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Big Secret Goal Reveal: Backyard Landscaping

As I wrote back in June, I’m not a natural born gardener. I learned about gardening in my 30s and then got a 72-hour permaculture certificate through the Women’s Permaculture Guild in my 50s. Having just migrated into my 60s, this summer was the time to really start in earnest on applying permaculture to the small yard.

And the first step in any ‘renovation’ if you will is always demolition, so that’s what happened. The demolition was for the majority of the back yard: there were so many weeds, volunteer trees, and other stuff that it really had to be pulled back to the basics. And that happened. What was a virtual Midwestern jungle in this small town lot is now pretty empty.

Implementation Phase I

I’m not big on hard timelines and clearly defined goals and dates. Instead I developed “phases” that allow for fluidity and flexibility which ultimately makes the process of transforming the yard a whole lot more fun.

In Phase 1 of this transformation, the focus is all about the back yard. I figure I’ll concentrate here and then eventually get around to working on the more public front yard. That way I can make a complete mess in the backyard so that the front will look prettier and I’ll know more what I’m doing. Fingers crossed.

Phase 1 really started last year with a soil test (mineral/sandy loam with pH of 7.3 and lacking in potassium and needs nitrogen,) relocating the compost bin, and installing the patio with permeable concrete. This summer there were two focuses: 1) cleaning up all the plants that don’t need to be here and 2) redirecting water.

One of the existing downspouts in the backyard shuttled water off to the neighbor’s property. The other shot the water straight into the backyard where it did nothing but sink and then dry up. For this design, the downspout that sent water into the neighbor’s property was moved so that it points straight down and the water flows into a rain barrel. The other downspout got similar treatment.

Rain Barrels and Tile

What are rain barrels? As the name implies, rain barrels collect rain. There’s a water spicket near the bottom, so you can use the stored water in drier times. I will probably add soaker hoses or something similar to run through the future beds, too.

When the rain barrel is nearly full, the excess water is channeled into tile that runs into the back yard.

Rain barrel awaiting that black tube to be attached. The tube leads to the tile which is underground. And can you see how the rain from downspouts is directed into the barrel?

So when it rains, water coming from the sky and falling onto my roof now moves through the rain gutters, into the rain barrels, and then into the property. That tile is laid out in four distinct “arms” reaching into an existing bed and the almost to the very back of the yard.

With the tile in place, I now know about where my pathways will be located. I can start double digging beds and transplanting. And I can order fruit trees: mulberry and pears are on my wish list for this fall. (I already have peach, apple, crabapple, and plum.)

Ordering fruit trees makes me want to order or go find a whole lot of other plants, too, but I’ve got to curtail myself. It’s super easy to buy all the plants and then realize that this beautiful, capable, yet aging body say, “Err, nope” to more digging in the dirt. Slow and steady is definitely winning for me when it comes to gardening.

Before

Look at that lushness! Unfortunately, there were also a bunch of weeds (err, unwanted plants) in there – and an unwanted tree.

To the left is crunchy grass that never gets enough water in the summer. To the right is a lush “jungle” and the back of the property.

The phlox run 🙂 I adore phlox, even when they’re falling over. But there are a ton of weeds and way too much grass growing in between the plants.

This narrow walkway runs from the front to back yard. It’s totally overgrown with unwanted weeds. And you can see the white downspout pointing off into the neighbor’s yard, too.

The lushness of the far back yard. Lots of weeds and volunteer trees and Rose of Sharon.

After

Sure, I loved the lushness. I was happy to have extra Rose of Sharon and copious amounts of weeds I hadn’t bothered to identify (well, at least not all of them.) But now? They’re all gone.

I will miss the Queen Anne’s Lace that volunteered; I’m hoping some shows up again sometime… Yes, I know it’s a “weed” but it’s really pretty weed and it’s edible.

