Food Delivery Kits

See specific details about different companies by scrolling to bottom of this post if you don't want to read this entire entry for tl;dr

Our dear Frankie, missing his own meal delivery kit. 

Companies that deliver meals to your door have been around a while, but have become even more popular of late. Little did I know how much of a trendsetter this country gal was a couple of years ago when I began ordering from them. haha! At the time, I was entirely bored of cooking, and overwhelmed trying to figure out what to make without constantly repeating meals, and shopping for the meals to boot. It isn't as if I ever enjoyed the actual grocery shopping; I have always detested shopping of any sort, and compound that with physical ailments and problems (such as knees!), it becomes even more detestable, and am not always capable. In addition, digging through cookbooks, planning the meals, writing up the shopping list, lugging the groceries (or having poor hubby do it, which was what usually happened!), was just too much, especially with what we had going on in our lives. For quite some time, "if it were not for bad luck we would have had no luck at all" was our mantra! 

Then, I came upon Hello Fresh, who promised to deliver great meals *to my door*. All I had to do was add some olive oil, salt, and pepper (maybe some butter and whatnot sometimes) and we would sit down to a fabulous meal prepared by moi! Sign me up, I thought, and decided to take the plunge. No menu planning (beyond choosing what I want to order!) or wondering what to cook, no grocery lists, no shopping, no lugging from store/into house, no standing in line, no gas to burn up,

Reality: living in the middle of nowhere can make cooking a real challenge

I enjoy cooking; that is, I did before I became filled with sheer boredom. So, the thought of cooking meals delivered to my door did not deter me at all; they were going to take out the chores of what I hated. As I began receiving the meals, my love for cooking was again a reality, and I was learning new techniques and using all those gadgets that I had purchased over the years but never used (like a zester!). Living in the middle of nowhere, we don't get food delivery from restaurants, it's a 30-mile round trip to get anything from the nearest (very small) grocery store (where I am lucky to get a red pepper), so it goes without saying I'm limited in *what* recipes I can even make. Cookbooks often included ingredients I could only dream of obtaining without driving a 100-mile round trip or having to order online at a premium price, and end up wasting money with ingredients going bad due to not using often enough. Plus, I have no impulse buying while I'm in the store (come on, you do it too) to add to my shopping expense, so it should be no surprise our shopping bill actually went *down* using the services.

But still, one never knows when you want a round of hoops.

Enough about me, now that I've provided some background, let me fill you in on the actual details of what the companies I order from provide, and you can decide if they can offer you the same value that they do to me. I will include discount codes to get you started, something I wish I had when I ordered! There are two that I am always rotating with, but a third is also good that I do still use on occasion. There are no contracts to worry about, you can cancel, or even just pause, deliveries as you wish (just be sure to note when the menus close so you don't end up with food deliveries you didn't want!).

All companies provide recipe cards (also available on their websites) with step-by-step instructions to follow to create the meal, and some also include plating or beverage recommendations, nutrition and calorie information. They also let you know what kitchen tools you will need; this is great when wanting to take meals with you on vacation or (for us) to our workshop to cook later, so I know what, if anything, I need to bring with me that I won't have there.

Hello Fresh

Jamie's Sticky Asian-Style Salmon with Broccolini, Rice & Quick-Pickled Cucumbers (Hello Fresh)

Hello Fresh: (see my Hello Fresh photos in my Facebook album here (will open a new window). Ordering since February 2014.
Save $40 off first box with code 9E93XP at Hello Fresh (opens new window)
Cost: 
(Classic box) (choose any 3 to 5 of 6 meals) 2 people: 3 meals @$11.50=$69.00/4 meals @$10.61=$84.90/5 meals @$9.90=$99.00///4 people: 3 meals @$10.75=$129.00 (4-person no choice flexibility)

Vegetarian: 2 people: 3 meals @$9.83=$59.00/4 people: 3 meals @$9.08=$109.00 (no choice flexibility)

Family Box (2 adults/2 children) 2 meals @$9.99=$79.95/3 meals @$8.75=$105.00 (no choice flexibility) 

Shipping is always free. 

Menu closes (for me): Wednesday 11:59 PM (Eastern), with deliveries the following Thursday, via UPS. These days vary according to location so be sure to check when first ordering. 

Delivered in large box with insulated container with ice packs, and  includes most everything you need (except olive oil, salt, and pepper) to make each meal, except butter or some other common items (if not included, it is noted on recipe).  
Each meal is packaged in its own box with the ingredients needed to make the meal (meats are separate). The boxes can be a bit tricky to store in the refrigerator, but they normally now line up nicely on my bottom shelf, or you can always repackage/store as you wish. Foods are sourced as locally as possible. Their portions are generous, their meats always above-standard (ground beef is very lean, for instance). 
For the occasional snafu, customer service is great and contacted via email (easiest, quickest way).  

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Home Chef

Smoked Salmon Roasted Red Pepper & Mascarpone Croissant with pineapple & cucumber mocktail (Mother's Day brunch special) 

Home Chef: (see my Home Chef photos in my Facebook album here (will open a new window). Ordering since April 2014. This company became my favorite, if nothing else due to their flexible ordering options! They also offer vegetarian, gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free, low-calorie, low-carb meals ~ all are noted on their meal choices.

Save $30 off first box with code greatfood2eat@gmail.com or click on this link (opens new window)

Cost (choose any 2 to 8 meals, also offer a breakfast, fruit, and smoothie option) and can order for 2, 4, or 6 people. 

$9.95 per meal, including breakfast. $4.95 per meal of fruit and smoothies.

$14.95+ per meal (market price) when premium meals are offered (such as holidays and special occasions). 

Shipping is free if order is over $40. 

Menu closes (for everyone): Fridays, 12:00 PM (Central), with deliveries (to me) on Fridays, via FedEx. (Delivery days vary according to location.)

Delivered in large box with insulated container with ice packs, and includes everything you need (except olive oil, salt, and pepper) to make each meal, including butter. At times, vegetable prep is even already done for you (such as chopping or mincing, or a roasted pepper, for example). 
Each meal is packaged in its own plastic bag with the ingredients needed to make the meal (meats are separate). Foods are sourced as locally as possible. Their portions are generous, their meats always above-standard. For the occasional snafu, customer service is great and contacted via email (easiest, quickest way).  

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