This post is sponsored by Blue Apron
There is nothing quite as exciting as a plethora of ingredients showing up at your doorstep singing “COOK ME!” to the tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat. That’s exactly what this box did! {I kid..}
Blue Apron asked if I’d like to showcase what it’s like to cook a week’s worth of their meals. I accepted and awaited my recipe surprises.
If you haven’t heard of Blue Apron before, exact ingredients and recipes are delivered to your doorstep so there’s no trip to the grocery store and no waste from unused ingredients. Each week Blue Apron sends 3 meals in 2,4 or 6 serving portions. Meals are $9.99 per person with free shipping. Blue Apron is available nationwide, shipping to over 80% of the country. Check the map here to see if your city is included.
I love this graphic from their website that summarizes the service in a nutshell:
Chefs in training around the world wear blue aprons as symbol of lifelong learning in cooking. I am always learning! I’ve had several friends try Blue Apron when they wanted a little jazz in their cooking. Not only is it fun to be surprised, but you learn new tips and techniques in the process. I certainly hadn’t made fried chicken or pickles from scratch before! This service isn’t a substitute from local, home cooking, but it’s a fun treat when you need some help getting food on the table – whether that’s a celebration, a rut, a time crunch or a as a gift.
You can see the recipes in the Blue Apron Cookbook. Many of the ingredients they use are sourced from family farms and artisans. Recipes are generally 500-700 calories and take 40 minutes or so to prepare (we found this to be pretty accurate if we were familiar with the recipe ahead of time.)
Here are the 3 we tried:
Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sliders
Let’s get started!
The theme of the week was GRILL. Yay – perfect for summer. The letter even said you could make all 3 recipes at once for a big dinner party. Great idea!
First up we made the shrimp cocktail skewers.
The homemade cocktail sauce was incredible!
The eggplant was mashed into a caponata, a new dish for us to try. {This was for four servings, FYI}
Yum! This was my favorite of the three meals. Very fresh and healthy.
The next night I had not one but TWO sous chefs:
Maggio and Hillary!
Three if you count Mazen : )
Hillary and I got to choppin’ while Matt, Karen and Mazen played in the yard
We fired up the grill for the steaks and tortillas
The tomatillo salsa was awesome, and both Matt and I said separately that the flavors reminded us of Mexico. He spent a whole summer there in college and can vouch for authenticity. We added a little yogurt as sour cream on top. The grain is black quinoa.
Our final meal was the fried chicken sliders. The recipe directed us to make homemade pickles, which I loved! These were so easy to make. {See the recipe here}
We also made a colorful slaw
And served them on the 4th of July weekend with a couple of our friends over plus Karen!
Everything about this meal was delicious! Although as bakery owners we should have swapped in our Virginia rolls ; ) But didn’t want anything to go to waste, plus the potato buns were pretty good. We added a side of green beans to accommodate more servings.
If you’d like to give Blue Apron a try, the first 250 readers to sign up will get two free meals! Happy cooking!
This post is sponsored by Blue Apron
I see Blue Apron a lot of places now, but am curious- how long does each meal take to cook? Also, I’m not sure the portion for two would actually be enough for David and me. He eats a large portion and while breastfeeding I do too- haha! The meals look delicious but would you think we’d actually have to order a serving size of 4 to feed the both of us?
I would go with 4 and have leftovers for lunch if you don’t eat it all at dinner : )
My husband and I eat a lot and the two servings were plenty for us. We even had leftovers sometimes. But i felt the meals took too long for weeknights as a working mom. Lots of produce to wash and chop. Food is delicious though!!
Wow! That food looks amaaaaazing – especially that cocktail sauce! I would definitely use some of these recipes for dinner parties since the result looks so impressive. I’m definitely a “needs a step-by-step recipe” girl, so this seems perfect. Definitely entering for the two free meals. Thanks Kath!
This looks great! I wanted to sign up & try the first 2 meals before committing to an account/paying for a subscription, but it appears as though I have to. How do I complete the sign up via KERF?
I think this is one of those trials where you have to put in credit card but can cancel before you are billed
Yes…it gives ya the date when to cancel and by what time. You can even skip weeks
Looks like good stuff!
Love how easy this looks and the meals look delicious! I definitely agree that I might try it for a special occasion or for a week when things are just too busy to think instead of on a daily basis though, especially during the summer when I can get so many ingredients at the farmer’s market. I have so many cucumbers right now, so I’m definitely making those pickles tonight to top off some turkey burgers!