That narrow walkway that runs from front to back? All the weeds are gone. You can see the downspout more clearly here shooting off into the neighbor’s yard. That now goes straight into a rain barrel (there are two in the back yard.)

Rain barrel all set up and awaiting rain.

That lush bed is now almost barren. Sigh. See why I want to buy plants?

See the two “arms” of soil? That’s where the tile was laid. Overflow from one rain barrel will traverse this tile.

The far back yard “jungle” was tamed. The “volunteer” Rose of Sharon’s were spread out along the fence to act as a green screen.

The phlox wall is still mostly intact. But what’s all that dirt? More tile! And can you see how the downspout has been rotated to fact the yard? The other rain barrel is located right at that spot.

One of the tile lines ends at this very sad bed. I swear there was a heavy mulch in there at one point. The Nanking Cherry, Echinacea, and Plum survived the aggressive culling. So did the comfrey, lemon balm, and chives.

Here’s another view of that same bed with a special guest star, Princess Leia, visiting from a neighboring house – not a galaxy far, far away.

Princess Leia (and at least one other neighborhood cat) used to nap in the weeds in this area, so I’m sure she’s sad all the overgrown weeds are gone. Meow 🙁

Another look at where the tile was laid along the West side of the back yard. Apple tree straight in front, peach by the patio. And under the patio? That’s the ultimate goal: total diversity with chives, comfrey, lemon thyme, clover, daylily, and more.

Like I said at the top of this post, there was a lot of deconstruction. And then a lot of very hard physical labor to get that tile laid. The fun part comes next: finding plants. Then it’s more hard work.

Neat And Green

Thank goodness James at Neat And Green in Mount Pleasant, Michigan is open to trying new stuff; I shared my entire 40+ page permaculture plan with him and he embraced a different way of working with a yard. The crew was here 2 1/2 days and did an amazing job; I’ll have them come back again next year for more work I’m sure.

Ultimately, I’m shooting to have a relatively work-free back yard. It will have lots of pretty flowers and plenty of edible things, too. I don’t have kids or grandkids so having grass is an absolute nope for me; I don’t want to mow it and I don’t want to pay somebody to mow it, either. I want to wander into my back yard and stroll along small paths, or rest in a chair in a quiet, secluded spot.

Adding in tons of biodiversity will make the local wildlife population happy, too. I mean, how many peaches will the squirrels eat this year? Answer: most of them because your “not a gardener” girl didn’t get out there and bag those peaches up. So it’s been fun watching the squirrels climb the little tree and then gnaw through the small peaches. There’s always next year for bagging up peaches to freeze!

What’s Growing In The Garden Of Your Life?

So what are you digging and planting and growing? It doesn’t have to be flowers and plants – so many things in our lives are tended and need nurturing. What’s growing in the garden of your life right now?

Mission 2022 August

In 2022, I’m combining lessons from the heart with some –cough cough – goals. But I don’t like the word goals, so it’s a quest, a journey, a mission: that for which I am destined. So how was July?

July’s Tarot Card

I did a tarot spread for the full year and July’s card was Gentle Gardner which admonished me to believe in limitless possibility, and reminded me that forgiveness is my most powerful restorative tool.

Speaking quite literally, I did some gentle gardening by pruning and plucking in July. And speaking even more literally, see Big Secret Goal #2 reveal below; there was nothing gentle about that gardening though. It was more digging and pulling and more digging.

I suppose I gentle gardened by giving away a few more things on the Buy Nothing app. That’s a hyper local app where you can offer “gifts” for people in your area. Someone claims the “gift” and they usually come to your house to retrieve the item/items. It’s a nice way to share abundance and meet people.

Limitless possibility appears every time I sit down to write. I think I don’t have anything more to add. I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and ask the main character to tell me what happened next. It’s amazing how just that little pause before writing keeps me going.

P.S. August’s card is Unexpected Visitors – it’s all about expecting the unexpected and synchronicities that that can bring. I wonder what’s going to happen in August?

