Both my husband and I have a very busy, professional life. We are both in the medical field. We do not have children and live downtown near the hospital. We live in an area where eating out is just a few steps away. HF is a healthier, easier option for people like us. I agree that it isn't cost effective for families larger than 2 adults, however for our lifestyle, it is perfect. The convenience and ease that it affords us is worth it. We both are proficient in the kitchen, however, by the time we get home after working long hours, trying to figure out what to cook, obtain the ingredients and cook the meal itself is laborious and honestly not something we look forward to. We have been using HF for the past year and we love it. Just a different perspective.
I always thought Hello Fresh was designed for people just like you 🤷♀️. Although I think my sister tried a service similar to it and she said her family (just two busy people) had too much food leftover. I guess they decided it wasn't worth the waste 🤷♀️.
Me too! Just my husband and me. No kids. We would always throw food away. I loved that you get just what you need with the meal plan boxes. Like three olives. Otherwise I have a leftover jar of olives in my fridge for two years. 😂 I would usually get the four serving plan with three meals a week. That leaves room for leftovers for lunch and also eating out, at my parents house etc..
It sounds like the person who isn't use to cooking, or doesn't do well, could do Hello Fresh for a time and learn a lot and get use to cooking. They could pay attention to what the spices and seasonings are. After a while they could pull away from HF and begin to do more and more cooking and shopping on their own. HF might serve as a good launchings pad into good meal preparation on your own, for cheaper.
@@k8t2014 That's great. I'm glad you learned to cook. It's a talent that will serve you all your life. Maybe HF should advertise themselves as as a way to learn cooking as well as make good meals already prepackaged!
This was very true for me! I wasnt taught how to "cook" meals. I grew up on fast food and ready made meals so after having this box for about 3 months or so, I have tons of recipes and feel better about recreating and putting together new meals.
This kind of service isn't going to be for everyone. This is especially for those who are capable of going to grocery stores but they do have their place. My mom gets a service like Hello Fresh. She is disabled and finds it difficult to do grocery shopping. It's just her, so the two-person meal is her dinner and then her lunch for the next day. The service allows her to still have independence and control in her life so the extra few dollars spent is worth it to her.
Kara my mom passed away in March and I used to order groceries to be delivered to my mom from Vons grocery store in California and they even brought them inside for her too
I love the idea! But next time, instead of mixing them together, make one and then make the other but keep them separate to show how much more you can get making it at home with your own ingredients and then grade the flavors independently :)
I normally make dinner at night and eat the other portion for lunch the next day. I thought I would be the person to just learn the recipes and start making them on my own but I just love the service. I haven't really looked at the money aspect. I'm the type of person who grocery shops and picks a bunch of stuff but never anything that actually makes a meal. Or if I go grocery shopping for a meal, I will only buy stuff for that one meal and then have to figure out what I'm eating for the rest of the week. I love having different recipes to try each week. I don't have the biggest budget but for me, I make room for it.
In my opinion it isn't, I make a meal plan of sorts, so the meals I make are on rotation. For example; mondays I'll have a type of pasta, pasta is an item that's really easy to make and super cheap, and can be eaten in many different ways; One week I might have a creamy brocolli pasta, the next week I might have a pasta salad, the week after I might just use sauce from a jar.... The point is, you can make so many meals out of cheap ingredients that don't go off that quickly or using ingredients that you always have around. If you need to finish something in the fridge look up a recipe using that ingredient, that's the way I don't waste food. (:
You can freeze almost everything! With time you will learn how to " recycle " leftovers. You can make great meals with leftovers! Just buy yourself a good cookbook. One on my favorite cookbooks is the Zuni cafe cookbook . It teaches you basic cooking skills that you will need all your life !
I use boxes like these all the time, especially during depression periods where I just have no creativity and would end up eating crap if I didn't use a service like this. I do keep all the recipe cards so that I can shop and make them on my own later, though, especially the really good ones. Lots of money saved when I'm in the headspace to actually do it. Irony of it all- I work as a cook 🤣😭
Same, I've been depressed with social anxiety for years and years but have now got it taken care of, so without these meal kits, I either don't go to the grocery because it's just not in my habits and eat mcdonalds drive thru.
