Can anyone else relate? It's 5 p.m. I walk in the front door of my home to a hungry husband and two "starving" kiddos. We all know the phrase that comes next.
"What's for dinner?"
Truth be told, 90 percent of the time I have nothing thawed, nothing in the slow cooker, and everything frozen will take 45 minutes or longer to cook. What do I do?
The author received HelloFresh meals and compensation for this article. All thoughts and opinions expressed are their own.
My subscribers know from my newsletters that I am a working mom who preaches how important I think it is to find the time to bring your family around the table for a home-cooked meal at least three times a week. But, we all know that is usually easier said than done. I have shared Pinterest recipes, meal prep ideas and hacks, Crocktober recipes that focus on using our slow cookers, and more. All of these take time to research, plan, grocery shop, measure, dice ... and on and on.
Now that I've tried it, I want to encourage each of you to consider fitting HelloFresh meal kits into your weekly meal planning. It makes family meals so much easier, especially during the busy week. I have always wanted to try a meal delivery service, but like many things in my "active" life I make excuses to not try it or do it. So, I was thrilled when Macaroni KID partnered with HelloFresh to let select publishers try out their meal kit delivery service.
Everything about HelloFresh speaks SIMPLE, and let's face it, parents NEED, WANT and STRIVE for simple in our lives. HelloFresh provides simple from start to finish. It all begins with joining their amazing website and community by setting up your account with a personal username and password. So let’s start!
SELECT A PLAN
My kids are picky eaters, so I wanted to involve them and my husband (who will eat about anything) in picking out three meals. HelloFresh has designed their website to be very user-friendly with:
- 50 weekly menu and market items,
- colorful pics of the recipes,
- ingredient and nutritional information,
- prep and cooking times, and
- several menu options for any picky eater for a dinner experience everyone around your table can enjoy.
I personally appreciated the meals labeled "Takeout Favorites," and "Hall of Fame" to see what other families have tried and given rave reviews on.
We decided on the Melty Monterey Jack Burgers with Onion Jam, Garlic Mayo & Crispy Potato Wedges. You can’t go wrong with burgers and fries in our home!
We also chose the Crispy Kickin’ Cayenne Chicken Cutlets with Carrots and Mashed Potatoes. My kids and husband LOVE anything spicy and this was a crowd favorite and will definitely be a repeat meal!
Our last meal was a HelloFresh Hall of Fame recipe, the Meatloaf à la Mom with Potato Wedges and Green Beans. I mean, anything with “à la Mom” in the name I am in and I always love a good meatloaf.
RECEIVE YOUR DELIVERY
The day our HelloFresh "gift" arrived, it was like Christmas Day for my kids (and me)! There is just something special about getting a box on your doorstep filled with fresh food. For me, one of the best advantages to HelloFresh is skipping the grocery store and not having to buy full-size spices and ingredients that more than likely will have to be thrown out in a couple of months. HelloFresh sends you pre-portioned ingredients for each meal to reduce food waste! Convenient!
Another feature I appreciate is HelloFresh’s recipe cards. They are large, beautiful and colorful and have nutritional information, cooking time and easy-to-see pictures along with the detailed cooking directions. Sometimes in life, it's the small things.
Did I mention HelloFresh's mindfulness to be eco-friendly — nearly all of the packaging is recyclable, from the box to the meal kit bags? My teenage daughter was the first to notice and mention how nicely everything was packaged and labeled in the box.
With their amazing offer of 16 Free Meals, 3 Surprise Gifts, Plus Free Shipping, why not try HelloFresh TODAY to bring your family around the dinner table. Need a better reason?
COOK
The ingredients were so fresh – the vegetables looked and smelled as if they were picked from a garden. I will admit; I never make mashed potatoes, but there is something encouraging about having all the ingredients right there in front of you and easy directions to follow. They were so good and my kids loved them.
Do any of you find yourselves trying to find ways to be creative with the constant rotation of hamburger, chicken, and the occasional pork in your home meals? I am so guilty of this! How many ways can you cook a chicken and make a dish with ground hamburger? I wanted to try HelloFresh’s Cayenne Chicken and Monterey Jack Burgers for a twist on the Hollifield house dinner regulars, and they did not disappoint, down to the roasted green beans and carrots.
The Monterey Jack Burgers came with onions, which we caramelized (and smelled amazing cooking) and a garlic mayo we made, and then we topped it off with yummy Monterey Jack cheese!
My son loved making the “crust” of our Cayenne Chicken with panko, Monterey jack, and Frank's Red Hot seasoning. The chicken was by far the family favorite!
You want to know the best part? My kids wanted to get in on the prep and cooking experience. I know, right? I have 14- and 10-year-olds and they actually volunteered to help me make our HelloFresh dinners.
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Thank you again to HelloFresh for partnering with Macaroni KID and letting us showcase your fabulous, delicious meal kits to our Macaroni KID Families.
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You'll be glad you did ... and so will your kids!
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