Wow, tonight's HelloFresh meal may have been the best one we've had so far!  If you've read my posts, you know that I have a love affair with tacos, and we've tried several HelloFresh taco meals.  I think we have liked just about all of them, but this Mexican Pork & Street Corn taco recipe is definitely at the top of our list!  We all thought they tasted restaurant quality, and they were the perfect amount of spicy/tangy/savory.  

My husband made this meal with my son, and it did take them almost a full hour from start to finish, but they are fairly slow cooks--it may take you less time to make on your own.  I love roasted corn, and it gave this dish such a nice flavor.  And the lime Crema was delicious!  I think these would be fairly easy to replicate on your own, if you could find Tex Mex paste and the HelloFresh Southwest seasoning.  Anyone know where you could get your hands on either of those?  The link to the recipe is below:
​www.hellofresh.com/recipes/mexican-pork-street-corn-tacos-5ffc86fc6357424697644b22?isMegaAddonsEnabled=true&subscriptionId=6713743&week=2021-W08

The meal came with lots of extra corn--enough to use as a side dish.  We would have had more leftovers, but we all loved it so much! Definitely give this one a try if you can--thumbs up from all of us!

Ratings:
me: 9.5
husband: 9.25 (he said he is leaving room for a perfect 10, but otherwise would have rated higher)
son: 9
daughter: 9.25

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It's been a little while since I've posted any of our HelloFresh meals here.  Last week our HelloFresh meals didn't arrive, due to an unusual Arctic storm.  Crazy week!  But, this week's meal was definitely worth the wait.

I think I've mentioned before that my son is a huge fan of meatballs!  So, if there is a meatball option on the menu, there is a good chance I'll get it.  I knew he would like this one, and he did--although, in full disclosure, he didn't eat a lot of the veggies.  They were very good, but he just isn't a huge vegetable eater.   My husband liked these so much that he said that I should just order them any time they are on the menu--that's a pretty big endorsement from him.

My husband made this one (with some chopping assistance from me), and said it was very easy to make.  From start to finish, it was about 40 minutes.  Another thing I liked was that this one was in the "lower calorie" category--I am always on the hunt for good lower-calorie options!  The sauce was delicious and I loved how the veggies made it look so colorful (not captured very well in my photo).  Why is it that colorful foods always manage to taste so much better to me!

So, order this one the next time you see it on the menu--you will be glad you did!

Ratings:
me: 8.75
husband: 9
daughter: 8.5
son: 8

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I had some pork chops and some apples that needed to be used, so I searched for some recipes that used both.  This Baked Apple Pork Chop recipe fit the bill and was super easy to make.  It was very similar to a lot of HelloFresh recipes--roasted veggies and a meat with a sauce (and easy to make).  This one came together in less than 30 minutes, and my husband said it was one of the best pork recipes he's ever had.  Frankly, I didn't love the green beans--a little to garlicky for my taste--but I think they would have been fine if I'd cut back on the garlic or omitted all together.  The apples really made this dish--I loved the savory flavor they added.  Give this recipe a try if you're looking for an easy weeknight meal that seemed relatively healthy!

Link to the recipe on the Damn Delicious site (OK, I know her pictures are way better than mine...):
damndelicious.net/2016/08/22/baked-apple-pork-chops-green-beans/

Baked Apple Pork Chops and Green Beans

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 (8-ounce) pork chops, bone-in, 3/4-inch to 1-inch thick
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 16 ounces green beans, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

FOR THE APPLES

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat.
3. Rub both sides of the pork chops with sage; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add to the skillet and sear both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Place pork chops and green beans in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle green beans with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
5. Place into oven and roast until the pork is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 140 degrees F, about 12-15 minutes.
6. Return skillet to medium high heat and melt butter. Add apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook, stirring occasionally, until apples just begin to soften, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in maple syrup, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.
7. Serve pork chops immediately, topped with apple mixture, garnished with parsley, if desired.

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Mmmm....these HelloFresh burgers were some of the best burgers we've ever made at home!  So delicious, and you could easily do something similar on your own at home!  These are just simple burgers (seasoned with fry seasoning), caramelized onions, melted Swiss and a simple aioli.  We made these on the grill (because I just think that burgers taste better that way, and it was a beautiful day outside)--but I bet they would be almost as good the other way! :-)  

​My daughter and I made this meal together--another thing I love about HelloFresh is that it's gotten us more in to cooking lately, and we are all of a sudden doing it as a family.  I will definitely be trying these again sometime on my own!!  Link to the recipe on the HelloFresh site here:
www.hellofresh.com/recipes/caramelized-onion-swissburgs-5fe11fc38fc437267a30bb39?isMegaAddonsEnabled=true&subscriptionId=6713743&week=2021-W05

​These were served with wedge potatoes (as I think most of the HelloFresh burger recipes are)--but again, super simple to do!  This was one of our higher rated recipes--so definitely give it a try (at home or through HelloFresh!) if you can!

Ratings:
me: 8.5
husband: 8.5
daughter: 9
son: 8

Need a HelloFresh coupon?  Try VSTEINA (new customers) on the HelloFresh site!

The first thing my husband said when he saw this meal was "it's very Hello-Fresh-y."  This Tex-Mex turkey bowl was great, but it was a variation on a very popular HelloFresh meal: rice, some kind of protein, veggies, and a sour cream sauce.  I thought this iteration of it was very good, though!  It was easy to make and not overly time consuming, and the entire family enjoyed it (no leftovers!).  Another plus was that it was less than 700 calories--wish they had more options in that category!  