Write 250 Words A Day, 5 Days A Week

This goal is definitely being met thanks to Big Secret Goal #1 – I’m writing a novel. The deadlines imposed by the course at The Write Practice are just enough to keep me moving forward.

Revamp WordStorm Casserole Poetry Book

Not happening. Big Secret Goal #1 is the priority.

Itty bitty visitor to the bright lily after a rain.

Post Twice A Month On This Website

Did this in July! There was the July Mission Update and Artsy Weekend In Grand Rapids.

DeGoogle, deApple, deMicrosoft – embrace Linux!

Why? Because Google, Apple, and Microsoft all track your every move online and that’s wrong.

No much change with this in July. I’m still using my Linux machine most of the time for personal use: checking personal email, watching YouTube videos, checking social media.

Have Fun

After all the activity in June, there was no way I could have so much fun in July. I caught up with some out-of-state friends in a Zoom session, had a couple of massages, and oh yeah – had my hair died teal, deep blue, and purple. I love the jewel tones mixed with my natural grey and darker hair.

Big Secret Goal #1: Finish the first draft of a novel

Moving right along with this. In July I hit 50,000+ words, which puts me more than two-thirds of the way towards meeting my goal of 70,000 words. As I’m getting this blog post ready on August 7 I’m sitting firmly above 57,000 and set to cross the 60,000 word mark sometime this week. Hurrah!

Big Secret Goal #2: Backyard Landscaping!

Finally I can reveal this goal! I definitely had to hire pros because several areas in my backyard resembled a Midwestern jungle of weeds, unwanted trees, and other miscellaneous green stuff that had decided to live in my yard. As I said above, there’s nothing gentle about the process of essentially demolishing to begin building again.

This is the first of several phases that will happen over a number of years, too, and I’m delighted to have it underway. All the work the pros did in removing and then relocating existing plants has me enthusiastic for the next phases. More information and lots of pictures later this month!

What I’m Reading

On GoodReads, I have a 2022 Reading Challenge goal of at least 50 books. Since the last update I’ve only read one book!

I’ve been so concentrated on writing that the only book I’ve managed to get through this month has been How To Tell A Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling From The Moth.
I suspect August will be relatively book-read-less too because writing a book and working full time is taking up a lot of mental space.
I do have The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal on deck; it’s the third in the Lady Astronaut series and man, I read those so fast and loved them that I may not be able to hold myself back. The other book I’m looking forward to is The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie; I loved her Ancillary Justice series and this is a brand new series for her. There’s also a new book coming from psychologist Sharon Blackie – Hagitude: Reimagining the Second Half of Life; it’s out in October and I already have it on pre-order. Her book If Women Rose Rooted explored Celtic mythology and the Heroine’s journey as a way to find authenticity; good stuff if you’re interested in personal development and spirituality.

How About You?

How was your July? What big dreams and projects are you working on for this year?

Artsy Weekend in Grand Rapids, Michigan

Not long ago I escaped to Grand Rapids, Michigan for a weekend of art, theater, food, and shopping – some of my favorite things!

Work has been horrendous and I’m writing a novel which means more time at the computer in the evenings. I needed a break, and I needed one NOW.

So I escaped over to Grand Rapids, Michigan, for the weekend. It’s a little under two hours from my small town of Mount Pleasant, Michigan, so it’s a super easy drive. I lived and worked in Grand Rapids years ago, so it’s also a way to revisit some favorite places and spaces.

Shop Til You Drop

My first stop is often Georgie’s Consignment in a Grand Rapids suburb called Ada. This is an upscale consignment store with exceptional service and selection. I snagged a pair of light grey NAOT sandals at about half off retail that made my feet and wallet very happy. The store is one of the oldest buildings in the small town, and is directly opposite the covered wooden bridge.

I stayed at the Hilton Homewood Suites on 28th Street. This was my first time staying in a Homewood Suites and I really enjoyed the larger sized room and convenient location. The room had a decent size kitchen/sitting area plus bedroom. Breakfast was included, too!

