I received one week of the family meal plan from Blue Apron to facilitate this review. All writing and opinions are 100% my own.
I know quite a few people who have tried Blue Apron; and I kept seeing their ads everywhere, so I was very excited when they approached me to give their meal delivery service a try!
How It Works
When you set up an account with Blue Apron, you will select delivery dates for your meals. You can choose from the 2- person plans or a family plan. Here’s what you get with each plan:
2-Person Plan
With the 2-person plan, you will receive a delivery once a week of 3 meals at a cost of $59.94 per six serving delivery (or $9.99 per serving). Shipping is free.
Family Plan
The family plan serves a family of four, and you can choose from 2 or 4 recipes each week. The cost for the family plan is $69.92 per eight serving delivery ($6.92 per serving). Shipping is also free with this plan.
When you log on and set up your account with Blue Apron, you will see a calendar with available dates for your deliveries. You can always view the delivery schedule online, in addition to seeing what recipes will be arriving in your upcoming delivery.
Make sure that you (or someone else!) can pick up your box when it’s delivered. Inside your delivery box you will find everything you need to make the recipe (except of course the cookware and utensils). The Blue Apron ingredients are fresh and the seafood is sourced sustainably (and rated “Best Choice” or “Good Alternative” by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch).
When you are ready to start cooking, take a look at the recipe instructions (accompanied with photos) and 30 minutes later you’ll have a delicious meal!
What We Made
Our weekly menu included Salisbury Steaks with Roasted Asparagus & Potato Wedges, Sugar Snap Pea & Farmer’s Cheese Quiche with Spinach, Feta & Cucumber Salad, Chicken Parmesan & Bucatini Pasta with Fresh Mozzarella and Zucchini and Crispy Cod Teriyaki with Shitake Fried Rice. Our favorites were the cod and the quiche (which was a huge hit with the kids!).
Pros
I love that EVERYTHING you need for your recipe is in the box. All ingredients are measured out, so you don’t need to bother with that either. Like many other families, we often end up throwing away food that never makes it into a meal, so it was awesome to get just the right amount of ingredients I needed for the recipe. For example, when making the quiche, I got exactly 4 eggs (so no waste!).
Another great benefit of Blue Apron is that you will never eat the same meal twice over the course of a year. If you feel like you’re stuck in a dinner rut, this is a great way to expand your cooking and try new dishes, ingredients and flavors! All recipes take 30 minutes or less to prepare (you will have to chop veggies and other ingredients), and I found the time estimate to be accurate.
Lastly, I like the mission of Blue Apron– to source farm-fresh produce, naturally raised meats and sustainable seafood. Our produce was excellent and the meat and seafood were excellent!
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Cons
I loved the meals and the ease of preparation, but I’m not sure how long we would be able to do the 4 person meal with 3 growing boys! The portions were fine, but not enough for seconds or leftovers. That being said, I’m not sure it would work to do all the time with our budget. I am looking forward to doing it when we can make room in the budget, since it was fun and made meal prep SUPER easy! I also think it would be an AWESOME housewarming gift (or for any other occasion!).
Overall Impressions
If you love to cook and try different meals, but don’t have the time to go grocery shopping or the room to stock a full pantry– Blue Apron is a great alternative. The meals are delicious and the ingredients are fresh– we loved it! Give it a try and you will get 2 Meals Free on Your First Blue Apron Order (click HERE to redeem order)!
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