What a cool concept! Definitely makes cooking much easier and more convenient! Plus everything looks so fresh and flavorful! I especially love the grilled shrimp meal. Perfect for summer. 🙂
I have to say I’m sort of confused by all of these meal planning services you’ve been reviewing. For me, part of the joy of cooking and eating is being inspired by recipes I read on some of the excellent food blogs I follow, or in food magazines. Or I’ll go to the library and come out with three new cookbooks to browse. I rarely find myself without inspiration for new recipes to try! It seems like you lose the fun of discovering and selecting new recipes to try when all of the ingredients arrive at your door like this. Not to mention the cost!
I agree some people love the hunt of a recipe, but I’m not one of them! I’d rather create something myself or let someone else surprise me : )
I thought this the last time you did a sponsored post with them as well – this seems like a very wasteful service. Food is shipped across the country in what seems like plentiful packaging. With your philosophy of green and local, I’m surprised you chose to partner with them. It’s great to get people in the kitchen cooking heir own meals, but there are much more eco-conscious, budget friendly ways to do it.
I don’t disagree with you, but I’m all about eating real food and trying new things too and wanted to test this out.
You can’t please everyone! I think this would be a great way for many busy families to learn to cook new foods. It seems pretty healthy, too! Even if this is not the way you normally choose to purchase foods, Kath, thanks for sharing!
P.S. Nice guns in the first pic!!!
🙂
It’s two free meals off a three times/week subscription (which, yes, you can cancel six days before the next order is scheduled to go out). You’ll get $20 off your subscription package, as meals cost about $10 each. For some reason, I’m still being charged $39 on a 3x/week subscription – and that’s with the KathEats special. I won’t be ordering, but it sounds good in theory! The chicken sliders look especially tasty!
Could this be a serving number difference? I can double check the details for you.
Jess, here are the details:
For the discount, you get 2 free meals for your first order. However, the minimum number of meals that you’re able to order with Blue Apron is 6 (3 meals per week with a minimum or 2 servings).
So you basically end up saving $20 on your first order.
Thanks! I don’t know. I entered in for 3 meals for 2 people and was told the charges would be $39.
I love the idea that it’s so easy! But on my budget, $9.99 per meal is a bit much. I felt bad spending $5 on Amy’s Frozen meals! This is definitely something I’d do though if my income was a little higher – especially since it takes away the trip to the store!
I think these services can be a really great way for people to become more comfortable with cooking!
I would love to have the time to plan lots of delicious meals, but I am a teacher and the school year is so busy. It would be really nice to have a few meals a week that don’t require a lot of planning!
It’s 2 free meals but only when you subscribe for a 3 pack of meals. So for the smallest serving size (2 people), you are still paying $40. And then you have to cancel before the next order or they will charge you $60. Of course, there’s no mention of this until after you give them your name and email address :/
That kind of service seems like a great idea if one could afford it! But it also seems like the exact opposite of eating locally – what a shame to have herbs shipped to you in summer. Looks delicious! I gotta try making pickels.
This seems like the kind of thing that would be perfect to bring on a vacation to a beach house so that you aren’t either buy $7.00 bottles of spices at the last minute, or having to bring your entire kitchen with you.
Great point!
I wish the deal was good on a one time service. I’d love to try it out a few times without having to do a subscription service. I’m crazy cheap, but I’m also a total foodie who thinks this would be worth a one time try. Especially to get a feel for cooking something new.
I agree with this comment completely. After checking out the website, I felt exactly the same way!
It’s worth it – I got at least 3 servings for every 2 and the food and recipes were really good! I’ll definitely be using the service again!
I have wanted to try Blue Apron for a while now, so I have signed up! I’m not sure how long we’ll continue with it, but my husband and I have fallen into the habit of going out to eat/getting takeout about 3 times a week and repeating the same meals at home the other 4 nights. I think this will be great to get us more comfortable cooking red meat/different cuisines and will hopefully also replace one of our nights out. Looking at it this way, I think it’s a nice way to shake things up for a little!
A friend of mine gave me a few of these (she’d ordered them and then didn’t want to cook them), so I was pumped to try. The two servings is probably enough for three in my opinion, if you do a side (salad, toast, etc). I have only made one, and it was really good, and the ones that are left look great too. However, since it’s just me, I probably wouldn’t order them again – if I had a roommate/partner/family, I would during busy times though.
