Like many people, we have been pressed for time lately. Between work, graduate school, and other projects, by the time it is dinner I am out of good ideas...we’ve been eating too many tacos and sandwiches, y’all.
So I did what any millennial would do and turned to Instagram. I asked for recommendations on meal delivery kits and received several responses and even some great coupons. After a little deliberation, I decided to go with the OG, Blue Apron.
Now, you may remember Angela reviewing Blue Apron on the blog before. Overall she enjoyed it, but ultimately the amount of garbage it produced was off-putting to her. I will say that she’s right- there is an awful lot of packaging with a meal delivery kit. However, when we received our first box, it had recycling icons all over it and included a piece about how to recycle almost everything in the box (including the box!), which I found very responsible and helpful.
So- what did we get?? Brent and I signed up for 2 meals: Texas-style chicken fried steaks and curried chicken pitas. Each meal comes with everything you need to make it- and I do mean everything. There was a tiny bottle of vinegar in one set and a teeny bag of flour in another. This made the process incredibly simple and convenient. I wasn’t worried about not having something on hand and didn’t have to run to the store at the last minute.
The Texas-style chicken fried steaks were simple to make and tasty, but the side dishes really made it sing. The mashed potatoes turned out creamy and the green beans were finished with white wine vinegar which made for a tangy delicious bite.
The curried chicken pitas served with a cabbage slaw were my favorite dish. The recipe was very simple yet the flavors were deep and complex. This is a dish I will definitely be making again, with or without a kit.
My favorite part of the whole experience was getting out of our cooking rut. It is very easy to slip into a routine when you are busy and only cook “go-to” dishes that you know by heart. But mixing it up a little gave me an opportunity to focus on something else for a little while, while also making a delicious meal for us. I loved the way the recipe cards were laid out, with exact times and orders of operation to streamline things. Each meal was ready in about 30 minutes.
The price for 2 meals for 2 people (so, four servings) is about $45/week. We’ll be subtracting that from our weekly grocery budget, and I think it will fit in just fine.
If you’re looking for a way to shake things up and you love to cook, I would recommend Blue Apron. We’re going to stick with it for a few weeks and see how we like it!
PS- Blue Apron offers a wine component where you can add wine pairings to your meals...we may have to try that sooner rather than later!
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