My HelloFresh meal delivery kit is a surprise game changer during the coronavirus pandemic. Here are

• My meal kit subscription with HelloFresh is helping me get through the coronavirus pandemic. 
• Every week, the company sends meats and fresh produce to create recipes at home without having to go to the grocery store. 
• The meals keep me entertained, help pass the time, and keep me healthy. 
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Since the world has drastically changed due to the coronavirus pandemic, I've cut expenses and stopped monthly subscriptions to save money. But there's one subscription that has been a surprise game changer for me during the last few weeks: HelloFresh.

HelloFresh is a meal kit subscription service that allows people to choose recipes online and have all the ingredients sent to their door the following week. I've subscribed to HelloFresh for a year now, and never has the service been more important to me than right now. 

Here's why HelloFresh is giving me peace of mind and helping me through my social distancing. 

While daily life can be monotonous these days, I've found that HelloFresh's options keep things interesting.

Each week, I log onto HelloFresh.com and choose three meals from a list of about 20 options to arrive at my house the following week. The menu has a wide array of meals to choose from — some are more difficult to make, while others are simple, 20-minute recipes. While the recipes sometimes do repeat, I never get bored. There's always a new recipe to try or an old favorite to cook again. The variety adds some excitement to my otherwise dull schedule these days. 

For three meals, I pay $60, and each meal is supposed to feed two people. At that price, I am able to feed myself every day during the workweek. 

As my friends complain about not having any access to meat at their grocery stores, the meal kit subscription guarantees three meat-focused meals every week.

Several times since the government-mandated lockdown went into effect, I've heard friends and family tell me they struggled to find something they were looking for in the grocery store, especially meat products. One friend said his Brooklyn grocery store had no meat whatsoever for sale. 

But I don't have to deal with that. Every week I get three meat-based meals sent to my house, and since being on lockdown, I've cooked meals that included chicken, pork, steak, and sausages. 

But that doesn't mean the pandemic isn't affecting HelloFresh. Delivery times are delayed, and they sent out an email saying some ingredients might be swapped.

"Even with our continued best efforts to serve you, it may be unavoidable that you experience some changes to your service in the weeks ahead," the company said in one email to me. "As we follow the necessary safety and security regulations for our frontline employees and delivery partners, you may see restrictions or changes to your delivery dates. You may also notice that we've slightly reduced selections, simplifying production and allowing us to feed more people. In all cases, we will communicate in advance to help you plan accordingly."

The fresh produce provides a great alternative to my snack eating habits while social distancing.

If you're anything like me, then you're bingeing on a lot of snacks — including cookies and chips — these days. While I try not to feel guilty about my eating habits during these strange times, I am thankful that my HelloFresh meals are a break from the constant stream of junk food. 

The meals are paired with a healthy serving of vegetables, and they're always fresh. This ensures that I get some healthy nutrients throughout the week. 

Cooking a meal three times a week using a recipe keeps me busy and helps me stay focused on a new hobby.

It's no secret that social distancing and staying at home can be boring, and many of us are looking for ways to entertain ourselves. Luckily, I find entertainment and joy in cooking — even though I'm not great at it.

Getting three recipes and ingredients sent to my house each week gives me something to do each night after work. Although the recipes aren't necessarily hard, they challenge me in a way that keeps me on my toes.

Each recipe says it will only take somewhere between 20 and 40 minutes to make, but since I barely know what I'm doing in the kitchen, it usually takes double that time. I'm thankful for that productive time in the kitchen because I have nothing but time to spare these days. 

I don't have to go to the store every week, therefore, reducing my chances of spreading and/or contracting the virus.

HelloFresh delivers every ingredient I will need to make each recipe — except for oil, salt, and pepper — straight to my door. This means I don't have to rush out to the grocery store each week. Right now, the stores are crowded with people, wearing masks and struggling to keep 6 feet away from each other. I find comfort in knowing that I don't have to deal with that on a regular basis, and it limits my chances of exposure — thanks to the bravery of delivery workers. 

It is worth noting that getting anything delivered to your house these days increases the chances of exposure, but HelloFresh has settled my anxiety around it in a string of emails. Back in March, the company emailed, explaining they are taking necessary precautions when handling my food and packages.

"We are reinforcing adherence to our rigorous and established hygiene processes and increasing sanitation measures throughout," the company said in an email. 

In another email, the company wrote, "Behind every HelloFresh delivery is an unsung crew of dedicated and essential workers who steward your box along its way. It starts with the brave staff at our distribution centers working every day to pack and ship your box, and it ends with the courageous delivery personnel who safely deliver it."

Although the service could stop operations at some point, I have a cookbook of meals that I've mastered.

Per the earlier email, the company said it will do everything it could to continue service during the coronavirus pandemic. But there's always a chance that I won't get a box during the lockdown or that the company will suspend the service indefinitely. Luckily, I get to keep the recipes each week, so now I have almost a hundred recipes at my disposal. Although I would have to buy the ingredients myself in that case, I would at least have a backlog of successful recipes to fall back on. 

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