Sunday, April 16, 2017

Meal Delivery Services: Blue Apron & Hello Fresh

Taking a break from my AERD posts to talk about the Meal Delivery Services that are out there.  This is not a sponsored post, however may contain affiliated links.  I was given free boxes from friends who love the service.

Over the last month, my family has tried 2 different meal delivery services, Blue Apron & Hello Fresh.  These are my honest opinions.  I have been curious about all the different companies out there but the cost has always been the deciding factor but free?  SURE!

The first box we received was Hello Fresh.   Before I brought the box in the house my UPS driver commented on how he delivers a ton of these on his route.  He asked me if I ever tried it because he is curious himself.  I let him know that it was my first box but I'll report back.  Upon opening the box, I love how each meal's ingredients are separated in it's own mini box (minus the meat).  The meat is on the bottom of the insulated box with a large ice pack directly on top guaranteeing the freshness of the meals.  The meals we prepared during the week were Meatballs on Top of Cavatappi with Broccoli and Pesto Cream Sauce & Dukkah-Crusted Cod with Cranberry Couscous and Roasted Veggies.  The recipe cards were a little confusing, though I didn't find it too hard to follow.  Both were pretty easy to make and tasted WONDERFUL!  But to be honest, I don't think it was worth the cost.  I have a lot of what I would need in my pantry and if I didn't it doesn't bother me to buy it at the store to stock my pantry.  The time it took to prepare the meals were on point however and there is very little cleanup.  The separate boxes were a great timesaver!  I would make both of these again, but on my own without Hello Fresh's help.


The second box we ordered from was Blue Apron.  This one came packaged in an insulated box as well but the ingredients were not as organized as Hello Fresh.  The produce did look wonderful though like it was picked right from the farm and sent to my house.  On the menu this week,   Mushroom & Swiss Cheeseburgers and Greek Lemon Chicken.  Again, both easy to make but the recipe cards with Blue Apron were a lot easier to follow.  I did miss having a separate box for the ingredients but that isn't a deal breaker for me.  What I didn't like about the box was that out of all the recipes to choose from none really stood out to me so I chose the 2 that were the least eh. That being said they did taste great.  I probably wouldn't make them again though.  The cost was also a bit steep for what I could have purchased on my own.  Overall, it was pretty good!

Final Thoughts
Both Hello Fresh and Blue Apron were both convenient and easy to prepare.  I can see how a busy individual who didn't have time to shop but wanted delicious easy to prepare meals would benefit from the services.  I do love to shop and my pantry is stocked with many staples.  I can't justify the cost of the delivery service.  I think the recipes may be limiting for me as well.  If I have to pick between the two, I would choose Hello Fresh as my go to box.  

If you would like to try either of them here are the links!

Hello Fresh ($40 off your first box)  Ask me about a free box!
Blue Apron (no coupon at this time)

2 comments:

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