​This recipe was missing the pepper that was supposed to go with it, but fortunately I had an extra on hand.  One thing I must say about HelloFresh is that their customer service is great--I didn't call them about this order since it was no big deal, but twice I've had orders that arrived incomplete (no meat included or 2 servings included rather than 4) and both times they were friendly and made it right.

I would recommend this one--the whole family enjoyed it!

Ratings:
me: 7.75
husband: 7.5
son: 7
daughter: 7.5

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Tonight was one of those nights when I had to get dinner on the table in a hurry--busy with work and didn't realize how late it had gotten!  These HelloFresh meatball subs were perfect!  The entire meal took about 15 minutes to get on the table and it was delicious!  The meatballs were pre-made, so they just needed to be re-heated, and the sauce was easy to prepare.  We even had an entire sub leftover for lunch tomorrow!

My husband is a meatball sub aficionado, and his suggestion was to add black olives and pepperoncini.  Not sure how that would work out, but that was his advice.  

The entire family liked this one, and I would consider it family friendly.  Thumbs up all around!

Ratings:
husband: 8.5
me: 8.5
daughter: 8
son: 8

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I am always on the hunt for easy, healthy recipes.  And I know I have professed my love of Greek food here before.  So, this Greek Chicken Gyros recipe from Damn Delicious really fit the bill.  It's easy to make and you can make it ahead of time.  I marinated the chicken and made the sauce in the morning--both were super easy.  It was a nice night out, so my husband actually grilled the chicken and the veggies, instead--I love roasted veggies, and roasted tomatoes are one of my favorites!   This would be a great meal to entertain with, due to the make-ahead factor.  It was also healthy, to boot!

So, try this one if you want a fresh-tasting, delicious and healthy meal!  Link to the recipe here (her pictures are so much prettier!):
​damndelicious.net/2020/02/23/greek-chicken-gyros/

GREEK CHICKEN GYROSyield: 6-8 SERVINGS
prep time: 2 HOURS 20 MINUTES
cook time: 10 MINUTES
total time: 2 HOURS 30 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 pounds chicken tenderloins
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 6-8 pita flatbreads
• 2 cups shredded romaine
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced

FOR THE TZATZIKI SAUCE

• 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup grated English cucumber, squeezed dry
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. To make the tzatziki sauce, combine Greek yogurt, cucumber, dill, lemon juice, lemon zest and garlic; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
2. In a gallon size Ziploc bag, combine chicken, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, thyme, paprika, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Marinate for at least 2 hours, turning the bag occasionally. Drain the chicken from the marinade, discarding the marinade.
3. Preheat grill to medium heat. Add chicken to grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until chicken is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 8 minutes.
4. To serve, warm pitas on the grill, about 1-2 minutes per side. Halve pitas, and fill with chicken, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, red onion and tzatziki sauce.
5. Serve immediately.

This is another HelloFresh meal that is very good, but feels like it's a bit of a variation of a theme. Potatoes, roasted veggies, and chicken breast with sour cream spread on top, and a panko mixture mounded on top.  I've had a couple of very similar HelloFresh meals, and it's easy and tasty.  (One of my favorite HelloFresh meals, a Buffalo Chicken meal, is very similar.) I've even re-created something like this on my own, adapted from a HelloFresh recipe.

In any event, this Spicy Maple Chicken meal was great--the chicken was very tender and had great flavor,  Another thing I liked was the mashed sweet potatoes--they called for a little bit of maple syrup and sour cream, which added a hint more sweetness and depth of flavor.  I will definitely be copying this trick in the future!  I love it when I learn tricks like this!

My son was just "meh" on this one, but he didn't dislike it.  Honestly, he's not a sweet potato fan like the rest of us, so that's probably what did it for him.  Otherwise, I would recommend this one.  I forgot to ask everyone how they'd rate it, but it was favorable.  Another plus: it was in the Lower Calorie category!

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I know I sound like a broken record, but tacos are always a good idea!  These "Mango Tango" chicken tacos from HelloFresh did not disappoint!  Everyone loved them--AND raved about them!  My only complaint on this one was that the recipe card said 10 minutes of prep and 25 minutes total cook time.  I was about double that on both counts.  Granted, I am generally not a speedy cook, but not sure how you could get this one on the table that fast.  But, it was easy to make and delicious, so I'd say it was worth it.

Mango might possibly be my favorite fruit, and I thought they gave these tacos a nice depth of flavor--and balanced out the heat of the spices.  Even my pickier eater enjoyed this one, and did NOT complain that it was too spicy--SUCCESS!

So, I would recommend this one and would order again.  I think we are 100% with all of the HelloFresh taco recipes so far!

Ratings:
8 from all of us, except for my husband, who was an 8.5!

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My husband and I both picked the HelloFresh meals this week.  As usual, I leaned toward the "lower calorie" options, and he ignored that and went for this meal with pasta and sausage.  At 910 calories per serving, not a meal I would typically choose, but I must say that this one made a LOT! I barely had half a serving, and I was full.  So, the calorie count for half a serving wasn't bad at all.  In fact, we had about twice as much as we needed, so lots leftover for lunches!  I find that the pasta meals from HelloFresh generally have much bigger servings than the other meals.

​The prep on this one wasn't bad--about 10 minutes, as the instructions read.  I was able to put this one on the table in about 30 minutes.  It was good--everyone liked it.  But no one RAVED about, if you know what I mean.  I might possibly order this one again, as it was easy and served a lot, but it would have to be on a slow menu week.  I do love red bell peppers, and that gave this one a nice flavor. The tomatoes included were not quite ripe--maybe that would have given this dish the boost it needed.

So, order this one if you like pasta--it wasn't bad!  Ratings from us were about a 7 all the way around.  This meal was family friendly and you'll have enough for leftovers, if you're like me and don't like to think about what to make for lunch.

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