I know you probably just resolved to basically not eat in the new year but, that’s insane. Truly. I’m not sure when food became so confusing but the thought of choosing a meal, with the overload of information about what to eat, not eat, what causes cancer, what raises blood pressure, what helps you lose weight, what makes you gain it, what is best to eat before, during and after exercise, is so friggin’ exhausting it’s no wonder the obesity epidemic is only getting worse. #ConfusedandScared
When your head stops spinning, I will continue.
If you have been reading this blog for any amount of time you know that I cook like most people run – with contempt and under duress. I do it because I love to eat but I will find every short cut imaginable to make it less painful.
Enter Chef’d, yet another meal delivery service. Before you start the eye roll or think about skipping this post, let me tell you…
What Makes Chef’d Different
It touts itself as the “first and only meal store” but that’s not what makes it great. This is:
- There is no subscription. You order meals when you want, whenever you want, with zero commitment.
- The meals (at least the ones I order) are so very easy to make, are absolutely delicious, and the most I had to clean was two pots.
- Meals are delivered to your door, on a date you chose, with all the necessary ingredients, pre-portioned and bagged separately for each meal. Even I could figure it out.
- Need food for a crowd? They offered complete holiday meals for Christmas, New Year’s Eve, my birthday, whatever. Complete meals people!
- They just partnered with Weight Watchers (like a certain mega-celebrity) and are now offering their first subscription plan for WW members. You get a meal, and you get a meal, and you… sorry. Chef’d is now offering a FREE one-moth trial for all members.
I tried Blue Apron before and, although the food was amazing, it took me at least 45 minutes to prepare and by the end I had no less then four pots and pans to wash. Not cool Blue Apron, not cool.
The other thing I love? They have recommend meals from Runner’s World affiliated chefs. Winning.
Ordering Process and Choices
There are tons of choices but it’s not overwhelming. You can sort meals by family friendly, gourmet, vegetarian, and gluten free. You can also view separate food categories like beef, chicken, seafood, etc. It makes for very simple weekly meal planning:
Chef’d has partnered with dozens of celebrity chefs and other affiliates, like the Runner’s World chefs, so you can also choose based on the recipe creator:
That huge dude with the big knife is super scary but I bet he can cook like a rock star. PS – I have no clue who any of these “food network stars” are.
What Is In The Box?
You have now placed your order and can chose when it will arrive on your doorstep. It comes in a large, bright orange box and has everything you need to cook each meal you ordered.
Each meal is bagged separately, labeled and makes for a quick and painless box unloading. All meats and/or chicken and fish are packed in ice for a little extra cold factor in case you’re not home when the box arrives.
I think even the boys could figure this out. I should put them to work!
I ordered three meals – The Runner’s World Chicken Stir-Fry, One Pan Orecchiette Pasta and Spice-Rubbed Salmon with Basmati Rice Pilaf.
Each came with it’s own recipe card with step by step instructions that even I could decipher. Each card also has wine pairing suggestions, a message from the chef about the meal, estimated cooking time, allergens, skill level, spice level and “kitchen 411” which gives you a little history about your dish. I guess foodies care about stuff like that?
I too have a big knife. And notice there was only six steps to this! How easy can it get? And, everyone in the family ate this one…well, not Vaughn but he doesn’t eat anything but apples and goldfish.
How Much Does All This Greatness Cost?
This is the big question, right? I mean, it’s not for me because I would pay an obscene amount of money to make cooking this easy, but I realize that most of you don’t share my distain for slaving over hot ovens every night.
Dinners for two range from $19-$40 per meal
Dinner for four range from $37-$70 per meal
If those numbers look high (which I cannot imagine) think about how much you spend on ingredients or even just your time spent finding a recipe on Pinterest (Lord help you!), making a list and shopping at the super market. Now, think about how much it costs to eat out! And finally, think about how much your sanity is worth. Now go order yourself some easy and delicious food. I’m allowing it.
The RW chicken stir fry was so good I almost didn’t take this picture! Must.keep.eating.
*I was given an $80 coupon code in exchange for my opinions. My total for three meals ended up costing me a whopping $9 since orders over $40 ship for free. You do not even want to know how much I spend on groceries every week. Let’s just say $90 for three meals is a huge bargain.
How Healthy Is It?
Like everything else, that depends on you. The nutritional information for each dish can be found online by clicking on the recipe and then “nutrition facts.”
This is for the Spiced Rubbed Salmon:
The Bad News
There isn’t much, however, the Spiced Rubbed Salmon was given a spice level of “one” but both my husband and I had fire coming out of our mouths. We are wimps when it comes to spicy food (how I’m a Cuban I have no clue!) so I will not order this one again. I could have also left out the red chili flakes and/or cayenne or reduced both. I will use caution next time, no matter the spice rating!
Um let me see…that’s it.
