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Hello Fresh Subscription Box Review + Coupon – February 2017

Lindsey Morse
ByLindsey MorseFeb 22, 2017 | 5 comments

Hello-fresh-february-2017-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. 

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

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

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

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The Subscription Box: Hello Fresh

The Cost: The Classic Food Box (for omnivores) starts at $9.99 per person per meal. The Veggie Box (for herbivores) starts at $9.99 per person per meal. The Family Box (for families) costs $8.74 per person per meal. Hello Fresh announced that starting in February, they will offer two plans: Unlimited Meal Choice ($11.50 a meal) or Basic Plan ($9.99 per meal). Learn more here!

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 U.S.

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!

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

Lean Mean Chicken and Greens with Rosemary Potatoes and Gremolata

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Calories per Serving: 659

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Hello Fresh recently introduced premium recipes, but the premium recipe for this week hadn’t yet been announced when I logged on to pick out my meals. (I’m really excited to try them out, so expect to see one reviewed next month!) Still, this week’s menu looked great to me, and I had no trouble finding three recipes I liked.

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My first pick was this recipe for chicken, potatoes, and salad. I’m always looking for new ways to prepare chicken breasts, so I was excited to give this recipe a try!

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First, I made the gremolata by combining lemon zest, chopped parsley, garlic, and olive oil.

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Next, I butterflied the chicken breasts and put them in a hot oiled pan to cook on the stove. While they cooked I boiled some potatoes and prepared the salad, a combination of arugula, cranberries, and walnuts.

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When the potatoes softened, I drained them and then cooked them in a little olive oil (along with rosemary, shallot, and garlic) to crisp them up.

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I really enjoyed this dish! The gremolata was a nice topping for the chicken, the salad was fresh and plentiful, and the potatoes were a nice, hearty accompaniment. My only complaint with this dish is that I somehow managed to dirty a lot of dishes while making it. Looking back, I probably could have re-used some of my bowls, but the mess of dishes made cleanup kind of a drag.

Penne with a Kick in a Pancetta-Tomato Arrabbiata Sauce

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Calories per Serving: 604

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My next meal pick was this take on penne arrabbiata.

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There were a ton of ingredients included for this dish— so many that I couldn’t fit them all in one photo! In addition to the items shown above, this recipe also included pancetta.

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Unfortunately, the tomato included for this recipe was in pretty bad shape and had cracked, broken skin. I didn’t have another tomato on hand to substitute, so I decided to omit it.

I boiled the pasta in salted water and, in a separate pan, cooked the pancetta, red onion, chili pepper, and garlic.

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When the veggies softened, I added in a can of diced tomatoes and a little sugar and cooked down the sauce. After it thickened, I added in the pasta.

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The recipe called for the addition of spinach, too, and there was a TON of spinach included. Instead of adding it all to the recipe, I decided to add about half and use the rest for side salads.

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I divided the penne between two bowls and topped each one with parmesan. This dish was really tasty. I used about half of the provided chili pepper (Hello Fresh suggested using only a portion of the pepper, depending on your spice tolerance), and the sauce had a nice, subtle kick of spice. The pancetta added nice depth of flavor, and I enjoyed having a salad on the side. This dish was a win!

Turkish-Spiced Salmon with Blood Orange and Couscous Pilaf

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Calories per Serving: 695

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My last meal pick this week was this recipe for Turkish-Spiced Salmon.

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As per the instructions, the first thing I did was cook the couscous. While it was soaking in hot water, I tossed the salmon in Turkish spices and cooked it in a sauté pan.

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For the salad, I combined arugula, blood orange, almonds, and cucumber with a lemon shallot vinaigrette.

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This dish was another winner! The salad was fresh, beautiful, and totally delicious, and the salmon and couscous were a tasty combination. I would definitely order this dish again!

Verdict: I loved this week’s Hello Fresh meals! I enjoyed all of my dishes, but my favorites have to be the chicken and salmon. Value-wise, Hello Fresh is competitively priced in the subscription meal box market. Meals start at $9.99 per serving, which is on par with Blue Apron ($9.99 per serving) and Home Chef ($9.95 per serving) and less than Plated ($12 per serving).

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

Robyn Tippins

Do not trust their ‘Risk Free’ trial.

I received my box on Thursday at 7pm. Made the first meal on Friday and cancelled it Saturday morning. Was still charged for the next week. They said I had ‘opted to receive the next meal’ which is a lie. I called Visa and had the charge removed, but they are scamming you. There is no way to order one week without being charged for two weeks. SCAM.

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Patricia

Hi Robyn
I receive boxes every other week. I was confused at first but Customer Service helped me immediately and I have had no issues since. Mt account is automatically set to every other week. I love this service and 100% support their customer service. They are terrific and the food is without question-excellent.

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Patricia

I agree. I love Hello Fresh. The food is great. I do customize some recipes as the author did with the spinach and side salad. I have never had a problem with the freshness of the food. I get a box every other week. The customer service is amazing. I had one issue with a wrong day delivery. Customer service took good care of me without me ever asking.

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Genevieve Mullis

I get hello fresh and blue apron, I enjoy them both a lot!
I actually went to culinary school, and for me its just easier to have these meals because I could easily spend hours deciding on recipes for diner!
Limiting me to 6 options is less stressful for me.

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suzy

I started Hello Fresh about four weeks ago, and I really love it. I’m not a good cook AT ALL, so I enjoy that these recipes are relatively simple. I also don’t ever really want to cook since it’s just me and it’s hard to cook for one person without mounds of leftovers. This is perfect for me because I get a meal that isn’t fast food, and leftovers to take to work the next day. I really am enjoying preparing the meals and I didn’t think I would.

I had an issue like you did with the tomato- the sweet potatoes in one box came shriveled with rotten spots on them. I actually tweeted them about it and they added a ten dollar credit to my account. From what I have read, their customer service is always amazing like that.
Plus, I feel a lot more grown up cooking for myself than just wanting to get Taco Bell all the time. 🙂

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