I currently don’t own a car, which means I don’t go to the grocery store regularly. I also kind of hate grocery stores, which is probably the real reason I avoid going shopping. So when I started seeing ads for different meal kits on my social media pages, I considered subscribing. I was hesitant at first because I didn’t know how fresh the food would be or if the kits were out of my budget. Apparently HelloFresh was aware of this concern, because I got a coupon code in the mail for eight free meals. I decided to try it out, because who doesn’t want eight free meals?
So here’s the catch about the eight free meals: like most “free trials”, you still have to input your credit card information and commit to a certain number of orders. There weren’t really any free meals — the company just discounted the total of your kits. Without the discount, the meals averaged at $10 per serving. The user has the options of two, four, or family-sized servings, and can choose the amount of meals they receive each week. While convenient, the price of these meal kits can add up really quickly and it isn’t much cheaper than going out to a restaurant.
Besides the price, I thought the website was really user-friendly and had a decent amount of options. The user inputs their dietary preferences, such as paleo, vegetarian, low-calorie, and kid-friendly. The website generates a menu to be sent, but you have the ability to swap or take away any of the meals. Additionally, you pick which day of the week you want your kit to be delivered on. After inputting all of my settings, I accepted the meals the website generated for me and waited for my delivery.
I was really excited when I got home one Tuesday and saw the HelloFresh box on my front porch. I really love cooking, but on the rare occasion that I go to the grocery store, I don’t know what to buy and always end up with the same few ingredients. Having recipes and their ingredients sent right to my door was perfect for me because it expanded my cooking repertoire. The fact that each ingredient came only in the amount that was needed for the meal was perfect because I hate wasting ingredients that go bad because I don’t use them enough.
Some of the meals I received were salsa verde enchiladas, mushroom cavatappi, and chickpea tabbouleh bowls, just to name a few. I thought there was a good variety of types of meals and really appreciated the fact that almost all of the meals contained fresh vegetables. The meals were also really easy to prepare and cook: each taking under an hour for total prep and cook time. As for the flavor, all the dishes tasted great and I kept the recipe cards so I can make them again.
I really love the idea of meal kits and never grocery shopping, but I don’t think I would subscribe to a meal service again in the near future given the price tag. Sure, it’s convenient and is a great way to avoid food waste, but it’s a little too expensive for my college budget. HelloFresh, do you want to follow Amazon’s lead and offer a 50% student discount?