Food Boxes: Unwrapped

So, which food box to try? When my friend Sarah sent me a free Hello Fresh box I left the invite sitting in my inbox for weeks. I didn’t want to look into how to cancel and what it entailed since anything that’s free seems too good to be true.
Well, on the fifth reminder email from Hello Fresh and weeks into a diet that desperately needed a flare of food excitement, I decided to try the free box. And... thus my subscription sequence began.

I’m currently on my fourth company and have been able to get meals for $5 a night and sometimes $2.50. Out of probably 30+ recipes I have only disliked 2. Pretty good. Plus I have 28+ really great recipes to go back to.

So I’ll break them down here and give you my thoughts as well as coupon codes.
*I’ve done the vegetarian options on all of these. My roommate and I split the cost of all boxes. There is no way I would pay the price of the boxes for just myself. So... If you are in  a roommate situation this is perfect.

Hello Fresh

$60 a week. 2 people. 3 meals.
$20 a meal. $10 a person. But $20 for the first box is $7 a meal. $3.50 a person. Great deal. And.. if you split the meals they become $1.75.
- You can use a link to give your friends $40 off their first order and then you receive a $20 referral credit, you can also earn free boxes to send to friends 

- You can get $40 off HERE

- Food comes in brown paper bags all separated out.
- Our favorite by far. Guys, there’s just something about Hello Fresh, it’s the best, by far. I’ve tried to figure out why I love theirs the best but I can’t fully place a finger on it, it is just the best. Be it their menu, design, packaging... it all rocks. It is also the easiest to maks double meals from each meal. They often give you more than is needed or you can do as we do and add in an extra onion or pasta. Also, every once in awhile there would be a freebie to try like a protein bar or new drink that came out.

Home Chef

$60 a week. 2 people. 3 meals.
But... $30 off makes $30 for the first box. $10 a meal. $5 a person. If you can manage to split the meals like we do they become $2.50. 
-You have links where you can send friends $30 off and they give you $30 off

-You can get $30 off HERE

- Food comes in plastic zipper pouches with everything separated. 

- This one was ok. We liked all the meals that came but we didn't love them like we loved Home Chef. Sometimes we were able to make meals last double but not always. 

Marley and Spoon 

$60 a week. 2 people. 3 meals.
But... $30 off makes $30 for the first box. $10 a meal. $5 a person. If you can manage to split the meals like we do they become $2.50.
- You can send friends $30 and then receive $30 but there is no link you need friend's email addresses.

- Food comes in brown paper bags all separated out. 

- Marley and Spoon sent us a cute tote one week just for fun. The food seemed to be pasta heavy but good. Except the one week they gave us broccoli olive pizza. Yuck. That was the only meal I have ever not liked. 

Blue Apron 

$60 a week. 2 people. 3 meals.
$40 off first box.... $20 first box... $7 a meal. $3.50 a person. - No referral program. Eventually they will send you a chance to send a free box to friends but you have to be with them for awhile. 

- Online you can sign up and it will give you $40 off your first order and $20 off your second order. 

- Less packaging. Food come in the box and then there are small paper bags with the spices etc. 

Gobble
$71.70 per week. 2 people. 3 meals. $11.95 meal
- With Gobble you can add cookies, sides, breakfast, and other yummies for additional fees.
-There is a referral link. You can send friends 2 free meals and then you get $20 back. I assume this is like sending $40. You can try my link HERE.
- Gobble is set to deliver in May so we have not tried this one yet. It is more pricey than the others so I will come back and review soon. I do know their cookies are good though.. at least the dough part because Abby had one on her shelf and I ate it.

Green Chef
- $11.99 to $14.99 a meal. 2 people. 3 meals.
-Vegan. Vegetarian. Keto. Paleo... and on. This service has lots of options that are all organic. This service is also a little more $$ than the others. I am trying this the week Abby is out of town since I want to try their vegan line.
-Discount code off here http://greenchef.com/invite/gzy7kx
Green Chef was really high quality. All organic and so good. Also in my box they gave me a $60 off coupon to give to friends!

Milk and Eggs
I found out about this service at an event I was volunteering at and I love it! So it is like a farmer's market but delivered to you in the morning. All from local farms or bakeries. The pastries are so delicious! Plus this $20 off $35 and no delivery fee... makes your first order SO cheap!

What to do with all that packaging?

- Every service will tell you how to recycle all the pieces. The boxes are very sturdy and should be reused if you can for practically anything. Great for moving heavy duty or fragile items since they are so think. They come insulated in different items. Some we use for fire starters, others for animal bedding... be creative. 

You will get ice packs in every order perfect for summer coolers on the beach or camping. If you end up with too many do a post on Facebook and share the icepacks. 

We found that 3 meals was enough to take care of the week since we usually were able to cut all meals in half and eat the leftovers for the next day or lunch. 

