If you have been reading the blog for any length of time you might have noticed that my favorite things to review happen to fall in the food category- snacks, wine,etc. I am all about getting things to review that above all are things that I can USE and that I really Need.. then it kind of fills in with things that I really really want sometimes all that lumps together :).I
Meal Subscription Boxes? I Like the Idea!
Anyways, I have heard about all these awesome meal subscription boxes and they really peaked my interest because who can’t use food, especially meals? So when I started “pitching” as we called it I was happy that the first company to respond to my request for a review was Blue Apron!(I have some other meal subscription boxes who have said yes, so look for those reviews in the future too)
One thing I absolutely HATE doing most of the time is coming up with meal ideas.. sometimes it seems like it is easier than others, but a lot of times I don’t have a clue! Then there comes the whole I have to go to the store thing- which I try to avoid like the plague! so then I am working on whatever I have on hand- which at times is pretty minimal! I think for me though it gets worse in the spring and summer because it seems like a lot of the things I make to eat are what I would consider cold weather foods like soups!
That was why I was excited to try out a meal subscription box like Blue Apron- they have a menu where you can choose what you want to try for that week, they send you all the ingredients and all you have to do is order it and they bring it to you. Meal Idea problem is solved and you don’t have to go to the store either!
About Blue Apron
Blue Apron sends you step by step instructions, and seasonal farm fresh ingredients once a week. The best thing about pre-portioned ingredients is that there is no waste, unlike sometimes when you buy something at the grocery store in a big portion and then you don’t end up using it- especially if it might be something you don’t commonly use!Another awesome thing that they do when it might come to a more rare type ingredient, they will send it during the peak growing season.
The meals range in price from about 9.99 per person per meal for the 2 people option – which is basically the equivalent in my world to going out for dinner , but in most cases this would still be less. The 2 person option is a 3 meal plan.They also have a 4 person option which is $8.74 per person per meal for a family type of situation. You can also pick 2 or 4 meals for that plan.
I like that the meals every week are totally different, and that they do not repeat the same meal for an entire year, so you def. have a good variety to choose from and things don’t get repetitive which I really like- as much as I like old standards it is always good to mix things up!
They also offer a wine program, and then you can pair the wines with the meals, which is a neat option I haven’t saw with the other boxes I have came across.
I also like that you have meal ideas for the future too!
Getting Started, Setting Your Preferences and Picking Meals
It is easy to get started with Blue Apron via their website and there is no commitment (you can skip and cancel at anytime) Also, your meals will come in a refrigerated box You just enter your zip code and email address and then select your preference when it comes to 2 person plan ($60 a week) and then it gives you a few options to choose from on what your preferences are- are you a vegetarian, and then which meats you eat. Other than that you don’t have many options for customizing your box (ie allergies and such) You can also pick a delivery date.
Picking your meals is a bit of an adventure- they will automatically pick your meals for you and then you can go in and edit them if you wish- but it isn’t as easy as it sounds. All combinations of meals aren’t available, and I wished that they had been. It really did work out though because I ended up with a beef meal, a chicken meal and a veggie meal so it wasn’t the worst thing ever. I just hope that eventually you will have a little more flexibility there.
Delivery & Packaging
My delivery came on a Friday the weekend of Easter- David was home I remember that much! It came through a different carrier I don’t recall the name right off the bat… but they were here bright and early and listened to my instructions that they didn’t have to knock 🙂 The box was refrigerated and I brought it in within 1o min of being delivered, but it would have been o.k. for quite a while longer if needed.
There was minimal packaging, and I liked how everything was labeled and the little knick knacks that went with each recipe were all packaged in little brown bags and told you what meal that they went with.
Meal #1 :Mushroom & Collard Green Calzones
I can honestly say I never have made calzones before! I don’t do anything when it comes to cheese as you all probably know, but sometimes if I can adapt a recipe and leave out the cheese I will, and that is what I did in this case. I made up 2 of the 3 with the cheese and then 1 separate for myself. I didn’t really get them Calzone shaped but I haven’t ever really worked with dough either!
I didn’t get a pic of me working with the dough , because at that point I really needed to go with it and didn’t want dough all over my fancy camera (or phone, or ipod.. lol) This one was pretty simple to make and didn’t have a lot of prep work. The only thing I somehow missed was putting the tomato sauce in the actual calzones. I don’t know why but I was thinking it was a dip and I didn’t read it right lol. It was O.K though everything turned out all right.
They didn’t turn out PRETTY but … they turned out o.k and we enjoyed them anyways- despite my little error!
Meal #2 Provencal Chicken & Potato Stew
I always love the chance to try new stews and soup, and on occasion I don’t mind them in the spring & summer- especially when you get a cool and /or rainy day! I also have a “thing” for tomato based soups which this one pretty well was.
The prep on this one was pretty easy , as well as the prep for the actual stew.. pretty much just a little cutting, a little chicken frying and such. The most fun thing for me was I had never pitted an olive before.:) I kind of wish there would have been more olives.. maybe I should have added some more in from the ones I had in the fridge , but I wanted to just follow the recipe.
I really enjoyed this one as a whole because it had a bit of a tang to it, I loved the fact it was tomato based and you all know I have a mad love for chicken thighs, and I pretty well use them at all times including when I am supposed to use breast!
The garlic toast was a good add on, and the aioli was pretty interesting because I had never had it either! Oh and that Chard was really Earthy and I really liked it too!
Meal #3: Hoisin & Siitake Burgers
These were probably the favorite for David because he has specifically asked me what to get to make them again sometime! Even though I couldn’t get David to try the miso part (sauce) or the Bok Choy- I REALLY loved the bok choy- since I had left over I even pan fried it the next day with soy sauce and garlic!
This one made up pretty easy and I do admit to cheating a little bit- I didn’t make the sweet potatoe fries that day because I only like sweet potatoes like candied yams! I did however make them later on for David as a snack and he loved them. My biggest cheat on this one was I made the hamburgers in my rangemate grill that goes in the microwave- I Know people think that sounds gross but honestly it is the BEST way to prep up hamburger patties as well as make awesome warm sandwiches! It cuts down on time it takes to cook , and it is way less messy to clean up!
This one just meshed together really well- I am not even a huge mushroom person and especially when it would be a strong mushroom but when you mixed it up with the hoisin sauce and the miso paste sauce it was really good! I know I had bought hoisin sauce in the past and I had liked it but I had forgot about it.
Coupon For My Readers!
I really enjoyed trying all these awesome recipes from blue apron and I hope to try some more in the future! If you want to try blue apron you can save 30% off by clicking here: Autumn-Rain.net Readers Save 30% (this is not an affilate link) The link will work for the first 25o readers who sign up will get the discount!