I do the same! When I have too much anxiety to go to a grocery store, or even do drive-up, I will place orders for meal delivery services. It definitely has a place, while not for everyone.
I feel it though whenever you do something as a job you never wanna come home and do it again. In my depression episodes I just eat ramen and pizza rolls and I'm thinking about this kind of thing because I need to be more creative and if I have something spoiling in my fridge chances are my anxiety will be on it and I'll make something good
@@melindacheatham7527 🤣 not quite sure it's the same thing. I was really sad my job sapped the pleasure and creativity out of me. I love food! I love making East Asian dishes. But I need these boxes sometimes, for inspiration, and help to get proper meals while in my worst down periods.
I have always wanted to try a meal kit but could never justify spending the money. I had no idea that the recipes are available to anyone. Thanks for being awesome!
Yes, it’s obviously cheaper to prepare on your own but these meal kits offer convenience and helps people get cooking ideas without planning from scratch. Even Christine admits to spice uses she didn’t think of. In that respect, Hello Fresh is not selling just ingredients but ideas.
I think Hello Fresh is a great idea for someone who needs to learn to cook or even just someone who wants to try out recipes outside their comfort zone. So it's definitely not worth it just price for price but it might be worth it from a learning perspective.
For me the cost savings for hello fresh meals is the time it saves. I save time on grocery trips, I save time planning out my meals, And I don’t have to buy things that I might not use regularly. Another great part is that it has taught me to be a lot more creative with my cooking as well as eat more fresh veggies and generally healthier, more balanced meals. I’ve also found that I mix and match sauces and such that I learn from hello fresh and put them in other meals I make. It’s worth the expense to me because it’s like a cooking class and time saver that feeds me all in one.
I do not use hello fresh, but I do like the idea of getting exactly the amount that you need to prepare a meal. I will often not try a recipe because of an ingredient that it calls for. If it is something that I may never use again, I definitely do not want to pay for an entire bottle of a spice to only use a teaspoon. (for example) Then realize 6+ months later that I have to throw out that very expensive item. My niece loves hello fresh because of this and the step by step recipes.
I don’t use it all the time. I skip often, but I’ll browse the meals each week and decide if I want to try a couple of the meals on the list. I typically just work into my grocery budget for each month.
The thing is that some of us would have purchase all these ingredients new in multi use packaging and not use it all. Especially if your not an experienced meal planner and time are a time sensitive shopper.
I always remember what an off grider once said about choices: you have to accept that when balancing time, effort and money you can have two of these but not all three. Like, if for instance you want to save money that can be attained... as long as you spend more time and effort instead. If it's time you want to save, it can be done... but it's going to cost you more effort and money. You can't have it all.
I love hello fresh for me and my husband we are empty-nesters and there’s only two of us living here and we both work so this meal box subscription service is perfect for us I love the variety I don’t mind the cost I think it’s very cost-efficient in my opinion it saves me from meal planning and deciding on what to make for dinner and I love the variety of recipes that I would never think of on my own ..... the portion control is a definite plus
@Sandy, you certainly speak for my wife and me, as we are both very busy professionals. Your reply certainly added to the quality presentation that FrugalFit Mom provided. Never have used a service like this before and still thinking about it. Thanks so much for your insight.
These meal kits work when you’re living alone or just cooking for two and say you only need Monterey Jack cheese for one meal, but you can only buy this large package of Monterey Jack cheese that ends up getting wasted because you don’t have any other needs for it.
horrorghoul I totally agree. I do freeze quite a bit but I live in a small city apartment with a not so big freezer and can only store a few things in there. That’s a good way to do it though!
