Is Hello Fresh food subscription worth the cost?

Since I have been working very long hours, my eating has not been the healthiest. I will grab whatever I can find at the time because I am starving, even if it is means going through a drive through late at night, because I am too exhausted to make anything when I get home.

I have read on several blogs lately about food subscription boxes, so I thought I’d give it a try. I had a coupon for my first shipment of Hello Fresh. I received three meals that were supposed to make two servings in each box for $34. It was for the vegetarian meals. I am not a vegetarian but I do try to eat that way a few times a week. Also I thought this would be a great way to ensure that I am getting my veggie intake, since I have been eating so poorly lately. The meals arrived in a cardboard box with two big ice packs. The three meals were skillet Chilaquiles, Portobello Burgers, and Basil Pesto Tagliatelle. Each meal was in an individual box as well.

  1.  The first meal I tried was the skillet Chilaquiles.

I love Mexican, so this was perfect. I took all the ingredients out of the box and thought it didn’t look like enough for two people. But I have to say, everything did look fresh. There was a tomato, a lime, radishes, etc. Every ingredient you needed for that meal was in the box. I thought for sure I would have needed to add something from my pantry to it, but I didn’t. The only thing I added was oil to heat up the pan.  

The recipe was very easy to follow and the timing was pretty accurate. The meal was prepared within the 30 minutes.  It called for an oven safe pan, but I wasn’t sure if mine was, so I didn’t want to take a chance. So instead of finishing it off in the oven, I poured the ingredients over the chips and topped it with cheese to melt it in the microwave.  

Another thing that I liked was that there were no wasted ingredients. It was just enough for what you needed. I hate when you make new recipes and you just need a dash of this or a pinch of that, and you have to by the whole jar, and you don’t end up using it again.

I didn’t think the price was bad at all. Considering I cannot even go to the grocery store and get away that cheap and have several meals.

I was very happy with my first round of subscription boxes. My only complaint was that I didn’t feel the portions were accurate, because I ended up eating the whole meal in one sitting, when it clearly states that it is meant for two. Maybe these meals aren’t for runners. 

 Some of the other meals I made from the first and second Hello Fresh boxes.

2.  Zucchini and smoky bean quesadillas.

3. Portobello Mushroom burgers. I didn't use the bun. I put it on a salad and ate both portions in one setting.

4. Basil Pesto Tagliatella Pasta. This was good and I ended up having three servings.

5. Vegetarian Paella. This was good but needed a protein with it. I know it was vegetarian but I bet it would have been better to add chicken to it.

The subscription boxes were going to keep coming until I decided to cancel them. Since I was pleased with my first round, I wanted to try it one more week to see what other meals I received. Also I wasn’t sure how much it was going to be after my first week when I received the discount so had to know what I was going to be charged from here on out.  My next boxes came, and they did not disappoint either. The meals were just as good and very flavorful with the spices and herbs that come with each meal. I found out that the meals were going to be $59 each week now.  I had some decision making to do. Yes, I like the meals. They are very convenient and tasty, but are they worth the money? I decided that I was going to cancel my subscription. Since I haven’t tried any other food services yet, I thought I’d take advantage of some discounts they would offer when you first sign up then decide which one I like better. 

Have you ever had a food subscription service? If so, which one and what did you think?  L

                                    We are linking up with the gals from the Friday 5.