I Tried Hello Fresh And This is What I Thought...

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Apparently my love for grocery shopping is not something that is shared by most of the working world. Friends and coworkers groan and lament about having to go to the store and often opt for take out or frozen meals instead. For me, however, grocery shopping is a pleasure. Composing a grocery list, sorting through my remaining food goods, planning out meals and flavor profiles, strolling through the aisles, and even going to multiple grocery stores in search of the best or most affordable food product is a part of my weekly routine and the first, and crucial, step to my meal prep days. You get the picture, I'm a freak.

A friend of mine, the lovely Chelsea, has suggested to me on multiple occassions that I try ordering my groceries from Amazon or give food prep companies like Hello Fresh a shot. I typically answer her with, "Interesting. Yeah, I'll look into it." And then I never actually do. Chelsea knows that if I don't do something IMMEDIATELY when I'm thinking of it or if I don't write it down on one of my many little notebook To Do lists (and I mean MANY. Like I said, I'm a freak) then i won't do it. So, she took the initiative and sent me a free week of Hello Fresh meals.

MONDAY

I get an email from Hello Fresh telling me that I received Chelsea's gift of free meals. I am required to log in, select my meal plan, and select my delivery date. I select the vegetarian meal plan and begin to peruse the menu. I am pleasantly surprised as the meals not only look delicious, but can easily be adapted into vegan meals, and are very similar to something I would make myself. I was going to receive three meals, all of different flavor profiles, for a family of two (which really means one when you eat the way I do). The three meals were set to be: Seitan Tacos el Diablo; Summer Succotash Stuffed Peppers; and a Chickpea and Egg Skillet. I was happy about the meal options as Chelsea had forewarned me that Hello Fresh's vegetarian options are often 1) full of cheese and 2) not greatest for the money spent. (She told me a story about how a veggie meal she received was makings for a grilled cheese.... [eye roll]). So far, so good. Looking forward to my week of free meals!

WEDNESDAY

This is when I start thinking about what I'm going to grocery shop for, and I panicked. How do I NOT go to the grocery store? Is that an option? Will I survive? [SPOILER ALERT: I survived] It took an incredible amount of will power to not swing by the specialty grocery stores that I frequent during my work breaks to pick up food. I may have still stopped in to plan ahead for the following week, but, I digress.

FRIDAY

Just a little more panic. What happens if they deliver it and I'm not home? What happens if the food is yucky? What if what if what if. I have NO control over my food for a week and that freaks me out. (See comments above about my freakishness)

SATURDAY

I take Ellie out for a walk and when I return, there it is! The food has arrived! It is packed nicely in a large cardboard box full of insulated packing. Each meal was sealed in its own labelled paper bag and each ingredient was portioned out and packaged individually. The instructions, nutritional panels, and descriptions were printed on shiny card stock. The instructions were easy to follow and even included pictures. The information guides even included ways to serve and present the food. For me, however, I was using the entrees for meal prepping, so mine went straight into Tupperware containers.

FOOD PREPARATION

As stated above, the instructions were easy to read and to follow. I always prefer it when the instructions are listed in a chronological (and logical) manner; meaning, things like preheating the oven, washing/cutting the veggies, etc. are listed first in preparation rather than later, which often results in having to wait around for the oven to heat up or in oil smoking on the stove. The required culinary skills are little to none; you should know how to use a knife and the difference between slicing, mincing, boiling, simmering, etc. By eliminating the cheese (feta came for each entree), the eggs, and by using vegan butter rather than dairy butter, the meals were now vegan.

FLAVORS

Overall Consensus: YUM.

Summer Succotash Stuffed Peppers: I have eaten the stuffed peppers every day for lunch, along with a small side salad of spinach, cucumber, red onion, and carrots. Because it's been so hot, I eat the meal cold. The chilled sweet bell pepper full of sweet corn, peas, and lightly acidic tomatoes perfectly compliments the garlicky and oniony quinoa. To be honest, I did add some of my own produce at home, such as more garlic and onion, because, I mean, who really only uses two garlic cloves?? Nonsense.

Chickpea Skillet: As mentioned, I eliminated the eggs and dairy. I also added cornstarch/water as a thickening agent and added more garlic. The dish is inspired by a Shakshuka, which is a dish of eggs poached in an oniony and tomato-y stew with chili peppers. The cumin and chili powder spice was very potent, and, honestly, it tasted like the chili that I make. My chili is delicious, though, so that wasn't a bad thing. The baguette provided was nothing extraordinary, just a simple white bread baguette. I tend to prefer bread that is hearty and full of nuts and grains. Once again, I have been eating this dish cold, simply taking a toasted piece of bread or a cracker and scooping a heap of the tasty chickpeas and onions into my mouth.

Seitan Tacos: Setian tacos are something that I used to make regularly before Joe became gluten free. Unfortunately, this vegan protein is not friendly to those with gluten allergies, so it was good that I had this meal while Joe is away. What I enjoyed about this dish was the kiwi and tomato salsa. Growing up in Hawaii, I often made mango or pineapple salsa but had never considered other fruits until now. I made a side dish of my favorite rice: white rice cooked with onions, garlic, and vegan butter. I tossed in some drained black beans to make the quintessential beans-rice complete vegan protein and topped everything in a load of avocado.

Also, I LOVE seitan. If you haven't had it before, I highly suggest you try it in a taco like this recipe suggests. It has a meaty texture without any of the fat, grease, or flesh that actual meat has. The first time I had seitan I actually stormed back to the burrito food truck demanded they explain why they put meat in my vegan burrito. Long story short, I was embarrassed and discovered a new food.

It's also really fun to walk into a grocery store and ask people "Do you know where I can find seitan?"

FINAL THOUGHTS

If you do not enjoy the whole meal planning and grocery shopping process, this option is definitely for you. Hello Fresh eliminates the guess work and grocery store, making meal prep easy and tasty. The pre-portioned ingredients for the meals also help reduce food waste, which is a bonus, but due to all of the individual packaging and insulation it does not cut down on other types of waste. I could definitely see how services like Hello Fresh would benefit busy families and working couples by maximize time relaxing and minimize time and money spent on cooking food or eating out. However, if you are not a meat eater or, furthermore, are vegan or have food allergies, I would not suggest Hello Fresh until they come out with a vegan menu and a menu that considers food allergies like gluten. Because I was unable to select a vegan option, I am still contributing to food waste by tossing the eggs, sour cream, and feta. Because Joe is allergic to gluten, I would have had to buy and cook another vegan protein other than seitan, which defeats the intended purpose. You only have the option to modify and select your meals when you choose the Classic Plan, which is not vegetarian/vegan. Regardless, the real reason why I would not continue with Hello Fresh is because I missed the grocery store, I missed meal planning, and I don't like not having control over my menu. However, this is not to say never. If I were to become too busy to sustain a full day of meal planning, shopping, and prepping I could certainly foresee using Hello Fresh or one of its competitors as an option.

Overall, my verdict is that Hello Fresh is a viable and good alternative especially if you do not have any food allergies and are not vegan; however if you don't mind planning ahead, need/want more autonomy over your food selection, and enjoy culinary creativity then stick to what you know.