Hello Fresh Giveaway!

Posted by Cara - September 4th 2012

This giveaway is now closed - 9/12/12.

When I ask friends and fans what stands in the way of getting a home-cooked dinner on their tables, what I hear is that grocery shopping can be a real impediment. If you’re working late or you don’t live close to a supermarket, the thought of shopping and cooking can be a huge downer. I do my best to write about meals that don’t require too many ingredients, and if you stock your pantry, you’ll often be able to make a grilled cheese sandwich or a bowl of tomato soup.

Until there comes a day when you can’t. And that’s what brings us to today’s giveaway, for a product that solves the supermarket shopping and dinner decision problems in one fell swoop: Hello Fresh.

Hello Fresh sends three creative recipes and all the ingredients necessary to make them to customers’ doors every week. Ingredients are sourced locally, and the company does its best to have all fresh, quality ingredients (though not everything is organic). When you receive a box, you simply follow the gorgeously printed instructions, and in about half an hour, you’ve got a home-cooked meal. It’s a fine midpoint between doing all your own shopping and planning, and ordering take-out every night, and I’m happy to say I’m giving away two boxes today.

When I received my Hello Fresh box, which sells for $69, I got all the ingredients to make two servings each of Rosemary and Thyme Pork Chops with Roasted Fennel and Baby Carrots (pictured top), Quinoa Salad with Roasted Vegetables and Chicken (pictured below), and A Well Behaved Thai Red Curry with Chicken and Toasted Cashews (pictured above).

For three busy nights straight, Alex and I didn’t have to think about what we wanted to eat. It was a delightful relief simply to chose one of the three, follow the prepwork and cooking instructions, and dig in. All three meals were fresh and really, really good. Because each box has the exact quantities of each ingredient required, there is no waste. No cilantro wilting in the fridge, no zucchini going limp.

Hello Fresh so far delivers only in the mid-Atlantic region, and I’m thrilled to be giving away two boxes to lucky winners who live in the area. (To be sure you’re eligible, check your zip code here.) All who enter will receive a discount code for $30 off their first Hello Fresh box.

To enter the Hello Fresh Giveaway, you’ve got to:

  • Leave a comment below and tell us what hassle is the biggest impediment between you and a home-cooked dinner;
  • Be a subscriber to our newsletter;
  • Become a fan of the BGSK Facebook Page;
  • (Extra Entry) Tell your Facebook fans about the contest – post the link and @Big Girls Small Kitchen;
  • (Extra Entry) Follow @BGSK on twitter and include us when you tweet about the giveaway.

I’ll announce two randomly selected winners next week on the blog. Good luck!

Posted in: Giveaway

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  • Krista G.

    Most of the time, the biggest impediment for me is not having one or two ingredients on hand and being too lazy to go out and pick them up!

  • Leda

    For me, I shop at a lot of different places for one meal: the grocery store, the vegetable stand, the butcher, etc. and it’s a lot of running around to do after a long day

  • Linda L

    The biggest challenge for me is having ingredients on hand. I try to plan out meals for the week every weekend, but there always turns out to be a day or two where I don’t have something and a pizza shows up in its place!

  • http://twitter.com/gfreefun Erin Smith

    I would love to win this. My biggest challenge is time. I work late and then go to the gym. By the time I get home, I am too tired to actually think about what I am making. I am gluten-free due to Celiac Disease and these ingredients look really gluten-free friendly. Thanks!

  • Laura

    My biggest challenge is definitely time! I work full-time and go to class 2x/week at night, so when I get home at 9 all I want to do is sleep. Plus with such a busy schedule, it’s difficult to plan my meals and get to the store. Would love to try Hello Fresh!

  • Sara Sanders

    My biggest challenge with making a home-cooked meal is time! I work relatively late, and always seem to have plans that get in the way of making a good meal. Having all of the ingredients ready to make a meal would make cooking more enjoyable!

  • Anna

    My biggest impediment is time/work. I’m in the office every morning no later than 8:30AM and never leave before 8PM. By the time I get home and cook, I’m not eating dinner until almost 10PM most nights, which is sooo unhealthy. When I’m really motivated in the morning I’ll do prep which cuts my cooking time after work in half (I really should do this more often!). Plus, with working such crazy hours, I never have time to get to the store.