Now if you will excuse me, I’m off to place my order for the week!
[Tweet “Want to make healthy eating as easy (and delicious) as possible? @get_chefd #letseat”]
Do you like to cook? What is your secret?
Have you tried delivery meals before? Which ones? What did you think?
Would you order from Chef’d? Why or why not?
I laughed at the fire piece as THAT WOULD BE ME.
Not the child and NOT the husband.
I wanna try something like this (I hadnt heard of chef’d and was thinking blue apron) as I need to shake it up in the kitchen.
Even just on weekends!!
Obviously I highly recommend it. As I wrote, Blue Apron’s food was amazing but it was very time consuming for me. Whichever you chose – happy eating and no fire!
Oh.em.gee. This is totally for me! (That rhymes. Did you catch that? Lol) I loathe cooking. Seriously. I’ve tried in vain to learn to enjoy the process but all I want in life is to run and have food in my mouth stat. This is brilliant. Thanks for sharing and I’m definitely going to check this out!
LOL – yes, I caught the rhyme 🙂 So glad you can relate and please let me know what you think after you try it!!
I’ve done one meal order service but it all came frozen. And truthfully, there was only 2 things that tasted good. But I do love the idea of all the ingredients being delivered to your door. I like cooking but on busy week nights I need dinner made NOW. This might be good!
The best part is no contract and you can order one meal if you want! Seriously, you need to try it.
That’s pretty interesting and unique. I’m honestly not a fan of delivery services but I see one of my favorite chefs Robert Irvine has recipes. Maybe I’ll have to give it a shot.
See that!! Now I want to try his too since I’m so out of the loop on this chef business…
you are hysterical!! I will def try this. I used to love to cook, but with all the picky eaters (husband included) I’ve come to dread it. Completely agree, by the time a recipe is selected and shop, a week has gone by and I’ve now lost the recipe. Thanks for sharing!!
Totally!! I hope you try it!
I think that this would be awesome for the busy working parent who is on cooking duty that night! But I meal plan and shop on Sundays, and everything is in the fridge for our meals for the week. Same thing, really…
Oh but Wendy wouldn’t you rather be doing something else on your Sundays?? 🙂 I try to meal plan and shop on that day too but it doesn’t always work out with the kids/schedules, etc.
I’ve been tempted to try out one of those food services, because I don’t do well at shopping for groceries and planning a meal. Usually I’ll throw in oatmeal, flaxseed, greek yogurt, bananas, some meats, tons of veggies and milk, and I’m always confused when I get home and can’t put a meal together…. because I mostly buy snacks!!
And about being Cuban and not liking spicy food… I get it… I’m Mexican, and my fiancé is Panamanian-German, raised by a Cuban mother, and on the rare occasions I put a meal together, I have to make adjustments to his dish, because he can’t eat spicy food! For Christmas at my family’s, we made him some black beans tamales, he couldn’t have the traditional mole tamales!
I also shop in mostly snack form which is why I have to bring actual recipes with me!!
I think that is too funny that both you and your husband have the same issue. I’m assuming you were both raised in the US, which is probably why none of us can tolerate all this spiciness!! Eating this bland American diet has made us wusses!! LOL 🙂
I’ve never done a meal delivery service…. I just never think about what we are going to eat ahead of time enough…If I would do a little meal planning once a week, we’d probably be eating much better and not eating the same thing over and over….. I do like the idea that they are easy and quick to make…it takes me 60 minutes to make a Rachel Ray 30 minute meal!
OMG I am with you on the supposed “30 min meals” – yeah right!
I’m telling you, the beauty of Chef’d is that you CAN plan your meals for the week. I just ordered two meals for next week (one fish the other chicken) and then I figure I’ll make two others from what I shop for, leftovers one or two nights, and we will go out another – done!
Try it…you may like it 🙂
I need to place an order! But I’ve been waiting until this damn Whole30 business is over 🙂
I haven’t tried a meal delivery service but I really LOVE the idea of not having to worry about dinner and having all the ingredients and not scrounging around eating the kids’ scraps. And I like that you can order just one meal and aren’t locked into a subscription. Have to go place an order now!
I really hope you try it. It will be a complete breeze after all this Whole30 nonsense!!! 🙂
That looks awesome, and I’ve never heard of it! I’d been looking into Blue Apron and a few others for those extra crazy weeks… thanks for sharing!
Just be prepared for the work you have to put into a Blue Apron meal and you have to sign-up for recurring meals. Honestly, Chef’d is so much easier with zero commitment and the food is just as good.
I hope you try it!
I love how fresh and healthy the ingredients look! I’m a huge stickler about wasting food, so I also appreciate how food delivery services give you exactly what you need – that way herbs aren’t rotting in the fridge after just one use. I love to cook and always have, but I am also in a stage in life where cooking is easier – just my husband and I. In grad school I hated to cook for just me – it was so lonely and I was so tired – that something like this would have been worth the cost!