And, thinking ahead, I brought along some of those funky ice pack things from HelloFresh. I planned to stop into Trader Joe’s for unique grocery items I can’t get here in Mount Pleasant. Those ice packs stayed icy cold in the large fridge in the hotel room while I roamed and roamed.

The 28th Street location is a quick drive away from Woodland Mall, where I had to stop for an Olga’s meal for dinner. It’s not a fancy-schmancy dinner, but because I rarely get anywhere that has an Olga’s Kitchen, I almost always have one when I can: seasoned and broiled meat, tomatoes, onions, Olgasauce, and that divine bread.

I managed a shoe store just across East Beltline years ago. I didn’t much like the job at Gussini Shoes and ended up being fired, which set me on my way to Athens, Georgia and some interesting adventures.

That mall the shoe store was in got “reimagined into a hybrid mall/shopping center and it’s now known as “The Shops at Centerpoint.” I always stop at the Nordstrom Rack, TJ Maxx, World Market, and other stores that my little town doesn’t have.

And it wouldn’t be shopping if I didn’t manage to do damage in the thrift stores along 29th Street. There are three that are a must for me every time: Goodwill, New2You, and Mel Trotter Ministries. After the thrift stores, I almost always hit up the independent Schuler Books on 28th Street, too; their café has scrumptious light lunches and refreshing drinks. And books, I bought books.

Beyond Van Gogh

The purpose of the weekend was to attend the Beyond Van Gogh exhibit downtown at Devos Place. This traveling art show was a thrill to see; it reminded me in some ways of the Van Gogh Museum that I’d visited even many more years ago in Amsterdam.

I loved how they told the story of the Van Gogh brothers, and of Vincent’s love of painting. Did you know that Don McLean wrote Starry Starry Night about Vincent Van Gogh? It played as part of the final section of the exhibit and brought tears to my eyes.

The exhibit was laid out in three darkened sections or “rooms.” Walls were formed by black curtains. Only the pictures and meticulous lighting illuminated your way.

The first room told the story; the second featured a waterfall effect with self-portraits, and the final had a 37-minute audio/video presentation. You could stay in each ‘room’ as long as you wanted.

The first room explored Vincent’s relationship with his brother, Theo, using letter excerpts.

The second room was smaller and showed a video ‘waterfall’ effect with accompanying music. I posted a video on Facebook and got a slap on the hand for copyright, so won’t share that video here.

The third room was the showstopper. Here’s a good idea of the size:

The paintings came to life and changed before your eyes, like this – a longer clip featuring the same visuals.

As I said, this room had a 37-minute loop, and it was fascinating to watch. Pictures were displayed on the floor, and on the wall. Music accompanied the entire thing.

Here are a couple of panoramic views of that third room.

Another panoramic photo showing self-portraits.

The rooms were all dark. In fact, the walkway from the final room to the gift shop was dark and illuminated only by green light. I played with the light and it reminded me so much of that classic Queen photo that I had to add add myself right into the picture (sorry not sorry John Deacon.)

Amway Grand Plaza Hotel

In between Van Gogh and Mean Girls I had an hour or so to kill, so I went over to the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel to savor the opulence. I also had a sandwich (and then returned later for pizza.) It’s an easy (and totally inside) walk from DeVos to the Amway.

One of the cool things about downtown Grand Rapids is that there is a skywalk system that connects several buildings. No need to go outside when moving from one building to the other – a real help in the heat of summer or depths of winter. It’s a quick five minute walk via skyway from DeVos to the Amway.

Mean Girls

I have to admit I was not familiar with the Mean Girls movie at all. But then I was looking for other things to do and Mean Girls was happening the same day as Beyond Van Gogh in the same building downtown so, why not. I watched the movie, and loved the high school theme – it was good ‘research’ for my novel in progress.