  • http://twitter.com/EatDrinkClev Crystal W.

    TIME! Working late makes feeling motivated to cook difficult.

  • http://twitter.com/EatDrinkClev Crystal W.

    I Like you on FB

  • Taylor

    The biggest hassle is cooking enough for two people, and being left with a million ingredients that I won’t need for a while

  • http://twitter.com/mbelletsang Michelle Tsang

    Yes please, this would be a dream! Thank you for introducing us to Hello Fresh!

  • http://www.facebook.com/JovannaDavid Jovanna David

    Time and convenience! After mostyl 12 hour days I want something easy and the grocery store followed by prep and cooking never seems like the easy way out!

  • Michelle T

    Yes please, this would be a dream! Thanks for introducing us to Hello Fresh!

  • Michelle T

    The biggest challenge is getting the ingredients measured and prepped after a long day at work and an hour long commute! This would be a dream. Thank you for introducing us to Hello Fresh!

  • Linda L

    just tweeted about it too! @babypenguin13

  • Anika

    Planning my meals. I have to make a real conscious effort to plan my meals for the week, put together a grocery list and then either cook them ahead of time for the week or make them fresh each night. Maybe with more practice this whole process will get easier, but for now, it takes a lot of effort!

  • Kristal

    The biggest challenge for me is being a full-time worker and part-time student. I try to make most of my meals for the week during the weekend to avoid the lack of home cook meals throughout the week.

  • Kira Tequila

    The biggest hassle is having items ready to go for a meal and time. I hate spending loads of time in the kitchen for a meal that takes no time to eat.

  • http://twitter.com/PurpleTiger425 Malinda M.

    After a 10-12 hour day, the main reason I don’t cook is because I’m too tired.

  • Jennifer

    Full time student + full time employee = one very tired twenty something. Luckily, I have my boyfriend who likes to cook, but lets just say his cooking is NOT on the healthy menu.

  • Mackenzie

    Planning a meal around a specific ingredient and coming home to find it has wilted or expired…or that I forgot to thaw something!

  • vaishali

    Too tired after work..:(

  • Nicole F.

    Being a full-time student with a job, time is definitely an issue. If I don’t do some food prep on the weekends, dinner is often a scrounge of things I can assemble as quick as possible instead of really enjoying the relaxation and enjoyment involved with cooking! I also like to eat healthy and often base my dinners around what is about to rot in my fridge so some meals turn out surprisingly tasty while others are simply because my stomach needs food NOW.

  • Nicole F.

    Tweeted!

  • Nicole Podesta

    Being a student with a very tiny kitchen and limited supplies definitely makes things difficult! After class it’s so much easier to order takeout than cook a fresh dinner, using up all the same ingredients by myself without being repetitive can also be a challenge.

  • iSi Jess

    A small kitchen, of course! I don’t have enough counter space or storage space. I stumbled upon your blog today for the first time so hopefully that won’t be an impediment for long :) Cool giveaway!!

    • http://www.biggirlssmallkitchen.com/ BGSK

      Exactly! Hopefully BGSK’s recipes can solve some of your kitchen woes.

  • Victoria Yates

    Plain lazy- I have all the excuses but in the end I get a little uninspired and don’t mind eating day 3 of dubious left overs

  • Laiah

    Being a student with a small kitchen and a small budget! if I don’t plan ahead, even though I really like to cook, I end up eating eggs or salad.

  • HudFive

    Im a stay home mom but I get started and work hard. I start to crash around 3pm, right when I’m picking up kids, starting homework, snacks, soccer, scouts, dance, etc etc, I am out of energy and desire to cook and have no ideas. Veggie ideas are the hardest!

  • HudFive

    I’m a stay home mom but when I get started, I work hard. I crash around 3pm right as I pick up kids, start homework, snacks, soccer, scouts, dance, etc etc. I have little desire to cook, think or run to the store to plan. Staying healthy with a lot of veggies is the hardest!

  • Jenna

    My favorite market is 10 blocks away from my apartment which seems far after a long day at work!

  • lauren g

    my biggest impediment is lack of time!

