or rather #NotaPAIDAd
In a world full of content creators and influencers, it can be hard to tell what products and services are actually worth investing in. Advertisements are constantly filling up our feeds and unfortunately, sometimes these "influencers" are promoting products they don't actively use or truly believe in.
So it's extremely important to do your own research when it comes to buying these promoted products or to follow people who you believe truly support the products they promote. Luckily for you, I am not one of these so called "influencers" and I am not paid to promote any of the products I rave about*.
*With 1 Exception. I am a PR team member for An Actor Plans and I do receive certain discounts/ benefits from being on the team, but I can promise you I 1,000 % support that shop and everything Melissa sells.*
But besides this, everything else I am promoting FOR FREE because I LOVE IT. So that's why you should take this blog post seriously.
So anyone who knows me, knows how much I dislike cooking. And how much I dislike grocery shopping. Literally one of the first things I said to Jer on our first date was, "I hate cooking and grocery shopping and I think it's because I love eating so much and I'm impatient."
Whenever I actually have time to go grocery shopping, I always manage to forgot one ingredient I need to make the meal (no matter how many lists I make). Or I'll buy everything then be to tired to make it when it comes time to do it. I have become the expert at grilled cheese, spaghetti, and crockpot meals. (Maybe one day I'll share a list of my go to crockpot meals. Because they are so easy. Throw everything in the pot, go to work, come home, EAT.)
But I was sick and tired of eating the same thing all of the time. And really didn't feel like scouring Pinterest for new recipes. So when my friend had a coupon for a WEEK of free Hello Fresh meals, I decided to give it a try.
And now I'm probably never going back.
You can pick between three plan types : Classic, Family, and Vegetarian. Then you can select the number of people (2 or 4) and then how many meals you want to receive (2, 3, or 4).
I do the classic plan for two people and either 2 or 3 meals per week. This is usually between $50-$60. Sometimes I'll pay the extra $ to get a "From Dinner to Lunch" option which gives you a few additional ingredients to transform the meal into something new the next day.
Each week there is a variety of meals to chose from. The recipes I have made (in order from least favorite to favorite) are:
1. Chicken Pineapple Quesadillas
2. Tuscan Sausage and Pepper Spaghetti
3. Presto Pesto Panko Chicken
4. Pulled Pork Fiesta Bowls
5. Garlic Herb Tortellini
6. Broccoli /Potato Chowder
7. Italian Meatball Soup
8. Sausage Flatbread Dinner (Dinner 2 Lunch; to a Tomato Pasta)
I have one meal I didn't end up making because I was in previews. But I can usually always find a meal I like or enjoy in the list of options each week! They also list the estimated time for prep and cooking alongside each recipe online. This allows you to plan ahead based on your schedule.
*If you are newer to cooking, sometimes the meals take a little longer to cook. I'm slower at chopping ingredients and read the instructions 10 trillion times so it takes a little longer for me.*
They are also extremely fun to make with a friend, roommate or significant other. I have made a few of these with Jer and each time we had a blast. I also still enjoy cooking them by myself as I am learning and improving on a skill each time I cook.
I always have mine delivered on Monday but it tends to arrive at the end of the day so I might switch it to Sunday moving forward. It's super convenientbecause everything is always packaged up by meal. I am working on cutting down the amount of paper towels / waste I use when making these meals, but a majority of their materials are recyclable.
Before I would always go to Target for my grocery shopping. This was an issue because I wouldn't limit my spending to just groceries. IT'S TARGET for crying out loud. I'd be a fool not to check out the Dollar Spot, the new spring arrivals, and well - the whole store. So each "grocery trip" would end up more than $100 with items that weren't even groceries. So even though Hello Fresh isn't "cheap" it does end up saving me some $ in the long run.
My final rave about this company is how awesome their customer service is. The first order I made I was having issues with the coupon code I received. They have a "chat with an employee" section and the employee helped me sort it out quickly. The one time a few ingredients were missing out of a meal- I took to the chat again and they discounted/credited me my next order immediately.
As you can tell I am a HUGE fan of Hello Fresh! While meal ordering services are not for everyone, (as I am not a picky eater) I do believe they are a huge help to people with irregular schedules (I'm looking at you theatre people).
I also have 3 FREE 1 week of meals (For just being a member/joining) so if anyone is interested in trying it out or has any questions please let me know!
Much love always,
Chels 💜
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