2020 has changed many of our ways of grocery shopping and choosing to eat out or pick up something from the drive thru after long days of work and school. I for one have taken advantage of Shipt for delivering groceries instead of going to an actual store. Especially when COVID-19 first started to spread. There was too much uncertainty and I made the choice to keep my family safe and stay home.
But how could I add variations to our now stay at home lifestyle. There is only so much you can put in the air fryer for a different taste. I had this conversation with my best friend and she offered a wonderful option – Hello Fresh. Now I had heard about these box subscriptions and even received the same email she had sent me from another friend, but wasn’t interested at all. We talked about it a bit more and as I checked my calendar in regards to budget, I said why not. Thankfully the first box is free – WHEW! Four meals for two people helped not shop as much this grocery haul. That’s definitely a PRO tip when deciding to choose long term or not.
We knew our box was arriving on a Friday. We would plan cook at least one of the four meals that night. But first, let me share the options you can choose from. Hello Fresh allows you to choose for your specific dietary needs.
- Meat & Veggies
- Veggies
- Family Friendly
- Variety
- Calorie Smart
- Quick & Easy
- Seafood Free
- Beef Free
- Pescatarian
Of course we chose the Pescatarian option as we have been on this journey for almost three years. At times it can be hard finding quick seafood options during long work days. The only options I know of for fast food are Long John Silvers, Applebees, or maybe a local restaurant that has take out. And these options are usually greased heavily, have additives, and not staying true to the lifestyle we live. So the Hello Fresh box was a pleasant surprise. From pasta to fresh vegetables to recipes that I would have never tried. I was happy with my first box, but would I order again. The jury is still out on that.
MEAL 1 –
LEMON TORTELLONI PALERMO with Roasted Bell Pepper & Parmesan
I’m not huge on pasta but my teenage daughter loves it. So like most parents, I gave in and I liked it. This is one of Hello Fresh’s Hall of Fame meals meaning it’s a “tried-and-true” favorite chosen by subscribers. The tortelloni were a nice size and did not take long to cook. The highlight of the dish is the roasted bell pepper. The recipe card notes the included bell pepper could be orange, yellow or red. I was happy to have the red as that is what is shown on the recipe card. Maybe it was the seasoning I had on hand as I don’t use a lot of salt in my cooking. I try to make sure salt is limited in my dishes due to family health concerns. Whether it was the roasting or the seasoning or both, it made a statement in the dish.
I had to search for my zester as I hadn’t used it in a while. The recipe card says to use as much lemon zest as you want. So we zested almost a full lemon; But so glad that we did not use all of it. That would have not have been a good idea. Adding this as a final topping over a creamy tomato based sauce and melted cheese was phenomenal.
This recipe makes enough for two people but we don’t eat a lot so there were leftover pasta for lunch. I kept some plain to fully enjoy the sauce.
We took a poll on our Instagram page between the flatbreads and the boats. These would be new recipes that we wanted to fully embrace but couldn’t decide which to try first.
MEAL 2 – BUTTERNUT SQUASH & CARAMELIZED ONION FLATBREADS with Thyme Ricotta & a Balsamic Drizzle
Let’s be honest. Butternut squash is not something you will regularly find in this home. This would definitely be an experiment for us. I would like to think that I’m a pro at caramelized onions as my mom taught me to be patient as it is a slow process. That is a main reason why we chose this meal. All of the meals are not available during your week of choice. I was looking for a seafood dish that I saw on @sheemeetscity IG stories, but it wasn’t available to us until two weeks later. That is also something to keep in mind when deciding if this is for you or not; weekly options vary.
We like to eat pizza at least once every two weeks. Having a healthier option would be great, especially on days we work out harder than usual. When we opened the bag containing all the ingredients, we both looked at each other and laughed. The majority of ingredients we had never experienced, but we were going to see this through. We made sure to follow the instructions on the recipe card exactly so we did not mess it up. Prepping the meal didn’t take long. 40 minutes later, we drizzled balsamic glaze on hot flatbreads and cut into squares. Dinner was good but I don’t think we’ll add this to our box again.
If you love butternut squash and the feeling of fall, then this is all for you.
MEAL 3 – BRUSCHETTA ZUCCHINI BOATS with Couscous & Melty Italian Cheeses
We love zucchini but have never had it as a boat. My earliest memory of eating zucchini is fresh out of the garden at my childhood home. My dad would plant a garden every summer. He put his heart into it from start to finish. Tomatoes, peppers, corn that the squirrels always got part of, cantaloupe, broccoli, and of course zucchini. And they were large vegetables. This is what I always compare vegetables in the stores to, my daddy’s.
I have had couscous before and enjoyed it, but never cooked it myself. I’ll admit to being nervous as I don’t always do well with cooking grains on a stovetop. I’m a pro with the microwave measurements, but the stovetop makes me nervous. Again we followed the instructions exactly to be sure of no errors. This was simple meal of couscous, garlic, roma tomatoes, cheese, and of course the zucchini. This meal also came with balsamic glaze which makes the meal a bit fancier. At 560 calories, I was still somewhat hungry afterwards. This would be a great side dish with shrimp of fish for us. It would also go well with chicken or steak if you prefer that.
MEAL 4 – BLACK BEAN & POBLANO QUESADILLAS with Salsa Fresca & Lime Sour Cream
This was our favorite meal of the box. We liked it so much that I went to our local grocery store and got ingredients to recreate it the following week.
Black beans, peppers, onions, sour cream and cheese. Yes, that is the making of something special. But I would have never put these items together this way.
The way seasoned smashed black beans mix with sautéed onions and peppers in an extra large flour tortilla is amazing. The Hello Fresh recipe card suggested lime sour cream as a topping. This was not only refreshing but something I could add to our Taco Tuesday rotation.
The following week, I added it to the menu as a Tuesday meal. I couldn’t fine poblano peppers when I shopped that weekend so just picked up some red bell peppers to use. Remember from the first meal, we enjoyed them roasted and chose to do this instead.
Both times, we had a nice amount of black beans leftover. They become a nice midday snack when added with salsa or plant based nuggets.
This meal was the easiest to make. It only took a total 30 minutes for both large quesadillas to fully cook which is a plus for me after a long day of work and school.
Overall, I was satisfied with Hello Fresh as a meal subscription service. The website was easy to navigate when choosing our meals and they have an app for easier access. I did not try this as my intentions were to just test out the basics. Would I buy it again, still debating. I’ve looked at the next few weekly plans but have decided to skip; moreso for financial reasons. It is a bit pricey. To choose the same selection we received as a gift from a friend, it could cost between $70 – $100. I make a budget sheet every two weeks and could see myself adjusting my grocery budget at times for this option. Once a member, you also have access to many of the recipes to recreate the meals. I’m going to try this out as well and will share soon what the better option is – use a meal service or shop the sales of your local grocery store.
Stay tuned.
Mommy Daughter Adventures 