Food, Link Ups

What’s On Your Plate: Cantonese Noodles – 4 Ways!

Retirement Reflections

Inspired by Janis’s link-up recommending Hello Fresh, I decided to give them a try. I had always been curious about this type of meal service…and a tad skeptical. I had imagined too much package waste, too expensive, too much meat, too many calories and too similar to processed food.

When our first box arrived, I was pleasantly surprised and proven wrong on my hasty assumptions. To test Hello Fresh out further, I decided to take one of their dishes (Beyond Beef Cantonese Noodles) and try it out four different ways.

For Take One, I made the Hello Fresh version without alteration.

For Take Two, my niece agreed to follow the Hello Fresh recipe during our weekly Zoom cooking call. She picked up the required ingredients from her local food shop in Winnipeg.

For Take Three, I remade the recipe using ingredients from my corner grocery store on Central Vancouver Island.

For Take Four, I picked up Cantonese Noodles for takeout from a local Chinese Restaurant.

Below are the results. All costs listed are in Canadian Dollars.

Take One: Hello Fresh

Like most Hello Fresh meals, this one was straightforward and easy to make within the 30-minute timeframe suggested (but no time for dawdling)! Even though I did omit the recommended 1/4 tsp of salt, I found this dish to be high in sodium. Otherwise, it was quite tasty. My husband asked for seconds and suggested we make this one again. This says a great deal since we both lived in China for fourteen years and can be (annoyingly) particular about our Asian food.
Regular Price Per Serving: $11.49 (We received a 40% Off New Client Discount bringing our cost down to $5.53 per person plus shipping).
Shipping: $9.99 (for three separate meals, two portions per meal).
Our Total Price Per Serving (including discount and 1/6 proportion of shipping cost): $7.19
We had enough leftovers for a medium-sized lunch for two.

Take Two: Home Cooked and Locally Sourced – Winnipeg

“PP

“Plot Twist,” my niece called as we entered our weekly Zoom Cooking call. She had bought all ingredients in advance and checked all expiry dates. Even though her chow mein noodles still had a week to go before hitting the dreaded ‘Best Before’ timeframe, her noodles were mouldy when she took them out of the package. “I can substitute them with linguine or with rice noodles,” she offered. “Definitely go with the rice noodles,” was my reply. Bad choice, really bad!

Although my niece is a great cook and does not waste food, she didn’t even finish this dish before composting it. If making this recipe on your own, I highly recommend avoiding the use of rice noodles. They simply don’t stand up to the rest of the ingredients. Lesson learned.

Still, my niece was able to come through with a cost comparison as promised.

Brieann’s Home Cooked Cost:
Total Grocery Cost: $28.60 (Much Oyster and Hoisin Sauce leftover to use later)
Two Portions: $12.75
Price Per Serving: $6.67

Take Three: Home Cooked and Locally Sourced – Vancouver Island

Being forever diligent, I set out to recreate this recipe with ingredients purchased at my local grocery store. I did make some minor changes. First off, I included snowpeas. Who doesn’t LOVE snowpeas?! I also did not add any salt and reduced both sauces to 1/4 of the amount recommended. I had hoisin and oyster sauces in my fridge (a jar of each lasts me forever) but still included them (proportionately) in the total costing. Finally, I replaced the Beyond Beef Patties with Lightlife Smart Ground. The Smart Ground was significantly cheaper (4.49 for 340 grams as opposed to 7.99 for 226 grams). Smart Ground also contains fewer calories and less fat (140 calories, 3 grams of fat for 114 grams as opposed to 270 calories and 20 grams of fat for the same amount). Both meat substitutes are equally good tasting. Win-win!

INGREDIENTS
Chow Mein Noodles
Broccoli
Bell Pepper
Green Onions
Snow Peas
Veggie Ground
Hoisin Sauce
Oyster Sauce

AMOUNT
180 grams
170 grams
150 grams
2 (sold in 5’s)
170 grams
340 grams
1/8 cup
2 tbsp

COST
2.49
3.99
1.38
1.69
3.99 (I added these)
4.99
.25(2.99 for 350ml)
.25(2.99 for 350ml)



My Home Cooked/Locally Sourced Costs:
$19.03 Total Grocery Cost including the added snow peas and portioned sauces.
$9.51 per person with the snow peas.
$7.52 per person without the additional snow peas (with enough left for lunch x 2 the next day).

