Before you Try HelloFresh, Read This!

I’m going to be really honest with you guys. I’m NOT a good cook. I make amazing pasta in 235 different ways, but when it comes to the rest of it, I’m not very good at it. My husband is the cook in our family. He’s really talented and…. I love eating, so it works for us! But as I get older, and our family has grown to 5 people, I want to try to be better. I keep telling myself I’m going to learn to meal plan, but each week goes by and I’m busy working and chasing after our sweet girl who just learned to crawl, trying to referee our boys, and trying to make sure everyone has clean underwear. The days go by quickly and there is never enough time in the day to conquer my TO DO list…..so I just haven’t made cooking a priority. But I thought it would be fun to give it a shot and I reached out to HelloFresh for a collaboration. I am so excited to be working with HelloFresh on this post and as always, all thoughts are my own!

Unbox HelloFresh and Cook with Me Video:

WHAT IS HELLOFRESH?

HelloFresh is a meal delivery service that plans menus and ships all of the ingredients right to your door. No more excuses. If you’re busy, even better! Each meal is designed to take 10 minutes to prep and 30 minutes to cook. They have amazing menus that change weekly, you just have to select a plan (Classic meals-this is what we got, Family meals, or Vegetarian meals). You can choose 2 or 4 servings. Then you wait for your box to arrive. You’re probably wondering how it works…. I was to. To think someone can take care of meal planning, gather all of the ingredients and portion them out, and drop them at my doorstep…..with cold meat and fresh vegetables….sounds too good to be true. Here’s how it went for us….

HOW IT WORKS:

I submitted our order online. We went with the Classic meal plan. A shipping date was set, and a big box arrived with three complete meals, each for 4 people! I was really excited to open up the box and see how it all looks! I’ve seen HelloFresh ALL over the internet and couldn’t wait to experience it myself.

Everything was packaged carefully and well. On top of the insulated bag with all of the food were our three menu cards along with a nutrition card detailing everything we’d be eating. There were extra ice packs at the bottom between each pack of meat to keep it cold during delivery. Nothing leaked and all of the ingredients looked as if they came straight from the store.  My husband and I opened up the box and were very impressed! Each meal was in its own bag to make it easy to keep track of ingredients. They even included fresh spices and condiments!

The three meals we received were: Sweet Apple Pork Tenderloin, Crispy Chedder Frisco Cheeseburgers, and Creamy Dill Chicken. In this post, I will feature the Sweet Apple Pork Tenderloin with cauliflower mash and snap peas. Let’s get started!

I love that each meal comes with a recipe card. I love seeing how the end result should look and also the step-by-step cooking instructions with pictures on the back. For a beginner cook like me, photos are very helpful! I found the meals to be pretty easy to follow along with also, so if you are cooking-challenged like me, you’ll be just fine!

The front of the recipe card also includes a visual list of all the ingredients needed for the meal and the total calories. This meal is 570 calories. On the back of the card, you’ll see cooking tips and the instructions for your recipe. It will also list the extra items you will need to prepare your meal that are not included. For this recipe, we needed: a large pot, strainer, large pan, baking sheet, vegetable oil (1 TBSP and 2 TBSP), Butter (2 TBSP and 4 TBSP), and a potato masher. They also recommend a wine pairing (if you’re a wine drinker).

LET’S MAKE DINNER!

The cooking process was broken down into 6 easy steps that I was able to follow along pretty easily. You can watch my entire cooking process in my video at the top of this post!

 

SOOOO…..HOW DID IT WORK OUT?

WOW, you guys…. I have to say that it feels pretty awesome to be able to make something that actually looks like the picture on the recipe AND tastes amazing! I’ve never been a fan of cooked apples, but making them this way seemed like it would go really well with the pork and it was delicious!

I definitely want to practice cooking so I can get better at it. I am really lucky to have a husband who cooks for us and I’d love to be able to cook something for him that he isn’t afraid of! HelloFresh helps moms like me feel like a cook and they really make the process fun and easy!

I probably wouldn’t have tried this recipe on my own because I would have thought it was too difficult- if we’re being totally honest. But having everything portioned out along with simple, easy-to-follow instructions made me feel comfortable preparing this meal. The food was delicious! Now I have learned a new way to cook apples to dress up a meal and I have HelloFresh to thank for that! I totally understand that many people already know how to cook….. but the convenience of having a menu chosen, ingredients portioned out, and everything shipped right to your door is something every parent can appreciate! If you already know how to cook, you’re just a few steps ahead!

HelloFresh would also make for a fun date night in. Cooking together is always fun and when you don’t have to go to the store to get everything, you’ve got more time to watch a movie together. I highly recommend this service to anyone who wants to cook amazing meals, easily.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE:

Coming back to reality after we cooked all of our meals and having to once again decide what to make for dinner. Really though, I liked everything! And I think you will, too!

SAVE UP TO 50% OFF YOUR FIRST BOX HERE!!!

I asked if I could give you guys a deal to try it out. They said yes! If you click here to check out HelloFresh, the discount will automatically apply. You can also use my code PAPERCLIPS for the same discount! Please let me know if you order and which meals you get! I hope you love it as much as we did!

Have you tried HelloFresh?

Let me know what you think in the comments!

 

 

FTC Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by HelloFresh. All thoughts are my own.