Blue Apron, Hello Fresh… but for college DD in apartment

[Anonymous]

I’ve never done one of these but was looking for a gift idea for my foodie 22 year daughter in college. Would you recommend something like this? And which one?

She has two roommates who are not great at shopping for food, or meal prep/planning or cooking, but who love when she cooks and are game for the clean up. She finds recipes on TikTok and IG I think.

Would something like this be a good present for a young person? And if so, which one?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

We liked Marley Spoon (Martha Stewart endorsed) the best. The recipes are a little less mainstream.

We had Blue Apron 2x. My DH felt they repeated certain seasonal ingredients too much (e.g., kale and squash in the fall).

[Anonymous]

Also...if you are trying to feed 3 young people, you will need a 4 portion box. Unless they are on diets.

These meals are profit-optimized and calories are estimated. So, the amount of meat is less generous than a restaurant would give, etc.

We found 4 portion boxes would feed two adults and one big kid with occasional leftovers. Our youngest opted out a lot of the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve never done one of these but was looking for a gift idea for my foodie 22 year daughter in college. Would you recommend something like this? And which one?

She has two roommates who are not great at shopping for food, or meal prep/planning or cooking, but who love when she cooks and are game for the clean up. She finds recipes on TikTok and IG I think.

Would something like this be a good present for a young person? And if so, which one?

Thanks!

I ordered Hello Fresh during the pandemic for my HS/college age daughters to cook for our dinner. We loved it- lots of choices, great recipes with good directions, tasty food. We really enjoyed the Hello Fresh boxes.

[Anonymous]

Teens liked Hello Fresh (I wasn't thrilled with all the wasteful packaging) - there's always a coupon for first time users.

[Anonymous]

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

My DD used Blue Apron during college and loved it. She split it with one roommate and they found that the two-person box yielded them four portions. Both were good eaters - not dieters.

Now she's working in NY and has decided to start Blue Apron again with her roommate because they're getting in the bad habit of ordering in all the time. Unhealthy and costly!

[Anonymous]

I know a college student who did Blue Apron. It worked well for him. I have only tried Hello Fresh. I found it to be a bit more than I liked to do on a week night. My prep time is very limited. DH loved it though.

[Anonymous]

My DD loves hello fresh

[Anonymous]

We did HF and BA for about a year or so, while my husband traveled during the week for work. the 2-person 3 meals plan was plenty for my 12 and 8 yo and me to share. It came on Monday by noon and I would cook 3 of the nights each week.

This actually taught me how to cook more fresh food and eat out less and introduced new foods (kale and pesto) to my kids that they hadn’t tried before. Myn11yo could follow the instructions to help prepare so was even more interested in trying what they made.

I started with HF and moved to BA after they started repeating meals. HF was more plain - roasted veggies, mashed potatoes, grilled chicken or cheesesteak sandwiches and Blue Apron was more complex foods I’d never considered cooking, like coconut butter chicken or enchiladas. A lot of the recipes are still in my rotation.

Op just a note that If this is a gift the recipient would need the log in info to manage the account -to choose the meals each week and change the delivery dates or cancel if needed. (I missed the canceling deadline once and called from Vacation to gift my neighbor the box if she retrieved it from my porch.

[Anonymous]

I ended up getting her a selection of “fancy” foods from Balduccis instead, but will keep Blue Apron in my back pocket for the next bday. Thanks again!

[Anonymous]

How about a bulk shipment of meat next time? Protein is most expensive and she could do her own recipes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How about a bulk shipment of meat next time? Protein is most expensive and she could do her own recipes.

Hmmm- like from Costco or something? You’re right that it’s meat that is usually the most expensive.

[Anonymous]

I find Blue Apron portions to be huge - I think the 2 person recipes could easily feed college girls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find Blue Apron portions to be huge - I think the 2 person recipes could easily feed college girls.

*feed 3 college girls