  • Katie

    I work 12-13 hour days, so time is by biggest nemesis when it comes to a home-cooked dinner!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=23911321 Chris Keener

    Biggest impediment for me is just planning the meals. I have to figure out what I have, then figure out what I can make, and most of the time I’m missing some ingredient or two.

    I followed you guys on Twitter, btw.

  • clodom

    Definitely planning! I hate waste but I always end up tossing the last banana or handful of cilantro at the end of the week.

  • Ally

    Making a meal that everyone in the hosuehold will like and having the necessary ingredients on hand.

  • Sophie

    Time is my biggest impediment since I am out of the house for almost 12 hours and when I get home, I need to walk and feed my 2 dogs first. I do a lot more cooking on weekends :)

  • http://www.50by25.com/ Laura

    Biggest impediment for me is the fact that I travel 4 days a week and don’t have even a microwave to cook in! I love cooking and miss it so much.

  • Claire

    The biggest impediment between me and a home-cooked dinner is time! By the time I get home from work, I’m already hungry and don’t have the time, energy, or patience to prepare a meal.

  • Jen

    my biggest hurdle is realizing I have no ingredients that “go together” and need to feed myself and 2 super hungry boys using a celery stalk, some cream cheese, a tomato and a sausage link or some other ridiculous combo

  • Mary

    Time! I am already hungry by the time I get home, before I go to the store and cook dinner.

  • TheLadyLasagna

    I usually work 10 to 7 and my husband usually does and 11 to 8… be both have no desire to go to the grocery store at that hour so one of us usually picks something up at a restaurant on the way home. Having everything at home waiting for us sounds amazing!

  • Kathleen

    Compiling necessary ingredients is always the biggest impediment between me and a full blown dinner, no questions asked. Though I usually try to whip up simple things with what I have on hand, you can only make the same few permutations using the same stock ingredients so many times without getting bored. Therefore, this sounds like the perfect opportunity.
    Grazie!
    -Kathleen

  • Jaclyn

    My biggest impediment to cooking isn’t getting great ingredients at the farmers market, or not being able to cook, it’s finding the time to do it every night!

  • Claire

    My biggest impediment is time; finding the time to plan out meals and keep a well stocked kitchen

  • Julie

    The very biggest impediment is definitely the thought of having to clean up!

  • Rivka

    Time! Time is the biggest impediment. Love cooking, love eating home-cooked meals, but sometimes I just can’t swing it. Getting home at 8pm leaves no time to cook, eat, and wind down all before bed. (*Yawn.*)

  • Romina

    I am in law school and often in class well into the evening, so my biggest impediment is finding time, time to look for a recipe, time to shop for all the ingredients and finding the time to cook it all

  • http://www.facebook.com/erin.mellott.1 Erin Mellott

    My biggest impediment is keeping fresh foods around! I enjoy cooking, but there’s only 1 or 2 days a week when I’m actually at home to eat dinner, so having fresh food that lasts is hard! This is an exciting giveaway that would be awesome to try!

  • http://twitter.com/DaniellaAlexaY Daniella Young

    My biggest impediments are time and not having the right ingredients when I want them.

  • Katie

    My biggest roadblock is time - after work, gym, and shopping for ingredients, I’m usually too tired to cook. Things tend to work out better when I make a lot on the weekends to reheat during the week!

  • Joanne B

    I am already a subscriber to your fab newsletter and a fan of your facebook page! I have just become a follower on Twitter. I think the biggest impediment to a great home-cooked dinner can be time, expecially if you want it to be something creative (rather than another omelette for dinner!). If I go to the grocery store on Sunday, with a plan of what I will cook on the weeknights, everything goes smoothly. The best thing to do is make large pots of brown rice or other sides that take too long to cook on a weeknight. If I dont ‘prepare’ on Sunday, I usually find myself without certain herbs/veggies needed for certain meals, or without the time to make something like brown rice after work at 7pm! Thanks for the giveaway opp!

  • Amy

    My biggest impediment is cooking for one. Either I lack the motivation to try something new just for myself, or the recipes create so much food that I have leftovers for a week (and can’t cook again for days — egad!).

  • SammyNo21

    Having to carry the groceries up a .5 mile hill after I buy them and then still having energy to cook!

