flojo
Sapphire
Posts: 3,418 Likes: 15,356
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Post by flojo on Feb 25, 2024 8:27:23 GMT -6
I’m looking into ordering from a meal delivery service and I’m overwhelmed. There are so many options and all have good and bad reviews. I’m looking for something easy for my picky eating kids. Luckily they don’t have any allergies or dietary restrictions. At this point I’m open to all price ranges.
Is there a meal service that you love? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!
ETA: The ones that interest me so far are Gobble, EveryPlate and Hungry Root.
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addymac
Emerald
Posts: 12,713 Likes: 54,195
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Post by addymac on Feb 25, 2024 9:10:41 GMT -6
I really liked Gobble but the price for me was just too much to justify it. We used coupon codes as much as possible and then just stopped.
Everyplate seemed to have easier meals than hello fresh or blue chef. I ended up hating blue chef by the end because I felt the quality of the food went down. We had moldy food a few times or missing items. So nixed that one. I think every plate was also more affordable.
Haven’t tried hungry root.
Oh and i just realized it’s been like 2-3 years since we used them so entirely possible things have changed.
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sudsy
Opal
Posts: 9,018 Likes: 50,586
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Post by sudsy on Feb 25, 2024 9:53:47 GMT -6
I’ll be honest, I tried hard for a while to find meals that both my kids and I could enjoy, and it just never happened. They’re too picky and hate trying new things. I end up cooking separate meals and use Hello Fresh for myself. I’m only able to cook dinners 3-4 times a week, so I usually have a 2 meal plan with Hello Fresh and then cook my own recipes twice a week that I know both my kids and I will like.
Hello Fresh has been my favorite. They’re super quick to refund money for quality or missing ingredient issues. I like the variety of meals they offer. I know they’re linked to EveryPlate and I’ve tried that before because it is cheaper, but I found the quality of ingredients to be subpar.
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thatgolfb
Unicorn
Posts: 55,023 Likes: 234,913
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Post by thatgolfb on Feb 25, 2024 10:46:07 GMT -6
I did Gobble a long time ago, and the quality, especially the texture, was awful. It has perhaps gotten better, but I hated it then lol.
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emma
Ruby
Posts: 18,825 Likes: 86,498
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Post by emma on Feb 25, 2024 11:04:13 GMT -6
I’ve done Hello Fresh and Chefs Plate. Hello Fresh was my favourite, the only reason we stopped was because both me and MH started eating dinner so infrequently that the meals were not always getting used. My 9yo liked most of the recipes, I found it helped him to become more adventurous
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bobyn
Diamond
local baby-making menace
Posts: 26,547 Likes: 164,562
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Post by bobyn on Feb 25, 2024 11:49:40 GMT -6
I’ve done Hello Fresh and Chefs Plate. Hello Fresh was my favourite, the only reason we stopped was because both me and MH started eating dinner so infrequently that the meals were not always getting used. My 9yo liked most of the recipes, I found it helped him to become more adventurous I will second Hello Fresh. B loved most of the recipes we got and they were easy enough to do that even he started helping in the kitchen. He now says he wants to be a chef!
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byjove
Ruby
Posts: 15,322 Likes: 74,875
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Post by byjove on Feb 25, 2024 12:28:39 GMT -6
We have done hungry root off and on for years. I like that the proteins are usually precooked and high quality, which makes getting a healthyish dinner on the table quickly during the week. There is usually not much chopping- it’s very different from hello fresh in that regard (we’ve done HF a tiny bit, but with several dietary restrictions it’s hard with them- in my mind though HR and HF serve different purposes). We’ve definitely honed in on some favorites over the years, but the selection has vastly increased since I started with them about 6 years ago.
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AmyG
Ruby
Posts: 15,372 Likes: 33,958
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Post by AmyG on Feb 25, 2024 12:30:16 GMT -6
Cycle through the introductory offers starting with cheapest one as long as you can set a reminder to pause or cancel. Because really lots of them have good and bad.
We liked hello fresh. Used it til discount codes ran out. Not too much repetition of recipes.
Every plate owned by same company but cheaper. I think it's made up by more rice pasta potatoes. So your kids would probably like every plate. Used to be they'd advertise specials for 1.99 a plate. Looked recently they'd say same but then add on price for vegetables or sides.
Son used factor for a while. Pre-made fast meals good food but too much repetition.
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Post by GhoatMonket on Feb 25, 2024 13:04:00 GMT -6
We are doing HomeChef right now. They have a decent variety of how difficult you want to get (some are microwave trays with precooked meat, other have presliced produce and it goes in the oven).
HelloFresh was ok and I got some recipes I make from it, but when I did it, recipes were very repetitive.
Blue Apron was nice for some unique recipes, but holy prep work. Oh, that reminds me. HelloFresh uses a lot of self supplied garlic. HomeChef sends peeled garlic.
