Hello Chef

A couple of years ago I tried out a food delivery service here, and even though it was a great experience, and a totally stress free cooking week, I never used it again for the simple reason that it this kind of service is really expensive here.

Recently I got a voucher for 100 AED off my first order of another, similar service, so I thought I'd give this one a shot too.
Meal planning is such a never-ending, and boring, cycle and more often than not I have neglected to plan dinner, let alone had time to go to the shop - cue tuna pasta... again... So this week we have tried HelloChef, and indeed, another pleasant experience!

We had a big box of four meals worth of ingredients delivered last Sunday; everything from the stock cubes to the spices, vegetables and meat we needed; along with recipe cards and instructions on how to store the food and prepare each meal.

Bear with me that my plating might need some work, but here is this weeks menu. Fish fajitas with Pico de Gallo:

Meatball marinara with zoodles for me and spaghetti for the kids:

 Chicken stuffed with brie and walnuts and tricolore rice:

 Vegetable curry with rice and cauliflower:

All the dishes turned out pretty well, the kids ate (most of) it, and the menu was varied and healthy. Although - the price, again, it is just way too pricey to justify for us. I also couldn't help but thinking of the environment. Sure, the box looks fantastic, and of course it is easily dealt with when packed and delivered like this; but it feels absolutely crazy to have all this food individually packed in tons of plastic containers and bags...

So, meal delivery is once again tried and tested, mostly for fun and to have a little project for the week - but back to my own creativity, the trusty cook books, meal planners and shopping lists it is!