As a mom who feeds 9 (4 of whom are adults), I sometimes wish there was an affordable meal subscription option. Food ruts are a thing, and subscriptions like hello fresh are a great way to bust out of those. I like the idea of using hello fresh to meal plan, and just buy the ingredients myself. When my eldest moved out she was having a heck of a time learning how to cook for one. All of her recipes were scaled for 10, and her budget and freezer space couldn't fit the mountains of leftovers she was making, so we got her a blue apron subscription, which she enjoyed. While meal subscriptions aren't scaled for the large family, they're useful for the demographic they're targeted to :)
I’m a college student on a budget and I fell for it by a youtuber who was sponsored by home chef. The meals were above my budget and they weren’t that good. They saved me some time but that’s about it
As a single person, this is how I eat, but for a family, that is a mighty empty table. My mom used to make stuffed peppers, one of my favorites, and I'm trying to remember what else we had with it. There would have been a plate with butter, another with bread, probably some pickles and a yellow vegetable. Maybe some canned fruit. She rarely allowed me to have friends over, but one time I did and they said afterword that it was like Thanksgiving at our house for a regular meal. I remember we always had to have two vegetables for our main meal, one green and one yellow. We had a big garden and used to can and freeze what we grew. Looking at this table, I guess I took that all for granted. I also realize they're not showing the whole table.
When I was a child (90’s) we ALWAYS had bread with butter, every meal! Meat, potatoes/rice/or noddles, and at least one veggie. Then desert of some sort. And ALWAYS a glass of whole milk. I believe I was a very chunky kid because of this. 😂 All the other kids in my family were fine, because they were active, but I was an indoor/reading/drawing type, so it affected me differently. 😅
@@sofapop653 Sounds like we had the same upbringing. Was also a chubby kid/teen heck even adult. Wasn't allowed outside to play, protective mom. So stuck to indoor activities. Love your artwork.
We tried Hello Fresh for 4 weeks, 12 meals, for two people. I was impressed with the variety of choices, the creativeness of the recipes, and with one exception, the quality of the ingredients. That exception was the ground beef provide for the gourmet burger recipe. An old boot ground up with have been more tender and less stringy. We are an elderly couple and shopping for groceries can be troublesome. We often use a grocery delivery service from Meijer’s. If you are a beginning cook and don’t have a stock of infrequently used sauces and spices, HF is not a bad deal.
The only thing i can think of that makes Hello Fresh worth it is #1 dont have to drive to store . #2 consider it a "night out",but its in so you save & can be a romantic meal made together or family fun
I can't imagine it would actually even be a question. I would HOPE you can do it cheaper... The point of this isn't saving money, it's convenience. If the convenience is worth it to you, great...
I really liked them when I did it. It was very easy and convenient as I didn’t have to shop or think or portion out myself. I also didn’t have leftovers, which I liked because I HATE wasting food! To me, wasting food is absolute wasting money AND time spent going to get them. As a single woman, I find it economical to do once a month. I’d rather come home to a fresh meal kit thats healthier and fresher than stop for fast food. Also, I’ve tried several meal kits and HF is definitely great best. Honesty, their food tasted fresher than any local grocery store of mine. But of course it’s cheaper to have a well stocked pantry and make everything yourself. But if time is money, then saving time is saving money. I really enjoyed their food! Thank for this wonderful and honest review!
I have also tried a lot of the boxes, and Hello Fresh was one of my favorites. Have you tried Gobble? That one was FAST. Like 10 minutes to the table and the food was yummy, too.I have a couple of review videos on them as well.
these type of meals can always be made cheaper at home especially if you can find the things on sale especially the protein. What I would compare this to though is ordering takeout or going to a restaurant this is definitely cheaper than that and also helps you get out of your comfort zone and try a new recipe that your family might like. As I've said on my channel I've donea similar box meal kit and for the price I paid with a discount code it was reasonable comparatively to ordering out. And definitelyhealthier so if you compare it that way for a quick meal this is better option and just as fast as it would take to call up your local diner & order similar type food as it usually takes 30 to 45 minutes for delivery after you figured out what you want to order most of these meals are done in that time.
Great video! My family uses HelloFresh and we like it! We live in Canada and fresh produce is very expensive here. Things like fresh vegetables, fruit and fish/ meat cost a lot. So to me the price does not seem a lot more expensive than if I bought all ingredients myself. And of course you pay for the convenience of a complete recipe with all ingredients delivered to your house. How much time would I spend researching new recipes for 3 meals a week, making a grocery list and going shopping? I consider my time very valuable. And when selecting meals for next week I always think how much this meal costs and whether it makes sense to "order" it from HelloFresh. Something like spaghetti with Italian sausages and tomato sauce is not worth to get from HelloFresh, you can obviously make it for cheaper price yourself. Also, if there are no recipes that you like you can skip that week altogether, which I have done a few times. The quality of the ingredients is very good, I have never been disappointed with the quality or quantity. What I like the most is that at least 3 days a week I don't need to plan what's for dinner, this clears out my busy mom schedule quite a bit! And it's always fun for the whole family to receive that package and open it and start making dinner and follow the recipe. Somehow this is more fun than regular cooking and my family members are always willing to participate and excited to see what we end up cooking for our dinner. So I don't see the price as an issue, because I like the whole experience I'm getting.
