HOME CHEF Meal Delivery

It used to be that having the grocery shopping and meal planning done for you was an option that only the wealthy could afford. More than the food that they were paying for, they were paying to find freedom from the time drain that food shopping and preparation can take.

But you don’t have to be rich to be able to afford to hire someone to do the grocery shopping and planning for you. With the help of Home Chef Meal Delivery service, you’ll be able to let go of the hassle of grocery shopping and the stress of trying to come up with new meal ideas. All of that will be handled for you.

How to Get Started with Home Chef Meal Delivery

Once you go to the website, the first thing that you’re going to want to do is to sign up. You do that by using your email address. Once you enter that into the sign up box, you immediately get access to a secret sale.

This dollar amount is known as a bonus credit. One of these sales was a $10 credit. This is a sign up deal and may or may not be the same amount for each new person because the credit is a time limit deal.

After you sign up with your email, you’ll be taken to a page where you’ll need to choose what you want as your meal preferences. You won’t be locked in permanently to these choices.

You can go back and switch them at any time. You’ll have to fill in your dietary choices. This starts by asking you if you prefer meat, seafood or vegetables. The rectangles will change color as you choose them.

If you want, you have the option of choosing all three of them and this broadens the scope of meal choices that you’ll receive. Next, you’ll be asked about things that you might not want to get in any of your packages.

As with the first selection, you can also pick more than one. This is necessary information to help people avoid getting certain ingredients in their packages. You’ll be asked about whether or not you want red meat or pork.

You’ll also be asked about mushrooms, soy and nuts. This helps the company narrow down your selection based on possible food allergies as well. You can select whether or not you want to receive shellfish meals or meals with dairy products in them.

When ordering any meals, if you have a serious food allergy, you need to be aware that cross-contamination can happen. Since the company does not guarantee allergen free foods, you’ll need to decide if your health will allow you to order or not.

The company also has customers check whether or not they want to avoid having gluten products in their meals. Once you go through those choices, you’ll be asked to pick whether you want a low calorie or low carb meal planning package. If you don’t mind getting either of those, then you would not highlight those options.

What Will I Pay for This Delivery Service?

Unlike other meal delivery services, Home Chef keeps the cost the same for each one of their meals. You can expect to pay $9.95 for each serving. So if you order a meal plan that consists of three meals for two people, you can expect to pay just under $60.

Regardless of the state that you live in, you will not be charged for any tax on the food package. Depending on the amount of your order, you may also qualify for free shipping.

If you select the minimum $40 or more in food items, then you won’t have to pay to have the food delivered to your home. However, if your order ends up totaling less than $40, then you can expect to pay a $10 shipping fee or basically the cost of a meal.

When it comes to delivery service, as you sign up, you go through those steps. You have to choose how many of their meals that you want to cook ever week. You’ll be given the option of between 2-6 meals per week.

Once you select that number, then you’ll have to give the amount of people that you want these meals to feed. That choice is also between 2-6. After you choose all of that, then you have to pick the day of the week that you want the food brought out to your house.

Once that’s done, you’ll need to enter the shipping information, billing information and pick out an account password. There are ways, however, that you can save money on what the service costs you.

Besides the savings when you sign up for the first time, the company also has some codes that can give you an additional savings. To find those, you would need to search online for them and make sure you check out their social media sites for other potential savings.

If you’re someone who’s already using their service, then you have the option of taking part in their referral program. You have to be a current customer who is still receiving orders to qualify for this.

It works by letting you earn company credits if you invite someone to sign up with the company and they follow through. You can invite people you know with a link that the company offers.

If someone does sign up, then both of you receive $30. You’ll get that in an account credit and the other person will receive that much in discounts when they place their first order.

The catch, however, is that you can’t use the program to sign up people who live at the same address. The Home Chef service is affordable with no minimum restrictions on how little you can order.

What Are My Choices?

There are some extras that you can get that the company offers that can change your order basics. In addition to normal meals, the company also offers breakfast.

This doesn’t automatically come in any of your packages. This is an add on that you have to go into your account and actually select. In your account, you have to find the page that’s labeled “Your Taste Profile.”

On that page, you’ll see an option that will allow you set your weekly extras. The company refers to these as “add-ons.” These are categorized as breakfast, fruit basket, smoothie, or premium meal.

If you choose the breakfast serving, you’ll pay $9.95. If you decide that you want the smoothie or the fruit basket choice, then you’ll pay $4.95 - but that’s per serving.

