There is something so refreshing about January. I know it’s cold and the motivation to get out of bed is hard, but it’s a fresh start and the best time to set goals for the year. My goals are to stay on track with my fitness, cook at home more, and get more organized. My boyfriend has been the best influence for all three of those goals. He’s the most organized person I know, he goes to the gym five times a week, and has been meal prepping for the past five years. I’m the type of person that goes to the gym when I feel like it, I don’t know what I want to eat until fifteen minutes before the meal, and my organization skills could use some work. Luckily, there are people and services available to help me! I’ve been blogging about Blue Apron for the past couple of years, and I fall more in love with the service every time I cook with them. I have my friends and family hooked now, too!
I’m also incredibly excited about Blue Apron offering my readers THREE FREE meals on their first Blue Apron box.
Introducing Kyle and his roommate to Blue Apron was so fun. They had never heard of it before, and now they’re hooked. When I first moved into my home last month, I didn’t do a lot of grocery shopping, and my Blue Apron came at the perfect timing. I made the Vegetable Bibimbap for Kyle’s first Blue Apron experience. I had never heard of the dish before, but he said it was one of his favorite Korean dishes. It had been years since he had it last. I was excited to try it and even more excited to make it with him!
As you can see, my fridge had eggs, hummus, ground turkey, and the Blue Apron takeover! It looks like I had a good grocery haul, but I didn’t even have to leave the house. That is all farm-fresh food and not one ingredient will not go to waste! The ingredients come from quality suppliers and artisans.
When I’m cooking my own recipes, I stick to the same vegetables and the same meats. I love that Blue Apron teaches me to branch out and try new things. They also teach me how to cook vegetables differently and incorporate them into every meal. I am now a fan of sautéed radishes, baked celery root, and fried bok choy. I like to add them to my morning omelets or stir-frys.
Preparing the food is easy and I LOVE easy. Blue Apron creates new recipes every week, and I love recreating their chef-designed meals at home. They always look pretty and taste delicious. Blue Apron is perfect for anyone wanting to learn how to cook. Even if you already know how to cook, you can still learn a thing or two from Blue Apron.
The Blue Apron direction cards have photo demonstrations to help you make the recipe exactly like their chefs. I really enjoy all the styling tips, and it helps me when making my own recipes for the blog. Inside the bowl in the picture above, I’m pickling persimmons, watermelon radishes and ginger! I was not expecting the amazing flavor. I’m now a huge fan of persimmons and I’ve been adding them to all my fruit salads.
I think it’s great that Blue Apron offers a two-person vegetarian plan. Coming up with vegetarian meals can be challenging, but you learn how to cook so many great replacements. It’s not hard to customize their meals to fit your dietary needs either. You can make a lot of their meals gluten free or dairy free by swapping out ingredients. They send breads, or yogurt sauces on the side, so you don’t have to add them if you don’t want to!
Speaking of customizing, I needed to cook up the ground turkey in my fridge, so I made it on the side and added it to our vegetable bibimbap.
Our vegetable bibimbap turned out perfect! Chef style for sure 🙂 Kyle was in LOVE and this dish alone hooked him on Blue Apron.
Blue Apron offers a 2-person plan and a family plan. The 2-person plan is perfect for one person, too! You can make all the meals and eat them six days out of the week.
I decided to do a little experimenting with meal prepping with my last Blue Apron box! Kyle spends Sundays cooking up all of his meals for the week, so I decided to knock all of my Blue Apron meals out and put them in containers too. Kyle wanted me to cook them up at his place so he could watch, but I left all of my instruction cards at home. LUCKILY, you can find all of the instructions for your meal right on their website. It’s great because you can recreate this meal whenever you want just by going online to their cookbook.
It’s perfect when they give you the right a amount of ingredients. No waste! I hate when I have to buy a giant container of something when the recipe only asks for one or two tablespoons. It’s just a waste of food and a waste of money.
When you go online to select your meals for the week, you can choose from six! You’ll never get a meal you don’t like because you’re the one in charge. I decided to choose some meals that I liked and some meals Kyle would like. I thought Kyle would love the Fresh Chestnut Pasta recipe. The pasta was SO fresh, too!
I usually roast all of my brussels sprouts, but I’m definitely going to start cooking them with a little bit of olive oil on the stovetop.
The fresh chestnut pasta took me about forty-five minutes to make! Kyle and his roommate LOVED this dish and they were they ultimate food samplers. Because we were heading to D.C. the next day, I put the recipes in containers and froze them! This was my way of food prepping. If you have a busy schedule, it’s a great idea to cook all of the meals on Sunday night and eat them throughout the week. It takes away the pressure of making dinner every night and it’s a big money saver. Next on the menu, was the sweet potato and kale hash! This could be a great breakfast dish, too!