  • 3Beaz

    My biggest struggle is time! Between my demanding work hours and a self imposed non-negotiable workout everyday either before or after work usually followed up by freelance work or other crafty projects, cooking a meal from scratch falls pretty far down my priority list. I’m always on the search for affordable meals and recipes that I can pre-prepare on the weekends or throw together quickly.

  • Annie Choi

    My biggest impediment is a lack of motivation due to a lack of confidence in my cooking. I hope this contest will kickstart the change towards becoming more confident in the kitchen!

  • Kaitlin McCafferty

    My biggest impediment is that I live alone! Sometimes it’s tough to cook just for one person.

  • Anna L

    I think time is the biggest impediment to home-cooked dinner. Gathering a recipe, making sure I have ingredients, time to prep it, cook it, and clean up….all before I might have to go back to work for the night.

  • susan

    I’m most concerned about not having enough space to get a meal with multiple parts ready at the same time and cooking for two when everything comes in such big quantities at the grocer!

  • http://twitter.com/JessicaEWilson Jessica Wilson

    Finding the time to dedicate to prepping and cooking a meal! Just too many things to do, and never enough hours in the day!

  • JustJack900

    Cooking for one on a budget. It’s hard to find healthy and appetizing options without breaking the bank for one meal. And I am not a huge fan of leftovers.

  • Kylee Haggerty

    I’m a poor, busy college student which means there is normally something that gets in the way of dinner but the real reason is being 3 hours away from home

  • Bethany

    My biggest impediment is simply time; there are not enough hours in the day! Sometimes I just find it hard to justify cooking a full meal when I have so much work to do. Typically I’ll just rely on weekend leftovers, quick sandwiches, or grab n go meals during the week for dinner.

  • Suzanne Johnson

    The menu planning! We live a fair way out of town and usually make 1 trip in a week so need to stay aware of what fresh veggies and fruit need to be eaten right away and which can last for most of the week. Your comment about wilty cilantro leaves made me laugh! Happens to me a lot.

  • xstitchdiva

    Being too tired in the evening is no. 1-no. 2 is the need to shop for fresh wonderful ingredients every three or four days!

  • http://twitter.com/Kay819 Kaoru

    Mine is that if I buy a ton of produce/fresh items at one time, they start to go bad by the time I get around to using them!

  • lauraef

    I live in DC where I commute everywhere by bike. While my bike is without a doubt the best of friends in my daily routine, it also is indeed the biggest hassle for groceries in my busy days here in the city. To be sure, sometimes the smaller details of cooking have to fall off the checklist when I know a laden gallon of milk is my top priority to transport home!

  • schmidty

    the time it takes …there are days when a hotdog works just as well

  • schmidty

    I am one of your email subscribers.

  • schmidty

    I am one of your facebook followers

  • schmidty
  • schmidty
  • Holly

    My biggest impediment is definitely getting home and realizing that I don’t have one crucial ingredient….or that no one agrees on what sounds yummy!

  • Therese T.

    I subscribe to the newsletter, follow you all on Twitter and in FB

  • Therese T.

    Biggest hassle to a home-cooked dinner is TIME: I have a 6.5 month old!

  • Kate

    time is always a problem… and so is the mountain of dishes I always make while cooking! (i am a newsletter subscriber, and now following on twitter and facebook!)

  • jeri

    My biggest obstacle is the temperature of my kitchen after this hot, hot summer. I can only stand to be in there for so long. I hope it cools down in time for Thanksgiving!

  • Christine

    It’s probably having a meat to cook something with. I might have something in the freezer but not in the fridge.

  • Christine

    I subscribe to the newsletter!

  • Christine

    I like BGSK on facebook!

  • Nicolette

    No car makes buying groceries a challenge, especially in the winter!!

  • Kitty

    Most often it’s that I lack time for the chopping, slicing and dicing. On weekends I usually try to double what I cutting up and save for the weekdays.

  • LSR

    TIME!

  • Eleonora

    My biggest impediment to cooking is that I work long hours and often am too exhausted to meal plan, go buy the ingredients and then actually cook!

  • Mz.T

    My biggest impediment when it comes to cooking is actually time. I get home so late every night, cooking becomes a chore.

  • http://twitter.com/SarahWCaron Sarah Caron

    Time! I love to cook and create new recipes, but some nights it seems like there just isn’t enough time in the world to get a good fresh dinner on the table.

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