Mail Order Meals-Blue Apron

On our journey to find the best meal subscription box service for two my husband and I recently discovered, Blue Apron. Since we used an introductory offer, the first box cost us $0 because a friend sent it to use and it came with 3 meals of 2 servings each. We also ordered and received a second box. I have since cooked all of the meals sent and will review my experience with Blue Apron, below.

Hominy & Poblano Pepper Pozole with Avocado and Crispy Tortilla Strips

This was yummy but it lacked a complex flavor profile

This was the very first meal I cooked from our free Blue Apron box. I was skeptical when I opened the box that it would be worth $60 a week in the future. It was not something my husband would want to try and it made about 4 servings. I really liked it but I'll admit it lacked something. I wish it was spicier but I liked the fact that learned was pozole was and that I liked hominy. I would happily make this again. Very filling, low calorie, good portion size for the calories. I was impressed by this meal and immediately hooked on Blue Apron.

Steaks au Poivre with Crispy Fingerling Potatoes & Sauteed Kale

This is their photo, I forgot to photograph ours.

This meal was amazing. It was perfect. I made kale in such a way that I got my husband to eat it and it was a filling, low calorie, healthy, meal. I would gladly order and eat this again. I'll admit peeling each potato was time consuming but the outcome was delicious! After I made this I was a customer for life.

Alsatian Spiced Chicken with Smashed Potatoes & Glazed Red Cabbage

This is their photo, I forgot to photograph ours.

This meal was amazing. I got my husband to eat cabbage with this one! Unique and filling I was thrilled to eat this one. This box was an awesome introduction to Blue Apron. Since we got another box from them, I'm reviewing it too-so this one will be a bit longer read.

Chicken Cacciatore with Fettuccine Pasta and Mushrooms

This is their photo, I forgot to photograph ours.

I'll admit with such a great start, this dish was a huge disappointment. It was basically just pasta, tomato sauce, chicken, and mushrooms. Nothing about it was unique, it wasn't that flavorful and it certainly wasn't low calorie. Had my second box been my first, I would not have kept going with Blue Apron. This box shows they are not perfect, but that is okay. It was still good enough, quick, and eatable. I'm hopeful we will never have to order this one again though.

Mushroom and Poblano Pepper Quesadillas with Monteray Jack Cheese and Avocado-Radish Salsa

This is their photo, I forgot to photograph ours.

This dish was delicious, but not husband friendly. My biggest issue with it was the fact that it was almost 800 calories and in no way is one 3.5 inch quesadilla an entire meal. Portion control is one thing but this was not two servings of anything and it was certainly NOT low calorie. Again, if the second box had been my first, I probably wouldn't have signed up!

Cuban Sandwiches with Sweet Plantain and Kale Salad

This is their photo, I forgot to photograph ours.

This dish would have been perfect if this bread was not terrible. The inside of the sandwich and the concept were excellent but they sent some of the worst bread I've ever tried to eat. It was so chewy and hard the entire sandwich was unenjoyable. The plantain and kale salad was epic and I got my husband to eat it too! I would not order this again just because of the bread but otherwise this meal was pretty good.
*****UPDATE: After complaining about the bread to customer service, they gave me $20 off my next order! Very good customer service!

                                Blue Apron Rating:

+ New, good, and unique recipes that are accessible to my husband (for the most part) 10/10

+ Low price at $60/wk 10/10

- Not always perfect choices, but more good than bad 6/10

- Portions are generous but not too big, usually 8/10

+ Good for calorie restrictive diets 10/10

Total Score (out of 50): 44/50

WOULD RECOMMEND TO MOST COUPLES

Mail Order Meals-Green Chef

On our journey to find the best meal subscription box service for two my husband and I recently discovered, Green Chef. Since we used an introductory offer, the first box cost us $29 and it came with 3 meals of 2 servings each. I have since cooked all of the meals sent and will review my experience with Green Chef, below.

