Monday, December 7, 2015

Trying Some New Things(none of them stitching)

Good Morning Friends!
I wanted to post this after my October update but that didn't work so here it goes. I work with a friend who has been really enjoying Hello Fresh meal service delivery. She posts pictures of the meals and reviews and they have looked amazing. So I figured why not? I bought a Groupon that was good for 2 weeks of meals and placed my first order. Each box comes with 3 meals for 2. I picked the vegetarian box. The first box came and I had to leave town so my Mom ended up with them. The second box came and I was home and we were good to go. 

 Each recipe come with a card, this is the front. On the back are detailed directions. They tell you what pans you will need. 
Then you open the box!(These are not the ingredients for the above recipe)
Everything that you need to prepare the meal is in the box except olive oil and salt and pepper. I love the fact that I do not have to shop for odd ingredients for a recipe that I may only use once and will have trouble finding in my small town.. The herbs included are fresh. What's not to love?
This is the first meal. Ethiopian kale salad with roasted chickpeas and Bulgar. It was very different and yummy. I might have to roast chickpeas again.
This is French Market lentil salad with sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts, feta, and pepitas, with a balsamic dressing. Again Yum! I was skeptical,,,lentils?!
The final meal was pumpkin and roasted cauliflower soup. I love soup so I was really looking forward to this one but thought it was the least flavorful of the bunch and a lot of work for an ok payoff. It still was warm and filling on a cold rainy day.
So here is what I learned...
-This was fun! I really enjoyed cooking with different ingredients and using some different cooking techniques than I usually do.
-Make sure that you have the time to make the meals. Plan an hour, you can't rush these... there is also the cleanup because I used more pans than my usual one pot recipes.
-Brussels sprouts take a long time to chop up into shreds.
-I was worried about potion size, would these be filling meals? We have all had that experience in a fancy restaurant when you have left hungry. These are big meals! No worries about not being full and maybe even having leftovers.
-This is a flexible program, you can get a box every week, once a month, once every 2 months or suspend your subscription all together. I just got another box and will probably do one towards the end of December when I know that I will be home.
-The end results look better than the websites pics.
-Rich was awesome and tried and enjoyed everything!
-Cost- 3 vegetarian meals for 2=$59.99 
           3 Omnivore meals for 2=$69.99
-It seems a little expensive but that includes delivery. I really feel that I am eating meals that I might get at a restaurant and I also enjoy the experience of cooking a more complex meal. I just need to plan for them so that I have the time and I am home.
-The recipes use seasonal ingredients! I love that.
-The one negative that I have is that I wanted gift certificates to use for this for Christmas and the gift certificates have a $10 surcharge on them due to the fact that they aren't part of a subscription? So this company that gives you $40 off a box coupon or one box free thinks that a $10 surcharge is needed? Hmmm....maybe I will try Blue Apron.
So now I am on my second box. I have cooked one meal and it was awesome and will be making another today. If you are interested in trying this, let me know and I can send you a code for $40 off your first box. I just wanted to share this because I really enjoyed this.

Ok, the next new thing I tried are Jamberrys. One of my friends had a Facebook party and I was in my hotel room and thought why not give this a try. I never have the time to go get a manicure so this might be an easy solution.
This was my fist try and this is how they looked after 2 weeks of wear. Pretty awesome. They are wraps not polish. It maybe took me 15 minutes to apply them.
They come in fun patterns. One of the TSA agents really liked these, he wanted to know how long the manicure took. I told him and he was amazed. These did not last as long as the first ones. I think these patterned ones show more wear.
My 3rd one. Fun right? These did not last as long, maybe 9 or 10 days. It could also be that I was in a hotel room when I put them on and did not take as much time as I normally do. They still looked amazing and fun!
So here's what I learned...
-They are easy and quick and the results look amazing.
-The wraps do not fit everyone well, based on the shape of their nails, they work for me but not everyone has the same experience.
-They cost $15 a sheet but you get 2 manicures out of each sheet and 2 pedicures....much cheaper than going to a nail salon.
-When you buy 3 you get one free.
-I feel like the adhesive is a little harsh on my nails so I am giving them a little rest but I am getting ready to put some more on. I really love that I can have a manicure and not have to go to a salon.
So if you are interested in trying these or have any questions let me know.
I am not selling either of these items, I just wanted to share some great experiences with both.

This is the other new thing in my life, meet Syl. Our other vehicles have high mileage and needed small repairs. I knew down the road that we would be buying a new car and both Zips and our other Subaru were in for minor repairs and our local small dealership had this one on the lot so she came home with us. Our other Subaru has 304k miles so we knew that the next car would be a Subaru. Rich and I both commute so we need reliable transportation. So we are in the process of selling Zips. 



Thanks for listening to me on these topics! I am just excited about them and wanted to share what I learned about them.

Chris

9 comments:

Vickie said...

Cool idea with the meals! And I love the plaid look the best on your nails. ;)
Syl is a beaut. Where did you get the name Syl?

Barb said...

Syl is a great looking car. Love the nails and the meals look good! My DD is a vegetarian, she would love the meals you showed.

Julie said...

Nice new wheels.
Great looking nails, mine always look bad!!
Tasty looking food.

Brigitte said...

This meal service is a great idea and if we had something like that here I would try it immediately. What a gorgeous idea. These lentils look so delicious, yummy.

Robin in Virginia said...

Enjoyed your blog post, Chris! Isn't fun and/or interesting to try out new things? Syl is a great looking car. Is she an Outback or Legacy Wagon?

Margaret said...

Nice new wheels! Very cool on both products that you've tried. I've often thought of trying one of these companies that send recipes and ingredients to your door. Have to go for it sometime. The food looks so good! I don't do manicures or nail polish, but it was fun to see what you did with your nails too!

Penny said...

I always enjoy your posts, Chris! They inspire me to want to travel or to try something new...and I really love the idea of the meal boxes. We will be buying a new car in the near future and it will definitely be another Subaru.

Jackie's Stitches said...

Is that an Outback? My husband says we should look at it for our next vehicle purchase and I like the look! We have a bit over a year to go though.

I hope your work travel is winding down for the year and you get some good time at home!

Beth said...

Interesting meal service - a great way to try new things at home.