Yes! I had the same experience! We lived in Montana...fresh produce was tough to get and was expensive. I loved Hello Fresh & it was exciting to get the boxes. I never looked at what I was going to get so that it was a surprise when we opened the box💗
Fellow Canadian and I agree. I do find it expensive in comparison but not like, super dramatically. I also find it difficult to find certain foods in Canada, especially when you don’t live in a big city. It’s more for the convenience for me and the fun. I get so bored of food and shopping with Covid restrictions is a nightmare so I order out more than I used to. So far I’ve found HF helpful :)
We did the Hello Fresh for a few months, and the one thing you left out was the quality of the ingredients. You have to admit that not only are the ingredients truly fresh, they are usually also organic if I remember correctly. But at one time we were getting two different meal plans so I may be confusing it with the other one as far as organic goes, but it still remains their ingredients tend to be top notch and extremely fresh, my guess much better than Walmart which is a store I cannot stand and do not shop at for a number of reasons, one everything is from China, two I hate the store and what they have done to our country. And like you I really enjoyed the chef touches to the recipes, and almost every single recipe was absolutely delicious. But I am sure you can make the recipes cheaper, but i think it is only comparable if you buy ingredients of the same quality and freshness.
@bizzy bee same here for the avoiding walmart, hate the stores. Haven't stepped foot in one in almost 12 years. I have used HF and tried some others onr and off for 2-3 years. When kids moved out 3 dinners for 2 people woulf stretch most of the week with leftovers for some of our lunches. Some of their meals are sized just right, some are HUGE portions, especially the pasta, particularly anything with spaghetti. Yes, I do think it is more expensive. But I don't throw out a ton of food every week or two bc I didn't end up using something. During the the craziness of March 2020 , getting groceries, ordering instacart, vons or any grocery pick up or delivery, amazon fresh was nearly impossible! I was so thankful i already had meals set up, that were slightly modified during the harshest times of the shut down, but without fail delivered. And they add features where I could add extra proteins, sides, desserts etc which came in very helpful during the March- May 2020 timeframe. It isn't cheap, but I think we eat better, order out less, less wasted food and I don't have to meal plan too much. I like it, but do get burnt out after a bit. We take a break, do crock pot meals and regular meal planning.
I love Hello Fresh! I figure my time into the cost and not having to go to the grocery store, etc. is a welcome relief. I dont do this every week but every other week it's so nice not to have to worry about meal planning, shopping, etc. Worth it to me. Thank you for the honest video! Enjoyed.
Cindy Watts I agree. Sometimes you just want something to come home and cook instead of worrying if you have ingredients to make it and running to the market.
I live in the U.S and I think $4 is pretty cheap lol. But then again I do always buy organic grass fed beef which usually no cheaper than $6.99 per pound.
ImNotCallingYouALiar I think it depends on the area which you live perhaps? I live in a dairy central area, which means lots of healthy cows, and cheap beef.
I love that you took the time to do this! as for time, between the ability to litterally just order food for delivery, or pickup and doing it on the go (while youre in the car riding with someone? or waiting at the doctors? or something) i dont see time as an issue for the whole grocery shopping issue anymore. I love that you mentioned that all their meals are avalible to look at on their website thats refreshing. I dont think i could ever justify ordeirng something like hello fresh. I can make these meals cheaper. i have 3 kids, so like you id tripple the recipe.
I am currently using Home Chef but tried Hello Fresh. I love using the service and find that as a single women who was spending 100 a week on food and wasting a lot of it, meal services are great. No food waste from HC and I am spending about the same amount of money. The portion control is great.