Ginger Tamari Steak, Veggie and Black Rice Ramen Salad, & Peanut Sauce

I forgot to photograph ours but this is a pretty accurate photo.

This meal was cooked for my best friend, Jeremy. He thought it was really good! I thought it looked delicious as well. I thought the dish was a unique, healthy, filling dinner. One GREAT thing about Green Chef is that all of their meals are 100% USDA Organic. This is the only box around that is. Also, their options are healthy. The fact that everything had peanut sauce on it, though, would've been a deal-breaker for my husband. Also, they have a lot of pre-chopped vegetables which diminishes quality for the sake of convenience. Additionally. the pre-made sauces make their recipes basically useless for future use. If you don't know what is in their marinades, etc. replicating them is impossible.

Honey-Balsamic Chicken, Lentils & Mushrooms, with Peperonata Salad

I forgot to photograph ours but the is a pretty accurate photo

This meal was delicious. I prefer dark meat chicken and I really think this marinade the chicken was in added very little to the chicken's flavor but my husband loved the chicken. I ate the lentils and portabella mushrooms but my husband doesn't like either so he had roasted corn in their place. The salad was good. I'll admit nothing was epic about this dish or overly original but it was very good. Again, pre-made marinades don't allow you to replicate the meal without being a subscriber. Green Chef also has Paleo and Gluten Free options available which I really like.

Quinoa Spinach Fritters with Chickpea Tomato Salad & Herb Yogurt Sauce

This dish was epic

This was my favorite boxed meal I've tried. I really like vegetarian dishes because they can be done so well. This dish was perfect. My husband was not keen on the idea of chickpea and tomato salad so I made this for lunch and will eat the other serving another day. This was filling, healthy, unique. I can probably replicate the yogurt sauce pretty easily with chives, plain greek yogurt, and a lemon. I have kept this recipe and will cook this again. Unbelievably good.

Green Chef Rating:

+/- Completely Organic but not always high quality ingredients: 8/10

+/- Recipes that I love but that aren't accessible to my husband: 5/10

+ Delicious and nutritious, and portion controlled: 10/10

+ Has the most customized options for multiple dietary preferences: 10/10

+ Cost prohibitive at $89/wk: 1/10

Total Score (out of 50): 34/50

WOULD RECOMMEND FOR COUPLES WITH MORE SIMILAR PREFERENCES THAN US & COUPLES WITH MORE MONEY THAN US.

***Use this link to try Green Chef for $29. https://api.dealspotr.com/v3/promotions/-ds-29-green-chef-organic-meal-delivery-4-free-meals-vs/go

Mail Order Meals-Home Chef

On our journey to find the best meal subscription box service for two my husband and I recently discovered, Home Chef. Since we used an introductory offer, the first box cost us $39 and it came with 4 meals of 2 servings each. I have since cooked some of the meals sent and will review my experience with Home Chef, below.

Bangers and Mash

From our dinner table.

This dish was delicious! This was Home Chef's answer to St. Patrick's Day theme meal and it was perfect. The Cheddar Mash potatoes were yummy. I would have changed nothing about this dish. My only complaint is that our goal, from this project, it to find the box that will help us eat healthier, try new things, and prevent us from eating out more than once a week. This dish was in no way healthy or new and exciting. I have always loved Bangers and Mash. Portions were generous and flavor was perfect. The demi glaze used to make the gravy was not enough to make a gravy as thick as I would've preferred but otherwise this was an excellent meal.

Korean Pork Medallions with Rice Vinegar Slaw

From our dinner table.

This dish was delicious! What I like about this dish is it was something new for us to try. Portions sizes were still generous without being way too much food and the calorie count was low. This encouraged my husband to eat a different type of slaw with his pork :) This meal was also very easy to make. We will keep this recipe to use again!

Seared Italian Sirloin Steak with Parmesan Polenta

From our dinner table.