They are worth trying out for a week because they are relatively cost effective with the pricing coupons and links. 

Personally, I would never pay full price for them though... you can do way better at the store with things on sale. However, if ease and convenience is what you need then these are great. Plus you will get an arsenal of recipes that are easy to create and you'll be able to try a bunch of new foods out.

What I mean when I say split a meal is literally take a 2 person meal and make it 4. Some of the meals are super high calorie so we will split it by 4 and then add in something cheap like steamed broccoli to make it appear to our minds and bellies as if we are eating more food. Or like I said before we might add in another onion, cup of couscous, pepper, etc. Modify the recipe just slightly to increase the amount of food. Sometimes they will say use only half a can of beans... um use the whole thing and presto more food. I can think of two times when we couldn't make a meal for 4. Once was this weird recipe where it was literally a piece of toast and I doubt anyone wants half a piece of toast and the other was a sandwich and we were hungry. 

I am still on this journey so check back later for more box reviews.


I just discovered Milk and Eggs. Local, fresh, farm to table items. They have bread, milk, cheese, pantry items, etc. It is pretty reasonably priced and if you use this code you can get $20 off your first purchase which is a great deal- better than the deal I started with. My box comes Thursday and I will let you know how it is:
http://fbuy.me/iMNp4

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Portugal 3: Lisbon

Lisbon was ok. It wasn’t that I didn’t like it I guess it just didn’t stand out to me. I did love the Time Out Market. Food was delicious I mean look at my salad. There is icecream on it ontop of a goat cheese honey glazed circle. Delicious. I loved that market. We went around the city, the very hilly city and explored the cute streets. This place is just like San Francisco: there are trolleys and even a Golden Gate Bridge. There was a pink street, literally painted pink to boost bar attendance. Theh had this egg tart that was good and we saw where Portugal sent their explorers and welcomed them home like De Gama that was cool. Ill be able to ahow my kids pictures when I teach it next year. There were lots of pretty look out points and we stopped by the local market swap meet. They had some very clever vendors there selling recycled merchandise which made my heart happy.
Trip notes can be found here
https://docs.google.com/document/d/12hDy2SxwBNMdQWPSdiFfl5ZtTH1IMcCubajJ4-hkDxE

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Portugal 2: Sintra

Sintra. The well. This is what I was really excited about so when rain was in the forecast I was less than pleased. This picture Kari candidly captured pretty much says it all. Mostly that cheap poncho did nothing except help guide the water down the front of my skinny jeans and into my converse. Wet jeans are nasty! But... look at the well!

It is perfect. The Initiation Wells (AKA initiatic wells or inverted towers) are two wells on the property that better resemble underground towers lined with stairs. These wells never served as water sources. Instead, they were used for ceremonial purposes that included Tarot initiation rites. The tunnels described above connect these wells to one another, in addition to various caves and other monuments located around the park. Of the two wells, the larger one contains a 27-meter spiral staircase with several small landings. The spacing of these landings, combined with the number of steps in the stairs, are linked to Tarot mysticism. The smaller well contains straight stairs that connect a series of ring-shaped floors to one another. This well is also called the 'Unfinished Well'. A structure similar to these wells can be found in the Pozzo di S. Patrizio in Italy.

This well was on the ground of the Palace de Monteiro. There are lakes and caves, castle pieces, a palace. It was such a beautiful ground. I wish it wasn't raining so we had more time and desire to explore. 

Then it started to downpour so we just hung out in the palace and waited. Well once we saw that it wasn't going to stop we just braved the crazy rain and got soaked. We found an Aldi and Aldi had brie for a dollar... why the heck is cheese to cheap there. It amazes me. We ate a lot of bread and cheese it's like chips in America. 

After the first palace we went and sat in a parking lot hoping the rain would go away. And guess what it did! We raced back up the mountain and literally rain into Moorish castle. RAN. Out of breath up the fortress stairs. In the background you can see Pena Castle. 

The Moorish Castle is the name given to a medieval fortification in Gibraltar comprising various buildings, gates, and fortified walls, with the dominant features being the Tower of Homage and the Gate House. Part of the castle itself also housed the prison of Gibraltar until it was relocated in 2010.^[1] The Tower of Homage is clearly visible to all visitors to Gibraltar; not only because of its striking construction, but also because of its dominant and strategic position. Although sometimes compared to the nearby alcazars in Spain, the Moorish Castle in Gibraltar was constructed by the Marinid dynasty, making it unique in the Iberian Peninsula.^[2]

Moorish castle was so beautiful. Walking along the walls and the view of the city below was breathtaking. Keeping with the luck of no rain we raced to Pena Castle. This place was straight out of Disneyland. It is so colorful and beautiful. Absolutely amazingly colorful and beautiful. 

