This post is not sponsored by Home Chef in any way. I personally purchased the products featured in this post, and all opinions are completely my own.

I’ve been toying with the idea of subscribing to a meal subscription service for awhile. After all, much of my life and career is wrapped up in food. As a busy mom, I don’t always have time to plan out meals perfectly (as much as I’d like to). When I plan so many recipes for this blog, I kind of experience a little “meal burn out.” My family is used to me struggling to come up with dinner ideas outside of work at times.

A meal subscription seemed like a decent solution. So, I recently dove headfirst into the world of Meal Subscription Services. After looking over the menu of multiple services, we decided to start with Home Chef. We looked over what each service offered for the week we were ordering. While different weeks vary, the particular week we were looking at put Home Chef in a good light. Here’s the full rundown from first impressions to final results.

First Impressions

We had a huge list of meal subscription service competitors… Plated, Blue Apron, plenty of others. But the thing that set Home Chef apart for our family was that for this particular week, we had trouble narrowing our meals down to just the three we planned to test. Home Chef had a lot of delicious-sounding meals for the week. We really wanted to limit our test to only 3 meals. Realistically, that’s what fit our schedule best. Home Chef does suggest meals based on your preferences and dietary needs. If you’re looking for something dairy-free or low calorie, they offer it, but you can always add or remove any meals that look best to you.

We noticed while looking ahead at future weeks that Home Chef also had a really unique feature where it offered holiday-centric selections. We ordered ours in April. However, looking forward we could see that they had a taco option for Cinco de Mayo. There was a stuffed French Toast option for Mother’s Day weekend. I loved that there was an option to add these holiday delights on, and it definitely had me interested in what other holidays they had special selections for. The fact that I could see, plan, and select meals for the next 4 weeks (essentially, set it and forget it) was really handy. If I were to stick with the subscription, I could definitely see myself planning out several weeks at a time.

It also gave me the opportunity to add on add-on items like a seasonal fruit selection or a smoothie. Just to give it a thorough test, I opted to add both the fruit and that week’s smoothie selection onto my order.

Adding and removing meals was really easy, too. You simply click “add” or “remove” and it pops the meal into or out of your cart with a quick click.

Each standard meal is $19.90 for a two-person amount. The fruit and smoothie add-ons are $9.90 per add-on that serves 2. Depending on the meal, and depending on your usual shopping habits, it’s easy to see if Home Chef will be worth it. If you’re prone to shopping for yourself and cooking at home, you may feel Home Chef is more expensive, but also quite convenient. If you typically eat out at restaurants, you may find Home Chef is cheaper, but it does require you to prepare the food yourself. For me, the general idea was that some things were very worth it, and some weren’t. I share what I thought was worth it and what wasn’t below, and I dig into why I felt that way.

The meals come with everything you need, ingredient-wise, except for a couple of basics like salt, pepper, and oil. If you do need salt, pepper, and oil, you can actually purchase those from the Home Chef store. The home Chef store also sells pots, pans, and other kitchen equipment you might need, also. You can buy them outside of your subscription, so it’s great to have a one-stop shop for food and tools. The recipes tell you what kitchen tools you need to have, like a strainer or a medium saucepan. I love that if I did actually need something, I could get it right there.

On the website, you can peek ahead at what the recipes are, even before you add the item to your meal set that week. That way, you can definitely add based on your own skill level and on what you have the time to prepare.

Everything is extra-detailed. It helps because they even include notes on how they’d plate it, too. Pretty much all of this ends up in what you receive in a printed version, but the online version really allows you to look over everything before you buy.

They accept PayPal and Credit or Debit cards. The site also offers gift cards which make a great gift for a loved one who might enjoy the subscription.

Shipping and Delivery

When it comes to shipping, Home Chef only delivers to certain areas on certain days. In our area, it was Thursday and Friday, so we opted for Thursday delivery. Your area likely has different delivery day options, but it’ll ask you before you check out, and according to Home Chef, you don’t have to be home when it, because they’ve got it cooled.

The one thing that really boggled my mind was when I got the shipping notification from FedEx. It showed my order had shipped days before, and while I had full faith that Home Chef must know what they’re doing, shipping-wise, in order to have the successful business they do, there was hesitation in my mind that fresh meat and produce was traveling 2 days before it even arrived on my doorstep.

