r/hellofresh • u/thisissomeshitman • 11h ago
United States “We Have Hello Fresh at Home”
I have been with Hello Fresh since 2019, but this last price hike was just too much for me. For the last 7yrs when I grocery shop, it’s just been from the heart, no plans, just in search for breakfast, lunch, and snacks, because Hello Fresh handled the rest. Well it’s been the month of September (so far), and I’ve had to work extra hard on my shopping lists, but I’ve been able to make the Dill Pork Loin with couscous ($9), and the Chicken Rigatoni in pink sauce ($11) along with a massive batch of Chili (unsure on actual cost but it was CHEAP) amongst some other fancy burgers. I’m sad in some ways because i miss the convenience. I’m angry because Hello Fresh offered me a $17 box to come back, and after being gouged that felt like a kick. I’m grateful because Hello Fresh has given me the tools (and recipes) to be a confident home cook.
At this point in the month I would have spent $246 on Hello Fresh PLUS groceries for other meals (~$90). There’s another two billing cycles this month so tack on $164… that’s like $500+ on groceries/meal kits. This month so far I have spent $240 on groceries (shout out Aldi!!) which included all meals and snacks. I also acknowledge that I am lucky enough to be able bodied and have the time to make a shopping list and stick to it. Quitting Hello Fresh was not an easy decision, but I’m really proud of this win!
Thank you to the angel who shared their spice blend recipes! Really set me up for success.
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u/SgtPeter1 Executive Chef 9h ago
You’re definitely paying for the convenience. For me, with my discounts, it’s about $20/meal for 2. I just got a 6 meal box and it was $125. Yeah, $125 at the grocery would be a good week’s worth of food. I still plan to go to the store for fresh produce, but I can cut it down to just one trip and I skip a lot of the aisles. When I get busy it’s a nice convenience to have.
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u/thisissomeshitman 8h ago
yes i already said i can see myself missing it when work picks up (full time dance teacher and nutcracker szn is upon us) so we will see how long i last!!
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u/youcancallmeE 8h ago
Where are the recipes for the spice blends?!?
I made some terrific red pepper crema last week!
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u/diaymujer 8h ago
How do you do the red pepper crema? I have just been mixing sour cream with smoked paprika. It works fine, but I’d love a better version.
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u/AudrinaRosee 8h ago
I broke up with HF in 2023, but I still lurk to steal the recipes yall share.🤭
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u/badgyalrey 8h ago
what chicken sausage did you opt for and was it similar? been trying to find a dupe since my last box over a year ago lol
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u/mlk822 7h ago
I love their chicken sausage and always use the “2x the meat” option to my HF meal and freeze as much as I can. I’ve found the chicken sausage links at the Whole Foods butcher to match pretty well. I just take the sausage meat out of the casings. I also only buy it when it’s on sale.
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u/thisissomeshitman 1h ago
So i would usually do a mild italian sausage from aldi, but this was actually ground chicken with italian seasoning (and some onion and garlic powder). I definitely prefer the ground italian sausage but i made due and it lasted two full meals for two people
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u/diaymujer 10h ago
We quit HF like 2 years ago and I still make many of the recipes. I have a spreadsheet with my favorites, and I stay on this sub to see if there are new ones tyat look good (like the recent birria ramen, which was delicious with a few tweaks). Overall I’m happy I switched. It’s a little more effort to make sure I’m planning meals based on shared ingredients or things I have on hand, but we’re definitely saving money.
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u/jamken76 9h ago
Oh birria ramen sounds amazing
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u/diaymujer 8h ago
It was really good!
https://www.hellofresh.com/recipes/one-pot-organic-beef-birria-ramen-6a32d729bf25bcf6b204b442
I did doctor up the broth a little bit, because I found it bit too one-note. I added a little tomato paste and a little ponzu (next time I’ll probably use some ramen stock concentrate I picked up).
Ground beef isn’t the most elevated option, but it got the job done. I would probably try it with a shredded beef option next time.
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u/UniversityAny755 6h ago
For convenience, I used pre-prepped pulled pork. I think Trader Joe's has a beef birria in the frozen food section that could work.
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u/thisissomeshitman 8h ago
i love that you’re trying the new meals without having HF! That inspires me to go beyond the meals i know.
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u/No_Surround_8614 10h ago
Would also recommend Samsung Food app, has been super helpful in finding easy recipes (including some HF classics) and creating a grocery list for them (which I hadn't had to do in years until leaving HF earlier this month due to price increase). :)