A College Student's Grocery List: September Recap + HelloFresh Review
- Rachel
- Oct 14, 2023
- 3 min read
As September rolled around in my college apartment-living journey, I became tired of the repetitive meals I had been cooking during August. So, to switch things up, I decided to try a meal kit for a week through HelloFresh, which had a promo code that slashed its usually hefty costs down to a more college student-friendly $10.99 for five meals.
The first HelloFresh meal I tried was the Baja Barramundi, which starred a barramundi filet with a blend of turmeric and cumin as its main seasonings. The instructions were easy to read and helpful, complete with pictures of the process. However, although I had selected the 'Quick and Easy' category of recipes for all of my meals, it was a bit more time and tool-intensive than expected to put together this first meal. Beyond this, I can definitely see the beauty of having all of the ingredients conveniently in one box to pull out one after the other.
For flavor, it was my first time trying barramundi filet, and it was definitely not my favorite fish texture ever. The dish mainly relied on the other components surrounding the fish to make it work, but nevertheless, the combination was fun, simple, and wholesome. I would give it 6 stars out of 10!
Each HelloFresh meal that I had ordered was two servings, so I ate half of everything I had cooked and popped the rest of it in the fridge for the next day. Next-Day-Me was super grateful and happy about the convenience for sure!
Later that week, I dared to attempt another HelloFresh meal -- this time, it was the Pecan-Crusted Chicken with honey mustard sauce and a spring-mix salad tossed with apple slices. This recipe was right up my alley in terms of tastebuds and cooking style, but again was a bit time and tool-intensive. Instead of popping the chicken in the oven, I decided to speed it up in the air-fryer. This still resulted in a crispy exterior and a juicy interior, which made me extremely happy. As I did with the previous meal, I devoured one serving and packed up the other as meal prep for the next day. This one was a solid 8 out of 10 stars -- yummy!
Next up on the HelloFresh menu for me was the Ready-Made meal of Cuban-style Slow-cooked Beef, which came in a microwaveable package. Now this one was my absolute favorite -- not only was it quick and broke-college-student-friendly, but it was absolutely delicious as well. The beef was flavorful and perfect paired with the fluffy rice, black bean, caramelized plantain, and tomato combination. The portion size was also huge -- so I actually got three meals out of one package!
I rarely like eating microwaveable foods, but I genuinely loved this one -- and it truly tasted fresh. 10 out of 10. Overall, I think that HelloFresh meals are definitely worth it if you have a discount, but beyond that I personally don't see myself getting into the habit of utilizing meal kit cooking for long-term, or even for multiple weeks at a time. It's a fun way to switch things up in a convenient way and learn a couple new cooking skills as a student, though!
Beyond my brief meal kit mania, the initial burst of productivity around cooking my meals every day began to die out. As school events and responsibilities picked up, I began to slack off, pushing the cooking for later and later. I prioritized convenience and school over the simple task of putting together a wholesome meal. And, as a result, my spending skyrocketed.
I also fell into the habit of energy drinks, caffeine, and buying small treats every day. As everyone knows, these little costs do add up - and the energy drinks were definitely unnecessary costs. However, every time I buy a drink or can of something, it feels like a happy little reward for hanging in there as I studied for an exam. I knew, however, when I began to crave an energy drink right before a test or event, that I had become addicted, and that I needed to do something about it. I decided to slowly wane myself off of caffeine, and also began to take more conscious heed of whether I really needed to buy something or if I had a similar food item at home already. Anyways, here's a rough outline of my September grocery list!
September Grocery List (September 1 - 30)
Teazen Powdered Kombucha, Mango Guava | Love adding this to cold water every morning. Yummy & helps with gut health | $14.95 |
PBfit All-Natural Peanut Butter Powder | Mix a tablespoon into greek yogurt and voila, a dipping sauce for apples and nuts | $10.34 |
Old Wisconsin Turkey Sausage | Getting back into my turkey jerky addiction hehe | $3.41 |
Chao Vegan Cheese Creamy Original | Trying out vegan foods is my passion -- and this was actually scrumptious | $5.89 |
Kimchi, 16 oz | For stir fries, adding to rice & salad bowls, kimchi fried rice, kimchi grilled cheese | $8.99 |
Broccoli, Frozen | Steamed the whole thing in the microwave, and stir-fried with some spam | $2.78 |
Eggs, Dozen | Add to salad bowls (boiled), avocado toasts, omelettes, snack | $5.20 |
Bulk Apples, Gala | Genuinely cannot go a day without an apple | $9.64 |
HelloFresh | 5 meals and a huge discount | $10.99 |
Misc. | Coffee, energy drinks, eating out | ~$135 |
Comments