Erica Bergstrom
Writes for Meal Kit Picks
About
Software QA engineer in Madison, Wisconsin. Hybrid WFH schedule, three days in the office, two at home. Two kids: one in elementary, one still in kindergarten this year. The dinner rotation runs around soccer Wednesdays, Tuesday calls that always seem to run past six, and two people who have strong feelings about which protein they will and will not touch on any given night.
Started the meal kit experiment in spring 2023 after a week where the oldest ended up at the counter eating cereal because both parents were still on calls and the youngest was already in pajamas. Signed up for the first box that week. By fall 2024 had cycled through six services, some of which came back after a pause and some of which did not. The QA background means I keep a spreadsheet: which weeks had a missing ingredient, how often the cooking time matched the clock, whether the pause process broke the first time or the third. Not a chef. No nutrition credentials. One household's running log.
If a kit stopped working, the notes say why. If it came back, the notes say that too.
Written by Erica Bergstrom
- Recipe Discovery vs. The Tuesday Rush: My Eight-Box Spring Rotation with Blue Apron
- Tempo by Home Chef Review: The Survival Strategy for Late-Night Client Calls
- Home Chef vs Blue Apron: Why One Stuck in Our Madison Kitchen After the Honeymoon Phase Ended
- Blue Apron Prep and Ready Meals Review for Quick Dinners
- Tips for Canceling Meal Kit Subscriptions Without the Stress
- Best Prepared Meal Delivery for Hybrid Workers at Home
- Quick Healthy Lunch Ideas for Hybrid Work from Home Days
- Healthy Meal Delivery Services for Hybrid Workers with Young Kids
- Is Thrive Market Worth It for Busy Families in Wisconsin?
- Home Chef vs Blue Apron for Working Parents on Busy Weeknights
- Home Chef Oven Ready Meals Review for Stressful Weeknights
- Home Chef Family Plan Review for Picky Eaters in Kindergarten
- Thrive Market Grocery Delivery for Healthy School Lunch Snacks
- Tempo Meals Review 2026: A Software QA's Survival Guide for Madison Weeknights
- Testing Home Chef: A Software QA’s Twelve-Week Survival Log for Madison Weeknights
Disclosure
Some links on this site pay me a referral fee when you sign up through them. Your price stays the same either way. The kits that got paused or canceled still appear here alongside the ones that survived the rotation, because a comparison that hides the misses isn't much of a comparison.