One of my dreams is to one day live in a place where I can wake up every day, walk down to our local fruit and vegetable stand for our daily produce, swing into the butcher’s shop for our night’s meat, and then pop into the bakery for a pastry and a coffee before walking home with my family’s groceries. A short walk, some fresh air, and an hour each morning (or afternoon after work) and I’d have everything I needed to make my family a healthy, fresh, and organic dinner. Unfortunately, every day I’m thrusted back into reality with the over-priced and over-preserved options at our grocery store that I have to fight time and traffic to get to. It’s neither fun nor relaxing. I finally got fed up and decided to subscribe to a couple different meal subscription boxes with the promise of healthy food at a healthy (for my wallet) price. One of those was Green Chef and, honestly, I’ve been pretty thrilled with the results.
I’m fairly new to this meal subscription game so I have been learning a lot of this as I go. I’ve now tried two different meal kit subscriptions, but Green Chef really stuck out to me as a great option for getting my family the healthy, organic food they deserve without those boutique organic grocery store prices. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against those places and love that they are an option, but why does everything have to be so expensive in them? Shouldn’t natural, organic food be more readily available for everyone? Don’t we want to give the same chance at being healthy to all?
What is Green Chef?
Green Chef actually helps to solve that problem for many of us. They are a meal kit subscription service that delivers pre-portioned organic ingredients to your doorstep each week along with chef-curated, easy to follow recipe instructions. You can choose recipes that include everything from Keto and Mediterranean to Vegan or Gluten Free. They take everyone’s dietary preferences and restrictions into consideration and give weekly options that fit those criteria.
They also are a USDA certified organic company as well as the first meal subscription service to be certified by the California Certified Organic Farmers Organization (CCOF). Additionally, they are a sustainable company and only send sustainably caught seafood while also being the first meal kit service with plastic and carbon offset.
Sounds Expensive, How Much Will It Set Me Back?
Actually, the best part of all of this is the price. Currently, Green Chef ranges from $11.99-$13.49 per serving. When I did the math on this, it would actually save us a ton in both grocery store prices and from not eating out. It can get pricey feeding a family of four a healthy meal these days. Add on to it organic prices, and it’s no wonder so many families opt for cheap, fast food options. It's a shame those options are also usually extremely unhealthy and chock full of saturated fats, sodium, and added sugars. That's now how I choose to feed my family. So if I can make my family a delicious dinner that I know is also giving us the nutrients we need to thrive…all for under $50, you can bet that is something that's going to interest me.
But Is It Tasty?
The recipes are chef-curated and the ingredients are fresh. So short answer is, they are delicious! It is up to you, however, to cook it correctly. These are organic ingredients, but not magic ones. If you overcook your chicken, it's still going to be tough. If you skip an ingredient, it's going to be lacking in taste. So be sure to follow the included recipe card and I'm betting you will love it! Plus, you get to pick your meals each week so make sure you take a peek at the menu online and get your choices in. There are some seriously delicious ones though, and my problem is only choosing a few! Here are a few of the recent options:
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The Facts
In the past year alone grocery bills have skyrocketed and hurt the pockets of many families around the country. Fresh fruit and vegetables have gone up 8%, eggs are now a third more expensive than last summer and chicken went up nearly 19%. Whether you eat one or all three of those, they are pretty much the backbone in most healthy recipes and not anything you can skip purchasing while still hoping to make a healthy dinner. If buying healthy and organic was hard before, it’s nearly impossible for many now. And honestly, this is what makes Green Chef so attractive (at least for my family!). Unless I hit my supermarket right as a sale goes up and I get there before the shelves are empty, I’m paying quite a bit more for these products than I would with a Green Chef subscription.
Is it Worth It?
Up until a couple months ago, I had never tried a meal subscription service. They always interested me and it was one of those things that I kept telling myself I wanted to try one day, but just never pulled the trigger on. I think I thought it would be more hassle than it was worth and I definitely assumed they would be more money than I wanted to pay. But, I’ve been proven wrong lately. Between saving me time and allowing me to cook healthy and organic meals for my family, I actually think meal subscription services are game changers now. Green Chef in particular has not only given me the ease of knowing what to cook three nights a week, it’s also given me peace of mind that everything I’m serving my kids will actually benefit their health.
But I think the biggest surprise for me was that Green Chef actually made sense financially. If you are looking to eat healthier, but concerned about grocery prices lately, I would recommend taking a look at the prices in your local supermarket like I did. Compare them to how much Green Chef will cost you each week and see which one wins. I think you will be pleasantly surprised!