Pros/Cons: We had eaten the Hello Fresh Cantonese Noodles two weeks prior, so it was difficult to make a direct taste comparison. As my chow mein noodle package came in 6 oz instead of 8, this locally sourced dish was lower in noodles and higher in vegetables (think snowpeas). It was also less salty with a milder sauce – which I preferred. Although Richard liked both dishes, given a choice, he would go with red pepper (I used green because it was what I had in the fridge). He would also add a tad more hoisin sauce – but not the full four tablespoons!

Take Four: Take Out

Shanghai Chow Mein from our local Chinese Takeout Restaurant

This dish was as close to the Hello Fresh Cantonese Noodle dish that I could find for takeout. It did have the chow mein noodles and a bunch of veggies and sauce. It wasn’t completely vegetarian. But the meat was more of a seasoning than a main ingredient.

Take Out Cost:
$17 for 1.5 portions. No leftovers, but included one fortune cookie.
$11.33 per regular-sized portion.

Pros/Cons:
Richard thought this meal was okay but a bit oily. I found it a bit bland, so I added some of the oyster sauce that I didn’t use yesterday.

The Verdict:

Richard liked the Hello Fresh version and the copycat version that I made with locally sourced ingredients. He tasted them too far apart to compare them in more detail. I liked both of these versions as well but preferred Take Three. By then, I had already had a dress rehearsal with the recipe, so I knew to cut down the salt and reduce the salty sauces. I also used a lighter beef substitute and upped the veggies. Hindsight is always a great teacher.

In terms of costs, I felt that they were all fair. I am new to Hello Fresh and have been pleasantly surprised with the value (and their exceptional customer service). Having the ingredients delivered to my door, knowing the exact nutrition value and ensuring no food (or condiment) waste are big pluses. And the big bonus for me is that Richard has agreed to do the Hello Fresh cooking! 😀

Not to divulge any trade secrets, here is a similar recipe to the HF Cantonese Noodles. Just substitute chow mein noodles for the spaghetti and vegetarian crumbles for the ground beef, and you’re golden!

Thank you for dropping by this month’s version of What’s On Your Plate. Deb and I would love for you to share a favourite meal or recipe. If you have a go-to noodle dish, please let me know that too — I’d like to expand my repertoire.

What’s On Your Plate July Contributions (We’d love for you to add yours)!
The Widow Badass: Watermelon Salad and Pink Gin & Tonic
Touring My Backyard: Singapore Hawker Noodles
Women Living Well After 50 Date & Walnut Bread
Brookford Kitchen Diaries Vegetarian Carbonara
Deb’s World Banana Chocolate Cake
Stories Served Around the Table Summer Basil Pesto
The Sandy Chronicles Double Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Thistles and Kiwis Spiced Apple Cake
CurlsnSkirls Hurricane Supper
Garden of Eden Tumeric & Cayenne Golden Milk (in comments)


Published by Retirement Reflections

Prior to retirement, I lived and worked in Beijing China for fourteen years (Middle School Principal/Deputy Director at The Western Academy of Beijing). Leaving international life behind, my husband and I retired to Vancouver Island in June 2015. To document both this transition and our new adventures, ‘Retirement Reflections’ was born. I hope that you enjoy reading these reflections, and will be willing to share your own.

104 thoughts on “What’s On Your Plate: Cantonese Noodles – 4 Ways!”

  1. Pingback: What’s on my plate? Banana Chocolate Cake and the story behind it! – Deb's World

  2. This is a great way to compare costs and recipes Donna and I am impressed with your attention to detail and research – I shouldn’t! I have to say the photos look stunning and really complement your post, also making the food very appealing!

    Thanks for including me and my humble cooking skills, although as Jo said in a comment, I can now call myself a food blogger!

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  3. You really did your homework on this post. I have always thrown away the offers I receive for Hello Fresh but after reading this post I may now consider buying from them.

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    1. Hi, Bernadette – I always threw away those offers as well. I definitely recommend you trying them. You can usually get your first HF meal for free (or at minimum 40% off) so iit doesn’t hurt to try to see if this type of food service is for you, If you decide to try them there is no commitment to order weekly. You can skip as many weeks as you like which is very convenient. And, there are often specials which adds to keeping costs down. 😀

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    1. Hi, Bernadette – Deb and I are delighted for you to join us. Just leave a link to your post in the comments and I will include it in the body of this post. Alternatively, you can simply tell us what’s on your plate in the comments here or at Deb’s site. Option Three is to post a pic on social media #whatsonyourplatebloggingchallenge. Looking forward to your contribution! 😀

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    1. Hi, Frank – Version 4 was from a local Chinese restaurant with a great reputation, Still, I agree with you. It’s usually impossible to know all ingrdeients that go into a restaurant meal which matters a great deal when trying to watch carbs, cholesterol, sugar and sodium, etc….. Understandably, restaurant costs are higher and that’s before taxes and tip! Thanks so much for dropping by and commenting. I greatly appreciate it.

