and there has only been one meal that I didn't really like. Most are very good and some are great- like restaurant quality.

I would recommend trying a service like this if it fits into your budget, you can spend 30-45 minutes in the kitchen a few nights a week, and you want to try new dishes without having to put any effort into planning or shopping. As far as calorie goals go- I make it fit, but I also have a pretty high daily goal since I walk most places and work on my feet. But, as someone else said, if the calories are too high you could always half it.

I've done Blue apron and Hello fresh. I found it very easy to modify slightly as I eat low carb. I loved it, they also have their nutritional info online so it would be very easy to add in to mfp. I only order if they give me a coupon code for it, they do have their recipes online so you can easily purchase the items locally to cook at home.

@smr09012 my boyfriend and I love it for that reason. We always make the same stuff week after week because we are used to it and know what we are doing, it was so much fun to make some new stuff, and now I can add those meals into our regulars because they are so simple to make.

I tried Hello Fresh for a couple of weeks, both the meat and vegetarian options. The meat was not as high quality as I'm used to. I would rather shop for my own groceries and get the USDA prime steak or a wild caught fresh salmon if I'm having a meat entrée. The calories per serving was 600-800 which was a little high for me as well. The vegetarian option was better - 500-600 calories per serving and the ingredients were fresh and delicious.

Hello Fresh does publish all their recipes on their website. I'm going to try using their recipes but shopping for myself for awhile to see if the service is worth the cost or if I can just get by on my own.