Hello Fresh Subscription Box Review and Coupon #hellofreshpics – August 18

 Hello Fresh is a meal kit subscription box where you’ll get the recipes and ingredients to make 3 meals for two (or 4) every week. Hello Fresh is a subscription, but you can pause your deliveries and choose alternate meals (at least for the Classic box). There’s also a vegetarian box available. This is a solid meal subscription box with easy and accessible recipes.  Take $40 off your first box with coupon code 7UT7K8. 

Hello Fresh recently redesigned their menu cards, and the instructions are super easy to follow.  It has nice illustrations, is clearly written, and even lets you know nutrition info, prep time, and which recipes are best to make first to optimize freshness of perishables.  Hello Fresh sends all the sauces, bouillon and such in individual serving packets or in off-the-shelf brand name packaging; although it means a little more packaging, they survive shipping better than the plastic cups used by Plated.

The new packaging has arrived in the last several boxes – it’s more recyclable than the previous bags (you still have to pull the plastic off the cardstock) and keeps the more tender ingredients from sitting on top of the icepacks (which, FYI, you can dump into the sink and recycle the plastic). Hello Fresh now places the nutritional info on the outside (photo of previous week).

 Chicken and Nectarine Panzanella with Mint, Zucchini, and Fresh Mozzarella. 35 mins, level 2, 700 cal.

This was like getting the best parts of a salad — the croutons, chicken, cheese, fresh herbs and fruit — with just enough arugula to balance the sweetness and acidity of the dressing.  The quick-pickled zucchini ribbons were surprisingly well-suited for the dish, adding an additional layer of juiciness and a nice counter to the sweetness of the peach.  This dish had a bit of knife work, but it was all very simple.  A successful dish from a creative produce pairing.  Pictured is a single serving.

Seared Steak and Creamy Chipotle Pan-Sauce with Poblano, Corn, and Crispy Potato Hash. 40 mins, level 2, 689 cal.

This is one of the first applications I’ve seen where the chipotle pepper is used — all too often clever chefs use just the adobo and ignore what was intended to be the star of the can.  This dish has a lot going for it.   It seems less like a meal than it is a delightful stack of great snack food.  Kind of like steak fries, jalapeño poppers, and steak, all smothered in spicy, creamy gravy.  The juicy kernels of corn livened up the texture with a nice fresh pop.   Hearty and indulgent, this is a must-try.  A single serving is pictured above.

Crispy Skillet Chicken with Bulgur Paella, Carrots, and Apricots. 40 mins, level 1, 875 cal.

This dish didn’t call for a ton of olive oil, but it seemed to be swimming in it by the end of preparation.  A little tsp here and there for each phase of prep, plus the drippings from the crisped skin, rendered a somewhat slick dish.  And yet, it was extremely delicious and never tasted greasy.  Instead, the juicy richness of the dark meat thighs was accentuated, making each bite unbelievably tasty and tender.  The Bulgur was tender, but it never disintegrated — it even made a great cold leftover.  I took the paella suggestion to heart, breaking out my beloved paella pan from Hamptons Lane.  Pictured is the double serving, served up family style!

This week really hit the spot with mounds of tender, moist meat, served up with perfectly complementary veggies and starches that really soaked up the flavor.

Here are the selections for next week! Meal choices end Wednesdays at midnight.  The farro salad offered as an alternate is also featured as a Chef’s Choice in the vegetarian menu for the week.

You can click on each dish and get the recipe information, including calories, ingredients, and difficulty levels.  We like having this info available beforehand, as it allows us to avoid meals that we think are too involved or require to much time for our schedule that week.  Although the names of the dishes are fairly lengthy and descriptive, it is also nice to have the ingredient list to get a fuller picture of the dish.

We love Hello Fresh — the ingredients are high quality, and the recipes are easy to follow.  This week’s dishes were no exception, and I’m pleased to see they keep creating new dishes and continue to be creative with their selections.

Visit Hello Fresh to select your box for next week!  Take $40 off your first box with coupon code 7UT7K8.Check out all our Hello Fresh Reviews and don’t forget to take a look at other Fresh Food Subscription Boxes