So, I kind of skipped the meal delivery service bandwagon when everyone else hopped on last year…. Call me a control freak, but I like going up and down every aisle of the grocery store with my list in hand. It’s almost, dare I say, therapeutic? (I’m aging myself here.) Anyway, now everyone is addicted to this stuff. I honest-to-God can’t log onto Instagram without seeing an almost-too-perfect looking meal with a lifesaving meal delivery service neatly tagged in the corner…
I’m not sure if it was extreme food FOMO or the fact that as a time, money, and health conscious millennial, I’m always looking for ways to be more efficient… but I caved and decided to give meal delivery a try.
There are a ton of meal delivery services out there that you can research to choose from based on your dietary needs/desires. I chose to try Blue Apron…. for no reason other than I felt like it was the most popular at the time. (At least I’m honest?)
I know I said I was skeptical at first….. but waking up to a box full of fresh, colorful ingredients without having to put on pants to go to the store was basically the equivalent of Christmas morning for me. (And knowing I didn’t forget any ingredients that I’d have to last minute scramble to grab later didn’t hurt either.)
The cool part about Blue Apron is that the recipes are new every week – so you get different ingredients delivered based on the meals you select online when you order. Each meal also comes with a corresponding recipe card that tells you exactly how to prepare the dish, making it fairly idiot proof. I loved that the recipe card included the prep/cook time- none of these meals took longer than an hour to prepare. Typically I’m already starving when I start cooking, so anything much longer than that turns cooking into torture… but an hour, I can do.
Below I linked the full recipe/instructions for the three meals I made. Not to toot my own horn… but if you take a look, I think you’ll be pretty impressed to see that my finished products look pretty damn close to the example photos. (Toot toot!)
Beef Tacos & Radish Salsa + Spicy Sweet Potato Wedges
Before:
After:
Orange & Mirin-Glazed Cod + Barley & Broccoli Salad
Before:
After:
West African Peanut Chicken + Sautéed Kale & Rice
Before:
After:
I never thought I’d consider myself a meal delivery advocate….. but I guess you could say I’m converted now. All of these meals were easy to make, tasted great, and made me feel a million times more accomplished than using a crock pot ever did. Look at those! Pretty, huh?
My favorite thing was that this service allowed me the opportunity to try things I otherwise would not have chosen on my own (radish salsa – HELLO!) It was a unique way to not only expand my palette but add new dishes to my homemade repertoire.
I wouldn’t recommend this particular service for someone with a hearty appetite because the portions are on the lighter side (so you can’t really go back for seconds…) – but would be perfect for anyone looking to work on portion control.
I’ve always enjoyed methodically going through the grocery store and coming up with new recipes on my own, but the busier I get with work, family and friends – the more I wish someone would just do that part for me. I give Blue Apron 4 out of 5 stars!
What meal delivery service should I try next??
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