This musical was high energy and filled with lots of typical high school antics arranged around a book that “mean girls” put together about everyone else. Here’s the stage before the performance began.

I enjoyed being in a theater again; it’s my first since the darned pandemic put a stop to so much. I’m really glad that I saw the Mean Girls movie on Amazon Prime before seeing the play, though. This musical moved very fast and I might have been a little lost if I wasn’t kind of familiar with the movie.

Costco Saves The Day

After I got out of Mean Girls and had dinner, I went into the underground parking to my car and -uh oh- the check tire pressure gauge was on. I drove back to the hotel area, hit up TJ Maxx, and the noticed that the tire looked low. I stopped into a tire place, added air to the tire, then crossed my fingers it would hold overnight.

It was Saturday night. The tire place I stopped at was closed on Sunday, as was every other place I googled. Fortunately, Costco was nearby and had a tire center…but I didn’t have a Costco membership.

Sunday morning I scrambled to Costco, got a membership, and had my tire examined. Sure enough, there was a nail in that rear left tire, and the Costco tire crew took care of it for about $15. It took them more than an hour to take care of it, though, so –whoops– more shopping.

You’d better believe I stocked up on a few things at Costco, then headed over to Trader Joe’s for more yummy things to take home. There’s not a Trader Joe’s near me, either, so I loaded my car up with all sorts of goodies like Ube Spread, Lemon Curd, three different kinds of gnocchi, and more. Those frozen packs from Hello Fresh kept everything frozen truly frozen all the way home.

Find The Beautiful

In one of the photos above, I included a quote from an 1874 letter from artist Vincent to his brother, an art dealer, Theo. Vincent asks his brother to “”…find things beautiful as much as you can, most people find too little beautiful.”

The weekend getaway to Grand Rapids was perfect for me and filled with the things I love. It was beautiful. Where do you find beauty?

Mission 2022 July

In 2022, I’m combining lessons from the heart with some –cough cough – goals.

But I don’t like the word goals, so it’s a quest, a journey, a mission: that for which I am destined.

So how was June?

June’s Tarot Card

Back in January, I did a tarot spread for the full year and June’s card was Intention. The card asked me to review my intention and check motivations. The card shows an owl holding a dandelion puff standing on top of a huge egg which is perched upon a sculptured column or tower.

Intentions and motivations did become clearer in the last few weeks. I know that writing this book is important to me – it’s what I want to do, what I’ve always wanted to do. In fact, after this draft is done, I have a series that keeps bugging me.

I checked my intensions and motivations with Big Secret Goal #2, too. I have X amount of money I can spend on this, and there’s only so much that can be accomplished for that amount – all the sighs as I wish I could wave a magic wand and make it all awesome immediately. Anyway, that X amount will still bring a needed transformation, and set a strong foundation for future changes.

Write 250 Words A Day, 5 Days A Week

With the 100 Day Book program, I’m required to have 3,500 words done each Friday by midnight Pacific time. And for five weeks straight, I’ve hit that target! Hurrah me!

Will I hit the 14-week target and submit a complete first draft? Stick around to find out!

How do I track number of words? There are any number of programs that can do that; however, I settled on Dabble because the streamlined look keeps me focused. That and the Deep Focus music from Greenred on Youtube –>

Revamp WordStorm Casserole Poetry Book

Not happening. Big Secret Goal #1 is a priority.

Post Twice A Month On This Website

Made it! There were three posts in June:

Mission 2022 that reviewed May and revealed a big secret.
A look at my garden at the very end of May/beginning of June.
What I learned after forty weeks of Hello Fresh meal delivery service.

DeGoogle, deApple, deMicrosoft – embrace Linux!

Why? Because Google, Apple, and Microsoft all track your every move online and that’s wrong.

In June I’ve carried on using the Linux machine for much daily fun browsing: checking email, checking Facebook, watching videos. deGoogling and deAppling will be much longer tasks.

