No matter how much you like to cook, if you work and have kids it’s tough to get something healthy and home made on the table every single day. That’s why I’m testing out a few different delivery options that are designed to make preparing healthy meals easier. You mean, we can cook without planning and without even grocery shopping at all? Awesome. I want to know which pre-measured recipe delivery service is the best. My first trial was a HelloFresh Family Box. HelloFresh is a company that has offices in Germany, the UK, the USA, the Netherlands and Australia. So, they have some experience. Their mission since 2012 has been to deliver delicious and healthy recipes with of all the pre-measured ingredients to your door each week.

And, because we tried a Family Box, we want you to try one, too!

Scroll all the way down to enter to win a HelloFresh Family Box

First a Little About HelloFresh:

HelloFresh has a Registered Dietitian, Rebecca Lewis, who helps drive and support the HelloFresh mission of getting people back in the kitchen and enjoying cooking again!  As the brand’s nutrition expert and spokesperson for the health quality of the HelloFresh product, Rebecca uses her professional background to make HelloFresh a nutrition thought leader in the food industry.

All of HelloFresh’s meals have the goal of being appropriate serving sizes and balanced with the USDA’s Dietary Recommendations for a healthy adult. Dinner is assumed to be approximately 30 – 45% of total daily calories.

Price for a family of 4 per week: $105.oo

Organic: No, but all ingredients are fresh and seasonal and sourced from sustainable business partners.

Average calories per meal? 670

Average cost per meal? $8.75

We tried out three different recipes from Hello Fresh and here is what we found:

Packaging:

Our 3 meals came in 1 big box loaded with ice gel packs to keep the food fresh. That was a good thing because my delivery guy never rang the doorbell so who knows how long that box was out in the hall just waiting for me to discover.

Each recipe came in its own labeled box within the big one so that ingredients couldn’t get mixed up or mistaken. Each ingredient comes pre-measured so there can’t be any mistakes there, either. You are expected to have some basic staples lying around, like olive oil. There’s a nice little window in each recipe box so that you can see the colorful ingredients and there’s even nutrition information on the box, too. The packaging makes them super easy to stack in the fridge. Each recipe also comes with a detailed and easy to follow recipe card that has images to help guide you through the cooking process and to plate the finished product.

Recipe #1: Shrimp Farfalle with Fire Roasted Pepper, Lemon and Basil

I felt like this recipe took way too much effort for the end result. I didn’t feel like the flavors were balanced and the ratio of pasta to anything else felt over the top. This particular recipe does not deliver enough flavor to justify the hour spent making it but I did learn how to carmelize red peppers in the oven; which was cool! The best part about this meal was that the kiddo loved it. He ate it all and asked for more. So, this is a crowd-pleaser even if it wasn’t what I wanted it to be.

Recipe #2: Pan-Seared Chicken with Roasted Potatoes, Green Beans and Creamy Dill Sauce

This meal was freaking delicious. The picture looks a little plain and it will look the same when you make it. But when you put it in your mouth you will be a happy, happy eater. And, so will everyone else. My son complained a little bit about the mustard-y dill sauce being spicy, but he got over it and ate everything. My husband, who NEVER cooks dinner, actually prepared this one and did an amazing job. The chicken was tender, the potatoes were delicious, the string beans weren’t over cooked and the sauce…the sauce…was spectacular. I could eat this every week. I’m not kidding. It took him about an hour to make the whole thing.

Recipe #3: Sausage & Pepper Hoagies with Broiled Asparagus

I thought it was funny that this was in the box because I had made pretty much the exact same thing the previous week from stuff I bought at the grocery store. And I rarely make sausage on rolls for dinner. This is a simple recipe that lots of people whip up on the grill or snag at a street fair in the summer. You don’t have to slice the sausages into pieces to put them on the bun. I just slice them lengthwise down the center so they look like another bun, then stuff with the peppers and onions and top with ketchup and mustard. Yum. Although the recipe tried to make it harder than it is, the ingredients were yummy and we all scarfed it down like we were at a family barbeque.

Overall, the HelloFresh experience was good. The ingredients were tasty and the meals satisfied veggie loving me, my meat loving husband and my carb loving kid. I think that HelloFresh is an awesome option for families who don’t regularly cook or have gotten out of the habit. You know, families who usually order out, pick something up, or fire up the microwave to make sure that something’s on the table for dinner. HelloFresh helps families start cooking the things that they love to eat out of the box/bag/food truck/etc. right at home with fresh ingredients. The recipes can take a little bit of time so that could deter newbies but it really doesn’t take longer than waiting for a delivery.

And now enter to win your own 3-meal HelloFresh Family Box trial worth $105!

Metro Mom Club: HelloFresh Family Box Giveaway