I just love how unique and creative the recipes are. Blue Apron works hard to use high quality ingredients and they are working to develop a sustainable food system, which is awesome! You can read all about it on their mission page.
If you’re wondering how Blue Apron delivers fresh ingredients to your door without going bad, they use a refrigerated box! It’s OK if you’re not home when your package arrives, because they are packaged to survive!
You can recycle your Blue Apron packaging by using their program. Check out their recycling locator to find out options in your community, or simply return your packaging for free to Blue Apron via USPS!
Visit this page to learn more about their recycling program 🙂
I just love how hearty and healthy all of these meals are.
They also don’t cut you short on meals. They are so filling and huge portions. They range from 500-700 calories a meal, which is perfect for a healthy diet. The sweet potato and kale hash turned out great, and I LOVED the kale and goat cheese combo! And who would have ever thought of putting sautéed onions on top of toasted baguette with a ricotta spread? So creative and pretty gorgeous. It was the perfect addition to the hash. This dish took 35 minutes to make!
The last meal of the night was the brown butter & chestnut gnocchi. This was a dish I totally customized. A couple years ago, Blue Apron introduced me to sautéed radishes. I used to eat them with hummus or add them to sandwiches, I NEVER ever cooked them. Once I sautéed them, I was shocked with how amazing they tasted. They reminded me of potatoes. I decided to cook them in this dish instead of adding them on the side.
More brussel sprouts 🙂 My FAVORITE!
All of the meals turned out incredible and the boys were VERY impressed. They didn’t last throughout the week as planned, because they couldn’t help but eat them.
The servings packaged perfectly in these reusable containers! I labeled them with a permanent marker on the outside of the container. Organization points?
Going out of town isn’t a problem, because you can skip any deliveries and there is no commitment! You can cancel or delay your orders anytime you want.
Blue apron is a lifesaver and just one of the coolest services out there! It’s the perfect gift for someone, too.
Blue Apron is giving the first 50 readers three free meals on their first Blue Apron order! Just click here 🙂
Questions for you!
- What Blue Apron Dish looks the best on their online cookbook?
- Have you ever tried out Blue Apron?
This post is sponsored by Blue Apron <3 & ALL opinions are my own!
Hill says
I just used your code! Can’t wait!
Taralynn McNitt says
Can’t wait to hear what you think 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
I love it when meal preps are all completed and packed up! Gives me such a sense of satisfied. The Blue Apron meals look major yums!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Taralynn McNitt says
Thank you! My boyfriend does it every week and it’s so inspiring!
Jane says
These meals look incredible! Just ordered mine! Thank you 🙂
Taralynn McNitt says
Thank you & I can’t wait to hear what you think!
Brooklyn says
I wish Blue Apron delivered to Canada. All these meals look delicious!
I’ve always wanted to try a persimmon, what does it taste like?
http://www.justbeingbrooklyn.com
Taralynn McNitt says
Maybe one day!:)
It almost taste like a peach!
Melanie says
I just used your code!
THANK YOU!
Taralynn McNitt says
ENJOY 😀
Anonymous says
I will snap you my photos from the meal prep! Thank you so much for the idea because I never thought of food prepping the meals.
Taralynn McNitt says
Oh, Please do 🙂 Have fun.
Cecilie says
Hey Girl! I never comment, but I have been reading your blog for a couple years now and I love it! I love your photographs and your writing style. Just wanted to say I’m with you on meal prep! Every time I meal prep I end up wasting food because I eat something different. Usually after the third day I’m ready for something new. lol But Blue Apron sounds cool.
Taralynn McNitt says
Hi Cecilie!
Thank you for reading my blog 🙂
This is DEFINITELY for you then, you’ll ALWAYS be eating something different and they are so much fun to cooK! I’ve learned so much.
Heather @ Polyglot Jot says
MMM I’ve never heard of anyone who didnt like their blue apron meals! I cant have dairy or gluten, so to me it’s not worth the price when I wouldnt be using so many ingredients. When they start doing more GF/dairy free options, SIGN ME UP!
