I’ve often wondered about the boxed meal delivery kits available – there are great incentives out there to give them a try…but then I think, who needs help cooking dinner? I cook dinner for my family just about every single night the old-fashioned way: buying ingredients at the grocery store, pulling a recipe out of my head and making a meal. How can a meal kit make it any different?
But then Dinnerly asked me to try out their service. And curiosity got the best of me. Because maybe there is a better way to do things.
I picked out three recipes to try from their collection:
- Grass fed beef burgers with fried pickles and tangy slaw
- Crispy chicken fingers with honey mustard and green beans
- Pork Souvalki meatballs with romaine and toasted pita salad
Maybe, like me, you're wondering how this works? Please allow me to enlighten you. Once you're registered with the subscription delivery service, you can place your order online and pick your delivery window. My Dinnerly box arrived right as expected around 5:00 p.m. on the day promised. I had already planned a meal for that night so I unpacked all of the food items and put the perishables away. One of the gel ice blocks in the box had burst and melted making a bit of a mess but all of the ingredients arrived in excellent condition. I was excited to try out the recipes the next day!
Neat things about Dinnerly:
- Recipes include six ingredients and only five steps or less for simplicity's sake
- All recipes require minimal chopping as the goal is "package to table in 30 minutes or less"
- Their recipe cards are only found online
- The cost is only $5/serving and is designed with quick weeknight cooking in mind
- With the subscription service, customers will receive a chilled box with fresh, seasonal ingredients to make three simple meals. You can skip a weekly shipment at any time -- there is no quantity requirement.
I eagerly tried out all of the the recipes which were delicious (we ate every bite). I found the Dinnerly recipes truly easy to follow and I appreciated that they encouraged me to use new ingredients -- I had never made lamb meatballs before. Also new to me: fried pickles. The recipes are broken down into logical steps so you feel confident that everything will indeed be ready in 30 minutes or less. While I enjoyed all of the meals, the chicken fingers were my favorite because I have the palate of a first grader and could eat chicken fingers daily. The honey mustard sauce was delish and the chicken came out perfectly crispy.
I also appreciated the simplicity of the ingredients and recipe steps as it made it easy for the kids to help me prep dinner. Dinnerly kits would be a great introduction to cooking for kids who want to be more independent in the kitchen. I can also see Dinnerly being a great gift for the elderly who still love to cook but may have mobility issues which make it difficult to get to the store for groceries. These meal kits really are a great intergenerational fit for the whole family.
While I’m not a person who needs inspiration to cook dinner – I do it every day – I do appreciate that the Dinnerly recipes encouraged me to try slightly different ingredients than I would chose myself. And the meals were delicious. I will try the service again when I one of those pesky cooking ruts hits and I need inspiration for something new.
I’m grateful to have given Dinnerly a try. The only drawback for me is the waste associated with a meal delivery service. I was able to recycle about 60% of the packaging that arrived with the kit. I would estimate that I’m able to recycle about 90% of food packaging for meal items I purchase at the grocery store as I shop with minimal waste as a goal.
Dinnerly pricing plan is as follows:
A couple box containing 3 meals that will feed two adults for $30.00, plus $8.99 shipping.
A family box containing 3 meals that will feed four adults for $60.00, plus $8.99 shipping.
Right now you can get FREE delivery on your first Dinnerly order by following the links on their Facebook or Instagram.
Especially with the free shipping deal, the Dinnerly kits really are an affordable dinner option. I hope you enjoy the meals as much as we did.
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