Waist Not Want Not

Hello Fresh Lemony Shrimp Linguine

When preparing meals everyone has different expectations other than the obvious of appealing taste and flavor.  My sister Gina prefers healthy options.  Blue Apron meals averaged about 600 calories per meal which is about 30 calories less than Hello Fresh.  Fresh only allows selection between Classic Food box and Veggie Box.  Apron allows the chef to select proteins that include beef, pork, poultry, fish and shellfish for more customization.  But Blue only gives total calorie counts for each meal while Fresh gives a complete nutritional break down including fat, sugar, sodium and carb values.  So for the healthy cook, I would recommend Blue Apron.

Blue Apron Squid Ink Linguine Pasta

My daughter is conscience of the impact on the planet versus the waistline.  In this category, Blue Apron takes pride in their environmental philosophies.  All packaging (and with ingredients individually wrapped there is a lot) is recyclable and the website gives instructions on how to dispose of the freezer packs, but I just save them for my lunch cooler.  Hello Fresh separates each of the three meals in individual boxes to make it easier to identify what ingredients to use for each recipe,  this is added waste that in my opinion is not beneficial for the environment.  Both Blue and Fresh boast of using local purveyors with Blue advising they "use farm-fresh ingredients from family-run businesses".   I like that Blue gives you information about these farmers and their crops, since I ran our family business and value supporting them.  Overall the entire concept of exact portions eliminates the problem of food waste that is a concern for many Americans, but Blue seems more in tune with the next generation's environmental cause.

Blue ApronVietnamese Chicken Wings

Hello Fresh Asian Shrimp & Pork Won Tons

As far as kitchen mess in preparation and clean up, Blue Apron overall had more complicated recipes with it's share of peeling, slicing and dicing.  When I mentioned the prep work required to my foodie sister, she said "That doesn't bother me, I enjoy the work if the result is worth it."  I have to say, as a somewhat novice cook, the results were worth it.  I was amazed at what I could serve, including homemade pork and shrimp won tons that my son and husband raved about.  In the KP duty Fresh was best with most recipes using less bowls, pots and pans.  They also had one pot meal recipes easy to identify and select, so in that regard Fresh wins.

Hello Fresh Chicken & Nectarine Panzanel

So in the final evaluation who is best, Blue or Fresh? 
If you are my sister and enjoy cooking and are health conscious I would recommend Blue Apron. For my environmentalist daughter, Blue Apron again and my kitchen cleaning husband- Hello Fresh.

Hello Fresh, however comes in a very close second, and I can say that both companies offered fresh food with tasty and unique recipes.  So after this experiment in this post-working life I have happily discovered that I enjoy cooking and serving my family new and interesting meals (but I still HATE grocery shopping).