I have seen Hello Fresh ads for months but never had a reason to try it because my husband and I already love to cook. However, one day I was catching up with an old friend who wanted to break the cycle of eating out all the time. It was an unhealthy and expensive habit. I offered to share some of my easy, go-to recipes, but she said she did not know how to cook. So instead, I suggested she consider trying a meal prep program like Hello Fresh. When I saw Upromise had a $40 cash back offer on Hello Fresh, I decided to give it a try too and I am glad I did.
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Hello Fresh Discount Codes & Cash BackMy First Hello Fresh Order
Hello Fresh Would Be Good For…
Hello Fresh: Pros & Cons
Overall
Hello Fresh Discount Codes & Cash Back
Hello Fresh has generous coupon codes and cash back rewards that makes it a no brainer to try out. My first order of Hello Fresh was less than what I would have spent on groceries, and they delivered the ingredients to me.
Upromise
Upromise has a $40 cash back on the first Hello Fresh order. If you have not heard of Upromise, it is a website that allows you a unique way to save up for a college fund. Basically, it allows you to earn cash back from purchases. It is 100% free to sign-up, and they give you a $30 bonus.*
Rakuten
Rakuten is currently offering $10 cash back.* Rakuten is another cash back rewards program. It is also 100% free to sign-up, and they give you a $30 bonus.*
Coupon Cabin
Coupon Cabin is currently offering $10.10 cash back.* Coupon Cabin is another cash back rewards program that is 100% free to sign-up.
Hello Fresh Discount Codes
14 free meals from HelloFresh when you buy a 4-week subscription, plus no shipping fees (new customers only): KX-299Y9B6WE Expires 9/29/21
My First Hello Fresh Order
How it Arrived
My first order arrived in two boxes. I loved that the fresh ingredients were organized by meal in labeled paper sacks. The meat was labeled and separated in portions. I was disappointed I only received 5 of the 6 recipe cards, but there was an easy fix. If this happens to you, you can go to their website and download a copy of the recipe card from your “My Menu” page. When you open up the recipe, click on the download icon (i.e., down arrow) that appears in the upper left corner of the recipe.
Remember to Freeze Your Proteins
Hello Fresh recommends freezing all proteins until a few hours before you want to cook them. Once the protein is thawed, you need to use meats within 5 hours and seafood within 2 days. To defrost the meats, I just placed them in the refrigerator the night before I wanted to cook the meal.
Szechuan Beef & Green Beans with Ginger Rice & Candied Peanuts
I chose to prepare Szechuan Beef & Green Beans with Ginger Rice & Candied Peanuts as our first meal, and it was delicious!!! The fresh ingredients were in good condition and everything came pre-measured. The Hello Fresh meal kits do not include sugar, salt, pepper, cooking oil or butter. They assume that people have those ingredients on hand, and we did. The directions were very clear.
I am not new to cooking so I did make changes to suit my preferences. For example, instead of steaming the green beans in the microwave, I chose to steam them in a pan. I just threw them in a pan with 1/4 cup of water, covered it up and heated them on the stove for a few minutes on medium heat until the green beans were tender.
I was excited to learn a new way to make candied peanuts. Normally, I would just toss a little sugar in a pan with the nuts and let the sugar caramelize and coat the nuts, but I prefer the directions in this recipe, which says to add a little water. Adding water allows the sugar to coat the nuts evenly.
Hello Fresh Would Be Good For…
People Who Are Constantly Dining Out – It is unhealthy to eat out all of the time and it gets very expensive. If you are dining out because you do not have the time to go grocery shopping and plan out meals, this is a good option for you.
Spouse or Significant Other – Let me specify, a spouse or significant other who has expressed a wish to learn how to cook. This might not go over well if they never mentioned wanting to learn how to cook in the first place.
Date Night – The exception to the above is if you present Hello Fresh as a way for both of you to learn a new skill. Couples cooking classes are a great bonding experience! This would be an easy, inexpensive and fun date night activity.
Seasoned Cooks Who Want to Try Something New – My husband and I cook all the time, but we enjoyed trying something new.
College Students – This would be a thoughtful gift to a college student who has access to a kitchen and is new to cooking. No one should have to eat ramen 24/7.
Hello Fresh: Pros & Cons
| PROS | CONS |
| – Several easy to make recipes – Delicious meals – Cheaper than dining at a restaurant – Meals are ready under an hour – Generous portions – You can skip weeks – Hello Fresh gives back to the community – They have a rewards program | – Only some of the ingredients are organic – Meal kits do not include salt, pepper, sugar, oil and butter -More expensive than the grocery store – $8.99 shipping fee per delivery |
Overall
Overall, Hello Fresh is a good value for those who tend to dine out. The meals have generous portions and are cheaper than dining out at a restaurant. This is also a good introduction for those who are new to cooking. Your meals are planned for the week, food is delivered straight to your door and they arrive in pre-portioned packages. This minimizes the stress in cooking and makes the process enjoyable. Even if you are a seasoned cook, this would be an easy and fun way to spice up a week of cooking with pre-planned, tasty recipes.
Want to get cash back on Hello Fresh and other stores? Make sure you check out the articles I wrote on Upromise and Rakuten.
*See program’s website for current offers and terms and conditions.