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.