Even though I was home, I went ahead and let the FedEx man do his thing so I could see how the box looked on arrival without my interference. I went out as the man walked away, and he shouted “Careful, it’s kind of wet on one side!”

He’s right, it was wet. It definitely wasn’t because of anything I did– I went out for the box before the delivery driver had made it back to his truck. I was a little nervous that my meat or something else was leaking. There were definite concerns my order would be ruined. When I opened it up, I ended up finding that one Ice Pack had ruptured. While most of the ice packs were still pretty solid, over time, it did begin to leak.

I didn’t bring up the leak to their customer service, however, because everything looked just fine once I opened the package. When you open the box, the papers are on top. These papers were recipes for the week, plus a coupon for a wine club (we don’t drink wine, so we tossed it).

Tucked in the side was a Home Chef cookbook binder that you could add your recipes in week-to-week. I’d imagine you only get this in your first shipment, but it is great to keep your recipes organized so you can go back and re-make them later if you loved them.

Once you peel back the insulation, you can actually see the food. It’s packed really well. They put fruit and less perishable items on top, then ice packs surround the meat and other ingredients. There were probably 6 or 7 ice packs in the box, and they were still mostly solid when we got them. The meat and all of the ingredients were still well-chilled.

The Home Chef Food

Every meal came in a separate bag, for the most part. You’d know all of the ingredients for this one meal was in the neatly labeled bag with the meal name on the package. The exception was that meat was packaged separately, but it was pretty easy to tell what meat went with what meal, and for the pizza, the flatbread was also outside of the package.

Wood-Fired Barbecue Chicken Pizza

The first meal we tried was the wood-fired barbecue chicken pizza. I have to start by saying that I really love pizza. I like traditional pizza, but I also love California-inspired pizzas that tend to be more oddball sauces and greens and everything, so I may be biased on this meal.

To prepare this meal, you slice and saute the onion as you bake the chicken in the oven and slice it.

Once everything is cooked, you just slather on the barbecue sauce (which actually comes packaged and ready to go, individually, without excess), top with chicken and onions, then add cheese. Once you’ve baked it, you can simply top with the cabbage and arugula, and add the ranch drizzle… then it’s done.

I will say that, personally, this meal took a little bit longer than the card stated. However, I was not just preparing the meal, but I was sharing my experience on Instagram and photographing it for here, so I’m assuming when you account for all of that, it actually was right on track for the time they said it would take.

The instructions were very detailed. They even instructed me to pat the chicken dry and season it before baking it. It really spelled each step out, which makes it perfect for people who want to cook but aren’t quite sure where to start.

As for flavor, this was definitely a big hit (and ended up being our favorite meal from the box). It’s also the only meal that I’ve decided to make again at a later date so far.

When I very first looked at the meal, I was a little bit worried that it wouldn’t be enough. I’m used to making a meal like pizza and preparing a salad or side dish with it, and this didn’t offer that up at all. I could have made a salad myself, but honestly, I ended up glad that I didn’t because the meal was so incredibly filling. In fact, my gram actually had leftovers the next day because she couldn’t finish hers.

As for calorie count, even though I am watching my weight and keeping an eye on my caloric intake, I didn’t actually specify that I wanted low-calorie meals. As a result, this wasn’t a low-calorie meal per say, but it still didn’t do the damage I expected it to, calorically. I loved that the nutrition facts were right there on the card, so I could plan the rest of my day accordingly around what dinner’s calories would be, and so I could plug the facts straight into my tracking app.

We made this meal the day after arriving our box. If you do the math, that means that it left the Home Chef location 4 days before we ate the meal. In terms of freshness? The arugula was still bright and green, without any wilting whatsoever.

In terms of value, I wanted to take a hard look at if this meal was really worth what we paid for it through Home Chef at $9.95 per person. Honestly, I think it was worth it. The flavor was what I would expect from a local artisan pizza place. I would have easily paid $3 more for the same pizza there… and for this pizza, I didn’t have to change out of sweatpants. Points to Home Chef for the fact that I didn’t even have to get dressed to enjoy high-quality artisan pizza. Could I have gotten the ingredients more affordably from the store? Sure. But this eliminated the need for me to go to the store at all for it. And, it took the guesswork out of knowing what dinner would be.

For me, this was well worth it.