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  7. I’m impressed with the thought and effort that went into this one! This is definitely a 10 out of 10 🙂

    And I agree with Richard – make it red pepper. Always red pepper … but that’s only because green pepper = heartburn 🙂

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    1. Yup, the advice to go with rice noodles was a bad choice by me! 😦 Asian noodle for an Asian dish sounded like a good idea at the time. Thanks so much for contributing. We are away camping so I am slighly behind in my blog reading. I look forward to catching up soon!

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  9. Interesting and meticulous breakdown Donna!

    I sympathize with your niece. I find rice noodles challenging to work with, its so easy to over cook and there’s nothing so bad as mushy, broken down noodles. I find standard variety linguine is much better.

    Unususal for me, I posted a recipe today too. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I wanted to submit it for your Whats on Your Plate theme … but forgot to add the link. Gonna do it now 😉

    It’s a Good Day for Chocolate

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  10. Pingback: It’s a Good Day for Chocolate – The Sandy Chronicles

  11. Since the beginning of the pandemic we’ve not eaten out at all. Once you get used to making food yourself, with less salt and fat, the restaurant versions seem off. I admire your attention to detail while figuring out the costs, which is another reason to cook at home. Also, more to the point, looks delicious.

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    1. Thanks, Ally – Like you, we mostly ate at home during the pandemic. Then when restaurants reemerged for us, we really noticed the difference with the often high sugar/salt/fat content. Our bodies were no longer used to that! 😦

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  12. I wish there were a “Love” button for this post. Wowsah, I enjoyed it. I really like how you laid everything out so that prices and ingredients were easy to compare. And let me tell you, I could have dish of noodles right now.

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  14. A lot of fun and research went into this post, Donna! Helpful suggestions about Hello Fresh. My body tends to react negatively to many soy-based sauces, so I avoid most Asian dishes. Your food photos are excellent and really showcase the food! Bon appetit!

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  15. Great research, Donna! I will file this one away for future reference…you have had such great success with Hello Fresh I may have to dip my toe in their waters at some point 😁. Thanks for doing this!

    Deb

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  17. Hi Donna I look forward to the monthly What’s on your Plate? challenge. I rarely make Asian food because of the different sauces required and the small amount you usually need. I usually and up throwing out half used bottles etc. We have Hello Fresh here in Australia and my running friend uses them because they are usually quick and easy after a long work day. I actually like the look of your homemade version and you can have more control of what you put into it such as salt. I did find the cost comparison interesting and was surprised that Hello Fresh wasn’t as expensive as I thought. On my plate this month is Date & Walnut Bread and thanks so much for including my link. Enjoy your July and I wonder what will be on your plate next month??

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    1. Hi, Sue – I am delighted that you are a regular at WOYP. I often know what WOYP post I will feature next but this time I have no idea. We have lots of company and outdooring gatherings coming up so it may be something like that. I’m looking forward to chatting again soon.

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  18. You know, this is something I had wondered – the cost comparison, that is. We use those sauces – a lot – so would have them in the house, but if you’re buying things from scratch & don’t use it regularly…anyways what I’m trying to say is, a great post.

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  19. I like the idea of receiving measured ingredients, which is certainly more cost-effective than purchasing everything needed at the market and having it spoil in the fridge after one use. I have a tendency to do that which is both disappointing and wasteful. Maybe I’ll give it a try. That last photo looks very professional. Fun post. I enjoyed your comparisons. I guess your sweet niece had to open a can of soup!

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  20. Interesting comparison. I have always avoided these meal kits so useful to hear your verdict. Restaurants have been open as normal here for over a year. A lot have suffered, so we try to get out when we can to support local businesses. As no overseas workers are coming in, the whole hospitality sector is screaming out for staff.