Have Fun

Oooo! I did really well with this one in June. Most of the month I was at home; however, the very last weekend I had a getaway!

I met up with a friend in Midland, Michigan, and had lunch then hit the bookstore.
I went to Grand Rapids, Michigan, and saw Beyond Van Gogh and Mean Girls. I ate good food and shopped till I almost dropped. I’ll tell you more about that later this month.
For summer solstice I participated in a Despacho ceremony with Ashera Sefarty; I went to Peru on one of Ashera’s amazing fourteen day sacred valley experiences many years ago. During the ceremony, I created my own Despacho – an offering to the universe for the coming new cycle of summer. The flowers are from my yard. Each of the items has purpose: flowers for light and fertility, sugar for sweetness, quinoa for sustenance and abundance, rice as an offering to the spirit world, feathers for connection to the ether and sky. I let the Despacho sit on my desk for a day, and then placed it into the compost to regenerate and feed the future.

Big Secret Goal #1: Finish the first draft of a novel

Oh ya! I’ve hit my target of 3.500 words each week and am more than half way to the end target of 70,000. Hurrah!

Big Secret Goal #2

This goal involves hiring pros. Met with the pros again and reviewed the design. I now a solid cost idea for the multiple phase project.

Am I really ready to make that time and money commitment? You bet I am, and fingers crossed I’ll have something to show you in August.

What I’m Reading

On GoodReads, I have a 2022 Reading Challenge goal of at least 50 books. Since the last update I’ve read:

Owen 9 by George C. Wilson.
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal
This puts me at 24 out of 50 books this year.
I’m finding that as I am writing I just can’t read as much. I usually gulp books down over a day or two, but now with working full time and writing every night, I barely read a chapter a night.

How About You?

How was your June? How are you making fun a priority this summer?

10 Things I Learned From Forty Weeks of HelloFresh

I’ve been getting three meals a week for two people from HelloFresh since September 2020, and have learned a lot from forty weeks of HelloFresh.

HelloFresh is arguably the world’s most popular meal delivery. Every week you receive “meal kits” with everything you need to prepare three, four, or more meals.

FYI, this is not an advertisement, and I have not been paid to publish this post. I pay for HelloFresh for out of my own pocket, err, credit card.

1. Zest For Life

HelloFresh meals often include zesting a lemon or lime, then squeezing that fruit, and using both juice and zest in the recipe. Zest is a remarkable addition to a whole lot of things.

For example, you can add lemon zest and lemon juice to sour cream or yogurt, add a bit of salt and pepper if you please, and you’ve got a simple drizzle.

I’ve zested more in the last nine months than I have in my entire life – and it was worth it.

2. Portion Size

So many of the recipes I used to make were for four people. I’d end up with a huge quantity of food and have to eat that same stuff for days in a row. Or I’d stick it in the fridge only to find a science experiment a few months later.

With HelloFresh, I figured out portions for me. I ordered three meals for two people, giving me six meals for one person. I usually prepare a meal, then save the additional portion for lunch or dinner the next day. And bonus: some recipes often make enough for three or more smaller servings.

That also left me with only a handful of meals to take care of for the rest of the week. And even with those, I’ve learned to keep it super simple and keep those portions smaller.

3. Goodbye Food Slump

Before HelloFresh, I was in a food slump and eating the same things over and over and over. HelloFresh lit my cooking spark all over again and introduced me to flavors and techniques I’d never used (or been too lazy/scared to figure out.) In forty weeks of HelloFresh, I learned that repetition with variation is awesome!

4. Not Enough Food

I learned that I probably hadn’t been eating enough. I often felt tired and just generally worn out. With HelloFresh meals being delivered every week, I quickly felt almost perky. Almost.

Regardless, I am now eating enough food. My plate is mostly filled at every meal, and I have just enough for me to feel full. I rarely feel uncomfortably full. It’s a “just right” feeling after most HelloFresh meals.