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brux
Diamond
Posts: 35,330 Likes: 282,461
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Post by brux on Feb 25, 2024 13:37:55 GMT -6
I’ve enjoyed sunbasket.
But the meal service I’ve liked the most is a local chef who does meals each week and a changing menu. I stumbled across her in the pandemic.
I’ll send you the link in a PM so you can see her site and maybe it can help you keyword search to find someone like her local to you.
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flojo
Sapphire
Posts: 3,418 Likes: 15,356
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Post by flojo on Feb 25, 2024 14:01:17 GMT -6
Thank you all! I’m going to look through menus and pricing. And look to see what the cancellation terms of each are. It would be nice to try a few different ones until we land on one as long as it’s easy to cancel.
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Post by motherofdachshunds on Feb 25, 2024 18:37:45 GMT -6
We are doing HomeChef right now. They have a decent variety of how difficult you want to get (some are microwave trays with precooked meat, other have presliced produce and it goes in the oven). HelloFresh was ok and I got some recipes I make from it, but when I did it, recipes were very repetitive. Blue Apron was nice for some unique recipes, but holy prep work. Oh, that reminds me. HelloFresh uses a lot of self supplied garlic. HomeChef sends peeled garlic. I’ve done HelloFresh for years and I’m not sure what you mean by self supplied garlic. They send garlic cloves but you do have to peel them. OP, we use HelloFresh weekly, four meals each week. Initially it was just for DH and I but my kids starting eating it when the pandemic started. My oldest was super picky and I feel like HelloFresh got him away from that. There’s a ton of meals to choose from every week, probably 25+ at this point.
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Post by GhoatMonket on Feb 25, 2024 18:52:34 GMT -6
We are doing HomeChef right now. They have a decent variety of how difficult you want to get (some are microwave trays with precooked meat, other have presliced produce and it goes in the oven). HelloFresh was ok and I got some recipes I make from it, but when I did it, recipes were very repetitive. Blue Apron was nice for some unique recipes, but holy prep work. Oh, that reminds me. HelloFresh uses a lot of self supplied garlic. HomeChef sends peeled garlic. I’ve done HelloFresh for years and I’m not sure what you mean by self supplied garlic. They send garlic cloves but you do have to peel them. OP, we use HelloFresh weekly, four meals each week. Initially it was just for DH and I but my kids starting eating it when the pandemic started. My oldest was super picky and I feel like HelloFresh got him away from that. There’s a ton of meals to choose from every week, probably 25+ at this point. Maybe that was it. It's been a while. I just know I had to peel them. I'm doing this for convenience damn it, not to peel garlic! 😆
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Post by motherofdachshunds on Feb 25, 2024 18:55:21 GMT -6
I’ve done HelloFresh for years and I’m not sure what you mean by self supplied garlic. They send garlic cloves but you do have to peel them. OP, we use HelloFresh weekly, four meals each week. Initially it was just for DH and I but my kids starting eating it when the pandemic started. My oldest was super picky and I feel like HelloFresh got him away from that. There’s a ton of meals to choose from every week, probably 25+ at this point. Maybe that was it. It's been a while. I just know I had to peel them. I'm doing this for convenience damn it, not to peel garlic! 😆 I kind of like peeling garlic, you can take out a little aggression by slamming it with your knife!
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sudsy
Opal
Posts: 9,018 Likes: 50,586
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Post by sudsy on Feb 25, 2024 19:17:44 GMT -6
Maybe that was it. It's been a while. I just know I had to peel them. I'm doing this for convenience damn it, not to peel garlic! 😆 I kind of like peeling garlic, you can take out a little aggression by slamming it with your knife! This is my favorite part too 🤣
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Cher
Global Moderator
BMB, GD, Special Interests
Posts: 57,516 Likes: 442,318
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Post by Cher on Feb 25, 2024 20:55:31 GMT -6
I’ve done a ton but I always go back to Sunbasket. I find it pricey but I like that you can customize if you want organic, the variety of recipes and the calorie/protein fits my needs.
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wasabi
Moderator
Posts: 18,834 Likes: 119,776
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Post by wasabi on Feb 25, 2024 21:01:41 GMT -6
I enjoyed hello fresh a lot when we had it. It wasn’t worth the price (for us), but if I had more money to spend on food I’d probably keep it going for at least a couple meals per week.
I did have garlic issues though, too. But just that they never sent enough. Like a couple tiny garlic cloves per meal. That’s CRAZY! and I’m not even a garlic super fan. Anyhoo. Keep some extra garlic on hand and it’s good.
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Post by GhoatMonket on Feb 25, 2024 21:41:32 GMT -6
One of them just sent a whole bulb of garlic like "here you do what you want with this". I don't remember which one.
