Too Tired to Cook? – 6 meal subscription services demystified – Part 2: Hello Fresh

We’re all busy.

I don’t know about you, but meal planning is a total recurring nightmare for me. Week after week, I scramble to find fast and healthy recipes to make after a long work day, something that will both nourish and please. I want to expose my children to different tastes and textures to widen their horizons when it comes to food, but all that preparation and the time it takes to shop, chop and cook leaves me exhausted.

I decided to try meal subscription services!  Over the next weeks, you will be able to read my review of each one. I will grade them on a variety of topics so you can easily decide which one is best for you. I am basing all my reviews on a 3 meal a week / 4 portions weekly order.

Part 2 – Hello Fresh

Hello Fresh’s website is well laid out and user friendly.  Similar to last week’s Miss Fresh, Hello Fresh allows you to pick 3 out of 4 meals every week.  There are 3 boxes to choose from: the “Pronto Plan”, the “Veggie Plan” or the “Family Plan”. The maximum you can order is 3 meals for 4 people.  There is no customized plan that allow you to pick from a wider selection and meals are the only thing they provide, as opposed to Miss Fresh who also offers a variety of snacks at an additional cost.

Skipping a week and cancelling your subscription is easy.

About the Delivery

I received the box as promised, on Tuesday, although quite late in the afternoon. It was very well packaged , contained an insulated liner and ice packs which kept the food fresh in transit. I really liked the fact that the meals were already separated, in their own sub-boxes.  I didn’t have to sort, just store.   I also liked that all the packaging is environmentally friendly.

I read the documentation and looked at the recipe cards. They came in a booklet (9.5×6.5) with detachable sheets and seemed easy enough to follow.  The nutritional info was sort of lost in the wording, not easy to find at a glance.  The size was a big awkward to store in a binder.

About the Food
see pictures below

The first meal I made was Crispy Chicken Parmigiana.

One of the main things that I absolutely loved with Hello Fresh is the freshness of the ingredients, especially the meat and sea food.  You could visibly see and taste the difference.  One bite and you can tell these chickens came directly from farm to my table.  The other thing I liked is that all ingredients, except when it would affect freshness, were pre-cut.

The instructions were easy to follow, the meal was on the table in 30 minutes. It was served with an apple cucumber salad and it was delicious.  The portions were generous and we had leftovers.

The second meal was Shrimp Saganaki with Marinara, Feta and Israeli Couscous.  Oh my God!  The Shrimp! It was as if they had been fished in the morning and ended up right on my plate!  The recipe was fast and easy but very heavy on the onions.  For that reason, it was a flop.  I loved it, but I had to feed my kids, and husband, something else.

The third meal was Mustard Pork Chops with Roasted Green Beans and Potatoes. Again, the freshness of the meat was incomparable, and the roasted beans and potatoes, a hit!  Prep was 35 minutes, but worth the extra 5.  Having learned from my mistake of the previous night, I didn’t use all the red onion included in the ingredients, but merely 1/4 of it.  This one was a keeper.

About the Company

I contacted the company via email and obtained a response within a couple of hours. Hello Fresh originated in Germany and is now offering services in 9 countries, including Canada.  Based in Toronto, they ship to all of Canada except Quebec.  Most recipes take 30 minutes or less and with a busy life, time is a deciding factor for me. The company claims to develop balanced meals with experts and nutritionists.

And now, my rating

Cost per week: $129.99
Cost of Delivery: FREE
Area of Deliver: Across Canada, except Quebec
Payment Method: Credit Card, debit and PayPal

Website: 5
Freshness of ingredients: 5
Recipe Cards: 4.5
Ease of Recipes: 4.5
Are they healthy?: 4.5
Meal Choices: 4.0
Kid Approved: 3.5
Customer Service: 5
Variety of options: 4.5
Ease to cancel or skip a week: 5
Overall Grade 4.55
To order from Hello Fresh and get $50 off your first box, visit www.hellofresh.ca/?c=JULLUC

Do you know of a service worthy of mention? Email me at [email protected] and let me know or comment below!