We’re already into the middle of July, but it’s never too late in the Summer to get the scoop on a good deal like the POPSUGAR Must Have Subscription Box. Since the June package that I’m about to share with you is sold out already, you’ll want to sign up asap for the July installment.
POPSUGAR sent me this Must Have Box to try and it’s “Beach Bag” theme is very appropriate and useful for my upcoming beach vacations.
Inside we have an ALOHA Collection Mid-Size Ocean Coco Palms Pouch that I’ll use as a swimsuit travel bag and a Billabong Aloha Forever Trucker Hat that’ll protect my face from the sun. The Captain Blankenship Mermaid Sea Salt Hair Spray is a beach beauty bag must-have and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo will be a fun beach read. NCLA So Rich — Mermaid Tears will keep my cuticles nice even if the sun strips my mani and the Belgian Boys Mini Cookie Stash will be a fun beach snack. I’m looking forward to drinking aperol spritzes with the Meri Meri Blue and White Party Straws or maybe I’ll stick one in a Starbucks Frappuccino Chilled Coffee Drink.
Get $5 off your first POPSUGAR Must Have Box with code SHOP5 and let me know in the comments what your experience with the POPSUGAR box is like!
I’m all about making meal time easier so I thought I’d give a meal plan service a try. Here’s my honest review of Hello Fresh! (And make sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for a $70 off discount!)
Being a mom with a full-time career, kids + their extra curricular activities and staying active myself – trying to cook dinner for the family is easier said than done.
Healthy meals for the family
Cooking a HEALTHY dinner for the family is even harder. Enter: HELLO FRESH. A meal delivery service that shops, plans and delivers fresh ingredients to your doorstep with easy, step-by-step recipes so you can relax and enjoy all there is to love about cooking. And eating! With all the subscription boxes out there, this was one I HAD to try.
How it works
First you pick a plan that fits your lifestyle. We don’t cook at home every day (or have time to due to various activities and obligations) so it was important that I wasn’t locked in to ordering a whole week’s worth of meals at once.
Delivery is always free and you have the control to pause, modify or cancel your subscription at any time. Since I wasn’t sure if my kids would enjoy these meals, I decided to go with 3 meals for 2 people for my first box.
Next you get to pick your meals from a variety of different recipes each week, including preferences such as vegetarian, low-calorie diet, quick + easy, etc. so you’re sure to find something you love.
I’ve found that they typically have a variety of options for starch (rice, pasta, potatoes), protein (beef, lean protein, fish), as well as a breakfast option for most weeks which is great in case brunch on the weekends is your thing!
Unboxing the meals
I received my delivery around mid-afternoon which gave me plenty of time unbox, select and prepare my first meal.
The boxes were insulated in bubble packaging and ingredients were fresh / cold to touch. There was an additional cold pack with the protein underneath to keep them extra cold.
Each meal came with a recipe card as well as it’s own box of ingredients, making it super easy to grab one and put the other two boxes in the fridge for another day.
Preparing and cooking
Each box comes with perfectly portioned ingredients (aside from kitchen staples like salt + pepper, oil, etc.). Preparing and cooking was super easy with the step-by-step instructions (with photos!). And all of our meals were made in 30-40 minutes!
When you get home late and don’t want to think about what to make, this is the perfect solution for a quick, healthy, homemade dinner. As an added bonus, each recipe also has a wine pairing suggestion (for those nights when you just need to decompress).
As for making the meals, you really don’t need any fancy kitchen tools, just your regular kitchen tool essentials will do!
All in all, I had a GREAT experience with Hello Fresh! The dinners were healthy, convenient and really tasty! The recipe cards that come with the box are great to keep in your recipe library for future use.
Next time, I plan on ordering 3 meals for 5 people as it was so easy and a good way for my kids to try new foods.
Easy to substitute
I will also likely substitute a couple ingredients (such as brown rice as whole wheat pita). Since I don’t eat dairy but my family does, it’s easy to omit it for myself but add it to their dinners. Overall, it’s a great way to stick with your nutrition plan as all meals are pre-portioned.
Take $70 off your first order
I love that Hello Fresh has a convenient app that you can download so you can manage your weekly menu, pause your deliveries or modify your plan right from your phone! Order now and you can get $70 off your first order of Hello Fresh!
Don’t miss these Kitchen organization tips!
If you’re cooking a lot more, head to these posts to help with organizing your kitchen!
Mason Jar Cookie Company (retail $12) – I love to bake from
scratch. The measuring of the ingredients and figuring out if I want to
add this or that is fun to me, but sometimes it’s so much
easier to use mixes so will definitely be trying this out. All you need
to do is to add butter (which I don’t eat so I will sub for coconut
oil) and egg.
Kendra Scott Elisa Necklace (retail $50) – a simple and classic
necklace that goes with anything. I like the dainty-ness of the piece
as most piece with stones like this tend to be pendants on the larger
side.
Lollia Shower Gel (Retail $22) – I’m not one for perfumed
shower gel, I tend to stay towards very lightly scented to no scented so
was a bit wary of this one but it passed the sniff test as it wasn’t
too strong and the scent was not bad at all. Just a light floral
scent.
Bite Beauty Lip Gloss (Retail $22) – I
just love the color! I’m a fan of anything this pink but I like that
when it goes on it’s more sheer with a hint of color so great for
layering over your lipsticks or wearing when you are going for a more
natural look. It’s a tad sticky but not drying at all.
Goodbyn Meal and Dipper set (retail $8) – I have no use for this but will be great to add to my diaper bag for snacks for my daughter. I actually like the little dipper container as this is the perfect size to hand to Layla and she can eat out of. When we eat out, she just eats what we eat but it’s nice to have snacks on hand when she suddenly decides she’s hungry and we’re not currently eating at the moment.
Paddywax mini jar candle (retail $10) – this smells
delightful! I am one for clean smelling scents. I don’t like anything
too spicy or fruity so I am loving the Ocean Tide + Sea Salt scent
Think Thin Bar – I don’t eat dairy so I didn’t try this out, but before when I did eat dairy I used to eat Think Thin bars all the time so I’m sure it’s good! Although I do have to admit, kind of a random thing to include in the box.
For a total retail of $124, it’s a pretty good value considering the box is $39.95! I used to get Popsugar Must Have boxes all the time (you can read my previous reviews here) and I stopped before I moved houses because I wanted to stop accumulating so much stuff. I did always love the Popsugar box and it still ranks as one of my favorite subscription boxes. I try not to subscribe to too many of these but I kind of like the anticipation of getting my boxes and seeing what’s inside. I still use a lot of the items that I got from my first few Popsugar boxes!
If you’d like to subscribe, just click here and you can choose one month for $39.95 or if you subscribe to more months, you’ll save on your total. And just for you I have a $10 off code with a 3 month subscription! Use the code AUG14SELECT. The code ends on 9/10/14.
Disclosure: POPSUGAR provided me with a complimentary POPSUGAR Must Have box. The opinions I have shared about the box are my own and POPSUGAR did not tell me what to say or how to say it.
