I haven't been completely idle. I have put up a lot of vegetables. Over 40 bags of peas and butter beans. Blair and John Samuel came for a long 4th weekend and we enjoyed an open air, no hugging holiday with our extended family for the first time in a long while. Davis' post retirement business has grown to the point where I'm helping him with some of his computer work. I'm in training right now, so I'll let you know how I like him as a boss as this progresses. We went through this biblical-like rainy period around here. It was dreary, but it did delay the arrival of the more serious Mississippi heat that's expected long before now. I'm afraid the reprieve is over and the life-sucking, hope-draining blaze is here in all its splendor. Yesterday, I went with my friends, Gena and Jean, to Laurel to see the sights and shopping of the small town featured on HGTV's show, Hometown. It was there on their sizzlin' streets that I decided that once I got home, I would not be going back outside until first frost. Y'all know how I feel about this. I've also been working on a paint by number of Ruby given to me by my kids and have accumulated some Ruby stories that need to be told soon. I've done the fall ordering for the stores online and through rep visits since I'm not attempting market, this year. I've been sitting on pins and needles about football season- dying to hear any tidbit of hopeful news. They just can't take it away- they just can't. Carson goes back to school in a couple of weeks and he's outgrown a lot of his clothes, so there's been some shopping. He's been home for the longest spring break in the history of the world. Long enough to grow a couple of sizes and I like to think all this cooking I've done since March has made this growth spurt possible.          

 

So, since I've been truant and am feeling a little rusty, I thought we'd talk about the light and non-controversial topic of home delivered meal prep kits.

A while back, Blair and John Samuel started Hello Fresh and really liked it, so I decided we'd give it a whirl. With Carson home, I feel like I'm in the kitchen more than I'm not and was becoming deficient in ideas and short on enthusiasm. I've always had some concerns about those meal programs, though, and the main one among them being serving sizes and how many bowls of cereal I'd have to eat between dinner and bedtime. Usually, when something says 4 servings, in my mind, they're really referring to a woman and her 3 young toddlers. My faith in hearty portions was shaky.

Maybe if I told you about my background, you'd understand why that's such a pressing concern. First, I grew up in the South between two brothers and a daddy, who all loved to eat. Three times a day, we were cooked for by my mother, the home economics major, who could/can work the kitchen like nobody's business. It was hard to resist the stuff she was pumping out of there. So, seated among all those men and man cubs at our table and being served all the goodness, I learned how to eat heartily. It didn't help that I was a twig of a girl. A twig, I tell you. I was 95 lbs when I graduated from high school. In one sitting, I'd eat one dozen of my Mama's peanut butter cookies as they'd come out of the oven with a couple of glasses of milk and I never gained an ounce. Never. An. Ounce. It was a perfect world, really- just how I imagine heaven will be. The only drawback is when your eating habits form while your metabolism is like that of a hummingbird, it can be a difficult adjustment when it slows to the rate of an emu by your 40's and 50's. That inner skinny voice still tries to deceive me, whispering in my ear, "You should have another piece of pie, you 95lb goddess. It's no match for your young, robust metabolism."  

So, because my eating habits developed under such ideal circumstances, I am now a grown woman who loves to eat more than anything and who wants to feel full when I get up from the table even if I have to spend more and more and more time on the treadmill, each day, to make it work. When I attend those ladies' salad luncheons where there's a dollop of chicken salad, a little cup of fruit, and a nest of greenery, I'm thinking, "where am I going to stop on my way home to get some real food because this is not gonna do it?" This takes me back to my primary concern about meal prep kits- portion sizes.

 

Well, Hello Fresh pleasantly surprised me. I am quite full when I get up from the table. When I opened the contents of the ingredient bag for the smothered meatballs and mashed potatoes pictured below, I didn't think there was any way those few ping pong ball potatoes were going to make enough for all of us, but they did, which tells me I probably waste a lot of food. Excuse my presentation. And I like my green beans a little on the caramelized side. And, also, I'm not a food blogger.

                                      

        
Secondly, I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to find foods that we would eat. Well, let me rephrase that. I was concerned I wouldn't be able to find foods that Carson and I would eat. Davis will eat anything on God's earth and I mean that. I am more selective and Carson is way more selective. When I saw chickpea tinga tacos, creamy dreamy mushroom cavatappi, and brushchetta zucchini boats, I'm wondering- ok, first, where is the meat and, second, these pictures don't look like foods we enjoy down here in the South. I mean- hello, Hello Fresh, what in the tarnation is this chermoula and chimichurri you speak of? And it would be helpful if you'd just put macaroni in parentheses after cavatappi so those of us in the back will know what you mean. I suppose I have a more plain spoken palate. But, Hello Fresh offers so many choices, each week, that I'm always able to find three dishes that I think we'll all enjoy.  

     
We have the three meal plan and it arrives on Wednesdays. The available delivery days depend on the area where you live. Everything I need is included except oil, salt, pepper, sugar, and butter. The ingredients are already measured out, so I just get the amounts I need and no measuring saves time. The meats come sandwiched between ice packs on the bottom and the other ingredients are in separate bags labeled for each recipe. The produce is really fresh and pretty. Each meal comes with a large recipe/instruction card for the dish and most of them are ready in 30-40 minutes. The instructions are so easy to follow that Carson has made a couple of them for us and really enjoyed it. I've only had one issue with an ingredient and their customer service couldn't have been nicer, so my experience has really been positive.    

                                    

I think this is something I'll continue to do. I have skipped the next couple of weeks until Carson goes back to school. He really limits our choices with his texture issues. Also, there's not a three serving option and four gets a little pricey, but it'll be perfect for Davis and me when our nest empties out again. Three nights a week, I can just put it on auto-pilot and not have to think about what's for dinner.

 

I hope y'all are doing well. I'll be back next week with, hopefully, some more exciting reading material.

 

Have a great weekend and stay cool!