I'm with you on this. I'm a single man who has never made anything more complicated than bacon and eggs. Hello Fresh has opened my tastes to dishes I would have never tried. I sit down, take a bite and most times I'm just surprised I made something so delicious. Not just "it-will-do" but something that makes me proud of myself. Hello Fresh has given me the confidence to cook. Whether I keep the service or not, I know I'll never eat pizza and pot pies again.
Agreed! But as someone without cable anymore... we watch alot of shows on amazon prime and netfkix...but we did a hellow fresh or blue apron for my tween to practice...she gets overwhelmed easily... therefore having only what she needs in front of her...and all the pictures and steps...and NOT mom standing over her... this was great for her to practice REAL cooking...with real ingredients...def not cheaper...especially if you have a big family...but it is yummy...and not crazy expensive
11$ per Person per meal? That’s 77$ for one person for one meal a day for a week?! I pay about 50 bugs per week for 2 persons for three(!!!) meals a day.
Umm that’s wrong we do the 4 person kit 3 meals a week with HelloFresh without a discount code for 4 it’s 89 with a discount code it varies between 56-63 with delivery included
@@mayawou5764 they alll use to much plastic ... they def will never be cheaper...but a nice ideas for certain demographics... and you can save the cards or print them out online(or at least you could) its great for teaching tweens to cook and meal plan without being right on top of them...
Their blog has the breakdown of what is in their different spices. I've used hellofresh if I'm too busy. If I have the time I grocery shop myself and use their recipes. Their recipes are awesome
We get it and ive saved my recipe cards and remade them using the walmart grocery app. So easy and we dont go out to eat as much. I found dupe seasoning recipes and remade them too.
My husband and I did not know how to cook at all and decided to order hello fresh. It seriously taught us so much! I definitely think it’s good at that. Very expensive though. After we got the hang of it we cancelled. I am a picky eater too but this allowed me to try so many new things and I love more than I thought I did!
I love hearing that so many families have a lot of kids. That just makes my heart sing.💖 I think the homemade versions are definitely better and they look amazing. You did incredible 💗
HF was probably never intended for families, but for those who are young and learning to cook, young couples, older couples who don't have any kids at home anymore, or single people who don't need a lot of food and are very busy.
I LOVE hello fresh! I’m a college student and I live in an off campus house but I do not have a car. It is so worth it for me because I’m able to skip going to the grocery store and taking Ubers. It’s so much easier too. Plus, since I’m just one person I can keep the extra serving for later or I give it to a friend
This was brilliant. I was thinking about getting hello fresh but, I am only one person. Like you I have my seasonings and I prefer to have left overs. I'm going to look on line to see recipes.
I love this video - we did Hello Fresh for almost a year and just stopped - we have been pulling all the recipes and just recreating them from ingredients at Walmart. It has been great! The recreations taste identical to Hello Fresh!
I think these meal services are great for people who don't know how to cook, don't have time to shop, etc. It's just me and my husband, so it's just not cost effective for us. I can make my meals so much cheaper and I have leftovers. We also love cooking together, so it's a great bonding time. Mixing different meats together is delicious! I'm so glad you did this!
I got Hello Fresh when my brother lived with me and I freaking LOVED it. I realized that it was more expensive than buying it on it's own, but I felt it make up for it 100% in the time it saved me. I also liked how I could add a few things of my own and make the meal stretch. Some of the meals stretched so much on their own I was able to feed 2 people for dinner AND lunch with a bit left over. I also liked that there were no left overs of the ingredients to go bad in the fridge. There are other boxes out there though that are cheaper and may have options for larger families.
I grew up in a predominantly Catholic neighborhood in Wisconsin. In my house there were 7 kids, and all of my friends, but 1, had more than 4 siblings.
I know, right? I was thinking the same thing. It's quite unusual where I live to have more than 3 kids and I live in a neighbourhood that has 3 elementary schools within walking distance of my house.
Yes! I loved this video. Bravo Christine 👏🏼👏🏼 I did not know that Hello Fresh posted their recipes for everyone to view. Thank you for the info. God bless 🙏🏼❤️
Finally, we are a family of 5 and I could never justify paying that much and still having to cook it myself. One of my favorite RU-vidrs started promoting them and I lost all interest because she no longer cooks from scratch anymore.
