HelloFresh Meal Service Review
If you didn’t get a chance to read my Plated and Blue Apron reviews, you can do that here (Blue Apron Link and Plated Link) Ordering: I used my friends $40 off code and it was very easy to set everything up using the link she sent me. You can also get $40 off using the code LMBAXTE. Once you have an account they promote ‘Give $40, Get $20’ where by sharing your link you can give a big discount and receive $20 off your next order. If you order more boxes, you are also given the option to give entire boxes to friends for free. Website: It was easy setting everything up and the website is simple to navigate. I had some connectivity and loading issues when I tried to look at my order after it was placed. App: The app, like the website, was sometimes slow to load or wouldn’t load. When it did load, you were able to track your order, look at upcoming weeks, pick your meals and skip weeks. Packaging: HelloFresh really stood out with the packaging in comparison to Plated and Blue Apron because they separated each meal into it’s own small box. This made it very easy to unload and organize in the fridge. The only thing that came separate was the raw meat for each course which I appreciated because I like to store that on the bottom shelf of the fridge away from the other ingredients. The box also came with a beauty (Boxy Charm) and snack (SnackNation) subscription box discount which was neat to look at but I didn't end up ordering either one. Meals:
Penne with a Kick in a Pancetta-Tomato Arrabbiata Sauce: We added a little red wine, crushed red pepper and an extra tomato ( 🍅 because we had an extra in the fridge) and it came out to be a very nice meal. The flavors were very well blended and it had a nice kick to it. To compare to the Blue Apron noodle dish, my husband said it was something he would eat once a month instead of once a week but it was still good. It took less time and effort to cook than Plated or Blue Apron which can be a big plus depending on your situation. I like that the Pancetta came pre diced.
Meatloaf Balsamico with Mashed Sweet Potato and Green Beans: Very good meal! I made some slight modifications (added milk to the sweet potatoes, accidentally left the onions out of the meatloaf so I sautéed and added them on top of the meatloaf and in the green beans). I also copied another Instagram user and made the meatloaf heart shaped for Valentine's of course :).
Lean Mean Chicken and Greens with Rosemary Potatoes and Gremolata: This meal was very simple yet tasty with some unique flavors that you might not think to put together. I especially liked the germolata with parsley, lemon and garlic. I have to admit I wasn’t paying attention and added pina colada balsamic vinegar to the chicken marinade instead of olive oil without realizing it…turned out delicious but definitely wasn’t in the recipe.
Nutrition: The nutrition information on each meal includes detailed nutrition facts. Like Plated and Blue Apron, HelloFresh tends to tell you to add more fat than you need to cook some of the meals (chicken and meatloaf) when they could make the effort to make each meal well balanced since they’re creating it for so many people. The penne with a kick was the only meal that was within all of the recommended macronutrient ranges. You can easily reduce the fat in these meals by just skipping adding the extra fat. It’s also hard to tell if the nutrition information is accurate since they don’t give you actual quantities of oil to add (just says drizzle, pour, etc.). It was nice that everything was fresh and each meal included at least 2 types of vegetables. Overall: The meals seemed to be more consistently well flavored than Plated or Blue Apron but we did add some spices to each. All of the meals seemed to be faster to prep and make than the other meal services but also a little less complex. If you are wanting to cook and maybe brush up on basic skills but don’t have a lot of time this would be a good option. The price after taxes and shipping was also about $10 cheaper than Plated and Blue Apron. Next stop, Home Chef!