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    1. Thank you so much for joining in. Welcome aboard!!! I agree with supporting local shops and restarurants as well, especially since all of the shutdowns. Although we usually eat dinner at home, we regularly visit local coffee shops. They are a wonderful addition to our daily walks. It is amazing how a simple cup of coffee can enhance conversations! 😀

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  21. Great and delicious post Donna thank you and for the links which I’ll check out in the fullness of time. We’re in lockdown at the moment – Level 4 – no sitting down at restaurants or coffee shops so there’s a push towards supporting eateries that have changed for the time being to take-aways. I’m pleasantly surprised at the cost effectiveness of this. Some stores are also stocking ready prepared meals from restaurants. But all that aside, I’m hugely impressed at your attention to detail and fabulous fotos, thank you. I was tempted to post my latest creation, not food as such, but a health drink using turmeric and cayenne pepper among other things. It comes under the label of ‘Golden Milk’ and is an Ayurvedic muti. Wonderfully anti inflammatory. Maybe next time I’ll find the perfect recipe with measurements etc. I sweat a couple of ingredients in the pot, simmer them for about 20 mins with added water, cool it down, whizz it in the blender when cool, and bottle it in glass jars (small). I take a desert spoon at night in a third of a glass of warm milk.

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      1. I had a quick look Donna – yes that’s pretty much it! I use fresh turmeric and cayenne pepper, cinnamon – and I add other things which I’ll write you. I actually took a photo of my brew the other day. It’s bed time now for me so I’m going to add a desert spoon to a small glass of warm milk in a mo or so! I’ll send you my recipe in the morning ❤️

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  22. Wow, you did such a great job on this, Donna! I love the comparison of taste and cost (more expensive is not always better, right?). I make a lot of stir fries for dinner but my go-to base is jasmine rice… maybe I need to consider using chow mein noodles now and then instead. All the dishes look great, although I agree with Joanne that your version would look extra-pretty with red bell peppers. I’m so happy that you tried Hello Fresh after my review (and thanks for the link!). We haven’t started it again but now I’m thinking maybe we should 🙂

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    1. Hi, Janis – Before your post, I was a complete skeptic about Hello Fresh. Richard and I have both been pleasantly surprised by them in so many different ways.. We like the option to skip weeks so with that, we will definitely keep our subscription. Thank you for the inspiration!

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  23. Pingback: the unwelcome visitor | Curls n Skirls

    1. Hi, Del – ‘Fridge Clean Out Dinners’ are amongst my favourite. I hate the thought of having to waste food because I didn’t get to it in time. And I love the creativity that cooking with leftovers can inspire. Fried potatoes that are crunchy on the outside, smooth on the inside and drizzled with ketchup = heaven!

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  25. I really like your comparison with tips! I tried Hello Fresh a couple of years ago, and Blue Apron and one other one I can’t recall the name. I always felt that after the initial new customer discounts that the prices seemed high and I could get everything at the grocery for less money.

    Right now, a friend gave me piquant spices as a house-warming present (6 months subscription). [ https://piquantpost.com/ – not sure about Canada delivery though!] They are all highly unusual spices (Lebanese month one and Spanish month 2) and I am definitely exploring – nothing I’ve made has Tim saying make it again though!

    I couldn’t get the noodle recipe to open… not sure why. I’m always in search of a good “brown sauce” for Asian noodle dishes. I’ll use what ever protein and veggies I have on hand when I do a “stir fry with noodles”.

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    1. Hi, Pat – it’s awesome to hear from you. You’re right – I just tried the link and couldn’t get it to work either. I will fix it this afternoon when I am back home.
      When I first trialed HF, I was pretty sure that I would cancel our subscription after the discount period. But, we’ve enjoyed HF more than I thought we would and it’s actually inspired Richard to cook! I’ve also found that there continues to be discount offers. So far, I’ve paid full price less than half the time. And when I compared prices, the differences were not as big as I would have guessed. Still, the local supplier factors in big time – especially in terms of freshness.
      I am a spices-freak so will definitely check out the link that you sent.
      I hope that all is well with you

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  26. By the end of this post, my stomach started grumbling loudly. And complaining, probably, because I don’t take as much care of it as you obviously do from your four “takes.” Each “way” looks delicious, but yes, I much prefer the fresh food locally sourced. Coincidentally, my guy and I ordered take out Chow Mein a few nights ago. The local restaurant has a great reputation for fresh food, and it takes great, but I’m sure not as good as your first three takes. But I must admit, since I do all the cooking in our household, it was nice to have a ‘night off’ and just stop by and pick up dinner – all ready to be served. 🙂

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    1. Hi, Pam – You are not alone. Food posts always make me hungry…even if I have just eaten! 😦
      Chinese Take-Out Meals can be favulous. Our favourite Chinese Food Restaruant in one town over (40 minutes away). Their Shanghai Noodles could beat mine anyday. As to their oil and salt content? I choose to simply ignore that! As we only go there on special ocassions, I choose to ignore the cost as well!:D

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      1. Haha. We’re lucky that our favorite Chinese restaurant is only 10 minutes away. Or maybe that’s dangerous! We try to only order it once a month. The good news is the food is always so fresh. And the other good news is we always have enough for lunch for the next day so the price isn’t so bad. 😁

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  28. A great introduction, Donna. I have been skeptical about “Hello Fresh”. I am also a fan of snow peas. Pros and cons with each version. A lot to be said for exceptional customer service. Bonus points here. Note to self: I should not read scrumptious food related posts around dinner time. 🙂Thank you for sharing a great, informative post, Donna, and wonderful photos!