You make excellent points about the herbs and basically ALL the ingredients – zero waste. And, I didn’t enjoy cooking when it was just my husband and I either so good for you!! 🙂
I won’t try to sway anyone about how they relate to food; but I want to buck the comments and stick up for another mindset concerning food.
I’m on a See food diet…, I See it, I eat it. I’ve always had the pleasure of preparing and cooking all my meals, and they taste awesome:), so everyone says. I grew up around food in France and was cooking and experimenting in the kitchen by the age of 5. It permeated my childhood, just like Family did, both were always intertwined.
Food is life, and I’ve always viewed preparation as showing appreciation for the fuel that powers the Temple of the Soul (and the pleasures of Culinary abandon). Not to mention I can customize it to my palate and those of others, and I always know the freshness of my ingredients, and I can make it HOT! Tabasco is what I use on Pizza when I want something mild; but not yet ready to bite.
7am this morning, on my bike under a pouring and driving rain (yes, in SoCal, it finally happened, thanks El Nino), drenched to the bone in a freezing wind chill, I was salivating and drooling at the thought of what I was going to fix myself and scarf post a VERY hot shower: A HUGE bowl of TopRamen with Shrimp and Salmon, in a base of egg soup, smothered in gooey melted parmesan cheese; served really HOT, both in temperature and the Scoville scale. Prep time- 10 minutes, eat time 10 minutes.
I’m not sure when food became so confusing is so true, people no longer have a healthy relationship with what they eat, it scares many; and the obesity thing will only get worse. Besides, it’s not about the food, it’s about the engine, the fuel is merely a distant secondary!
Well, that’s my take on it anyways, I love my Food:)
This is why I love your comments Claude! I feel the same way about my food (LOVE IT!) and I always start planning my post-workout meals toward the end of my workouts!! My only issue is preparing that food and, really, if it was just me eating it there wouldn’t be much of a problem. The things I get a little hung up on are how to eat pre-race – I’m still figuring out what sits well AND gives me the staying power I need to make it through 2+ hours of competition.
As always, your input is much appreciated! Keep eating and loving it!!
My kids are too damn picky for me to use a meal service, and once they move out, I may actually enjoy cooking! I also hate it, but I think that’s because I never know what to make that no one will complain about. How they are going to survive in the real world is beyond me!
Here is the solution Dana – make it and put it on the table! Surely they can make their own dinner if they don’t like it, right? No? This tactic doesn’t work with teenagers? My kids are pretty easy right now – pasta, chicken, shrimp and occasionally burgers. They will also eat almost anything in “nugget” form. 🙂
Oooh! Looks so good! I cannot wait to try Chef’D. I’ll be ordering soon! Thanks for tempting me!
Awesome!! Let me know what you think after you try it!
I love to cook! I don’t know if there is a secret though lol I’m just super picky and I know how I like my food haha. This service sounds amazing!! I like the fact that you don’t get locked into a monthly subscription. Plus runners world affiliated chefs?! Yessss. I need to try this immediately. The prices are very much affordable too!! Don’t get me started on my grocery bill!
Right???
BTW – I made a complete Cuban meal with plantains, flank steak and rice and beans after you mentioned plantains on your blog!!! It was a fabulous dinner with my dad and stepmom and everyone helped!!
My mouth is watering just reading this, did you keep me some? I bet the steak loved you as much as you loved it! Now, wasn’t crafting that meal fun?
There is a Cuban restaurant here called ‘Versailles’, the half garlic chicken with rice and beans is heavenly. Have not been in years; but thanks for waking me:)
YES it was a TON of fun and everyone helped for a true “family” meal. And Versailles was my absolute favorite place when I lived in L.A.!!!! I seriously cannot believe you just mentioned it. My dad and I had frequent meals there when he would come to visit and he always said how authentic the cooking was. We talk about it all.the.time. So cool.
This sounds really cool! I love meal delivery services with plated being my favorite but they just switched to subscription based, which I don’t like. Also, I agree that they can take a long time and require a lot of pots and pans. I love how Chef’d has pairings (wine and beer–count me in!). The dishes sound very yummy. I love spicy food so it wouldn’t bother me!
I wonder if they ship to Brazil? LOL!
I remember you reviewed Plated but they did not deliver here – go figure – and yes, the no subscription is one of the best things about Chef’d since plans and eating arrangements change from week to week!
I love the fact that you don’t have to sign up for a subscription!! I really do love to cook, but I am so busy during the week and I really, really don’t like to use my Sundays grocery shopping.
I may have to try this!!! Thanks for sharing!!
Exactly!
Do it. 🙂
I love love love these subscription boxes but I just can’t justify the cost! I wish I could!
I know, so true but I’m trying to do like two meals, once a month and see how that works. We shall see…