Do you always buy the same old boring groceries every time you shop, making the same meals over and over in rotation? It’s hard to be a culinary queen — especially if you’re also trying to be health-conscious. I only know how to make a handful of healthy meals, switching out the protein and vegetables, but basically doing the same thing each time. It’s lame — my stomach agrees, eventually leading to me breaking the diet for something greasy and fatty, just for a more interesting taste!

Recently, Hello Fresh has been my saving grace, ever since my coworker told me she’d lost 15 pounds by eating out of a box. I was intrigued. Fresh ingredients for three meals (for two people, so six meals for me!) are delivered to my doorstep every Monday, ready for me to prepare. I choose to receive lighter options, under 650 calories, but they are still so varied — pork, beef, chicken, shrimp, fish and vegetarian recipes are available. Everything they’ve sent me has been delicious. 

I don’t have to deliberate at the grocery store or look up recipes — everything’s included. Plus, each ingredient is portioned. For example, if a meal calls for one tablespoon of paprika, that’s what if gives you — you don’t have to go to the store and buy an entire container of the spice that you’ll never use again.

I don’t have to feel guilty about eating frozen, sugary, or carb-heavy food. Hello Fresh meals are always super flavorful — complete with savory sauces and bright sides. I’m never bored — every box contains ingredients that I’d never give a second glance at the store, things I’d never buy and never think that I’d be skilled enough to cook anyway. That’s been the best part of my experience — I’m a better cook now! The Hello Fresh recipes are really easy to follow and make me feel like a skilled chef! I’m also a pretty great foodstagrammer (check out the #HelloFreshPics hashtags floating around, chosen posts can receive retweets or prizes!).

Joyful Walters from Alexander City, AL contacted me on Twitter after I tweeted about this article. She chimed in with her Hello Fresh experience, explaining, “I chose HF because I had a free box gifted to me. I kept choosing HF because I like the way the meals are packaged. I like that there are separate boxes for each meal and that the protein is separate from the box ingredients. I like the interaction with HF via Twitter and Facebook. It makes me feel a little like a celebrity chef because my dish always turns out deliciously and I get recognition from the company itself — even if it is just a like or RT.”

Also, if you want to cook for more than two, Hello Fresh offers a four-person box and a family plan with two adult meals and two child meals! The vegetarian option is obviously cheaper, coming out to about $9 per meal. The classic box, which is what I get, comes out to about $11 per meal and worth every penny. This week, I cooked shrimp lo mein with udon noodles, carrots, and green beans, Argentine-spiced steak with scallion chimichurri and spinach cous cous salad, and char-broiled BBQ chicken with potato salad. YUM.