Tex-Mex Turkey Taco Salad with Pickled Onion and Avocado

I wasn’t really sure this was going to be a great one… I mean, I don’t really love pickled anything, and I have only recently started enjoying avocado in smoothies. But, I was definitely willing to give it a try because any taco salad is a good taco salad in my mind. When it came to the ingredients, reading pickled onions on the recipe made me assume I’d have like, a jar of pickled onions in my box. In reality, the box gave me an onion and a lime and instructed me to stir them together, and continue to stir every few minutes, essentially “pickling” the onions myself. Honestly, this was way more delicious, in my mind, and it was really easy. In addition to pickling the onions, the recipe had you chop the greens and mix in items like corn.

You also chop the avocado, cook the ground turkey and taco seasoning, and toss everything together before plating.

The thing that was impressive about the taco salad from Home Chef was the portion size. We divided it between the two of us and still had leftover ingredients in the preparation dishes. But then, as we each got about 3/4 of the way through the meal, we got super full. This is a meal that could have easily fed 3 people, but it made for great leftovers the next day. Had we wanted to stretch it even further, we realistically could have. All it would have taken was to add some spinach from the garden to give us additional leftovers.

Because I’m counting calories, it was really interesting to see what a more calorie-conscious meal from Home Chef would be like. Again, I opted not to tell Home Chef I was calorie counting because I wanted a more overall perspective of the meals. I didn’t just want to take a look at the light meals. It was really great seeing how delicious (and filling) this meal was, despite being lower in calories.

I also loved how simple this meal was to make, overall. My 5-year-old could have easily made the meal himself. He didn’t, but he could have without much difficulty at all.

This meal definitely was our second favorite of the box, behind the pizza.

Seared Sirloin and Twice-Baked Potatoes

Our last Home Chef meal, aside from any add-ons, was the seared sirloin and twice-baked potatoes meal. Knowing that our family is big on steak, I figured this meal would be the hit of the entire box. I was surprised to find that it really wasn’t.

The meal itself was overall not horribly difficult to prepare, but it also was not as “foolproof” as the other meals. I prepared the potatoes without any issue at all. They were super straightforward. But when it came to the steak, I cooked it according to the directions, cut into it, and it was raw. Not rare… but actually completely uncooked aside from the outside being seared. My grandmother prefers her steak rare, and even she could not eat it without me putting it back on the stove.

Could it have been user error? Probably. But this meal definitely was one I would have skipped if I was looking for ease of preparation. The meal was delicious. That said, it was easily our least favorite of the 3 meals. It wasn’t hard to prepare, but it also wasn’t easy, so next time we’d probably skip the steak and go for another one of the meals that looked delicious. It was good, however, to see what a “less-awesome” meal from Home Chef looked like. The fact that our least favorite meal was still good speaks a lot to the quality of the meals.

Add-On Items

Home Chef has two add-on items, a fruit add-on for $9.90 and a smoothie add-on for $9.90. I opted to purchase both to see what I thought of each one, and whether or not I felt the add-on options were worth it.

Fruit Add-On

The fruit add-on had 1 orange, 1 pear, 2 apples, and 2 kiwis. Overall, I think the fruit was flavorful (and my 5-year-old wasted no time in diving right in to the fruit basket).

That said, I had just been to the grocery store earlier in the week and purchased the exact same pieces of fruit… the rough breakdown of cost for the Home Chef fruit basket would have been $1.65 per piece of fruit. Here’s what I recently paid for the same fruits at my local grocery store: $0.58 for a pear, $0.17 per orange in a bulk bag of oranges ($1.89 for a 4 pound bag), $0.39 per gala apple, and $0.50 per kiwi (less if I had purchased in bulk). Looking at that, I could have bought the same amount of fruit for $2.55. I’m all about convenience, but I don’t love such a huge markup on the fruit pricing.

Personally, I would have rather taken my $9.90 and spent it elsewhere. $9.90 can stretch a lot farther at a farmer’s market, in the produce section of my store, or even on berry plants for my garden. All of those are a better option, in my mind, than the Home Chef fruit add-on.

It also appears that the fruit selection switches seasonally. This means you’ll probably be getting the same fruit for the entire spring season. I personally love more variety (incorporating fresh berries, for example). For me, that means visiting the farmer’s market just makes more sense. I understand why they don’t include things like berries, since they aren’t as hearty for shipping. But, I missed out on some favorites because they just didn’t make sense for the Home Chef boxes.