Taralynn McNitt says
You can look through their meals to see which ones use limited gluten/dairy. In a lot of the meals I just have to swap out the butter or bread! 🙂 But I agree, I’ve never heard anyone say they didn’t like it! xo
Kayla says
Tara! I’m going to Charlotte very soon – I was wondering what your favorite restaurant and coffee shop is! Please let me know 🙂
Taralynn McNitt says
That is a hard one! I have so many favorites 🙂 Coffee Shop…I love Amelies, Coco & The Director, Central Coffee Co, Not Just Coffee…
Restaurant?…The McNinch House, 5Church, Tupelo Honey, Bakersfeield!
If you follow http://www.instagram.com/charlotteagenda they have SO MANY recommendations! Also, http://www.instagram.com/queencitychic
Christy says
I’m so excited! I placed my order today! I’ve been trying to get back on track with meal prep. I know that when I have a plan my days go so much smoother!
Taralynn McNitt says
Let me know what you think 🙂 It’s great for meal prepping, ideas for dinner, or even when you’re having people over! xo
Elizabeth says
So excited to try something new! Thank you!!
Taralynn McNitt says
Can’t wait to hear what you think!
Mark says
ordered!
Taralynn McNitt says
Hope you love it!
Erin @ Brownie Bites says
I trialed Blue Apron for my blog last year and all of the meals we made were SO good! My favorite recipe was for these amazing three cheese calzones with kale and golden raisins.
Taralynn McNitt says
Oh my! That sounds amazing. I’ll have to keep an eye out for that meal!:) I hope they bring it back!
Linda @ the Fitty says
Here’s no blue apron in Canada, so no 🙁
Taralynn McNitt says
Maybe one day !:)
Mackenzie says
LOOOOOVE Blue Apron. My husband and I started using it when we first moved out here last summer because they had a $30 off their first order. We tried other services too similar to it, but Blue Apron ALWAYS took the cake. I haven’t tried any of the above meals though, and we haven’t ordered for a while, so maybe it’s time to give it another go! <3
Taralynn McNitt says
My brother said he has tried some other services, too! But Blue Apron is the best! 🙂 You should definitely see what meals they have coming up!
linda says
This looks perfect. Thank you for the recommendation.
Taralynn McNitt says
you’re welcome!
Anonymous says
Cool!
Carly says
I am a Blue Apron groupie for sure! I love that they introduce me to new and different ingredients! I never thought to ‘meal prep’ them! Such good idea, since sometimes I have trouble putting together 3 days out of a week when my husband is home for dinner!
Taralynn McNitt says
It’s the best!:) I think you’ll LOVE meal prepping them and it’s fun to spend the night cooking away!
Micky says
Thank you Taralynn
Taralynn McNitt says
No problem!
Wily says
CAN’T WAIT FOR MY MEALS!
Taralynn McNitt says
enjoy!
Lisa says
I sent my mom a box with your code! Thank you
Jaxon says
How often do you do Blue Apron?
Taralynn McNitt says
I do it once a month!:)
Haron says
Those meals look really good
Taralynn McNitt says
They are!)
sara says
I have been using the service for three years. Blue Apron is the best!
Kristin says
Meal prepping is great! It can be stressful and a lot of work but once you start you get an idea of what you like and what works for you. I am a big fan of soups that I can make in the slow cooker and freeze so I have a bunch of soup whenever I want it. 🙂 I’ve never tried Blue Apron, I’m from Canada and I don’t think it’s available here atm.
Kelli says
Woohoo excited to finally try it out, thanks so much for the discount! I’m not sure if i’ll use it all the time, but it’s definitely a nice option if I expect to have a super busy week and won’t have much time to grocery shop.
Isn’t meal prepping great!? 🙂
Also wanted to say thanks for your recent blog post about losing weight/not dieting! I was such an avid gym goer and got quite burned out at the end of last year, lost my motivation and stopped going for awhile. Your post inspired me to get my act back together, stop making excuses and start planning again! 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Anonymous says
bought!
Rachel says
Mine came! (I used your code) and I am officially obsessed. I didn’t tell my husband it was Blue Apron! WHOOPSIES.
Jazie says
Are you gluten free now?
Janice says
The brussels look good! I add them to all of my pasta meals.
Zach says
Thanks for the code
alyssa says
All of that food looks yummy!
Taralynn McNitt says
thank you!
Amanda says
Do you have an Honest food co op near you? If not you would LOVE it! If ever in Upstate NY check it out. Located in Albany!
Stefanie says
My box came! I love it! 🙂
Taralynn McNitt says
That is so great!!!
Leah | A Relaxed Gal says
I ordered my first Blue Apron box last week. It comes this Saturday! After reading your post I’m even more excited about trying out the recipes.
Taralynn McNitt says
I hope you enjoy!!!