Subscription: HelloFresh
Coupon Code: VHCY7D for $40 off your first week and $20 off for my next week!
Cost: Options come with meals for 2-4 people 3-5x per week.
- Classic [$9.90-$11.50 per person]
- Veggie Box [$9.08-$9.80 per person]
- Family [$8.75-$9.99 per person]
What to Expect: Delicious recipes, fresh ingredients, flexible subscription.
I looked at the meals and picked a few that sounded good, then forgot to go in and decline HelloFresh the week before Christmas because I knew we’d be busy. So we got the box and had to pack these meals in where we could because Christmas week was full of other tasty foods!
This is also really ridiculously late because I couldn’t find some of the pictures.
**I wasn’t sure why my total was $69 for 3 meals for two people. At $9.90 each, it should have been $59.40. But then I took a closer look and found you have to buy 10 meals a week, or 5 meals for two people to get $9.90/each. So mine was really $11.50/person.
Recipe 1: Pan-Seared Chicken and Orecchiette with Caramelized Bell Pepper, Broccoli, and Parmesan Cream Sauce
Cooking time: 35 mins, Level: 1
I copied and pasted the format from my previous HelloFresh post, and lit-tra-lee the paragraph in this area was “We started the week with this one because I don’t like peas in my food and like to save the best for last. However, McBoyfriend and I liked this dish despite the peas.”
So… we got this because it was supposed to have broccoli! The recipe card even showed broccoli, but it showed up with peas. I was not impressed, and they didn’t tell us about the swap. Fortunately, I’d taken some broccoli and cauliflower from McBoyfriend’s mom’s Christmas party leftovers the night before. Interestingly, they changed the online picture to show peas.
Anyway, I threw some onions, cheese cubes, and mayo in with the peas and made a quick pea salad! Approval from the boys.
[final meal pic missing]
Rating: 3/4 stars
The meal was tasty, and had more than enough food for our roommate to eat with us as well! But, I saved the day with some pilfered veg, otherwise I would’ve been bummed to eat more pea pasta.
Recipe 2: Turkish Meatballs with Parsnip and Creamy Polenta
Cooking time: 45 mins, Level: 1
My cook time: 55 mins [with help]
I asked my boyfriend to make the meatballs. He said he only dd it because he loved me… but I think our feelings on touching raw meat are mooootual.
Left top: I decided to shred the carrots and parsnip with a cheese grater [it definitely wasn’t a pedicure microplane, don’t worry!] because I hate chopping stuff and I hoped it would saute faster.
Left middle: The polenta was easy to whip up.
Balls o’meat: One of the meatballs was undercooked on McBoyfriend’s plate, so I got an extra meatball.
Rating: 4/4 stars
This meal hands down won the week! We both liked it, and I would definitely make it again. Amusingly, my brother threw a Christmas leftover of parsnips and carrots into the blender with pasta sauce and served it with pasta and meatballs a few days later so I basically got this twice in one week! The polenta was nice in ours, but my brohito had pasta.
There were leftovers of this meal though, which was nice!
Recipe 3: Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Caramelized Sweet Potato and Crispy Green Beans
Cooking time: 30 mins, Level: 1
My cook time: 56 mins
Top left: Ahhhh peeling thyme off a twig and chopping it? Ugh. Fortunately half of it was bad so I didn’t have to peel as much.
Top right: I found the meat thermometer! It was super helpful.
Bottom left: Bonne Maman!!! I love Bonne Maman jam–the fig kind is the best. YES I kept the jar!
Bottom right: The sauce simmering. I didn’t let it thicken enough.
Rating: 2/4 stars
This didn’t wow me. I like pork but McBoyfriend hates pork, so this was his save-for-last meal because he didn’t want to eat it. BUT he liked it. I hated the sauce; it had a peculiar flavor and was quite salty. The veg was fine though.
Verdict: This week got an overall 3/4 rating. We especially liked the Turkish meatballs with polenta, and I’m definitely keeping that recipe for later! Still annoyed I didn’t figure out the pricing thing before, because the $10 difference is what I could’ve spent on…. I mean put into my savings account. **sigh**
Thank you Artemis for asking me how long it to me to make the dishes vs what the cards said. Dish #2 was 10 mins longer even though I had help and dish #3 took almost twice as long! I don’t know how they came up with 30 minutes in the first place, because the sweet potato was the first item and had to be chopped, then cooked for 20-25 mins.
Do you think their times are just prep times or am I really ridiculously slow at cooking??
Click here to see more reviews from HelloFresh!
Disclosure: This box was paid for by me. There is a referral link so you get $40 off your first box, and I get $20 off.
Thank goodness there was no pedicure microplane involved. I think their cooking times are whack or like you said just the prep time. I also have an undercooked meat paranoia. I am shopping for a new thermometer because I broke mine this past week! Great review!! This box looks like a really good deal if you can pick what they send and don’t get surprise peas!
Great review! Informative and honest.
I’ve never tried Hello Fresh or any of these dinner / cooking subs except I just signed up today for Home Chef that I saw on Hello Subscription. I’m a little excited and a little nervous! I’m not a cook… at all, no desire. I asked my hubby if he would help and he said “sure” so we’ll see. I know prep will take me forever if he doesn’t.
Thanks, Heat! I was also looking at that Home Chef post and it has almost won me over. I need to go back and subscribe 🙂 Let me know what you think of it!
Dude I am all about the brocolli! My husband hates peas he said as a kid the dog would eat anything but peas.
Fig jam is thr best! I think it is one of the best secret marinades aver made. Especially with chicken.
Love your review and photo collages!
Thanks!! I accidentally bought a second jar of fig jam, and I’m thinking I may have to find one of these secret chicken fig marinade recipes! That sounds awesome.
Broccoli is the only veg my boyfriend willingly picks out to eat. Whenever we got out for Chinese and Thai he also usually asks for it in his beef dishes and Pad Thai.
Ahhh it is not so secret it is one of the simplest recipes you would then think it was a secret as you never knew until now…. Jar of figgy goodness gets it on with a protein and you just grill (or put them in the oven or on a skillet) the two of them until tender.
I like the variety of dishes they offer, but the real life cook and prep times give me pause. We really don’t have that much time on a regular basis. I’m still thinking about this sub though!