If we speak strictly to quality, the fruit was fresh and flavorful, and it tasted as great at the end of the week as at the end of the week, so it really did hold up well. If your primary goal is convenience, you can’t beat the fact that it is shipped directly from the company you’re already ordering from.

Ultimately, the fruit comes down to your primary goals. If you’re looking for convenience, the $9.90 price might be worth it to you. If you’re cost-conscious or want a bigger selection, skip the Home Chef add-on and put your money elsewhere.

Smoothie Add-On

The smoothie add-on for the week was a Mai Tai smoothie, and it was really delicious. They sent all of the fruit we needed for it. Plus, they sent the yogurt and almond milk that went into the smoothie, also. It was everything we needed for the smoothie other than the ice.

I don’t usually enjoy smoothies as a dessert or treat, which is what this one seemed to be for. This was a new experience to me. I’m used to a smoothie being a powerhouse for mornings; I think if you wanted the overall flavor of this but wanted to bulk this one up, you could easily add some vanilla protein powder and greens without the overall flavor changing a ton. That said, I opted to have the smoothie as it was written, and it was really good. We divided it into 3 portions because the kiddo is a smoothie fiend. Honestly, I think that was still an appropriate serving size for a smoothie.

We were all impressed with the flavor of it, too, so that’s always a good thing. Is it worth $9.90 for 2-3 smoothies? I’m not really sure– it was delicious. That said, I  don’t know if it was worth it per serving or not. The meals, I can justify as being cost-effective because they all had restaurant quality and flavor without leaving the house. They were also super convenient because I didn’t have to go grocery shopping.

The add-ons, to me, were less cost effective. However, they were delicious, so that’s where the line comes down for me. They’re really flavorful, and for some people, they make a ton of sense. But for us, I’m not sure the add-ons made sense, if that makes sense….

The Final Verdict

A friend of mine worried about how I’d do using Home Chef. After all, with work, I experiment in the kitchen a lot. With Home Chef, there isn’t a ton of room for experimentation. For me, though, it provided a necessary break that let me just breathe and cook just for the sole passion and joy of cooking, without having to really think about each step of the process.

If I were to continue subscribing to a meal subscription service, I could see Home Chef being a top pick for me. The meals were delicious and easy to prepare. And, I had the good problem of being unable to decide which meals I wanted (because I wanted them all).

Overall Pros

• It’s as affordable or more affordable than going to a restaurant.
• Limits the impulse buys of the grocery store. The food is delivered, so there’s no temptation to buy things you don’t need.
• Reduces food waste. Even sauces are portioned exactly, so you’re not buying a whole container and using a tablespoon or two.
• The meals are relatively easy to prepare and are great for learning basic cooking skills.
• It’s a great way to not have to worry about what’s for dinner. Simply choose your meals, add them to your cart, and when they arrive, you make them. No last minute “Oh no! I forgot to think of dinner.”
• Especially great for singles or couples, or simple-parent one-child households.
• Delicious flavor, fresh ingredients, meals that taste amazing (and that you’ll want to make again!)
• Great meal selection– it was really hard for us to narrow down which meals we wanted and which we didn’t.
• User-friendly website that offers great instructions, detailed information, and a LOT of dietary options.
• Recycleable and reusable packaging for the most part.
• Recipes that are holiday-centric are often offered on the website during select weeks.

Overall Cons

• More expensive than hitting up the grocery store yourself (if you’re not prone to impulse buying).
• Limited options for experimenting with food– the recipes are written exactly as you’re intended to prepare them.
• You cook it yourself. If you don’t want to spend time in the kitchen, this may not be the best fit for you.
• Add-ons can get expensive.
• A bit pricey for a family with more than around 2 family members.

Bottom Line

If I were to continue subscribing to a meal subscription service after I finish testing the ones on my list I’d like to share with you, I definitely would consider subscribing to Home Chef again. I think the overall pros outweigh any possible cons and I look forward to having a Home Chef meal again.

If you’d like to subscribe to Home Chef and try it for yourself, you can use this link to get a $30 credit towards your first order (and I’ll get a $30 credit, too)! It’s a great way to try Home Chef without as much expense.

More Easy Meal Ideas

Kielbasa Pepper Cups
Ham and Cheese Lasagna Roll-Ups
20 Minutes to Dinner Stromboli
Home Chef (which lists many of their recipes on their website! This is a referral link).