Dinnerly Meals: Using a Home Delivery Service
I’ve been using home delivery services like Dinnerly for my meals for the past 5 years. When I tell my friends I choose delivery over going to the grocery store, they seem to think it’s more expensive and always ask me the same questions. So I thought I would try to answer them here. I apologize for my lack in food photography skills in advance.
Choosing a Meal Delivery Company
I’ve had a meal delivery subscription with Dinnerly for years now. I first tried Blue Apron, and if you’re looking for more of a gourmet twist on your recipes and willing to pay for it then Blue Apron might be right for you. But I just wanted simple nutritious meals. I then tried Hello Fresh and thought the meals were good, but I still thought it was too pricey for what I wanted. I enjoyed having meals delivered so I kept searching for a better plan for me.
The first thing I noticed about Dinnerly was it’s almost half the price of the other meal delivery services I had tried. They also offer 19 recipes each week (others only offered 8-10 recipes) for me to pick my 3 meals from, including occasional smoothies and special meals for holidays.
What is Dinnerly?
Dinnerly is the first subscription meal kit service to offer $4.49 per serving meals, delivering simple recipes and fresh ingredients for unfussy, affordable weeknight cooking.
Why does Dinnerly cost less than all of the other recipe kits?
They use the same quality ingredients as the other kits but take a simpler approach: digital recipe cards instead of paper, fewer ingredients per dish (which means less chopping and cleaning), simple packaging, and no fancy marketing campaigns.
The Meals cost from $4.29 per adult-sized serving. The only ingredients I supply if needed is milk, eggs, butter, oil, vinegar and occasionally flour… ingredients I always have on hand.
Meal Options
There are 2 meal options to choose from, both offering 3-6 meals per order.
2 Portion Meal. This plan feeds two hungry adults with two adult-sized portions. 3 meals per week: $29.94. Prices range up to 6 meals per week: $55.08.
4 Portion Meal. This box feeds a hungry family with 4 adult-sized servings. 3 meals per week: $59.88. Prices range up to 6 meals per week: $102.96.
Shipping and Delivery
Shipping is $8.99 per box. I can choose which day of the week I want the meals delivered and I can skip a week or cancel anytime.
My Chosen Dinnerly Meal Plan
Since I’m single and usually only cook for myself, the Dinnerly 2 portion meal plan is perfect for me. I normally order the minimum of 3 meals but I have occasionally ordered more. They are delivered every Thursday afternoon however I occasional skip a week if I’m going to be out of town.
Dinnerly’s portion sizes are bigger than I normally eat so I can get 3 meals instead of 2 for each recipe. I generally have a serving for dinner, snack on the meal again before bed then store the remaining for lunch or dinner the following day.
From the 19 options Dinnerly provides each week for me to chose from, I usually pick the recipes I can cook in under 30 minutes or the ones that are called “one pot meals”. You can also customize the menu to include only recipes for your dietary needs. I will also pick recipes for different proteins instead of ordering 2 chicken dishes, etc.
I don’t always cook the meals as intended. Sometimes if the meal comes with big potato for french fries, I’ll save and bake it later. I’ll stuff it with cheese, bacon, butter and sour cream and make a separate meal for myself. In the winter I’ll order 2 of the soup recipes, making a pot big enough for 4 servings instead of 2.
My Subscription Box Arrives
My Dinnerly subscription box arrives every Thursday. The box is well insulated with 2 frozen ice packs that are still frozen when my boxes arrive. All packaging material is recyclable.
Unopened Box From Dinnerly Dinnerly’s insulated cold packs
After removing all ingredients from the box, I use 3 paper plates to divide them into the 3 meals I had ordered and store them on the refrigerator shelf. (I want to add that Dinnerly had sent a fresh red pepper, but I already had one that I wanted to cook first). When I’m ready to cook, I just pull out the paper plate with a meal’s ingredients and begin preparing. In this shipment I had order a shrimp, turkey and pork meal.