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    1. Hi, Erics – Great to hear from you. I was a huge Hello Fresh sceptic and only actually tried it on Janis’ recommendation. That’s when I discovered that they were tastier, healthier and more affordable than I had assumed. I like that you do not need to order weekly or even bi-weekly. And I LOVE that Richard is happy to cook the HF meals. What could be better than that?! 😀

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  29. Donna, What an informative post with beautiful photos! As I read your post and before I got to the end, I’ve already given your Take 3 the highest rating. I’m glad I read this after I’ve had dinner 🙂 Have a great weekend!

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    1. Thakns, Natalie – Take Three was pretty tasty! (Although Richard, Joanne (My Life LIved Full) and Janis (Retirementally Challenged) did deduct points for me using a green pepper instead of red! 😦 )

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  30. ❤️❤️❤️ your experiment! Thank you for taking us along and giving us front-seat view of the deliciousness you cooked up.

    Rice noodles are notoriously fragile – I avoid cooking them on my own as much as possible. And when I do, I blanch them on their own, and gently stir them into the sauce & vegetables with no heat at all. And if having them in soup, I always add them in at the very last moment possible … so I hear your niece’s aggravation!

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      1. I do hope you will try them again Donna – it is actually one of my favourite noodles although I tend not to cook them myself much (as they are challenging to handle). I particularly like them in Thai recipes.

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      2. Hi, Ju-Lyn – My apologies for my lack of clarity. I will only avoid cooking them in the future — not eating them. I agree that they are delicious (when in the right dish, cooked by someone who knows what they are doing). 😀

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    1. Hi, Marie – Thanks so much for dropping by. It is a pleasure to meet you. I agree that lockdown was a perfect time to try out new things and see what fit and what didn’t. If I had to do lockdown over again (gasp in horror here), I would definitely try more new things! 😀

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  32. I love the idea of Zoom cooking. How fun!
    I am going to make Sandy’s Choc zucchini cake today and will refer to your recipe later next week when I am making sure Stir Fry!

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  33. What a fun post, Donna. Vince and I do a quick cost estimate every time we make a meal. I don’t add in the cost of things I have on hand usually. It’s so hard to estimate. I love the idea of zoom cooking. I’ll have to try it sometime. Sounds like so much fun. 🙂

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    1. You and Vince are very disciplined and admirable in your regular cost estimates for your meals.
      Richard and I scan regular monthly grocery and dining bills. I think that if I did it much more closely than that some meal costs (not the HF ones) would give me heart failure! 😀
      I definitely recommend Zoom cooking with a friend or loved one. I have my next session with my neice this evening. We are making Budha Bowls! 😀

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      2. I also do Zoom Baking with my online bookclub. We divide a book into three or four sections and then read and discuss one section per call. Once we have finished all that, we then bake something (together on Zoom) which would have been eaten in our novel. We just fihished reading Jane Eyre and will be baking Fat Rascals this week (a cross between a scone and a rock cake). This adds an awesome dimension to our book club!

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  34. I’m right at the point in the afternoon when I’m thinking about a snack before dinner! Thanks for sharing these food pictures. I haven’t tried Hello Fresh yet. I do like Cantonese noodles!

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  35. sorry I didn’t get back to you the other day re Golden Milk Donna. Briefly, I use fresh turmeric (a couple of thumb sized pieces), peeled and chopped, clove of garlic peeled and chopped, a thumb sized piece of fresh ginger peeled and chopped and sweat in butter for a few minutes. I then add powdered cinammon, powdered cayenne pepper, a little honey, some *powdered turmeric, even some chili flakes, let it sweat a bit then add some water and let it simmer for about 20 mins. When cooled, I whizz it in the blender. Not all of the chopped stuff blends fully. Two glass jars kept in the fridge..A tbsp at night in warmed milk. With some of the stuff that’s settled at the bottom. You can use any kind of milk. I use oat milk mostly. I believe in it’s anti-inflammatory properties. (you don’t have to add garlic – or chilli flakes for that matter) 🙂

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  36. My daughter got us started on HelloFresh just as Covid hit. It became an alternative to dining out. PC and I usually make our meals together which is fun and we always enjoy a glass of wine while cooking. I was pleased to see that it fairly reasonably priced by comparison. We have made most of our recipes using our own ingredients a time or two, and have been introduced to some new flavors.
    Your photos are magazine worthy. Made me very hungry for a plate of Cantonese noodles!!

