Limiting our grocery shopping to only once every 2 weeks was, at first, a fun way to get creative.

We made pasta limone, rice and beans, quiche…. But we got sick of carb-heavy meals real fast. Without access to fresh produce and large quantities of meat (we're limited to only 2 packages per family at our store), I was tired of getting creative.

After a night of tortillas + all the leftovers in the fridge, I knew I needed something new. My daughter showed me the beautiful dinners, full of vegetables, her friend was posting on Facebook. I asked if they had a garden or something, and she said they were using HelloFresh.

With what was happening in the world, I figured HelloFresh had probably raised their prices like the grocery stores near me, but were reasonable, and consistent with what I thought it should be. I'd never tried a meal kit before, but this seemed like the perfect time.

My kids and I looked at the upcoming menu together, and we were excited about the different offerings: Ultimate Chicken Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries and Cucumber Salad, Pork Tacos

with Pico de Gallo, Avocado and Spring Mix, Ponzu-Marinated Steak and Bok Choy with Sesame-Edamame Rice and Wasabi Mayo….. mmmmm.

They were wholesome and, more importantly, interesting. I ordered a box of 3 meals for 4 people for the following week.

When our first box arrived, I was impressed with the packaging — everything was kept cold with ice packs, it was all recyclable, and it was clearly labeled. Each compostable bag contained the ingredients for one meal, and the recipe cards were packed underneath. (By the way — the cards are huge! My vision's not great, but that print-size was so easy to read.)

My daughter wanted to help, so we made dinner together for the entire family. With an extra set of hands, it went slightly faster, but we were still close to the 30-minute timeline.

All four of us sat down to eat, and immediately agreed we should've been doing this forever. Everything was delicious! We'd been stocking up on ingredients that don't spoil easily, so having fresh basil or avocados at dinner was perfect for us.

This also took a lot off my plate. Not only did this save me so much time on grocery shopping, cooking, and deciding what to shop for and cook, but this adds variety to our diet!

Sitting down with the family for 5 minutes every week to choose recipes is a really nice moment for the 4 of us.

For fresh ingredients, convenience, and variety, HelloFresh is a savior. I have no idea why I didn't try this service sooner!

Follow this link to get 6 free meals + free shipping!