HelloFresh: in my opinion...

There is no need to be reminded of the hustle and bustle of every day life and finding the time to meal plan and shop doesn't happen successfully in my house and to top it all off we are all finicky eaters. And to mention I loathe shopping -- of any kind. So my hubby suggested trying "one of those meal delivery services".

After much research online comparing the many companies, we settled on HelloFresh. The major deciding factor was the price. So I placed my first order using a promotional code for a discount and selected the family meal plan at three meals a week.

(PSA: I was not paid to give my opinion or swayed in any way)

We have had nine meals so far and I am in love!! As my hubby put it "we haven't had a bad one yet". Now there are always pros and cons so I am happy to spell out what we have experienced. I'll start with the pros:

• Fantastic, creative and unique recipes -- a great variety of proteins, veggies etc.
• Easy to follow recipes with added "start strong" advice that gives tips prior to cooking 
• Quality meats and produce
• "Earth-friendly" packaging and products (https://www.hellofresh.com/recycling/)
• My kiddos have been excited to help cook and the recipes even note when it's a great time for them to jump in
• I think we have saved roughly $150 a week, if not more, on not eating out (I did mention I hate shopping, right?)
• Makes for great leftovers (saving us even more money and provides healthier lunches too)
• They are on it!! When comments or issues are brought up on their Facebook page they are quick to respond and offer suggestions, refunds and/or discounts to rectify the situation.

This one is a pro for me but could be a con for others:

You cannot specifically select the meals that you will receive for the week AND I LOVE THAT!! We are never all on the same page on what we want or where to eat for dinner, which leads to someone compromising and ultimately not happy. But this way, it's like a weekly culinary adventure -- even when I pick up the kiddos from school they excitedly ask what we are having for dinner.

Ok, so now onto the cons:

• The timing on some of the recipes is not really accurate -- taking longer than stated etc.
• High altitude: a suggestion to HelloFresh would be to add high altitude recommendations on the recipes as that truly does affect the timing (living at 5280', I must think through the timing of some of the recipes)

And that's it on the cons. 

So all that being said, I feel it's important to share a good thing when I find it and ordering HelloFresh has been a fun and appetizing adventure and I hope it continues to be!

Here is their link: https://www.hellofresh.com/tasty/