My biggest concern with HF is the waste created by all those little packages that are not recyclable. The larger glass jars , etc can go in your recycle bin.
I know cooking basics and how to put together a meal, but if my week is busy and my anxiety or depression is flaring up, HF is such a structured way to keep me going at night and to have something other to eat than dry cereal when my brain says “eff it”. I can talk myself into following a step by step, “spoon fed” recipe and this to me is an invaluable way to get in a decent meal. Portions are good, sometimes need an additional side or snack/ dessert. ❤️ a little pricey, but again, invaluable to me during this time. My hubs agrees ( he definitely eats an extra side we pick up at the grocery with his meal)
I always knew that hello fresh was way more expensive than buying it yourself, thanks for proving it. Imagine spending over $10 a meal per person for a family of 6, that's over $60 then for 7 nights a week, that's $420 and that doesn't even include breakfast or lunch. Wow.
I honestly got this as a way to tech my asperger son how to meal plan and cook. For someone like him it is such a huge help for his sister no way she is tiny but eats a ton one meal only fed her...
I feel like they typically aren’t used to be your staple meals everyday, but to supplement people who are busy maybe a night or 2 a week. Like I notice they tend to be popular among singles or couples who live in the city and after work it’s just ready to go for you if it’s late.
I have to say. From the point of someone who just snags recipes from Allrecipe and (yes even) Hello Fresh. The Hello Fresh stuff looked sort of sickly. Like the rice grains, they were actually smaller than the rice you bought. The veggies from Hello Fresh looked wilted. Snag recipes, make them yourself. Though, I would love to get that Tuscan Heat Spice for the ground beef. My hubby has been wanting Sausage, but with how the FDA has loosened Pork standards..... We also have a butcher nearby, low cost since we are out in beef country in Arkansas. So about half of Walmart's prices and bones for our dogs. Most butchers will sell ground beef for a little less than grocery stores (if they are a family shop).
Raven Saint The Tuscan Heat Spice recipe is available online. 4 parts dried basil, 2 parts dried rosemary, 2 parts dried oregano, 2 parts garlic powder, 1 part cayenne pepper, 1 part ground fennel. The sizing of the ‘part’ depends on how much your making. One sachet of spices is around a tablespoon. I usually make my ‘part’ size a tablespoon so that I have a fair bit mixed and can use a tablespoon of the mixed spices as I need it rather than having to mix it each time I need it.
We got Hello Fresh for two boxes worth about a year or two ago for me to cook with my college bound sons, so we could cook together and help them learn/get ready to be doing their own cooking away from home. We had fun and it was interesting. The bags were very well marked, as were the contents (each bag was pretty much everything for one meal, with the meat item at the bottom of the super insulated box under ice packs). Hello Fresh really strikes a nice balance between helping to develop new tastes and cooking skills, and also keeping it basic enough that even a new cook could follow the recipe cards, which are large, nicely laminated sheets (I still have mine. They were a great addition to my recipe collection.). They have a student plan for 1 person, and I'd think that would be great for folks of any age going to college and being on the run with classes and homework. Easy, GOOD fast meals, delivered and waiting for you to take a break and enjoy a little self-care with a healthy meal.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻I loved this video! I recreate our dining out favorites at home all the time using the Christine Method, so I know how much it saves us. Chipotle carnitas burritos is our favorite. 👍🏻👍🏻
Random idea for you...compile some ways to use various cuts of meat that are on sale. For example, starting tomorrow Kroger stores have boneless chuck roast on sale. As I’m trying to cook from the sale flyers more, I started googling ways to use boneless chuck roast and, as you can imagine, came up with about 472 ways to cook a pot roast, but only a handful (or less) of recipes for other kinds of meals, like BBQ beef. You could look at the upcoming sale flyer and see what’s coming up, then suggest options for using said items. I’m sure you have tons of video ideas already, but it seemed like a challenge that’d be right up your alley. Great job on this video! It was very interesting to watch. 😀
Great topic and thank you for all your effort to produce this video. This was something I wondered about when I tried Hello Fresh a few years ago. Typically, during the week I cook easy meals after working 12 hrs a day x 5 days. We usually go out for taco Tuesday, then back to home-cooked meals. My cooking creativity comes out on the weekend when I have time to shop, prep, and cook new recipes. Since our nest is empty now and I only cook for the 2 of us, shopping is easier and less expensive. We do treat ourselves to steaks and a few delicacies on occasion. Love your videos, family involvement, and creative ideas. Keep on keein' on! .