This was a good dish. Polenta was perfect but steak was a sirloin so it was a cheap cut. My husband was happier with this meal than I was. The glaze was not nearly substantial enough to have any leftover sauce to top the steak with, so, the directions were misleading. The portion was not overwhelmingly large but it was filling. This was certainly not healthy. Home Chef has a lot of 'home cooked' sort of meals which may appeal to the average person very much but not as much to me, someone trying to eat healthier.

Pesto and Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Breast with Cauliflower Mash and Garlic Kale

Their website photo. We have yet to cook this meal.

It will be a few more days until we get to eat this meal but I wanted to say that this was one of the meals included in the box.

Home Chef Rating:

+/- The lowest ingredient quality by far but still good food 4/10

+/- Delicious recipes but unoriginal 6/10

+ Cheapest box ($59/wk) with most flexibility for menu swapping and custom tastes 10/10

+ Potentially the most accessible to the average person 10/10

- High-calorie portions that don't help with portion control 1/10

Total Score (out of 50): 31/50

WOULD RECOMMEND BUT NOT MY FAVORITE

***Use Code GA30FREE to get $30 off your first order.

Mail Order Meals-Hello Fresh

On our journey to find the best meal subscription box service for two my husband and I recently discovered, Hello Fresh. Since we used an introductory offer, the first box cost us $29 and it came with 3 meals of 2 servings each. I have since cooked all of the meals sent and will review my experience with Hello Fresh, below.

Salmon Papillote with Couscous and Asparagus

From Hello Fresh's website. We didn't take the time to photograph this abomination.

This dish was terrible. Neither of us are fans of fish and since we weren't able to choose more specific dietary preferences we were sent a salmon meal. I paid for it, I wanted to eat it. It was really awful. The couscous was 50% onions by the time I was done making the dish. The asparagus was delicious but I could buy and roast my own asparagus for $1.99. You may ask, why didn't you just remove what you didn't like? Well, I am a firm believer that meals are designed to be cooked with all listed ingredients and I don't hate onions so I followed the recipe. The older I get the less likely I am to switch out ingredients I don't like because I find that well done dishes tend to have excellent flavor profiles regardless of the ingredients I may not be too fond of.

Lemony Pan Seared Chicken with Pesto Potato Salad and Peas

Photo from my kitchen table.

This dish was the best dish in the box by far. It was delicious. I'll admit it seemed to be a thrown-together assortment of food but it was very good. It was filling, yummy, low calorie, and healthy. My husband isn't a fan of peas but he still ate and enjoyed this dish. I would eat this again.

Lasagna Kale Penne Bake

This is what the dish actually looks like. Their web photo was not an accurate depiction.

This dish was okay. Of all the dishes it was the largest, quantity-wise. Holy crap this was easily 4 servings, not two! What is really a shame is that since it turned out to be about 50% kale, reheating it was not very tasty. The recipe, again, called for way too much onion but this time I removed 75% in order to give the meal hope of being tasty. It was extremely lacking on the meat (around 1/2 a pound of ground meat total), it lacked enough tomato sauce, and the kale was overwhelming. I, personally, highly prefer lacinato (dinosaur) kale to curly kale and this used a TON of curly kale. Truly, we expected it to taste terrible when we sat down, but, to our surprise it was overwhelmingly average and edible. We would never make this or eat this again. I really think, again, that these dishes seems thrown together. It's almost like Hello Fresh was trying to clear out their warehouse of a bunch of random crap. The reason for their menu items this week was 'to add green for St. Patrick's day' but it really kind of sucked.

Hello Fresh Rating:

+ Generous portions: 10/10

- Overpriced at $70 a week: 1/10

- Insane amounts of packaging: 1/10

+ Product Quality (High quality but not organic): 8/10

- Recipes overall: 3/10

Total Score (out of 50): 23/50

WOULD NOT RECOMMEND

***Here is a coupon code you can use to get your first box for $29: FNYRQ8ZH