For quite some time we have been debating about getting Blue Apron (or really any meal service of the sort.) We have been wanting to spice up our meals and have some fun in the kitchen. So we KNEW this service would do that, but we were pretty weary about the cost. So one night when we were talking to to Bruce about it, he sent us an offer code for a week free (no strings attached), and we said, "Why not!?"
We were pretty skeptical.. We are really good shoppers, pretty good amateur chefs, and do a great job with meal planning. But last Tuesday when we got our first box, we got REALLY excited about it! I pretty much have been talking to anyone who will listen to me about this service.. So here is a little recap of our experience.
You pick your delivery day and they send you three meals that feed two people in an ice pack box. Every single ingredient you need (beside oil, salt, pepper) comes in the box, wrapped individually, and measured perfectly.
Night One:
Lamb, Beef & Mushroom Stew w/Parmesan Potatoes and Chives
Each meal comes with a recipe card including every ingredient you will need and really easy to understand directions. And if there is something you don't understand, they have tutorial videos with each meal on their website! It is really 100% fool proof. They also give you wine pairing suggestions (or you could include the wine in your shipment for an extra charge!)
At first, I was concerned with the amount of food.. I thought there was NO way this was going to feed the two of us. But boy was I wrong. I had so much that night, I was still full at lunch the next day!! (Side note: Blue Apron is sorta health conscious too.. Each one of our meals were under 500 calories!)
This was my favorite meal of the week!! I would never buy lamb at the grocery store.. it isn't my meat of choice, and it's always so expensive!! I loved all the cooking techniques, and was totally reminded me how I should just add chives to everything!
Night Two:
Tempura Fried Cod w/ Thai-Style Vegetable Salad & Jasmine Rice
This was my favorite protein.. least favorite side. Tempura frying just seems so daunting and messy, and something I wouldn't ever put on our menu. But these guys made it so easy! And crispy capers... YUM. The side salad was okay.. I'm not a huge fan of raw carrots..
Your biggest labor in all of this is chopping vegetables. Seriously every thing is measured out and packaged perfectly. And this really gave us the opportunity to try spices/oils we would have not bought otherwise. Because who needs 10 oz of tamarind concentrate in their pantry???
When you are selecting your services you can add in your dietary restrictions and/or pick vegetarian options if necessary. You can also log in before you meal is delivered and throw in a few vegetarian / non-vegetarian options if you want! Don't want it that week? Going on vacation? You can always simply click skip delivery, and you won't receive food or be charged.
Night three:
Seared Chicken & Pearl Couscous w/Crispy Capers & Blood Orange Sauce
This was just some regular old seared chicken that I would do any time, but that cous cous and the blood orange sauce was out of this world!! We definitely get in cooking ruts.. seared pork chops and sauteed squash is a staple around here. So it was really nice to take a classic and really umpf (is that even a word??) it up!
There were layers, and layers, and layers of flavor with this dish. It was absolutely restaurant quality, but wasn't that hard at all! I think this service would give some serious confidence to those of you who get nervous or uncomfortable in the kitchen. And it's not that timing consuming.. They promise it will take less than an hour start to finish. It took us around 30-40 minutes each night.
The service is around $60 per week with shipping.. so you are roughly coming out to $10 per person, per meal. Now this is WAY more than I normally spend on dinner.. I can get meals down to just a couple dollars for the both of us!! (I'm savvy, I tell ya..) But for people that eat out often, this would definitely be a money saver!! So while we aren't their target audience on cost savings, it did get us in the kitchen together. And since our date nights are VERY feeewww and ffaarrr between, this is getting us some quality time together at night, not staring at our phones!
So we have decided to do the service every other week.. I'm sure we will get burnt out.. Or the recipes will eventually get repetitive.. but for now we are LOVING Blue Apron. And I want you to love it too!! I have three free weeks to give away! First three people to send me an email or FB message, it's yours!
P.S. I wasn't paid, nor did I receive any free food for this post.. but I totally should be their spokesperson, right!? Someone tell Blue Apron!!
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