I’m always on the lookout for new and innovative meals. Unlike the Captain, I love pretty much every food on planet Earth except organ meat (gross) and peas (and even these are growing on me.) Oh, and beets. They taste like dirt. Try to change my mind.
As the main cook in the home…okay, that’s funny. As the only cook in the home, I am responsible for all family meals. For many years, this was an issue as I ate much differently than pretty much anyone else in the family. So, either they had to eat my ‘weird stuff’ (yes, they view most vegetables as weird) or I had to eat their bland meat and potatoes. Usually, the second scenario happened. In recent years, the kids have been home for dinner less and less as they got jobs, had dates, etc. etc. and my cooking habits have changed. Now, I usually end up making one meal for myself, one for the Captain, and sometimes one for any kids who happen to be there. Sure, it sounds like a lot of work, but keep in mind that A: I really enjoy my time in the kitchen (especially if there is a glass of wine at hand) and B: I would MUCH rather put extra effort into a meal than eat chicken fried steak and spaghetti for the rest of my life.
This leads me to food/meal delivery services. While we live in a metro area where you can get pretty much any ingredient or product under the sun, I still enjoy the convenience of ordering things online. I’ve played around with food and meal delivery services (Sunbasket, Daily Harvest, Factor for Captain Love) and have found things to like and dislike about all of them. Hungryroot happens to be one I keep coming back to for a variety of reasons. But first, the details.
Hungryroot curates a certain number of meals for you based on your preferences and budget. You can get three small two-serving meals plus snacks for $69/week, four two-serving meals and snacks for $99/week or five two-serving meals and snacks for $129 a week. After choosing the size of your box, you can go in and note which types of foods you want a lot, a little, or not at all, giving the company a chance to curate meals for you based on your preferences and likes/dislikes.
Here’s an example of a week of meals in the first category (small box):
Meals: Lemongrass chicken and veggie stir fry; honey mustard shrimp rainbow protein bowl; cilantro lime chicken with steamed broccoli.
Ingredients that come in the box: Organic zucchini, broccoli florets, rainbow veggie mix, jumbo yellow onion, jar of honey mustard, box of pre-cooked lemongrass chicken, package of wild caught gulf shrimp; pre-cooked cilantro lime chicken; lentil quinoa rice mix.
No matter what Hungryroot suggest for you every week, you can always edit it. You can also choose to skip a week (or multiple weeks) anytime you want. In my case, I’ll always look at the recipes and see if 1. I’m interested in it and 2. If there are ingredients I can delete because I either already have it at home or I can get it a hell of a lot cheaper at the store. Sometimes, I’ll delete everything Hungryroot recommends and just load up on staples I can’t find anywhere else (they have fantastic vegan sauces, cauliflower thins, good smoked wild-caught salmon, etc.).
I’ve had probably six boxes of Hungryroot delivered over the course of the last couple years. In that time, I’ve noticed the following pros and cons:
Pros
–They have really good ingredients you can get on their own without having to order a full meal. Since I go to the store every week, I can easily pick up the veggies, rice, etc. that go into a recipe (for a lot less) and get some of the more unique items instead.
–The meals are healthy and incorporate a lot of different types of cuisines and flavors.
–It’s easy to skip, reschedule, or put your membership on hold.
–The website is relatively easy to use.
Cons
–They don’t have a good reminder system to tell you you have an order coming up. I’ve gotten several boxes I didn’t want and did not get to customize because I somehow missed an alert.
–There have been several times I’ve gotten ingredients that are not fresh and unusable. However, the company responds quickly to these types of complaints and puts credit in your account.
–Even though they say each meal is for two, it’s usually not enough to feed me and the Captain (in the rare occasion that he likes the recipe I ordered). I would say these are two servings for people who eat like me—aka a bird.
I love ordering a Hungryroot box when I need a little variety in my meals or when I know I have a busy week and won’t be able to put much thought into shopping and menu planning. I also love ordering a box full of sauces (vegan cheddar, coconut curry, and spinach artichoke are some examples) and a couple staples like salmon burgers or cauliflower thins.
All in all, I’d recommend Hungryroot to those who like very healthy, unique meals and don’t need huge portions.
