Have You Tried a Meal Kit Service?

Watch an hour of TV and you will most likely see 1 or more ads for meal kit services like Hello Fresh, Blue Apron, or Home Chef.  Curiosity enticed me to read blogs and reviews on them and I found opinions ranging anywhere from “it’s cheating” to “it’s a lifesaver”. A meal kit contains food ingredients (exact measurements) and recipes so that fresh meals can be prepared without grocery shopping or searching for new recipes.  They have turned into a multi-million dollar business since becoming popular some five years ago.  I figured someone must like them - they must offer something that attracts consumers - so I gave them a try.      

About 2 months ago, a friend of mine shared with me how much she enjoys her Hello Fresh meal kits and had a coupon for a free box if I wanted to give it a try.  It sounded like something I might like - I like to cook, like to try new recipes, but I don’t enjoy going to the grocery store or wasting money on ingredients/spices I am only going to use for one recipe.  I chose my meal plan (2 meals-3 days/week), delivery day, and 3 meals for the first week from about 8 options (that was fun) and waited patiently for the first box to arrive. 

The ingredients and recipes for the 3 meals that I chose were delivered to my front door, packed in a box with plenty of cold packs to keep them cold all day until I arrived home.  The ingredients were organized into clearly marked packages.  All I had to do was pop them into the fridge.  After trying a meal kit service for 6 weeks, here is my review:

Cherry-Drizzled Pork Chops with Tomato Couscous Salad
- one of my favorites

Cost:  It’s cheaper than eating out, more expensive than purchasing your own groceries.  Hello Fresh (and many of the others) works out to be around $10 per meal.  Factor in the money you save by not buying ingredients you need just for one recipe (ever had to buy an entire jar of something and you only need a teaspoon?) and it can be pretty economical.  

Recipes:  Probably my favorite feature is that the recipes are different - not the same old meals we are comfortable cooking/eating.  Each week there are 8 completely new options.  Recipes are printed on nice cards that can be kept for later if you want to repeat a recipe.  Everything you need is included with the exception of salt, pepper, and olive oil.  For novice chefs, the recipes are easy to follow.  For experienced ones, you will expand your horizons and learn new skills and recipes.   

Healthy:  The meat and produce are fresh and the recipes use a variety of vegetables.  When selecting your meals, the nutritional information is provided.   

Flexibility:  If you are going out of town, or none of the menu options really appeal to you for a particular week, you are not committed to buying a meal kit.  Just edit to “skip week” and you won’t be charged.  Again, another great feature. 

Crispy Frico Cheeseburgers with
Caramelized Onion Jam and Roasted Broccoli - Yum!

Convenience:  I thought that once I retired, I would have all kinds of time on my hands.  Well, it didn’t work out that way.  I am just as busy (if not busier) than I was when I was working.  It’s so nice not to have to think of what to make for dinner, let alone go grocery shopping.  I can get home from my day of whatever by 5, and usually have a restaurant-type meal prepared for us by 6:15.   

Delicious:  I have yet to cook a meal I would not eat again.  There will be favorites, but they are all delicious and fresh.  

All in all, it’s not cheating.  The meals don't make themselves so you are still cooking.  They may not be a lifesaver for us because we are not going to survive on them, but we will continue our 3 days/week schedule and skip weeks when out of town - perfect.   We like them.   

How's That Bucket List Doing? Making Time for Your People

After returning from a wonderful long weekend getaway to San Diego with my daughter, my friend, and her daughters, I reflected on the short three days we had together - the giggles, the new experiences, the priceless moments we shared.  There’s no argument that saying “yes” to an extended weekend of wine tasting and beach walking in beautiful San Diego is pretty easy, but I am also aware of how difficult it was for my daughter to say goodbye to her baby and husband, and to block out all of the work that would be waiting for her when she returned.  She’s a full time teacher, part-time grad school student and new mom.  But she’s also her mother’s daughter - she took advantage of a 4 hour flight and did school work.  I so remember those days as a working Super Mom.  My schedule was so tight that if anyone even hinted at going away for the weekend, my first reaction was PANIC.  But I made the effort, juggled duties, and made sure that I reserved at least one weekend a month to spend with my parents who lived several hours away.  Either we would go there or they would come here.  We had a nice comfortable van.  When the kids were old enough, the three of us would be busy grading papers while my husband drove.  I taught them at an early age the value of multi-tasking.  I don’t regret it for a second.  Not only was I able to spend time with my parents, but my kids were also able to build beautiful relationships with both sets of their grandparents. 

One thing my mother always said to me when I started having children was, “the housework can wait, duties will always be there, people won’t”.  She was right.  Sometimes if we wait to take vacations, grab weekend getaways with our loved ones, or check anything off our bucket list - if we wait until the time is “perfect”, the perfect time may never come.  Before you know it, we aren’t physically able to get around any more and we may have lost our window.  I definitely don’t want to have regrets of things I always wanted to do and am no longer able to.  

My bucket list is important to me.  Spending time with our children, their spouses, the grandkids - priceless.  Those of us who are retired and are still physically able to travel are truly blessed.  My daughter and her family don’t live far, and I have made a personal goal to try and see my son and his family, who live out of state, monthly.  So far, since grandson Carson was born in February, I have only missed two months - not bad.  Of course, my bucket list actually hangs on my wall (a great hand-made gift from my daughter-in-law).  I’m a list person - gotta write things down.  

So far, the bucket list has a ways to go, but I'm working on it and it's always changing.  It’s a work in progress.  How’s yours look?