Review of HelloFresh
To introduce the topic I would like to point out I was gifted my HelloFresh Box as part of a campaign with them. With that being said, I am always honest with my reviews of certain products and companies. I believe it is more important now more than ever to be transparent, especially with social media and the rise of “social media influencers'“. Being a health care practitioner, I have many clients who ask my opinion on certain products / foods / companies, and I will always disclose any collaborations I have. I will always be honest with you, as you have taken the time to read what my opinion is and that is truely humbling.
So, with the formalities out of the way!
My Review.
I received the ‘Family Box / 4 people x 5 meal kits’ from the HelloFresh Website last week.
Initially, I was confused with the ordering system as I am not used to it, but basically you can sign up (very easily) and then you select the box you’d like with the amount of meals for each (there was vegetarian box for example).
Then, you get taken to a page which displays the meals ‘ON’ for that week. This is what it looked like for me in that week.
I eat Gluten-Free, so out of the 6 options I had below, only 2 were Gluten Free (that I could see based on the name and some of the ingredients). I decided to cook 2 of them and my partner cooked 2 of the meals.
All of the options available to me in that week. I could choose 5 meals.
The meals which I trialled were the ‘Mild Beef Biryani’ and the ‘Honey-Thyme Chicken and Roast Veggie Medley’.
Overall
Positives:
The meals were really easy to organise. The meals come in a simple cardboard box with a big ice pack so any meat can stay cool if you were not home. Each meal I had came in its’ own brown paper bag and a sticker. This coloured sticker was also on the Recipe Card. I just kept the bags in the fridge and when I wanted to make the meal, I found the sticker and the Recipe Card.
It was easy to follow. There are quantities and instructions which are very easy to follow. Even if you are not a cook you could still make these delicious meals.
Well priced. I believe the entire box was ~$150 AUD which included delivery. I am not exactly sure on the price of each meal as there was HEAPS leftover, but I am confident in saying it is worth the money. If you were eating out for Lunch and Dinner each day you could easily spend $50 a DAY, so it is well worth it on the pocket!
You don’t have to plan recipes or do the grocery shopping. You could very easily organise your breakfast and snacks during the day and have HelloFresh for Lunch and Dinner.
“Healthy”! Now, I use this term loosely because healthy means something different to everyone. But for me, it means whole foods (as close to nature as possible), plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean protein source and healthy fats. I believe HelloFresh ticks all of these boxes.
Negatives
You still have to cook! I’ll be honest, it’s not like meal prep or cooking suddenly disappears! I VERY nearly ordered UberEats one night even though I had heaps of meals to cook from HelloFresh. However, once I got that INITIAL, tiny bit of motivation to cook and I knew I’d feel much better doing it, the meal preparation was REALLY simple. About ~30 minutes for each meal which is doable if you were a time poor person.
It was a little hard to find and navigate ‘alternate’ meals. Because I eat gluten-free I was slightly disappointed when I couldn’t easily see what was suitable and not suitable. You may not have any dietary requirements therefore this wouldn’t be a problem, however, I would have loved to have a REALLY easy-to-see symbol of GF (Gluten-Free) or DF (Dairy-Free). Adding to this, only 2 of the meals were GF Friendly, so if I was cooking for myself, I would only have a few options to choose from.
The big question ……
Would I get it again….
I would, YES!
The price was good, it was convenient and was delivered to my door. The meals were fresh, healthy and good flavours. I did make a few tiny flavour adjustments (add a bit extra here and there) but that’s just me being a ‘flavour person’.
I do have a DISCOUNT CODE if you are at all inclined to try it out. No pressure.
The code is: LoveClaudia and it gets you 40% off your purchase (* you need to be a new customer).
Mild Beef Biryani
Delicious! This was only HALF of the mixture that it made. I swear I’ll be eating this meal for a week!
I added some extra currants (because I love them) for some extra flavour, but this meal was really easy, tasty and perfect for a training day meal. The recommended serving size is quite heavy in calories (for me anyone) so I’d recommend splitting into another serve to have.
Honey-Thyme Chicken and Roast Veggie Medley
I really enjoyed the flavour of the honey-mustard chicken! This was again quite easy to make and it made ~4-5 HUGE portions. I would have this on a training day again as it contains a solid portion of carbohydrates.