Blue Apron

Over the last two months I’ve been subscribing to Blue Apron, a meal delivery service. I originally started with the 2-person plan and had 3 meals a week delivered. You can choose 4 if you prefer. I recently changed to the Family plan since The Boy moved back home, transferring to a local university. He says it’s because he wants to be near his friends. I say it’s because he missed his momma! The Family plan also has 2 or 4 meal options.

I didn’t really look around or research the different options out there. I had received a promo for $30 off my first box so I decided to try it. I created an account, selected my delivery date, the three meals (and now two), to be delivered the following week. I downloaded the app to my phone to easily manage the deliveries and assist with prep and recipe instructions. You can visit their FAQs here if you have questions on how it works.

All the food you need to make the meals come in a box with large ice packs. This is to ensure the food inside, particularly the meat, does not spoil during the delivery and before you get home. The three most critical items used in each meal are not included, but you should already have them – salt, pepper and olive oil. I haven’t had to use anything of mine from my pantry or refrigerator for the meals.

All the veggies and non-perishables are on top with the ice packs and meats on the bottom. There are recipe cards inside as well. Once my box is delivered I sort everything out and refrigerate the perishables. I usually review the recipe card before starting so I always have a hint of those steps in my head.

And here are just a few of the finished meals we’ve had over the last two months.

Seared Pork Chops & Fig Compote w/Sauteed Kale & Farro Salad

The Fig Compote was delicious. I savored every single bite. And making the compote was so easy.

Spicy Miso Glazed Chicken Wings w/Purple Rice & Zucchini Salad

Steakhouse Salmon w/Thyme Sauteed Potatoes, Green Beans and Mushrooms

Peruvian Roast Chicken & Potatoes w/Green Beans

This one was by far one of my favorites to make. And I was able to recreate it too. The recipe on the app had the exact requirements for the Peruvian Spice Blend.

Crispy Catfish & Parsley Mashed Potatoes w/Spicy Cajun Slaw

Sweet & Smoky Spiced Salmon w/Dijonnaise Potato Salad & Green Bean

This was our first Family plan meal and so very delicious. We ate all the green beans but I did have the last piece of salmon and the potato salad for lunch the next day.

Now, I’m sure you’re asking why I chose Blue Apron. Our grocery store is always very busy. Even when I do go grocery shopping it’s only to get a few things for that day or the next. I haven’t been grocery shopping with a full list in quite a long time. Blue Apron is easy because it does the grocery shopping for me for 3, now 2 meals.

The other reason I chose Blue Apron is there would be days when I didn’t want to cook or didn’t like what was in the fridge/freezer/pantry to cook. That’s when we would get fast-food, order pizza, or get something from a sandwich shop. Even though I’m spending more money (about $10 per person) compared to the fast food places, I know we are eating meals with a meat or fish and veggies. I’m not stressed about going to the grocery store any more. And I now have a huge reference of recipes to choose from, along with step-by-step instructions, from the app. The ingredients are fresh and portion-controlled. We never had leftovers with the 2-person plan. We do with the Family Plan but either The Boy or I eat the leftovers for lunch the next day. And the meals are delicious!

A few Christmas’s ago I received a new set of pots-and-pans along with glass prep bowls, a set of 10. The glass prep bowls have come in so handy when cooking these days. The very first thing each recipe card tells you is to wash all the veggies and cut, slice and dice everything that needs to be. Once I’m cooking I’ll either use my stainless steel utensils or wooden utensils. For my birthday last year I received a set of really good knives. Husband was tired of me buying a new knife from TJ Maxx or Target every few months. I don’t slice and dice very well so whoever made the herb scissors is my new best friend. I think there’s been garlic in a meal each week so a garlic press is super handy too. I haven’t had to use measuring cups since everything is already portioned out.

There are many more recipes on the app and I successfully made one that wasn’t being delivered to us. I was able to find everything at our local grocery store. One additional perk is that you can skip weekly meals. I knew we would be gone for a few days in two different weeks so I just cancelled the meal delivery for those two weeks. Everything is managed on the app on your phone.

You can also switch meals for a different one. For example, on the 2-meal Family Plan two meals out of four are pre-selected for me. I can go in and change those to 2 out of the any 4 I want. The 2-Person 3-Meal plan had 6 meals to choose from but if you selected a certain meal, some might not be selectable. They want you to have a balanced week and not eat red meat the entire week. So if you chose something with beef, the other beef option can’t be selected. You can also select a vegetarian plan.

We have really enjoyed Blue Apron. It will be interesting to see what they choose as the months get cooler. I also subscribe to the Blue Apron Wine Club, receiving 6 small bottles a month. Those are good for dinner and shared between Husband and I. It’s just enough to enjoy our meal. Now, I would love to find a dessert meal plan. Not that we eat a whole lot of dessert but it would be great to try.

Are you interested in Blue Apron or any of the other meal delivery plans out there? Have you tried any of them?

audreybella