Posted on 07/19/2024 7:09:25 AM PDT by fwdude
I've tried probably half a dozen or more food kit subscriptions. I have an active lifestyle and find that supplementing at least a few of the meals during the week is well-served by these resources.
Which have you tried? Which did you really like and didn't like? Which seemed like the best value? Which ones do you share their ideology with?
Personally, the first I tried was Blue Apron and it remains my favorite. Though it's become a little pricey (like everything else) the value seemed to be superior as well as their service. Recipes were always unique and something I would never have thought to try on my own. They introduced me to finger limes. Wish I could find them here.
What I always liked about Blue Apron is that the serving sizes were always generous, enough to split between three or four people if they weren’t really big eaters. At about $11-12 per meal, this still beats eating out. I realize that you pay for convenience, and this is warranted sometimes.
I like the Hormel pre cooked roast beef and their beef tips. Then I just microwave 2 baked potatoes and open a salad bag. A quick healthy meal.
HelloFresh is definitely one of the bigger ones. I used them for a couple of months.
Yes, I’ve tried Sunbasket. Liked it as well.
I’m a sucker for the initial offers. Now it seems that you have to spread the discounts over several meal-weeks.
It is very good adult food (not chicken fingers and french fries). Fresh, not frozen, healthy choices, good quality. Expensive (but what isn't?)
Currently in the fridge:
Peruvian Chicken
Smokey Onion Butter Chicken
Roasted Red Pepper Tortellini with Italian Sausage
My favorites are the Pork Cops. The sides are always a good vegetable. Interesting sauces.
I saw the post about Green Apron. Don't know that one (we have tried several). Will check out Green Apron.
I looked at a meal subscription. The meals I found although balanced still have too much sodium and fat for my liking. I meal prep on Sunday for the week. It is easier and cheaper and I know what’s in the food.
But I am willing to try a meal subscription if anyone has one which is low fat and low sodium.
I like the Hormel pre cooked roast beef and their beef tips. Then I just microwave 2 baked potatoes and open a salad bag. A quick healthy meal.
What grade ‘beef’ is Hormel using, for that *stew*?
Microwaving, especially in plastic (that the *stew* comes in), is healthy?
And, what is sprayed on that salad *mix*?
Just a few questions that come to mind 😱
💞
(I know, I know ... it’s getting harder and harder to have anything pre-prepared, in our house 😜)
I meal prep on Sunday for the week. It is easier and cheaper and I know what’s in the food.
👍🏼 👍🏼
That’s our thing, too ... KNOWING what’s in the food (grade beef/fish/chicken, veggies, etc. ... heck, even “clean” ice cream has to have chemicals, to make it from plant to your freezer).
I believe I started with Imperfect Foods, which was mostly produce and not meal kits. But I liked the convenience of having fresh vegetable delivered, and very rarely was something so imperfect that I was the least bit annoyed.
Then I added everyplate which is a lower cost meal kit service. Which I enjoyed but too many of the choices at the time were high carb. And I wanted low carb for diabetes.
Then I added Martha Stewart’s Marley Spoon. Which was a little more expensive and a higher quality meal. And I liked them.
One of them had a couple of delveries that had transit problems and arrived with the meat warm. Never had a problem gettimg a refund.
I liked having the exact ingredients and a nice recipe card to prepare ingredients. It was really fun when my two kids were home during covid, fixing some of the meals. It introduced me to several new ingredients and meal preparation ideas.
And I would often do things like cook the meat in an air fryer and then add it at an appropriate time to the dish.
The meals were for two or four, and it was sometimes hard to figure out how to stretch them for the right count.
And then one kid left home again and it was a little harder to stay motivated to cook. And then the second kid left home again, and things started to back up.
The refrigerator got full. I started freezing the meat as soon as it arrived, in case I didn’t cook it all in time. And soon the freezer was full.
Since the refrigerator was packed, I started leaving vegetables unrefrigerated until I had time to deal with it. And then I started getting gnats. And I was pretty overwhelmed.
The empty boxes and freeze packs were piling up in the back carport.
And of course the packed refrigerator made me less willing to cook. And I was down to just cooking for myself. And finally I decided they all had to go and I cancelled them all.
But it was fun, and I learned a lot.
At least it’s not ham and mother****ers.
My kids used Blue Apron for a while. A couple of times they were away and we went and picked up their “box.”
My wife and I have always loved to cook, so prepping the weekly menu has been more of a marriage meeting for us. It’s a nice hour a week where we can plan.
I say that because I am not “against” these types of services; I just don’t live the life that would make the worthwhile. I found them to require a similar level of cooking knowledge and skill. The food was good, the portions were good. But they were all available at the local grocery store.
No slamming anyone that uses them; I just don’t trust the deliver service or the “produce pickers” to get me the best quality in time.
I actually loved the fruit cake. LOL
I’ve been hearing about 4 Factor from several people and might give it a try. Do they allow for low/no carb recipes?
Most “raw” meal kits, ones which don’t have a lot of pre-processed “convenience” ingredients, let you add as much sodium as you like in the cooking process.
That’s what I like about Blue Apron. You get high-quality raw produce and meats with a small amount of seasoning which you can add at your discretion.
I think I am the only Army guy who liked Army food. T-Rats and MREs were delicious.
Didn't they also come with cigarettes at one time?
When I do use the salad bags I use the pre washed stuff. I don’t know about the stew. I’m talking about a regular roast beef in a tray with yes a plastic covering that you peel off after heating.
Nothing is like cooking it yourself and I usually do but sometimes I’m just not in the mood for it. We don’t do a lot of the frozen stuff which is really bad for you.
What about fingerling potatoes?
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