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Hello Fresh Subscription Box Review + Coupon – May 2016

Lindsey Morse
ByLindsey MorseJul 25, 2016 | 5 comments

HelloFresh-May-2016-BoxHelloFresh-May-2016-Box

HelloFresh
3.9 overall rating
44 Ratings | 29 Reviews

Hello Fresh is a weekly meal delivery subscription that sends healthy recipes and the pre-measured ingredients you need to make them at home. 

Check out all of our reviews of Meal Delivery Services to see every meal kit subscription box option!

HelloFresh-May-2016-Inside

It’s easy to skip deliveries using the Hello Fresh website, and you can skip as many weeks as you like.

My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

HelloFresh-May-2016-Contents

The Subscription Box: Hello Fresh

The Cost: The Classic Food Box (for omnivores) starts at $9.90 per person per meal. The Veggie Box (for herbivores) starts at $9.08 per person per meal. The Family Box (for families) costs $8.75 per person per meal.

ACTIVE DEAL: 16 Free Meals (Offer is for new subscriptions only across 9 boxes and varies by plan) + First Box Ships Free + 3 Surprise Gifts
CODE: MSA16HF

The Products: Healthy recipes and pre-portioned fresh ingredients.

Ships to: The contiguous US.

Check out all our Hello Fresh reviews and the Food Subscription Box Directory for more meal boxes!

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

HelloFresh-May-2016-BoxedIngredients

The ingredients for each recipe come packed in a white box.

HelloFresh-May-2016-Booklet

Hello Fresh includes a booklet that spotlights seasonal ingredients and includes your recipes for the week.

HelloFresh-May-2016-Perks

I also received an envelope filled with “curated offers.”

Warm Shrimp and Farro Salad

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Calories per Serving: 497

HelloFresh-May-2016-FaroRecipe1

Now that the weather has turned warm, I’m craving salad all the time. I’m always looking for new and interesting ways to jazz up my usual veggie mixes, so I was very excited to try this recipe for Warm Shrimp and Farro Salad!

HelloFresh-May-2016-FaroRecipe2

I was also excited to see that this recipe utilizes farro. I don’t often incorporate ancient grains into my cooking, but I’d like to start cooking with them more often.

HelloFresh-May-2016-FaroPrep

I prepped for this recipe by cleaning and preparing green beans, bell pepper, garlic, shallot, mint, and lemon.

HelloFresh-May-2016-FaroVeg

I boiled the farro, and (in a separate pan) I sautéed the pepper, green beans, and garlic.

HelloFresh-May-2016-FaroShrimp

When the veggies were done, I wiped out the pan and cooked the shrimp.

HelloFresh-May-2016-FaroSalad

After the farro was tender (it took a lot less than the recommended 25-30 minutes, by the way) I mixed all of the ingredients for the salad together in a large bowl and tossed the salad with citronette dressing.

HelloFresh-May-2016-FaroPlated

This salad was both hearty and refreshing. The citronette dressing was zippy and light, and I liked the addition of shrimp.

Mozzarella and Pesto Crusted Chicken

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Calories per Serving: 595

HelloFresh-May-2016-PestoCard

The following day, I made Mozzarella and Pesto Crusted Chicken.

HelloFresh-May-2016-PestoPrep

I can’t resist anything made with pesto, so I was very excited about this dish!

HelloFresh-May-2016-PestoPotatoes

I began by roasting potatoes at 450 degrees.

HelloFresh-May-2016-PestoChicken

While the potatoes were in the oven I prepared the chicken by topping each breast with pesto sauce and finishing them with a mix of panko and shredded mozzarella. I transferred these to the oven as well.

I waited for both the potatoes and chicken to be ready and then tossed the provided lettuce with lemon juice and olive oil.

HelloFresh-May-2016-PestoPlated

This chicken was delicious! It was crispy and indulgent. (And it tasted like it had a lot more than 618 calories per serving!)

Marinated Steak Bibimbap

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Calories per Serving: 621

HelloFresh-May-2016-SteakCard

My final meal selection for this week was Marinated Steak Bibimbap.

HelloFresh-May-2016-SteakPrep

I prepared my produce and boiled the brown rice.

HelloFresh-May-2016-SteakMarinate

I thinly sliced the steak and then marinated it in a combination of soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and sugar.

I also pickled scallions in a combination of white wine vinegar and salt.

HelloFresh-May-2016-SteakMushrooms

While the steak marinated, I cooked mushrooms in olive oil. (The recipe instructed me to cook them for 5-6 minutes until brown and crispy, but do mushrooms ever get crispy in that amount of time? I don’t think so…)

HelloFresh-May-2016-SteakVeg

After the mushrooms softened, I set them aside and cooked the zucchini in the same pan.

HelloFresh-May-2016-SteakMade

I seared the steak in batches and, in another pan, I fried two sunny side up eggs.

To plate, I divided the rice between two plates and arranged the other ingredients around it. I finished each dish with an egg.

HelloFresh-May-2016-SteakPlated

This dish was okay. The steak was phenomenal (tender and juicy), but I found the other components to be just a little bland.

Verdict: This box from Hello Fresh was pretty good. I really enjoyed the shrimp salad and I loved the pesto chicken! With only 5 meals to choose from each week, I sometimes struggle to find 3 dishes that really excite me, but I’ve been pretty lucky with that lately. Value wise, Hello Fresh is competitively priced within the meal box subscription market. Their price per meal is less than Plated and about the same as Blue Apron and Home Chef.

Do you subscribe to Hello Fresh?

Starting at $56.95
Active Deal
16 Free Meals (Offer is for new subscriptions only across 9 boxes and varies by plan) + First Box Ships Free + 3 Surprise Gifts
Use Coupon Code MSA16HF
Subscribe Now

HelloFresh is a popular meal kit delivery service and subscription that takes the guesswork out of planning and prepping home-cooked meals. Feed your family or just yourself with quality pre-portioned and fresh ingredients, and easy-to-follow recipes that you can choose week by week. No grocery s... read more.

Lindsey Morse
Lindsey Morse

Lindsey is a professional baker, cold brew coffee addict, and rosé aficionado who loves writing about food and wine. When she’s not sharing her love of subscription boxes with the world, you’ll find her in the podcasting studio, perfecting her cake decorating techniques, or cursing her way through the New York Times daily crossword puzzle. 


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5 comments

Cece

None of these seem to include peas, but I just read about a Hello Fresh recall:

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm507280.htm?source=govdelivery&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

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Mieke

I actually made chicken with pesto and parm tonight, but I love the idea of adding the panko breadcrumbs to the cheese, and I think I need to try that next time!

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Tierney

I really enjoyed the bibimbap. I got the chicken, but didn’t end up cooking it that way. I also got the polenta and mushroom dish. That was a nice bowl of comfort food.

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Madeleine

As a lover of Korean food and having spent 2 years in Korea you can’t have bimbimbap without red pepper paste. That’s what adds the flavor. A traditional bimbimbap would have sesame oil in the bottom of a hot stone bowl, then the rice so it gets a little crispy, then veggies, meat, egg and the red pepper paste. Sooo good

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Nancy

I agree with the gochuchang sauce!! Growing up being half Korean, we always had a huge tub in the fridge!! When asking, “where’s the hot sauce?” It promoted the follow up question, “Korean or picante?” A necessity when trying to cook Korean

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