I was not compensated for this Blue Apron review. All experience and opinions are 100% my own.

Happy Thursday!

Ever tried Blue Apron? Recently, my coworker gave me a 3 free meal deal with Blue Apron so I thought I’d give it a shot. I had a three day conference coming up that I was getting ready for so help with meal planning and prep were a must. I had to figure out outfits, pack and get pet sitting instructions together (no small feat). This was the perfect time to try it out.

I love a good subscription service and they are becoming quite popular. I already subscribe to Raw Spice Bar, Stitch Fix and KitNip Box, so I wanted to give Blue Apron a try since I’ve heard so much about them. My co-worker graciously gave me a freebie so I tried it with no risk.

Blue Apron is a weekly meal service that provides you with all the pre-measured ingredients to make a tasty meal. Each recipe has a recipe card with step by step instructions including pictures to help you along. It has everything you need, except salt, pepper and olive oil. You can also skip meal deliveries any time you wish. And, the recipes are something new and unique so if you like a kitchen adventure like me, this is worth a try.

How does Blue Apron work?

Blue Apron has a 2-person plan and a 4-person plan. When I did m y first order, there were 6 recipes to pick from and they combine them into 3-meal plans. Just this past week, they have 8 recipes to pick from and you’re free to pick which ever three you want. I like that they made that upgrade!

Here’s how you sign up: You go to their website and set up a profile which asks for your information and your dietary preferences. It’s super simple, just a few check boxes and you’re on your way. You can even pick which day of the week you want your delivery.  After that, it’s time to pick your menu!

For my first delivery, I chose the Steak pita, Taiwanese Chicken and Crusted Cod with Potato Hash. When I received my box, I eagerly reviewed the recipe cards and I thought the cod would be my favorite. I was wrong.

What’s in a Blue Apron Box?

The box arrived on a Saturday morning and I eagerly grabbed it off the porch to open it up.  The items are packed in a thermal bag with all the ingredients, labeled so you know what’s what. The meat and fish items were in between the mother of all ice packs. I mean, they were huge! It gave me comfort that the food was still fresh and at the right temperature.

The box contains everything you need for 3 complete  meals. Honestly, when I unpacked the box, I thought there was not enough food to feed the two of us and satisfy us at the same time. I was wrong on that too. It looks deceiving.

The Recipes

I made the Seared Cod with Creme Fraiche Sauce. The side dish was Potato, Cabbage and Olive hash. I make fish dishes a lot so I thought this would be amazing. I also have not cooked with Creme Fraiche before. By the time I cooked up the potato and cabbage, I realized there would be leftovers. It made a lot of side dish. My only gripe would be they included just 4 olives. I love olives and would have loved more of that flavor.

The second dish I made was the Spiced Beef Pitas with Garlic Labneh. Garlic what? Labneh is a cheese made from strained yogurt. That was a new one for me. The recipe calls for garlic paste added to the labneh, which means you crush the garlic on the back of the spoon and mix it in. I learned that garlic paste has a stronger taste so next time I’ll go easy on that one. Sorry, I didn’t get any pictures of this recipe.

My third dish was Taiwanese Style Chicken over Jasmine Rice.  This one turned out to be my favorite of the three. The cooking process for the chicken breast was new to me. First you sear one side, then flip it, add a half cup of water and finish the cooking process. Made it so tender!

The recipe also called for shredding it with two forks, but my arthritis said “no way” to that so I shredded it in the food processor. The pieces were smaller, but my hands didn’t hurt. The overall result was a tender chicken with a delicious sauce on top of colorful cabbage and rice. YUM!

My Verdict

For convenience alone, Blue ApronBlue Apron is a great deal. A normal box costs $59, which contains three dinners for two so it works out to about $10 per person per meal. A bit pricy compared to the grocery store, however if you have an insane week coming up, this will allow you to have it all put together for you without taking a trip to the store or plan the meal.  It auto renews weekly, so you have to watch your deadlines to skip a delivery if you don’t want to receive on each week. It gives you a chance to try something new without committing to purchasing the full sizes off special ingredients.

Will I do it again? I’ve actually ordered another box to be delivered this  Saturday since next week will be another crazy one.  On the menu are Pork Chops with Mustard Pan Sauce, Tandoori Style Chicken  & Rice and Nashville Style Hot Catfish. Should be a fun adventure!

I won’t be doing this every week (you can skip as many weeks as you want), but when life gets a bit crazy, it’s an excellent solution. Give it a try for yourself and get three free meals with your first order.

If you try Blue Apron, let me know what you think. If you’re a current subscriber, tell me your favorite recipe.