How do you accidentally order 3 days’ worth of food from Green Chef, you ask? “Here I am!”
It was after 4:00 pm on a Friday. I was d-o-n-e. As I readjusted my overstuffed teacher bag on my shoulder, I spotted a large green box sitting in front of my apartment door. The box read, “Green Chef.” At first I was afraid… (I was petrified), then I was in denial. There had to be a mistake.
I could hear my parents’ voice in my head: “Alyssa, did you read the fine print?” No. The answer is no, I didn’t. We ordered from HelloFresh a few weeks prior, and after some success, I was looking around at some other options. The site doesn’t let you see what comes in your box unless you type in all of your information.
“I’ll just do it and then cancel if I’m not happy with it.” HA. I fooled them (or so I thought). I ripped my phone from my pocket thinking maybe it was my lucky day… maybe it was a mistake, or maybe I was just that burnt out. Maybe I wasn’t charged? You can imagine my surprise and disappointment when I read the confirmation email for cancelling my subscription:
“Hello Alyssa-Brianne,
We’re sad to see you hang up your chef’s hat.
Your Balanced Living subscription has been canceled and your last delivery date is confirmed…” MY WHAT? I huffed and I puffed and left the box on the counter until I was ready to accept my fate of three meals I had NO recollection of accidentally choosing.
I finally mustered up the courage to take a look:
- Greek Feta Burgers (not bad)
- Harissa Chicken (what is harissa?)
- Italian Sausage and Farrow Bowls (I’ve never tried farrow before..)
Oof. These were some flavors I wasn’t used to, but maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. And then I saw it. I took a picture of the recipe and sent it to B immediately. WHAT HAVE I DONE? I can’t eat apples in a savory dish. What kind of crazy person does that?!
I watched the oil bubble as the italian sausage crisped up and went from pink to brown in the pan while the farrow danced its way to the top of the pot beside it. I listened to the knife softly slice each grain of the apple as I chopped it into bite-size pieces and set aside the chopped red kale for later. The smell of the butternut squash smothered in italian seasoning with a touch of olive oil roasting in the oven made my stomach rumble. Before I knew it, it was time. Time to face my fears.
I sprinkled the chopped pecan pieces and dried ruby red cranberries on top of each bowl with a drizzle of orange-cider vinaigrette. As I took my first bite, I squinted my eyes, anticipating the wild experience. That it was- a wild experience. The flavors and textures created an explosive bite of pure excellence and delight. It was as if I could taste every color and texture of the dish. I might have accidentally ordered from a food delivery service, but I purposely tried something new and different. Here’s to facing our fears and leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
Teachers Write 
YES! Face those fears! (Um, I too don’t really like apples in savory dishes though…)
This made me laugh out loud: At first I was afraid… (I was petrified), 🙂
Love the description of the cooking!
Such a great slice. 🙂
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I think you have a future as a food writer!
I actually think you could skip the whole beginning explaining the subscriptions and just start with your horror at apples in a savory dish, and go from there. Love, love, love the descriptions of cooking- the knife through the apple, the farrow ‘dancing its way to the top of the pot’… super writing. You have my mouth watering for your lunch leftovers, too!
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Love your slice- the build up and suspense! I am the pickiest eater on the planet and have given Hello Fresh a try and I am so glad that I did! It has encouraged me to take risks, try new things, and pair flavors I would never have thought to throw together. Thanks for giving me an idea for a future slice 🙂
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This made me laugh out loud! Great descriptions! On a side note… I’ve looked into things like HelloFresh, but have been too scared to try it because I am worried about what kind of random dishes I would get. I love apples but not as a part of the main dish. Not sure if I could follow that recipe!
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This is so fabulous – and funny! And now I have “I Will Survive” playing on repeat in my head.
Which, come to think of it, is a great song for this year. I hope your farro is delicious! =)
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This is an amazing slice! I wasn’t following properly at first but your descriptions of the cooking process as others have commented were superb, you could smell and taste everything and I felt really envious. Hope you enjoyed your leftovers just as much!
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Oh this post made me laugh out loud several times. I can relate Alyssa! We can do hard things like try new foods!
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Some of my favorite recipes have come from those boxes of dinners, which I haven’t done in a few years. (I’ve tried Plated, Blue Apron, Hello Fresh, etc. through the years.) However, some have led to me having to scour the internet for items I couldn’t find locally, such as ras el hanout.
Anyway, I adore harissa! I hope you enjoy that dish!
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As someone who has also ended up with an accidental food order such as this I can so appreciate the “hm, I didn’t pick this but I guess I’m eating it anyway” dilemma. Loved your descriptive writing! And I’m glad the apples weren’t as scary as you thought 🙂
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all i could think was this meme: https://images.app.goo.gl/Fh2RpDc3GYJDhkSZ8
but your tasty and humorous descriptions got me ready for dinner 😉 nicely done!!
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Here is to new adventures! Esp with food.
I love things like this because it always leads to a great story to tell over and over…and blog about!
Thank you for sharing and the smile.
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Wow, terrific descriptive writing! From your descriptive fears and dreads (love the way you showed how you were feeling) to your food descriptions! Well done, I hope all the meals are as tasty!
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