5. Cost Is Relative

One of the biggest complaints about HelloFresh is cost, and I totally understand. For me, it worked out to be about equivalent to eating both breakfast and lunch out five times a week – which I did when I worked in an office.

I was spending around $13.00 per day, 5 days a week, for a total of $65.00 per week. Three meals for two people a week from HelloFresh runs around $69. I know that I spent more than $13 on some days, so HelloFresh worked really well for me.

Now that I work from home, I’ve cut back on caffeine and sugar, and definitely don’t eat breakfast and lunch out anymore. Heck, I have to think hard to remember the last meal I ate at a restaurant. And I think that’s a good thing: I am preparing the majority of my own meals at home and I love them.

6. Set It And Forget It

HelloFresh is truly a “set it and forget it” kind of service. You look at the twenty or more available meals each week, select your three favorites, and then forget about it. You quite literally don’t have to think or shop for what you need to prepare meals because they will inevitably show up at your doorstep.

Now, that’s not to say that delivery has been perfect. On the contrary, there was one time that my delivery just didn’t show up. It was a very sad day as I knew that I had to plan, shop, and then prepare meals for the week – something I had just gotten out of the habit of doing.

One other time, my delivery didn’t show up at the normal time. I got onto live chat with HelloFresh and they let me know that it was definitely out for delivery and would arrive by 8pm. It sure did. So that’s only two instances of delivery problems – not bad for forty weeks of HelloFresh!

7. Minimal Shopping

Consistent meal planning and shopping is a challenge for me. I can spend two hours deciding on four or five meals, another hour hand writing an alphabetical list, more time at the grocery store, time driving to and from the store, and then more time unpacking those groceries. It can be exhausting, and I’d always get additional things I really, really didn’t need.

For forty weeks of HelloFresh, I only had to do that exhausting stuff one time. Naturally, for the other meals I did have to go to the grocery story, but it was one meal, two meals at most. My ‘eye’ has changed though, so it’s easier to keep these meals in portion size and super simple because I know HelloFresh would be coming with more complex meals.

8. New Techniques

I consider myself a decent home cook; heck, I even had a cooking blog for a hot minute. And I really didn’t think I needed or could learn much from HelloFresh until I tried it and well, consider me a convert. With HelloFresh, I learned new techniques that now inform my cooking, like

Encrust everything. Mix up Panko breadcrumbs with your favorite chopped nuts and a little butter. goes a long way. Top chicken or salmon with mustard or mayonnaise, or whatever, and then top with that Panko mixture. Looks fancy, tastes, great, and really simple to do; no wonder restaurants use it so often.
Sauces, sauces, sauces. I can now whip up a yummy sauce with easy. A little liquid in a hot pan, a balsamic vinegar, some cherry or apricot jam, some sour cream, salt, pepper, and it’s yowza for your tongue.
Pickling onions takes very little time and really enhances a meal.

9. An Explosion Of Flavors In Forty Weeks

As I said before, my meals before HelloFresh were pretty boring. Over forty weeks with HelloFresh, I tried flavors I’d never had before and developed new favorites.

Check out this list of Spice Blends from Joe’s Daily. I love the Fry Seasoning, Tunisian Spice Blend, and Tuscan Heat Blend. The cool thing is that, because I know the ingredients, I can mix my own: and leave out the hot stuff like cayenne or any and all chili peppers. (Seriously; I can’t handle cayenne or any chili peppers. Even jalapeno is too much for me.)
I’d never had Za’atar before and now love it. It’s lovely on chicken. And the HelloFresh grilling cheese recipes uses Za’atar, too.

10. Potatoes, Carrots, and Couscous

I can’t tell you how many HelloFresh meals over the last forty weeks have included potatoes, carrots, and couscous. Of course, there are more than twenty different meals to choose from each week, but I always seem to pick the meals with potatoes, carrots, and couscous. What can I say? They’re yummy, filling, and easy to prepare.

