Despite going back to work almost a full year ago, I will admit, that with more of a focus on family than ever before, I’m still struggling to find that new work-life balance.
We all want more time for family. Myself included. But fitting this in often means something else is scarified.
For my family, that something sometimes means a healthy dinner.
Don’t get me wrong, we eat dinner. But what we eat may be chosen because it is the most timeliest option, not always the healthiest.
When I get home from a long day at work followed by picking Morley up at daycare, the last thing I want to do is be stuck in the kitchen cooking and cleaning the rest of the night. I want to be in the living room, playing with blocks or sitting at the kitchen table, colouring as we wait for dad to walk through the front door. With the commute he has, I know he feels the same. We want to be making memories with our toddler, not saying, “I’m busy making dinner” as she’s telling us to sit down next to her.
So, how do we cope?
One thing that has been an absolute saviour, saving time in the kitchen without sacrificing nutrition, is HelloFresh.
HelloFresh is a selection of chef-curated recipes based on seasonal farm fresh ingredients, delivered to your doorstep every week. A subscription works in 3 easy steps: 1. Customize your weekly menu of nutritious and tasty recipes. This includes the number of meals you would like, the number of people you will be cooking for and any dietary needs; 2. Schedule your flexible delivery sourced from trusted suppliers, and based on which night of the week works best for your family; and 3. Enjoy seasonal, fresh ingredients by following the quick and easy recipes, so you can spend your time where it counts, with family.
What’s not to love?
We opted for the Veggie Plan, which contains an abundance of seasonal produce, hearty grains and vegetarian-friendly proteins.
While we are not vegetarians, we do limit the amount of meat that we consume. This plan includes pre-cut veggies and pre-measured ingredients for heart vegetarian recipes that could be cooked in only 30 minutes. The subscription has showed us creative, nutritious and delicious ways to incorporate alternative sources of protein into our diet.
Some recipes are favoured over others, but, we really haven’t had one that we didn’t enjoy. And all have been given two chubby thumbs up from our toddler!
Oh and to add to the convenience, they also have an app. Just incase your toddler decides to use the recipe book as her next colouring book.
One thing that I worried about was the portion size. Sometimes with nutrition, comes smaller portion sizes. But, after our first box, that was no longer a concern. Our subscription included three meals for two people, and when prepared, it actually fed four people for dinner or two people with leftovers the next day.
In our house, we love burgers and salads. Two of my favourite recipes were ones that I would never think of making at home, but now look forward to having again in the future - the Cannellini Bean Veggie Burger with Chipotle Mayo and Coleslaw and the Roasted Tomato and Mushroom Barley Salad with Fresh Bocconcini and Olives (both pictured below).
Not only does HelloFresh give us more time together as a family, they have the environment in mind while doing so. They are committed to sustainable business practices and helping home cooks go green. All packaging is paper-based, made from post-consumer recycled fibres and 100% recyclable themselves. The ice packs are filled with a non-toxic salt solution, which can be reused or simply poured down the drain and the packaging recycled. The food is sourced as locally as possible, helping support local business and reducing the distance travelled and overall carbon footprint. Only the exact amount of food needed is included in your subscription, which, accruing to HelloFresh, helps to cut household food waste by more than 60%!
HelloFresh is more than just food. It is convenience. It is nutrition. It is something new. It is good conversation. And, most importantly, it is more time with family.
Try HelloFresh for yourself! Enjoy $25 off your first and second box at HelloFresh.ca with code HF50AFF!
Have you tried HelloFresh? What was your favourite recipes? I’d love to hear!
*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. To & Fro received product and/or compensation in exchange for this review. We only share products that we love, and all opinions are 100% those of To & Fro.