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    1. Thanks, Leslie – I agree that HF is a good alternative to eating out — and a great way to get introduced to new recipes and flavours. It is a HUGE bonus for me that Richard has agreed to cook our HF meals. Whatever gets him to cook is a winner to me!
      Thank you for your kind words — food is one of my favourite things to photograph!

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    1. Hi, Jacqui – Great question about the packaging. My fear of excess package waste kept me away from HF for a long time. I was pleasntly surprised about how environmentally conscious they are. Nothing is packaged that does not need to be, and most packagine is recycable!
      Too bad about the Dominos Bread failure. This ALWAYS happens to me when I try to immitate my mom’s creamed spinach. I have now waved a white flag on that! 😀

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  38. The hidden gem in this post for us is not the four part cook off, but learning that you had spent fourteen years living in China! Now we must go back through your earlier post and see what we might have missed… It would be a daunting feat for HF to satisfy a fourteen year Chinese food gourmet on the first try!

    Love the concept of a cooking zoom call and wondering if this is something I could replicate with my son the master in the kitchen. Great idea.

    Love the approach of fully exploring the variants on a particular dish. We really enjoyed this read and it made us think of our stop in China in Guangzhou where we had mind blowing LOOONG noodles with the spiciest hot Szechuan EVER. Fiery. What an experience.

    Peta & Ben

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    1. Hi, Peta and Ben – Thank you so much for this insightful comment. I lived in Beijing from 2001 – 2015 and loved (mostly) every minute of it. Since my blog focuses on my experiences in retirement, I haven’t written much about Beijing or China here. I have mentioned it in my About me post, and in Returning Home (https://retirementreflections.com/2018/01/30/returning-home/). I also have included photos from Beijing in several of my #SundayStills posts. I adore LOOOONG noodles and highly recommend trying Zoom cooking with your son. I also do Zoom Baking with my Australian bookclub. It’s an awesome hour of fun and laughter!

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  39. Hi Donna – great Richard particularly liked one of the versions – and an interesting experiment. Your knowledge of Chinese food must be so interesting to learn about – that I could chat to you happily sometime … an unlikely sometime! Cheers – Hilary

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  40. We too have used hello Fresh and then re-used our favourite recipes multiple times. To be honest we put a pause on using them due to poor quality of fresh vegetables included early this year. They have been quick to credit us for those meals so I give their customer service big marks. I do like the way you have compared the meals and the costs. perhaps I’ll give the company another try. Your rave review has inspired me.

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    1. HI, Sue – We reuse the HF recipes that we like best as well. In the beginning we had some issues with a couple of vegetables not being as fresh as we had hoped. I found that this completely turned around after I contacted Customer Service. This could be a coincidence. Either way, fingers crossed that it continues! 😀

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  41. HF only works for those that live urban. It, like take out and delivery, are not a rural option. Which is ok because we like to cook and share it equally. The thing with HF or any other food service for me is the environmental impact. It’s only partly the packaging but it’s the delivery — to a few houses per neighbourhood per every few days. Onward and onward. I take one run to the grocery store and that lasts for 10 days at least versus getting a weekly delivery of a couple of meals and still having to do groceries for regular stuff.
    Amazing that you cook and bake via zoom – can’t say it has even been on my radar. You seem to be on the cutting edge of technology all the time!

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    1. Hi, Bernie – I wouldn’t say cutting edge but I do my best. I also try to do my best environmentally (walk to the grocery store, drive as little as possible, have minimal food waste, eat mostly a meatless diet, etc.) Still I could do more so I keep on trying.

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  42. I love that you tried four different versions and gave such a detailed comparison. My oldest daughter uses Hello Fresh for herself and her teenage child. She enjoys the opportunity to try new meal ideas without the waste or the need to buy a bunch of different spices and sauces that she may never use again.

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  43. Pingback: What’s on My Plate (& #Treesquare July 20-21) – priorhouse blog
  45. Pingback: recreating a food memory – Touring My Backyard

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