I planned to post his blog around Thanksgiving because you know, food, thanksgiving… well, the holiday season happened and here we are. Better late than never, right? ß That’s also what I wrote on the back of the unmailed Christmas cards I found on my desk. #oops
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I love to cook, but typically don’t have the time after work. One think I looked forward to doing while on maternity leave was fixing more fresh meals. Well, no surprise here, juggling a newborn nap schedule and constant need to feed proved to make cooking very difficult. I was still determined to give it my best shot. So, I decided to test out as many meal delivery services as I could find a referral or coupon code for. Below I’ve summarized the pros (+) and cons (-) of each.
Peach Dish [$10 off with PHbu6hwU] $12.50 pp/pm*
+ Ingredients sorted by meal.
+ Short and simple instructions
+ Minimal prep time & not too many things cooking at once
+ I could re-create these recipes from Kroger (except the magic “PeachDish salt”)
+ two thumbs up from Kyle
- not a huge variety of meals to choose from each week
- local delivery only (not a con for me, but may be for anyone outside of Atlanta. You’re missing out)
Now, I’ll pause here to say that after PeachDish, I was hooked! Kyle loved every ingredient to every meal, the portions were right, the flavor was good, and I didn’t have to worry about the meat being done 15 minutes before the vegetables while wrangling an infant. PeachDish set the bar HIGH! I thought to myself “if a tiny local company like Peach Dish is this good, I can’t wait for the next seven weeks”. [ S P O I L E R | A L E R T ]. It’s seven weeks later and Peach Dish’s high bar was never surpassed. Many of the thing that we liked about PeachDish (easy to follow recipe cards, ingredients sorted by meal, general convenience of the service) held true for all of the other meal delivery services. However, the food never did. I wasn’t in this for new exotic recipes or ingredients, I just wanted a new twist on foods I already like and easier planning. PeachDish did that best.
Blue Apron [$30 off with code ‘UNDISCLOSED’ or ‘TRUTH’] $9.99 pp/pm*
+ More meal options
+ Larger portions (usually had a side salad)
- Ingredients not sorted by meal (yes, the meal cards listed which ingredients you needed and all of the ingredients were nicely labeled and measured, but I wanted SO EASY, and this was one more step that made it just a bit more difficult)
- We got double the meat for one recipe, and no chicken for another recipe (they did give us a credit back for this error, but it still caused me to have to figure out something else for dinner that week.)
- L O T S of prep (wash, dice, chop, mince, slice, etc.)
- longer cook time & more complicated recipes
If you’re looking to try foods you would never try before, Blue Apron is for you. The recipes are certainly adventurous and different. Unfortunately, that’s not what we were looking for. We actually ended up doing two weeks of Blue Apron and had to order Chinese or Pizza for at least one meal each week.
Hello Fresh [$40 off with U2HHUF] $11.50 pp/pm*
+ Welcome call.
+ Recipe cards sent for every meal available that week, not just the meals we selected.
+ Condiments provided in cute little glass jars
+ Large portions
- One of their ice packs broke and leaked gel goop in our box
- Multiple follow-up calls after cancelling
Home Chef [$30 off with this link] $9.95 pp/pm*
+ Largest selection of meals from any company
+ Breakfast, smoothies, and seasonal fruit also available
+ Recipes came hole punched and they sent a binder for storage (I ended up hole punching all of the recipe cards from every company and keeping them in this nice plastic half inch binder)
Now that I’m typing this out, I’m not sure why Home Chef didn’t take the cake over Peach Dish. It’s cheaper, has more options, and had no cons. Maybe it’s the fact that I have a thing for supporting local small business, or maybe it’s my fear that I’d starting ordering breakfasts and smoothies and blow the budget. Home Chef really was great, and if you’re not in the Atlanta area or want a slightly cheaper option, this is your go to!
Plated [Everyone gets first meal for two free] $12.00 pp/pm*
+ Dessert available
+ Welcome e-mail
+ Large protein portions
- Mostly unique/adventurous type meals
- Longer prep and/or cook time
Sunbasket [$30 with Teresa255359] $10.75 pp/pm*
+ Organic & non-GMO.
+ Paleo & glutten free meals available.
+ Breakfast Available
+ Instructions and supplies for easier recycling of insulation included- Delivery only available on Wednesdays
- Must call to cancel subscription
Green Chef [2 meals for 2 people free with this link] $11.00 pp/pm*
+ Ingredient labels color coordinated to match recipe card
+ Many items already diced (tomatoes, onions, etc.)
+ Sauces/Dressings already made
- Must choose a ‘meal plan’ which includes a specific set of meals for the week instead of picking individual meals.
Terra’s Kitchen [$30 off with FALL16] $ varies pp/pm*
+ Ingredients pre-chopped.
+ Prices vary by meal.
+ Gluten free & Paleo available.
+ Add individual items (extra protein, fruit, pasta) to delivery vessel at low cost until it’s full
- Fancy website but not functional
- TOO EXPENSIVE! I must admit, we didn’t even try this one. All of the above is based on what I learned during the ordering process. 3 meals for 2 + a lunch salad was going to be $95. Even with a $30 coupon code I couldn’t pull the trigger. I’m sure the cool delivery vessel and not having to do ANY cutting is awesome, but that luxury doesn’t fit our budget.
*Note – the prices I have included are the prices that I paid for a general plan. Some companies offer lower cost meal plans (vegetarian) or higher cost meal plans (Gluten Free, Paleo, Extra meat, etc.)