Hello Fresh

My first box arrived! Everything was well packaged and cold. I was worried about the summer heat, but the ice packs they provided were sufficient. I didn't get home until around 5pm. 

Everything is neatly organized. Each meal is in it's own brown bag. The recipe cards are gorgeous and the pictures set the bar high to make the meals look as described.

Eggplant and Sundried Tomato Linguine: The ingredients are so simple. No real measuring is required. I didn't have to come home and hunt everything I needed down from cabinets, drawers and the fridge, it's all there in one place. So easy!

The portions were generous and plated up to look almost exactly like the pictures.I'm feeling more than a little spoiled. This was so easy! No overly processed foods. Also no left overs or food waste (which is a major pet peeve).

 I may have added a little too much water to my sauce, but it was absolutely delicious! My teen said it tasted like a pizza dish which is a win from him too. 

Other meals:

Get Your Greens Rice Bowl: This recipe used asparagus, edamame, and bok choy (a new veggie for us which is another win for the service).

 Chunky Funky Veggie Burgers: I never new making black bean burgers was so easy!! I'll never buy pre-formed frozen patties again! Our teen ate the whole burger but passed his "fries" on to his baby brother who couldn't get enough of them. There was enough left over to form another burger which worked out perfectly for us!

The biggest win was that these dinner were ready and on the table within about 30 minutes of getting home from the gym, making our evening routine flawless each day. My teen son and I cooked and cleaned it all up together. Team work!

So far this is perfect for the mom who likes to cook, but just doesn't have time. I'm sold on subscribing. Now to just find the company that works best for our family. I'll stick with Hello Fresh for a month. Then I'll give a few others a try to see how they stack up.

Pros: customer service was excellent. I was never placed on hold. The agent was genuinely friendly and engaged in the call. The food arrived on time, it stayed cold, and everything held over in the fridge until I was ready to cook (no food waste). 

Cons: with the veggie plan I don't get any choices. I can skip a week if I don't like something, but I can't sub out a meal that won't work for our family (if there were allergies or strong preferences). 

Working and Writing

It's been a very long time since I've blogged. "The other shoe dropped" a year ago and I've been slowly putting back the pieces on my own; two boys in tow. It has probably been the hardest year of my life and I hope I never have to repeat so much struggle ever again.

I do still spend most of my time working, but I've eked out a routine of sorts and have been pressing on towards reaching personal goals. We get to play together as a family on the weekends again which has been the most important victory so far.

Financially I've worked out a budget and we are living comfortably. Not easy to do on one income but we have managed quite well so far. I'm working towards being completely debt free within a few years (including my car loan).

I often feel like I have so much to say and want to "blog it out" but find my mind blank when I finally get to sit down. 

Meal Delivery Services

I'm experimenting with meal delivery services. I love to cook good, healthy meals for my family. I don't have the spare time to invest in all of the planning and preparing. When I have time to go to the grocery store, I don't have the energy to also add the creativity needed to plan out a decent vegetarian menu. There's an art to putting it all together without letting the veggies expire in the fridge. We usually end up with take out, frozen dinners, or smoothies on most nights.

Food delivery services boast that they can deliver the experience of fresh gourmet meals with all of the planning done for you. They also offer around 50% off to give their service a try. So, I'm going to give it a try. I'll update you later.