Last month I decided that it was time to venture out and try a meal kit delivery service. There are so many to choose from and after a lot of research factoring in cost, nutrition, and quality, I ultimately decided to go with Green Chef.

I signed up for the 2 person Balanced Living and got 3 recipes a week. This allowed me to choose from meat, seafood, and vegetarian options.

Want to see how my first-week with Green Chef went? Check it out:

MONDAY

My box arrived on Monday at around 3 pm right to my door. I've been really conscious of my environmental impact lately and was worried about the kit's packaging. I read that Green Chef offsets 100% of its plastic packaging and carbon emissions, but I still wanted to understand how "green" the box itself actually was.

When it arrived, I was happy to notice it was mostly recyclable! This included the cardboard box, paper bags, hard plastic, and plastic bags. Plus, I was able to find online what all the components are made of and exactly how to recycle them.

I unboxed my delivery and was able to neatly organize my meals in the fridge and get ready for the week. Each recipe had a different colored sticker so I could color coordinate, and the recipe cards with instructions (and images--I love to see how it's supposed to look along the way) got me excited to start cooking.

TUESDAY

The biggest aspect I dread when cooking is prepping. I always forget at least one ingredient and to me, a tablespoon and a teaspoon don't make much of a difference … so you can see why Green Chef was a major help.

Everything came prepped and measured! Once I unpacked the recipe bag I was set to go. This shaved so much time off, me having more time for other things I love (AKA binging another season of The Great British Bake Off). It was like having an assistant come in and do all the busy work, so I got to do all the fun parts!

You can see all the prep for the Pineapple Teriyaki Salmon. The plastic packets even say "Recycle me!"

WEDNESDAY

Like most Wednesdays, today was exhausting. Normally I would just collapse on my couch with a bag of popcorn and a glass of wine and call it a night. But that was pre-Green Chef life.

Tonight, I dove into cooking the Butternut Squash Chili. It was so hearty and delicious, the perfect way to end a not-so-perfect day. What I loved most though was that there were 2 servings (like all the recipes in my plan), so I could have it again for lunch the next day.

I even got to toast the tortilla chips myself, giving it that nice fresh, crunch on top; tasty and hassle-free.

THURSDAY

I ended up going out for my friend's birthday. It was nice to get out of the house … but I was actually missing my Green Chef meals.

Although it's nice to splurge once in a while, I hated spending $20 on an entree when I knew my recipes at home were more than half the cost. My first week's orders were $6.99 per serving.

FRIDAY

When I grabbed my last Green Chef bag from the fridge all I could think was jackpot! It was the Fajita Burger with Chimichurri — the burger wasn't even cooking yet and my mouth was already watering.

At first, I thought "A burger? Not really on my health list" but then I realized what Green Chef was helping me achieve: balance. Each recipe uses as many certified organic ingredients as possible, and the full nutrition information is listed on their site.

Even though I'm indulging in a burger, it's not your typical greasy treat. It's made with quality ground beef and a fun chimichurri sauce. All of Green Chef's recipes are exciting to explore, and now I'm not going through the same 5 dishes I know how to make — 3 of which are variations on mac n' cheese.

SATURDAY & SUNDAY

I went through my three meals during the week and was feeling a bit sad over the weekend when I realized how much I missed cooking with them. However, I was inspired to get into the kitchen and use some of the skills I had picked up from Green Chef. With more free time over the weekend, I can actually cook AND relax.

But in all honesty… I'm probably going to increase my recipes each week — they're just too good! And I'm looking forward to exploring their other health-centered plans like Keto, Plant-Powered, and Carb-Conscious. The subscription allows me to switch when I want and I love that I don't feel boxed in.

Overall, my weekend was an 8/10, all it was missing was Green Chef.

FUTURE PLANS

Green Chef's subscription is great but it gets even better. I can skip or pause my plan any time, which works perfectly for me as my schedule isn't always set in stone. Plus, I can move my delivery date around too. I'm going away soon for a long weekend and have already pushed my delivery to Tuesday instead of Monday.

After that first week, I'm definitely sticking with Green Chef. They gave me meals that were affordable, time-saving, and delicious. Cooking has never felt so relaxing and stress-free — I can't imagine going back.

SPECIAL OFFER: Our friends at Green Chef are extending a limited time offer to our readers! Follow this link to get $100 off across four boxes, including first box FREE shipping!