When you are expecting, you get so many cool deals. One deal I got was to try a home delivery meal service. I figured that I'll be out of some income for a while due to maternity leave and I don't want to drag the new baby out to the store(or 3 kids for that matter!) So I signed up for a free box from Hello Fresh. I chose the 3 meal 2 person option. It's $69 a week for this option which is about $9.99 per serving. This is typical for what it would cost to go out to eat or have takeout plus way healthier than fast food! Since Kid X is gluten free, I figured he couldn't try most of the meals so I planned for him to have his own dinner while the rest of us tried the box out. I was surprised to see that Kid X could enjoy some of these dinners without any modifications and they were clearly labeled in the the instructions "gluten free!"
My free box contained Smokey Turkey and White Chili, Rosemary Basted Steak, and Creamy Orecchiette Pasta. The Chili and the Steak meals were gluten free but since Kid X is also FODMAP free, he was only able to try the Steak which he LOVED! These meals were fabulous! They arrived very fresh, the ingredients were packaged in boxes for each meal and the meats were separate and still frozen. My favorite was the pasta that week, because that dish included Brussels sprouts which I love! The next delivery I got included Glazed Teriyaki Chicken, Italian Ciabatta Burgers and Fig and Brie Pizza. My favorite meal was the Pizza, so tasty!
With Hello Fresh you can choose 3,4 or 5 meals each week with either a 2 person or 4 person option. There is the Classic Box, which I ordered or you can choose from the Vegetarian Option. The only think lacking with Hello Fresh is the option of more choices. There are only 5 choices each week and no alternatives. One of the meals each week is a seafood dish and unfortunately I'm allergic to all forms of seafood(but my family is not and would be happy if I occasionally order some seafood for them!)
Hello Fresh gave me the option to gift 4 people a free box or I can post a link for my friends to get $40 off their first box, When I posted on social media about this, a friend said to try out a different service and gave me a code for a discount off the service. So the following week I tried Home Chef.
Since I had a code for $30 off my first box, I chose the 4 meal option for 2 people. My first box included Pan Seared Pork Chops with Honey Fennel Butter, Skinny Chicken Mozzarella, Wood Fired Barbecue Chicken Pizza and Coffee Rubbed Flat Iron Steak. All the meals except the pizza were gluten free. What I also liked about this service is the side dishes! Most meals have amazing sides! When I served the pork chops, both kids tried the swiss chard and the turnip gratin. Did they eat the chard? No. They both took one bite and said it was ok. But they loved the turnip gratin! I never told them what it was, but they both ate their serving!
With Home Chef you have way more options. You can do a 3,4,5 and more meal option. The 4 meal option for 2 is $79.60 per week and I was able to feed 2 adults and 2 kids with it. What I liked about this service other than the generous portions of side dishes was the options each week. There are 10 options of main meals to chose from and add ons! 2 breakfast options and an option for fresh fruit! Each serving is about $9.95 and the breakfast options vary. During the holidays they had some special items to order such as cheesecake and New Years Party Trays at various prices, nothing was over $20. Home Chef's meals were packed in separate bags and the meat was also separate and still frozen. Home Chef's packing seemed to be more sturdy with more ice packs then Hello Fresh and the package was definitely heavier. I'm glad last week was warm and close to our summer weather in Texas to make sure these boxes withstand the heat! And they did!
Each service provided the step by step instructions for each meal. Hello Fresh sends a small booklet and Home Chef sends a notebook with the pages included to insert in the book. I was only missing one item from the Hello Fresh Box and it was some Balsamic Vinegar for the Pizza kit. That's an item I have so I didn't worry about it. You need to have salt, pepper, butter and olive oil on hand for most meals from each service, but that was it, all the other ingredients are pre portioned so it's super easy to whip up! Almost all meals can be made in under 35 min. I'm pretty sure my husband is happy I'm cooking again! You can pause or cancel your service at anytime. I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for my grocery bill and my bill when we either go out or bring home take out. Since this past week was Christmas and we had some guests that week, I did have take out on 2 different nights that totaled around $65 so I spent almost more on the 2 meals of takeout than the 3-4 meals from this service. And the meals in my box were way better than the 2 takeout meals of barbecue and pizza!
I have links to both services for you to trial a box for a discounted price. Both are affiliate links that will give me a discount on my next order. Hello Fresh seems to have codes or deals for FREE boxes from time to time, but you do not get compensation for those, they are strictly gifts to friends! And I'm thankful for that because who doesn't like free food? For Hello Fresh: go to www.hellofresh.com and enter this promotional code to receive $40 off your first box:
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For Home Chef go to this link and receive $30 off your first box: https://www.homechef.com/invite/BQ2bdSxvvQzE
Hope you enjoy these services as much as I have! I do plan on trying out some of the other services as well and I'll post my review of them as soon as I do! Have a great New Year from Gluten Free Kid X!