Of course homemade is always cheaper, less costly. You are paying for the convenience of the whole concept (grocery shopping, creating a weekly menu plan, creating recipes, home delivery) and their overhead (their staff, their kitchen, marketing, advertising), supplies (boxes, plastics, stationery, tape, ice packs).
Really, really, really love that you did this - and made the cards screen-shot-able. I've been watching a bunch of food-crate vids over the past few weeks because there seem to be so many of them suddenly showing up on my feed and I became somewhat tempted. Your video is what I've been looking for - a no-nonsense, here's-how-it-is presentation of a direct comparison between what you get with the service and what you can make on your own. I grew up in a frugal household (my grandparents' farm) and raised 2 kids as a single mom (they turned out pretty well, too! #surprisesurprise). I needed to see someone give a real-world, normal-person comparison; and then I found you. There's not enough I can say for how important this video is to someone like me. Thank you SO much for this.
I have to say I’ve been using Hello Fresh a lot lately. It’s just FH and I, we are both teachers in grad school and are planning a wedding among balancing social life, etc. It’s worth the price tenfold for me to just come home from a long day and not even have to think about what’s for dinner, how much of what I need, worry that I don’t have the ingredients, etc. As long as i have the funds, I’ll keep using Hello Fresh during this hectic time!
This was a fun video! My husband and I share a box with his parents who live down the street. We get 4 meals each week (two per family). I love to cook, but I have three little ones and find having a pre-planned meal delivered to my door for two meals per week a nice break in the planning, shopping, thinking department. Other HF meals that we have loved are Sizzlin' Saigon Steak Bowls, Cheesy Beef Tostadas, Juicy Lucy Burgers, Chimichurri Barramundi, and the beef spaghetti. Looking forward to trying the meals that you tried in this video. I keep all of our recipe cards and plan to use them in the future on my own. Through HF, I have learned more about sauce making and the use of citrus in my cooking, which I have really enjoyed!
When she said “basically Korean bbq”!!!! I almost choked. Lol. I lived in South Korea for a while. Bibimbap and Korean BBQ are not usually considered the same thing. But I think it’s great people are trying Korean food. It took me a while to start enjoying it but now I love it and crave it like a comfort food. Edit: that bibimbap wasn’t even close to authentic anyhow. If you make again, add a fried or boiled egg on top
You can use the vegetable scraps to make a vegetable broth. I save them in a freezer bag and place them in the freezer. When I have enough I boil it with salt and spices.
I tried Hello Fresh, but it was not what I wanted. The meals taste good, but I was expecting everything to come already sliced and diced to save preparation time. Won't be ordering from them again.
I just found your channel. I'm enjoying the content. You break things down really well. I've been wondering about Hello Fresh, now I have a better understanding. Thanks! I admire you and your channel! Keeping it real and it's refreshing!
I love Hello Fresh for its variety of healthy meals delivered for my family. The portion size feeds 3-4 of us! I’m a single mom who goes to school and my time is limited. It saves me going to grocery store and buying unhealthy processed meals that are quick. Plus if i get the exact amount of ingredients I need ie buy a whole bag of carrots just because I need one and the bag of carrots then waste in my fridge. It cuts down on any food waste too! I highly recommend this service to busy families who don’t have time to meal plan. It has been a life saver for me.
I got the service for two people after I gave birth to my first baby. Cooking or doing anything was not an option at that time so my fiancé would cook the meals. Not needing to go grocery shopping with a newborn and having all the ingredients right there and not having to think of recipes while carrying for a baby was a huge help. I'm 5 months postpartum and I have decided to take a break from them but I highly recommend them if you want delicious food and no waste. Something that kinda sucks is that there never really any leftovers. If the food is delicious you gotta enjoy it cuz there won't be extra.