You can see the menu choices that the company has on their website. This page will tell you what week the menu is for and how long you have to order from those choices until new recipes will be uploaded.

When you look at their food menu, you’ll see a selection of eleven meals as well as the smoothie and fruit basket option. You can get vegetarian choices, but you may not always be able to get a vegan meal, so you may have some days when there’s nothing that will suit your particular eating wishes.

But you will always find delicious choices when you do have those meals for an option. You’ll also see food options like Pulled BBQ Chicken Sliders along with side items chips and coleslaw.

On the bottom of each of the weekly menu options will be a note telling customers what that meal is suitable for and what it’s not - such as not containing dairy or nuts.

Each of the food choices on the menu has this notation, so it makes it a lot easier when it comes to ordering what you want to get. You’ll be able to tell at a glance if that menu is a good fit for you or not.

The company gives you the option of checking out the recipe card so you’ll be able to see the nutritional ingredients before you order. The cards tell you how many carbs are in the meal.

They also share the calorie content, fats, protein and sodium so that you can make decisions based on any kind of diet that you’re following such as low sodium or low carb ones.

You’ll also be able to see at a glance how long it will take to prepare that meal. The cook by date is included and so is the amount of effort required to make that meal.

If you check out all of the options and decide that none of them are a good fit for you that week, then you don’t have to order. You can take a break from receiving a food delivery until you’re ready. You can skip weeks according to your availability or interest in the menu.

What You Receive in the Box

Your box will arrive on the day that you’ve selected. Packaged in it will the choices you selected for that week. If you’ve selected meat, it will come to you in a vacuum sealed bag.

If you’ve chosen the fruit basket or fresh vegetables, those are shipped using gel packs to make sure the produce doesn’t end up accidentally getting frozen during transit.

If you do receive any vegetables in your package, it’s always best to make sure that you wash these before you use them. You’ll want to note that the vegetables do not come to you already chopped or diced.

You will have to do that food preparation yourself, but the instructions on how you should cut these up are included. Whatever foods you get in your package will be labeled on the accompanying recipe card to tell you how long you can keep it before you should make that meal.

Each of the ingredients for a recipe will be in its own bag. These meals will be identified by the recipe card that comes with them. The meats are not packaged with the other foods that you get for food safety purposes.

The portion sizes are already measured out so you won’t have to handle that part of getting the meal ready. Regardless of the meal that you select, there will be a photo on the front side of the recipe card for that meal as it should look like after you prepare it.

Every step that you need to take to make sure the meal is properly prepared will be listed on the back of the card. The main ingredients, including the pre-measured ones, are sent to you.

However, if you want to flavor the meal additionally with things like salt or pepper, then you’ll have to provide that.

Who Is This Service Best Suited For?

Anyone who uses the service will delight in the convenience and time savings that the company can provide. If you’re finding that meal time is more a stress than a joy, it’s time for you to give the delivery service a try.

Studies have shown that eating when you’re feeling stressed can lead to health problems like stress and upset stomachs. For people who just experienced a sudden change in life and aren’t quite up to taking on the shopping and meal preparation, the service can be a huge help.

This would be a wonderful idea for brand new parents. When you have a newborn to focus on, the last thing you want to do is try to fight your way through the grocery store.

Having a new baby is a time to relax and enjoy. Let someone else handle the shopping and planning for you so that you can enjoy the time with your little one at home.

Anyone who has experiencing some health struggles or mobility issues could really use the help of a food delivery service. When you’re facing a health battle, making sure that you eat right isn’t always at the top of the to-do list.

By allowing a food delivery service to do all of the work for you, it allows you to concentrate on healing. Those who struggle with mobility issues know how hard it is to keep up with a weekly grocery shopping chore.

It’s stressful and frustrating and more often than not, you’ll decide it’s not worth the effort and then you end up not eating right or eating the same foods over and over again.

This is one reason that people who can’t get around well need to have someone else handle the meals. People that are health conscious can benefit from using Home Chef.

You’ll be able to receive portion-controlled meals that can help you stay on track if you’re trying to lose weight. Having your nutritional needs taken care of will help to motivate you and give you the energy you need to stick with your weight loss effort.

If you’re watching your carbs, then using the food delivery service will help you do that by making sure you receive meals that are low in carbs. People that are watching the blood pressure and want to eat heart healthy meals can find some great choices with Home Chef.