Is Healthy HelloFresh either healthy or helpful?

You can call me a cliche dietitian if you want, but cooking is something that I thoroughly enjoy.  I started out in the kitchen at a young age when my Nonna taught me how to cook gnocchi. We would cook together, including Nonna teaching me how to make her special tomato sauce, until I learned how to do it on my own.

These days, I do most of my cooking on the weekends as part of my meal prep. I like to add in variety week to week so I have new ingredients to look forward to. The recipes range in levels of complexity, depending on how I’m feeling. I tend to cook more complex meals with my other dietitian friends at our weekly “Sunday Night Dinners”–where we get together to cook a new and exciting recipe.

As much as I love to cook and find new recipes, sometimes I feel like I get into a recipe rut. This is where HelloFresh comes in. If you haven’t heard of HelloFresh, it’s an “ingredient” delivery service. The company will send you ingredients to make 2-5 different meals during the week (depending on your plan), so all you have to do is cook! They have a 2-person plan and a 4-person plan.

I use HelloFresh once a month to experiment with new recipes and I love it!

Below are the reasons why I think HelloFresh is dietitian approved and something you should try! Also, you may want to check out reviews from 15 different meal delivery services!

HelloFresh Details

1. Fresh Ingredients

Every time I have ordered HelloFresh, the box I received had very fresh and quality ingredients. I was impressed. I love it because they also send vegetables that I may not always purchase for myself at the grocery store. One time I made a dish with radishes, which was great because I had forgotten how much I love radishes. It’s pretty cool to see a bunch of different colors in your box!

2. Variety

There are a few ways in which I think HelloFresh offers variety.

1) They send you 3 recipes a week that vary in terms of flavors, protein used (chicken vs. pork vs. shrimp..etc.), and side dishes.

2) The recipes are different than what I would normally choose on my own. I am not sure why, but I wouldn’t choose an orzo sausage dish from scrolling through Pinterest, but when HelloFresh sends me the ingredients, I’m totally down!

This helps me to keep variety in week to week and usually gets me out of a recipe rut.

3. High Protein

Each week, HelloFresh sends you recipes with different types of protein. For example, one week, I had recipes with shrimp, beef and chicken. They do also have a vegetarian option if you don’t eat meat. In my opinion, the recipes have the proper balance of protein and carbohydrates so they leave you feeling satisfied.

The 2 person plan comes with 2 portions for the meal.

4. Portion Control

HelloFresh provides you with the ingredients for either 2 or 4 servings, so it can be really helpful when you are monitoring portion sizes, especially since the meals are satisfying and full of veggies. However, I do have to say I believe sometimes the recipes yield more than 2 portions.

So depending on your goals and nutritional needs, you may be able to have 3 servings from the entrée. Be sure to consult your dietitian to be certain.

5. Time Saving

While I will say sometimes cooking the recipes and cleaning up can be a little time consuming because you do have to use different pots and pans. However, you don’t have to do any grocery shopping, which is awesome!

For more ideas on how to get dinner on the table faster, make an appointment with one of registered dietitians by calling 301-474-2499 or clicking here. 

HelloFresh was a sponsor for our REBEL Challenge 2017. The views, experiences, and opinions expressed on our blog are purely our own. We have not received any compensation from the companies highlighted in this post. 

If you have not tried HelloFresh recently, you may want to try it again.  I just tried it again and was very satisfied.

-Blog reviewed and updated by Rebecca Bitzer MS RD LD September 10, 2021

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