Just found this channnel and I also just started using Hello Fresh. It seems cheaper over here ( UK) or maybe because I'm vegetarian. I've been getting a vegetarian meal for 4 and just cooking a bag of frozen chicken pieces with it to feed 7 of us (6 meat eaters). I just do it for 3 meals a week and had it half price. I've been cooking them with my 18 year old and it's given him a lot of confidence to cook and given us some great meal ideas. I'm trying Gousto next because I have vouchers for them.
I used to order it in college because I was goi g through a phase where I wasn’t excited about cooking and instead would just buy food. This way I actually enjoyed creating new recipes! Save me a lot of money from eating out.
I had the same problem with the one I tried that sent you pretty cooked meals you just had to microwave them Good food but oh my gosh was there too much packaging
Freeze your fresh ginger solid. To use it, take it directly from the freezer and without thawing, scrape the skin off with a spoon under running water. Shred it with a microplane. This way, the juices aren’t lost and you are able to plane the stringy bits.
I didnt see if you calculated in the transport expense (gas and time) and the time to ‘pluck the produce’ and pack it, all thos factor into the price, so you should factor those too.
I see a lot of younger people using the service. Which I think is a good thing. Most who have never cooked (thanks public education for dumping Home Ec) it is a learning tool. Now, I'm 63 my kids are grown and gone. For say $13 a meal I could go to a restaurant, get take out and eat it for 3 meals. Wouldn't bother me a bit. I PANIC when something costs me over $5 - $6 a meal (supper) if I'm cooking. I also use mostly fresh stuff too. As you say, my pantry is stocked. I only shop on sales and when there is a good one, I stock for the year, not a week or month (November sales of veggies etc., are really good). I have the cool area and large freezer to store the stuff. Now, I've been on a learning curve because I have to take all my recipes and go from cooking for 7 down to cooking for 1 (my husband has passed away). So, I gave up, wasn't going to work. So now I buy small aluminum take out trays off Amazon, zip locks bags, make it like I used to and freeze the extra. I cook maybe 2x a week and my freezer is full of meals I've made over the last 6 weeks. Works well. I just pull what I want out and stick it in the oven or in a pot to heat it. Yes, I've tried the HF recipes and they are good. Also, you can get Tuscan seasoning, McCormick's makes it (former employer of mine) or, MySpiceSage.com sells a blend. Also, a tip, if the spice costs me $8 at the store, I buy the $8 off the website (sometimes giving me 2 - 3x the store price) and refill my bottle. There is ALWAYS more. I take that divide it up and give it to my kids or friends who are on a very tight budget. Also, here the food pantry will take it.
Correct. I did have quite a bit left over. I just wanted to give an accurate depiction of buying the ingredients. Most people can't buy the amount for just one recipe.
@@FrugalFitMom I don't see why you'd want to anyway, apart from being cheaper when buying in bulk they're a pantry staple too. They have a long shelf life, add flavour and variety to meals without having to use a ton of ingredients, and they're healthy, it's a win win.
But Rosemary is so so good, and it does wonders for your food! Don’t skip out on the Rosemary, just look up more meals that call for the Rosemary, in order to use it up and get your use of the spice.
This is great!I love all the work and thought you put into this vid. I have only ever had one box of hello fresh and one from a different company (wasn't happy with the vegetables for freshness, they were kind of past their prime) and really enjoyed the meals but like you just can't justify the cost and there are only 3 of us left at home. I do the same, find some of the recipes and copy them. And a little tip on the red onions that we do so they aren't so strong after I slice them I out them in a colander in the sink and slowly pour a pot of boiling water over them then give a quick cold rinse and then pickle in whatever vinegar I have. It takes the major strong flavor out and they are so much better. I keep them in the fridge and love them on salads and in sandwiches now. 😊😋 Will stop writing a novel now... 😂 😂 😂
Our servings cost about $1 a serving. All vegetarian and we buy in bulk. Lots of fresh veggies, rice, lentils and beans. Hello Fresh is for those who want to reduce drive through meals.
I love this. I have recreated many Hello Fresh meals and once you buy the ingredients you have things on hand to make it a couple other times. I love recreating and I love ordering but it not often in my budget. Great video.
@@strange144 probably not a big City... also you need to consider how many families she must know: she has four kids, who all have friends and classmates plus probably a large neighbourhood.
