HelloFresh

From Dana:

A few weeks ago Katie sent me (and a few others) a link to get a free trial of HelloFresh meals.  I had never heard of it.  Of course, if Katie thinks it's worthwhile then that for sure piques my interest.  But, for whatever reason, I kind of forgot about it and didn't get signed up.  But then the girls came out and Rachel talked about how she had signed up for it and Katie talked about it some, and brought it back to mind.  I wasn't too late to sign up for a week's worth (three total) of HelloFresh meals for free, so I did!

On Thursday I came home to a big box on my doorstep with all these fresh ingredients to make normal yet fancy yet simple meals.  It was like Christmas.

We had our first taste of it last night with Honey Adobo pork chops, garlic mashed potatoes, and roasted broccoli, and I was not disappointed.  The directions were easy to follow and the meal was really good and FRESH and healthy and normal.  I was concerned that it might not be enough food for us, but we had plenty, though no leftovers.  It's not a meal that I can make too much ahead of time (though I could have prepped some earlier), which is a little bit of a downside, since I like to do that while Cole naps.  But, Marc was around for the preparation to help and to help with Cole and the directions were so succinct and orderly that it made it easy amongst the distractions. I liked that it provided the entire meal, not just the main dish.  I liked that I still had to "do" something like cut stuff up and peel things.  And most of all, I liked that I didn't have to come up with the idea of what to have (and then wonder if I had all the ingredients)!

Another thing I liked about it was that it showed me or reminded me of things I could do on my own, that are really good - like roasting broccoli (yum!) or making garlic mashed potatoes.  (Mom, check out the instructions for the potatoes.  They had a really garlicky flavor without using a TON of garlic by cooking the garlic in butter for a moment before adding the cooked potatoes back in to mash.)

You receive three standard meals in your box.  If you go online, you can select three from a set of 5 or so.  I did choose to substitute one of mine out thinking that the standard meal was a little too "girly" for Marc (salmon on salad is all I remember from the picture).  I thought he'd appreciate the pork chop a little more, though he has nothing against salmon or salad.  I just wanted it to be good first impression on him.

Of course, I cancelled my subscription after the free week because that's what I do (don't ever let *them* win or get the better of me), but I will keep it in mind in the future.  That's the beauty!  You can cancel or suspend your subscription at anytime.  It costs $44 for 3 meals for the week, which is expensive but maybe not really when you think of all the value you receive.  I may do it here and there, every once in a while, or after the baby comes sometimes and just chalk it up to a worthwhile investment.  Maybe I'll ask for money/gift certificate for HelloFresh for Christmas or something!  It was fun to be in the kitchen with Marc again, which my current system doesn't allow for very well (or his work schedule this summer!).

We are headed to the pool after Marc and Cole wake up from Sunday afternoon naps, and I'm not completely sure what we'll have for dinner, but I have two completely viable and delicious options waiting for me in my fridge when we return, if I want to use them tonight!

If you want to try it (I'm picturing Mom and Dad loving it and Cindy and Charlotte and maybe even Julie and Anthony...and really anyone!) you can go to the website and type in PF93WU or it may be easier if I just send you an invitation in an email or possibly try this link (http://www.hellofresh.com/?c=PF93WU).  Let me know if you want me to send you an invite!