That said, having these three ingredients in a lot of meals can get boring. Sometimes I’d change out potatoes for broccoli or cauliflower rice. But HelloFresh leans heavily on veggies that do not spoil quickly, so sometimes I’d just remind myself to make a meal with other veggies at home.

My Favorite HelloFresh Meals

Over forty weeks of receiving HelloFresh, I sure did have favorites – and could add more to the list. Actually, I had a hard time stopping…

Mozzarella and Herb Hicken with Roasted Carrots and Buttery Couscous
Chicken Gyro Couscous Bowls with Hummus, Tomato-Cucumber Salad, and Feta Sauce
Salmon Limone over Herbed Couscous with Zucchini and Tomato
Pecan Chicken Royale
Zucchini and Tomato Flatbreads with Lemon Ricotta, Fresh Herbs, and Chili Flakes. (I never use the Chili Flakes because I can’t stand the heat.)
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad Wraps with Spinach, Tomato, and Cucumber
Miso Apricot Chicken with Garlic Ginger Rice and Zesty Carrots
Creamy Dill Salmon with Roasted Potatoes and Broccoli
Spicy Tunisian Bulgur and Salmon Bowls with Zucchini, Carrots, Chermoula, and Creamy Lemon Sauce
Creamy Lemon Butter Chicken with Parmesan Zucchini Rounds and Scallion Couscous
Southwest Stuffed Zucchini Bowls with Pico de Gallo, Avocado Crema, and Cilantro
Tunisian-Spiced Meatballs with Apricot Glaze, Roasted Carrots, and Scallion Couscous
One-Pot Pho-Style Beef Meatball Soup with Veggie Noodles and Spiced Broth
Soy-Glazed Carrot and Miso Edamame Bowls with Pickled Cucumber, Sesame Dressing, and Peanuts
Pub-Style Shepherd’s Pie with White Cheddar Mashed Potatoes
Aren’t you hungry yet? Look up the recipes for more mouth-watering flavor.

11. Bonus! It’s Not Perfect

Sure, I loved my HelloFresh deliveries each week, but it’s not perfect. There was the one time my weekly delivery didn’t show up. And there’s a pile of HelloFresh boxes in my garage because they’re really good boxes and I have a hard time letting go of boxes that I might someday, somehow use. Or is that just me?

Those two packs of icy-something or other each week bother me. Their packaging says to put it all out with the garbage, but that just seems wrong. I have put the stuff down the drain, and that is definitely not the thing to do (though so far, cross fingers, no issues with that.)
There’s the fact that these weekly boxes of delicious food are coming from somewhere, and that I don’t know WHERE they’re coming from – other than some warehouse or packing facility. I so wish that I could get something like this in my local area; I’d support it in a heartbeat.
If you don’t clean as you go, each meal can create a mess in your kitchen. I use so many pans and bowls and utensils every.single.meal. I’ve gotten better at it, but boy – the kitchen sometimes looks like a hurricane went through (it’s a small kitchen, so a strong wind could make it look bad.)
Sometimes the produce goes bad *very* fast. And sometimes even the carrots and potatoes feel a little limp. Sometimes that’s because I don’t cook things right away, and sometimes they’re probably just old: both can be stored long-term and they often feel like they’re hitting that storage limit.

I do know that if you receive spoilt or otherwise unusable ingredients, you just reach out to HelloFresh customer support and you’re taken care of immediately. For example, when that box didn’t arrive, they refunded my weekly amount and gave me credit for something in the future. Their customer service is stellar.

Summary

Over the last forty weeks, HelloFresh really worked well for me. With the coming of CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) season, I will either stop HelloFresh or take it down to two meals for two people per week. I’ll be getting a huge box of fresh veggies every week from a local farm! I have no doubt that I’ll head right back to three meals per week for two people when the sixteen week CSA run ends in October.

Have you tried a home delivery meal kit? What did you love about it?