This year has been crazy. For a lot of people, staying at home means you have less to do. But if you've got kids, that's not the case. Sophie and Jake are keeping me busier than ever. Having to entertain them at home was hard early on, and now with school in full swing, it's all about making sure their homework is done in time to eat and I'm getting them to bed at a reasonable hour. I definitely appreciate teachers 100x more than I did in 2019.

With everything going on, cooking has taken a back seat. I've been relying too much on frozen meals and takeout. At first, it was a temporary thing because I wanted to avoid going to the grocery store as much as I could, and now it's become a bad habit that just can't continue long-term.

I was asking a fellow mom for advice when she suggested I tried HelloFresh, a meal kit service that delivers ingredients for your chosen recipes to your doorstep every week. I had heard about it before but didn't bother looking into it, I assumed that it would be too much effort and the kids probably wouldn't like it.

But my friend informed me that HelloFresh is super flexible and you can pause or cancel the subscription at any time. So I decided to try it out for a week to see how it would go.

Here's how HelloFresh fits into my busy week:

Monday

My HelloFresh order arrived right on time. I went with the Meat & Veggie family plan, for 4 evenings a week. This meant we would have dinner sorted 4 days a week, and we could treat ourselves to pizza on Fridays.

I opened up the box and everything was neatly packaged. All the ingredients were pre-portioned and separated. I was glad to see that the packaging was recyclable. The kids were amused, looking at the photos and recipe cards. Sophie even offered to help me cook that evening

By the time I cleaned the house and finished up homework with the kids it was 6:30, and we were starving and ready to make some food. First up was Bulgogi Pork Tenderloin. The recipe card said it would take 30 minutes, but I doubted it would be that quick so I timed it.

30 minutes later, it was on the plates ready to eat, and it was delicious. I was shocked that the kids cleared their plates as they can be picky sometimes, but this was some good food.

Tuesday

Another crazy day in the household. Jake spilled orange juice on the carpet in the morning which I spent most of the day trying to get out.

That evening, I made Turkey Flautas Supreme. I'd never made anything like this before so I was worried it would be difficult but again, it took only 30 minutes and all four of us cleaned out plates. I couldn't believe how tasty the HelloFresh meals are, and it came to just $7.49 a serving. Plus the fact that their recipes involved minimal prep means less cleaning up afterward.

Wednesday

Wednesday is the day I do most of my housework. Hoovering, mopping, dusting, tidying, and then homework. For dinner, I made Black Bean & Poblano Quesadillas, which thankfully only took 25 minutes. I was exhausted after the busy day I had, but thankfully HelloFreshes recipes cards take all the stress out of cooking. I was starving by the time I sat down, and it was so tasty, the kids cleaned their plates yet again and Sophie said it was the best dinner she'd ever had!.

Thursday

I had to pick Jake up from school early because he fell and cut his knee in the yard. I brought him home and looked after him, and then I helped Sophie with her homework.

Then I got ready to cook dinner. This time it was Middle Eastern Chickpea Bowls, which took 40 minutes to make and was probably my favorite of the week so far. My husband loved them too and the kids ate it all up.

I felt a sense of achievement at the end of the day that I managed to still make a home-cooked dinner four evenings in a row, despite how busy I was. I showered the kids and got into bed feeling like I'd had a productive few days with the help of HelloFresh.

Friday

TGIF. Reflecting on the week, I realized I had finished every single one of my HelloFresh meals, without leaving any food waste. The pre-portioned ingredients meant that you have the exact amount that you need, so no food waste going into the environment.

That night, we ordered pizza and sat together as a family. When we were eating the pizza, Sophie asked me when we were having Quesadillas next, which I laughed at. With HelloFresh you get to choose your meals, so I reassured her we'd be having them again soon.

I couldn't believe how easy cooking is with HelloFresh. Getting delivered all my ingredients for the week delivered meant I only had to make one trip to the grocery store. HelloFresh meant we saved a lot of money and ate more wholesome food, and I felt great that I was cooking the family home-cooked meals.

After this week I knew I would be sticking with HelloFresh. They have so many cuisines from all over the world, and the service is so convenient which is perfect for a busy mom like me. I even felt more confident in my cooking skills after just one week! I'd highly recommend HelloFresh.

Follow this link to get 12 free meals across 4 boxes including free shipping!