Bummer. I’m in Texas and they don’t service my area. I’m surprised since I live in a big city!
Bummer!! That’s too bad.
I’ve wanted to sign up but hadn’t really decided to until I saw your post – and the two free meals. I am excited to try it and the menu they sent me for next week actually looks delicious. I hate having to stop at the grocery store after work to get fresh ingredients, so having them delivered is something I am looking forward to – now the key will be me actually taking the time and energy to cook! I’m hopeful that this will help me eat more balanced meals during the week instead of just snacking for dinner.
This finally pushed me to try this service I’ve read about a lot recently. I have a 2 yr old and a 3 mo old and just not finding enough time to prepare the kind of meals we prefer. This is expensive but I’m willing to try it for a short term and hope to learn some new tricks too! Thanks!
I’m not sure I’d be willing to pay when I need to cut/chop all the ingredients, cook everything, and clean up after with nothing leftover for the next day’s lunch, all for the price of going out. Why pay to ship fresh ingredients across the country, especially in summer with all the beautiful and local produce?
We offer recipe cards with the vegetables my family sells at the farmers markets. I love getting others excited about cooking fresh food, but these services run me the wrong way. So much packaging, traveling etcetera. Seems like a marketing scam to me and an easy way to make money off of Americas laziness. I’m not being mean, just honest.
I couldn’t agree more
The sauce for the shrimp looks incredible! LOVE shrimp…so hard to get nice ones here. You wouldn’t think we lived on an island!
Can you please clarify – it is $10 per serving, per meal. So if I want to feed myself and my husband one meal it will cost $20?
Yes, that is right
Any idea when you will be mailing out your Quarterly Box? I can’t wait to see all the goodies!
It should ship on Friday for delivery next week!
How is this different than Hello Fresh which you reviewed last month? Which is better? Which had easier recipes? Better tasting food? Which one had less wasteful packaging?
That’s a really cool idea and the food looks really fresh and delicious!
I love this idea for a busy week or when I am just not feeling the inspiration. It seems expensive but if it is this or going out you are still saving. I would think of it as a special treat.
I love this idea…it’s brilliant for people who don’t have the time nor energy (or desire!!!) to cook! I wanted to do something like this for buys moms but I found that most moms preferred just buying their baby food directly from me, already prepared! 😉
Looks delish! How would you say blue apron compares with hello fresh? I am tempted to sign up for one to give it a try!
They are comparable and both were good recipes.
Everything looks delicious. I swear there is nothing better than grilled asparagus.
I’ve had the Maggio petite sirah before…good stuff! 🙂
Kath, one of my friends also signed up for Blue Apron or Plated or one of these similar services, and the arrangement was the same — the two “free meals” only goes through if you order more, so it’s really a discount and not a free gift. Even though I think it’s great for someone who is just starting out in the kitchen, the price point was just way too high for me. I can make between six to eight servings of a comparable recipe for $10. I’m curious whether you think it’s a good long term value, instead of just a “get your feet wet type of thing”? I do have a couple cousins who eat out ALL THE TIME and this could be a good solution for people in their situation. Any thoughts?
I think it’s great as a cooking lesson and ingredient intro!
This is a cool service!! I love learning about new ways to spice up healthy eating!
would love to try blue apron!
I love the idea of doing this as a gift, or periodically for special nights. Hopefully they will have the option to just order (instead of subscribe) in the future!
Is it possible to get hello fresh meal by meal, or is that a subscription too? I agree, ideally is like to order meal by meal rather than subscription.
Technically they are one, but you can do a gift card for a box, so it’s one of those “cancel or skip at any time” things
My husband and I have been doing Blue Apron for about a year. We love it. I think that the cost is quite reasonable, because if we go to the store to purchase ingredients for one meal, we will easily spend over $20. I get home later, and he is normally prepping and chopping and then we have just about 15 minutes of cooking and a fresh a delicious meal to enjoy together. We still shop once per week and get the basics for packing lunches and healthy breakfasts, but now most of our meals are planned out and then we go out or grill on the weekends. It has really made our busy lives easier! I highly recommend trying this service. We have had some really fabulous meals, and learned some fun tips and tricks.
I guess i just have too many healthy take out and delivery options available in nyc…. For that price i don’t want to then cook my own meal too! There are plenty of grocery delivery companies that i don’t have to go to the store, but for $20 i can get a healthy meal for two (already cooked!) delivered and have leftovers…..