The castle was built on the site of a medieval chapel dedicated to the local Virgin Mary call “Our Lady of Pena.” This site gained religious importance after a reporting of the apparition of the Virgin Mary. The chapel to honor the Virgin was built on the top of the hill and many people pilgrimaged there. In 1493, the site had two more special visitors; King John II of Portugal and his wife Queen Leonor climbed up the mountain to honor their patron.

Sintra is amazing. It is a necessity in Portugal. 

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Portugal 1: Algarve

The Algarve region. Perfection. Portugal. Views. Wow. We even had sun and 70 degree weather. I didn't think it would be warm and I packed just a backpack which is the reason for my odd fashion choice in the next photos. 

Bengali cave. That is why I wanted to come here. However, the sea was bad and we couldn't swim to the cave so we had to book a boat tour. Tour set for 2:15. In the meantime we hung out at the Mahina beach which has these amazing views. 

Then we did our boat tour with an amazing guide who was showing off for us the whole time which mean we went in every cave- maybe even the ones that were too small or had high swells. 

Benagil cave... if you go I hope you can swim to it and get out on that beach. Do so for me and take a picture. 

Then we went to this beach Cavalo or something like that. It used to be private and then man built a tunnel to get to it and then a tunnel on the side of the cliff here that you can walk along for some views. Slightly scary but also needed to happen. 

Pointe de Piendre or something like that. Wowza. This is in Lagos. The view was incredible. We also hiked this steep mountain for more of a view. 

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Spain 2: Seville

Seville. It was fine. It started out rough because we could not find anywhere to park and our hostel was in the middle of the old city where parking doesn't exist. Google maps doesn't work because it can't register if you are on a street or the sidewalk and half the time we didn't know if we were on the street or the sidewalk. 1.5 hours later we were parked. We saw the center. We say flamenco dancing. 

We went to the Cathedral and paid extra to go to the roof except by roof they meant the view tower and not the actual roof. If you ever go make sure to pay for the private tour of the actual roof with all the spires. But guess what Christopher Columbus' tomb was here. That was pretty... interesting. I will use it next year when I teach explorers to my kids. 

This. This was my favorite part of Seville. TAPAS! oh my oh my they were good. That round thing is a piece of goats cheese crusted and cooked in honey until it caramelizes and then covered in some sort of perfection. Just perfect. 

Also the cuhrros and chocolate sauce. Yes please. 

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Spain: Caminito Hike & Rhonda

Flew into Barcelona. Spent the night. Woke up early. Flew to Malaga. Rented car- took 1.5 hours to get the car. Super small car. Only 2 doors. Drove to Caminito Del Rey Hike. Parked. Walked through tunnel. Walked mile to trail head. Got helmet. Put on helmet. Walk begins. 

This hike was one of the world's deadliest hikes until it was redone a few years ago. They built a boardwalk trail ontop of the old crumbling cement and poles that people used to walk on. 

The walkway was built to provide workers at the hydroelectric power plants at Chorro Falls and Gaitanejo Falls with a means to cross between them, to provide for transport of materials, and to help facilitate inspection and maintenance of the channel. The construction began in 1901 and was finished in 1905. King Alfonso XIII crossed the walkway in 1921 for the inauguration of the dam Conde del Guadalhorce, and it became known by its present name.^[3] The walkway is 1 metre (3 ft) in width and rises over 100 metres (330 ft) above the river below.

It was creepy at times because it is very high up but the views were incredible! 

Now this. This I did not like. This suspension bridge was way too high. The hike was beautiful and definitely worth a trip if you are in the area. 

Plus look at this countryside drive! Incredible. There are also these cities where all the buildings are white. Super pretty. 

Then we drove to Rhona. We is composed of myself, Kari, and her friend Blaire. Blaire is a rockstar for driving a stick the entire week. Dude. Look at this bridge. We had to drive down one old and very steep cobblestone road to get to this view but wowza. 

Nick Grey from NGrey Travels gave us this itinerary so follow him on insta and FB for sure. I mean who knew there was this amazing bridge?!

The construction of the newest bridge (the one that stands today) was started in 1759 and took 34 years to build.^[1] There is a chamber above the central arch that was used for a variety of purposes, including as a prison. During the 1936-1939 civil war both sides allegedly used the prison as a torture chamber for captured opponents, killing some by throwing them from the windows to the rocks at the bottom of the El Tajo gorge. ^[2]The chamber is entered through a square building that was once the guard-house. It now contains an exhibition describing the bridge's history and construction.

We woke the next morning in Ronda and walked out to the bridge look at this view.... stop it. 

Then we headed to some ancient Roman ruins. Acinipo was a city about 20 kilometers from Ronda, near Seville, Southern Spain, believed to have been founded by retired soldiers from the Roman legions more than 2,000 years ago. The remaining ruins include a Roman theater still in use today.

I would say day 1 was pretty legit. 

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