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Post by peachesncream on Feb 25, 2024 21:59:44 GMT -6
I’ve done HelloFresh for years and I’m not sure what you mean by self supplied garlic. They send garlic cloves but you do have to peel them. OP, we use HelloFresh weekly, four meals each week. Initially it was just for DH and I but my kids starting eating it when the pandemic started. My oldest was super picky and I feel like HelloFresh got him away from that. There’s a ton of meals to choose from every week, probably 25+ at this point. Maybe that was it. It's been a while. I just know I had to peel them. I'm doing this for convenience damn it, not to peel garlic! 😆 You need the bowl hack in your life. Get two bowls, put the garlic in one, place the other over the top (rim to rim), shake vigorously - bam, whole head peeled in 30 seconds flat.
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Post by peachesncream on Feb 25, 2024 22:05:07 GMT -6
I’ve enjoyed sunbasket. But the meal service I’ve liked the most is a local chef who does meals each week and a changing menu. I stumbled across her in the pandemic. I’ll send you the link in a PM so you can see her site and maybe it can help you keyword search to find someone like her local to you. I was going to second this, see what is available to you locally! There are a few services local to me, many that mainly focus on fitness meal prepping (but a prepped meal is a prepped meal). One local company I love cooks family style meals available for pickup and also offers grab and go meals from a storefront. She tends to focus more on specialized diets (vegan, GF, etc.) but the food is so darned good.
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Post by GhoatMonket on Feb 26, 2024 6:40:43 GMT -6
Maybe that was it. It's been a while. I just know I had to peel them. I'm doing this for convenience damn it, not to peel garlic! 😆 You need the bowl hack in your life. Get two bowls, put the garlic in one, place the other over the top (rim to rim), shake vigorously - bam, whole head peeled in 30 seconds flat. I'm aware. It not a time saver nor does it keep from having to clean every piece.
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STP
Diamond
Posts: 43,336 Likes: 314,832
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Post by STP on Feb 26, 2024 7:13:49 GMT -6
We like Marley Spoon.
You can cancel and restart easily, which is what I do.
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STP
Diamond
Posts: 43,336 Likes: 314,832
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Post by STP on Feb 26, 2024 7:15:02 GMT -6
I’ve done HelloFresh for years and I’m not sure what you mean by self supplied garlic. They send garlic cloves but you do have to peel them. OP, we use HelloFresh weekly, four meals each week. Initially it was just for DH and I but my kids starting eating it when the pandemic started. My oldest was super picky and I feel like HelloFresh got him away from that. There’s a ton of meals to choose from every week, probably 25+ at this point. Maybe that was it. It's been a while. I just know I had to peel them. I'm doing this for convenience damn it, not to peel garlic! 😆 I absolutely spend the money on the big bag of peeled garlic, that I keep in the freezer, and if we get garlic in a meal kit I save it for stock. Because I will not peel garlic any more. I will not.
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Post by GhoatMonket on Feb 26, 2024 10:47:08 GMT -6
Maybe that was it. It's been a while. I just know I had to peel them. I'm doing this for convenience damn it, not to peel garlic! 😆 I absolutely spend the money on the big bag of peeled garlic, that I keep in the freezer, and if we get garlic in a meal kit I save it for stock. Because I will not peel garlic any more. I will not. I should just do this. The garlic is the main reason H didn't like them- he would nope on any recipe that required it. He's made most of the ones we have this time because there isn't garlic cleaning involved.
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sterling
Global Moderator
GD
Posts: 15,047 Likes: 130,314
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Post by sterling on Feb 26, 2024 12:08:38 GMT -6
I had no idea peeling garlic was such a loathed task. It is inconsequential to me and my cooking.
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STP
Diamond
Posts: 43,336 Likes: 314,832
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Post by STP on Feb 26, 2024 12:16:09 GMT -6
I had no idea peeling garlic was such a loathed task. It is inconsequential to me and my cooking. NEAT
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sterling
Global Moderator
GD
Posts: 15,047 Likes: 130,314
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Post by sterling on Feb 26, 2024 12:24:49 GMT -6
I had no idea peeling garlic was such a loathed task. It is inconsequential to me and my cooking. NEAT Maybe it’s you is what I’m saying.
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STP
Diamond
Posts: 43,336 Likes: 314,832
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Post by STP on Feb 26, 2024 12:31:19 GMT -6
Maybe it’s you is what I’m saying. Love it for you.
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agm04
Platinum
Posts: 1,409 Likes: 2,925
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Post by agm04 on Feb 26, 2024 13:23:27 GMT -6
for me and mine: Home Chef > Hello Fresh > Blue Apron
I think that covers the ones I've tried. Home Chef has a nice variety, and my kids either usually eat it as is, or i can modify slightly or serve it deconstructed for them. I also prefer their packaging. Hello Fresh got boring for us, and if you follow their recipe exactly, it's often too salty to eat. I remember Blue Apron taking forever and not being as kid friendly.
I might try some others based on this thread!
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agm04
Platinum
Posts: 1,409 Likes: 2,925
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Post by agm04 on Feb 26, 2024 13:24:46 GMT -6
side note, my kids love to help with the meal kits. they can usually do half the meal themselves.
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