Meal 1: Crispy Fried Shrimp Basket with Garlic-Butter Broccoli
SERVING TIME: 20 – 30 minutes
LEVEL: easy
NUTRITION PER SERVING: Calories 1070kcal, Fat 79.0g, Proteins 30.0g, Carbs 70.0g
ALLERGENS:Egg, Soy, Milk, Wheat and Shellfish. May contain traces of other allergens. Packaged in a facility that handles other products containing gluten.
The garlic and sour cream mix made a simply delicious dipping sauce. The shrimp were dipped in eggs then panko.
Mixing Dipping Sauce Preparing Shrimp
After cutting up the broccoli and potato I tossed them in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper. I mixed well then poured them out on a baking sheet. After they had baked, I poured melted garlic butter over all of it and baked a few more minutes.
Broccoli and Potatoes stirred in olive oil Pour onto baking sheet Pour melted butter on top
The finished meal. I munched on this all night long! Pictured is one of the 2 servings, and all of the dipping sauce. I was going to save some for the next day but I had finished off both servings before bed.
Here’s the recipe for Crispy Fried Shrimp Basket with Garlic-Butter Broccoli.
Meal 2: Cheesy Turkey Enchilada Rice Casserole with Corn
SERVING TIME: 20 – 30 minutes
LEVEL: easy
NUTRITION PER SERVING: Calories 840kcal, Fat 37.0g, Proteins 48.0g, Carbs 83.0g
ALLERGENS: Milk. May contain traces of other allergens. Packaged in a facility that handles other products containing gluten.
This recipe was like taking everything you normally roll up in an enchilada and spreading it on top of jasmine rice. After cooking the turkey, corn and garlic in the taco seasoning and tomato sauce, I poured it in a side bowl. I added the cooked jasmine rice to the skillet and layered the enchilada mix over the rice. I then added mozzerella cheese over the top and placed the skillet in the oven to melt the cheese.
Turkey Enchilada mix Mozzarella Cheese melted on top
This was so good and made great leftovers. Pictured is one of the 2 servings.
Here’s the recipe for Cheesy Turkey Enchilada Rice Casserole with Corn.
Meal 3: Roasted Pork Tenderloin & Mashed Potatoes with Creamy Mushroom Sauce
SERVING TIME: 30 – 40 minutes
LEVEL: easy
NUTRITION PER SERVING: Calories 560kcal, Fat 25.0g, Proteins 38.0g, Carbs 47.0g
ALLERGENS: Milk and Wheat. May contain traces of other allergens. Packaged in a facility that handles other products containing gluten.
Sometimes I want a regular 1 protein 2 sides meal that’s smothered in gravy. I’m not a big fan of mushrooms so I cut them small and the picture would have been more attractive if I hadn’t done so. I also didn’t give the gravy time to thicken up because I was really hungry, lol. I’m surprised I took the time for the picture. I love peas in butter. I slightly undercooked the pork but I saved those middle pieces and they later cooked more when I reheated the leftovers in the microwave.
Here’s the recipe for Roasted Pork Tenderloin & Mashed Potatoes with Creamy Mushroom Sauce.
What’s next?
Next week’s meal have arrived. I have chosen bacon cheddar pinwheels and a one pot greek chicken and rice meal. And now Dinnerly have more options! Instead of ordering 3 meals, I decided to order 2 meals and the 2 protein pack which included a pack of chicken and hamburger without recipes to store in the freezer until I’m wanting to add them to my own recipes.
Final Thoughts
Having my meals delivered has been easy and affordable. For less than what I would pay for fast food, I can eat nutritious meals. No more hunting around a grocery store for recipe ingredients! The ingredients are fresh and delivered to my door.
With the pandemic, grocery stores have been running out of stock and it’s becoming difficult to shop, so people are self-isolating at home and turning to home delivery services for their meals. Although Dinnerly sent me a notice saying there could be problems with certain ingredients for meals in the future, so far they have delivered all orders completely and on time.
And if you would like to get a box of FREE meals delivered to your door, please use the following link to subscribe. It doesn’t cost anything to check out their website! If you do decide to join, you can cancel anytime after your 3rd box and still get your FREE box. I will also get a discount on one of my future boxes so thank you in advance!
I hope sharing my experiences with Dinnerly has been useful! If I didn’t answer your questions please leave them in the comments below. I hope all your meals are peaceful.✌
