Deliciousness Delivered through Hello Fresh

I LOVE to cook (and bake too!). It is something I am passionate about and take pride in. I am forever on the search for new, tasty meals to share with my family, and to break-up some of the tedious food ruts we get into. I wish I was as skilled as those "home" cooks on Masterchef who can identify the most bizzare foods in a blindfolded taste-test, or who can take one bite of a meal and identify all of the main ingredients. My palette isn't as sensitive as theirs, and I don't even know how to cook with some of the ingredients they use on those shows. That being said, it is one of my secret desires to cook a gourmet-style meal with the fancy plating techniques, or at least eat one at some point in my life. That isn't too much to ask, right? Well, the closest I have come to fulfilling this fantasy was through the free order of Hello Fresh that I was given the opportunity to review through Mosaic Reviews!  

I may or may not have tackled the Fed Ex delivery guy when this arrived...

If you are concerned about fresh-ness - this is the arctic insulation/ice pack combination it is delivered in!

 Hello Fresh is a fresh food delivery service. It could be described as a subscription-box-meets-grocery-delivery-service, except with greater flexibility. What makes this particular service unique is the fact that you are given durable, illustrated recipe cards and all of the ingredients (with the exception of a handful of household staples including: butter, milk, sugar and oil) to complete 3 nutritious meals, delivered right to your door! You can choose from the Classic Box (receive 3 of 5 meal options) or the Vegetarian Box (receive 3 predetermined meals). From there you decide whether you want supplies for 2 people, or 4 people. If you choose 2 people, the box costs $69 per delivery for the Classic box, and $59 per delivery for the Vegetarian Box. If you choose 4 people, the cost is $129 for the Classic Box and $109 for the Vegetarian Box. Orders must be placed by midnight on the Wednesday before delivery week. Don't wait until the last minute because it takes a few minutes to set-up your account and submit your information. Plus, give yourself time to assess your options! Please be advised that this is a subscription service. You will be charged these fees each week that you have an active subscription. What is nice about this particular company is the fact that you can "pause" your subscription. If the next week has meals that do not interest you, you will be out of town or your budget does not allow it, you simply "pause" your subscription through your account settings before Wednesday. Be sure to save your actions and look for a confirmation e-mail to ensure that your changes have been applied to your account. If this sounds like something you would be interested in trying, use code: DEM57U to receive $20 off of your first order.

We chose the Classic Box with 2 servings, and from there decided to customize our meals to include: Chile Dusted Shrimp with Corn Relish, Steak and Brussels Sprouts Stir-Fry and Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Lemony Skillet Potatoes and Zucchini. Here is my experience in pictures (because no words I know of can express it on the same level that the pictures do):

On Wednesday evening I made the Chile Dusted Shrimp with Corn Relish:

Unpacked directly out of the delivery box (and ice cold)

Before prepping

Prepped and ready to cook

Finished product!

Up close and personal

On Thursday we had the Steak and Brussels Sprouts Stir-Fry:

Right out of the delivery box

Pre-prep

All diced up and ready to fry!

So delicious!

I mixed it up a little to give credit to all of the ingredients

On Friday I made the Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Lemony Skillet Potatoes and Zucchini:

Takes the guesswork out of which ingredients go where

So fresh!

All ready to cook!

Love the way this one looks!

And it tasted just as great as it looked, and then some!

I have nothing negative to say about my personal experience with Hello Fresh. My package was delivered on-time, ice cold, and with all ingredients in beautiful condition. I was able to cook using ingredients I was not accustom to using, with ease. For example, I have never used fresh ginger in my cooking and did so with 2 of my recipes. I have used powdered forms of it, but never fresh. I also, and I am embarrassed to admit this, have never used scallions. Each of the 3 recipes we received used them and come to find out, my husband LOVES them (as do I)! I also love the culinary knowledge I got from using the provided ingredients; I paired foods together that I would have never thought to on my own accord. Everything is packaged and labeled so you can easily decipher which ingredients go with which meals. Additionally, you can customize the recipes to fit your tastes. If there is an ingredient you dislike, leave it out, or substitute with something you have on hand at home. I made the meals as they were described for the sake of the review, and I am so thankful I did. My husband discovered that "brussels sprouts really don't taste bad" after years of hating on those poor baby cabbages. So remember, even if it isn't something you would traditionally eat, try something new and be adventurous! I am grateful for the recipe cards that I now have on hand for when I decide to make these dishes again, and I WILL be making them all again. It is worth mentioning that the amount that comes in the 2 serving size box is more than enough for 2 people, especially if you serve sides with the meals. And lastly, I love the fresh, wholesome ingredients. It's so simple to throw something in a microwave, or heat something up on the stove top. Surprisingly, it truly takes a small amount of effort to make a completely fresh homemade meal that tastes even more delicious.

I give Hello Fresh a 10 out of 10 stars:

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See what some of the other reviewers had to say here!

If you are interested in ordering your own box of nutritious meal ingredients, please go here to see if they deliver in your area. You can reference the Hello Fresh website here, and their FAQ section here if you are seeking more information about the company and how their service works. Additionally, you can show them some love and keep an eye on the up-and-coming meals and features by liking them on Facebook and following them on Twitter.

REMEMBER to use code: DEM57U to receive $20 off of your first order