Blue Apron Review...
I recently had a friend who sent me an offer for a free trial of Blue Apron meals. I've never been into the whole order food and have it shipped to your door thing..it just seems too "1st world" to me. But, I do love food and hey, free is free. So I thought I'd give it a try. However, I did have a LOT of questions. Would it be fresh? How would it be packaged in order to keep the meats cold? Would I like the meals (would be husband like the meals)? Could I really cancel my subscription at any time? What would the cost really look like?
There are several companies out there who offer personalized and preassembled meals delivered to your door. Plated, HelloFresh, Peach Dish and Blue Apron are all similar in concept but for me Blue Apron was the freebie. Just a disclaimer, I realize this service has been around for a bit, but I do live in Kentucky...
So I ordered my box online via their website (3 free meals). The process to sign-up for an account, which was required, was very simple and I could even sign-up with my Facebook account. Easy. I did have to enter my credit card/debit card information but was assured I could cancel at any time and would not be charged for this first order.
Blue Apron had several options allowing me to choose between pork, beef, chicken, fish, shellfish or vegan. I could also choose which meals I preferred within a set and which I didn't want. The meal choices came in lots of 3 which permitted me to choose 2 meals with meat but the third was a without a meat choice (I'm not sure what the options would have been if I had initially selected vegan). So I purposely decided on meals that were unusual to us or dishes I hadn't yet tried. A little free adventure in my life...yes I'm that nerdy. I clicked done and placed my bets and waited for the day for my box to arrive... I'm going to be honest I was kind of giddy about when and how my box would arrive, but I've always gotten excited over mail!
PROS:
It was fresh! When the box arrived on the day I had set, it came via FedEx and everything was packaged so neatly and efficient inside. It was a considerably hot day, but with the insulated bag within the box and two large ice packs, everything as cold and well within a temperature range. Plus, the ice packs were reusable and are now housed in my freezer. Win.
It made my dinner feel like a gourmet meal and I the chef. New, adventure, gourmet... All these things are truth when thinking about having a meal sent directly to your home, but after ordering Blue Apron I began to realize the appeal to it all is kind of like Starbucks. It is a novelty. I get to choose, I get amazing meals and adventure with my food, I'm being pampered...yada yada yada. But let's be honest, I could google a recipe and go to my local Kroger and prepare what was boxed up for me.
It helped with organization and time management. I live 20 minutes away from the nearest grocery store, not very far but I do NOT want to have to run out at the last minute for a spice or vegetable that I absentmindedly forgot on my last trip. Plus, with the busyness of schedules today and families, having a meal on my doorstep...actually three meals that I didn't have to think about or plan was really nice. You can cancel at anytime and you can skip weeks for as long as you need...in case you want to invite me to go on a month long cruise with you.
If you eat out often, it might save on your budget. $9.99 per serving isn't bad if you are used to eating out at nice restaurants multiple times a week. Ideally you are being served a gourmet meal and you wouldn't get by with just ten bucks at a restaurant for what you are preparing at home. But then again, I'm preparing the food and I still have to get the BryanAutomatic 2000 dishwasher going as well.
The packaging and pre-measured spices and ingredients is amazing. Who wouldn't love to have all your little spices measured out perfectly for each recipe. Hello, Ree Drummond and the Food Network. Even the vinegar, special oils and butter were all measured and placed in small containers. The organizational nerd in me LOVED the packaging! (Seriously considered keeping them).
I loved trying new foods and getting new recipes. I could spend quite a large amount of time on Pinterest of Google looking for new recipes or I could save the new ones Blue Apron sent me and add my own little tweaks to them for meals down the road.
CONS:
It was complicated and I couldn't multitask. Ok, just my opinion but from the prep to the cooking it seemed to take more of my time and required more of my thought. BUT these are new recipes and if I did a new recipe my self it would require extra effort. You really have to do all the prep first and follow the step-by-step instructions. And read the DETAILS. One of my recipes called for half of the green scallion and I used the whole thing, not realizing I would need the other half for the second recipe. (I had to mentally remind myself that this was a "gourmet" type meal and would require just a bit of extra time...)
Not EVERYTHING is included. This may seem like a small point, but you do have to provide your own oils, salt, pepper, etc. Most people do have those on had however if you are a literal individual like myself...everything means everything.
It is costly. Bryan and I don't eat out every night and in fact in the last year or so I've really tried to watch our food budget. Food is the WORST investment you can make with your money because it is gone so quickly and there no return. Can we say Taco Bell...gross. With that being said and due to the fact that the portions were not large enough for leftovers, this would not be an option for our budget. For the 2 serving option with 3 meals per week, your total would be $59.94 per week. Shipping is free and you can cancel or skip anytime.
I used more dishes and containers. Again, just my opinion but I felt like there was more of a need for dicing and slicing instruments, small bowls, pans, etc. I use the BryanAutomatic 2000 as a dishwasher so less is more in our house. As much as I was nerded out over the small containers and packaging it was BPA free or anything so I didn't feel I could reuse them and wondered over the extra trash I was making.
The food was very good but not great. After both of us having traveled overseas we are really big on not complaining about food, eating leftovers and being grateful for what Father has given us. So it was hard for us to critique... however, after 2 meals B and I both agreed the food is good but not amazing. Perhaps my expectations are too high, but we just weren't overly wowed.
Blue Apron. If you've got the money go for it. It is fun to be adventurous sometimes and branch out with new meals and ideas. Plus, all of the above are really 1st world problems. As for the me and B, we will be shopping at Aldi, watching for really great coupons (I'm not a crazy coupon lady) and still eating at home without that little exciting box on our doorstep.
A special shoutout to Court for giving me the opportunity to try this and review the company. Plus, who doesn't love a friend who gets you free meals.
Beautiful, at the end of the day I'm still thinking about those who don't have a meal today, Feet
You can also watch the video review on my Facebook... https://www.facebook.com/whitneyjaijai/videos/10157407184170333/
There are several companies out there who offer personalized and preassembled meals delivered to your door. Plated, HelloFresh, Peach Dish and Blue Apron are all similar in concept but for me Blue Apron was the freebie. Just a disclaimer, I realize this service has been around for a bit, but I do live in Kentucky...
So I ordered my box online via their website (3 free meals). The process to sign-up for an account, which was required, was very simple and I could even sign-up with my Facebook account. Easy. I did have to enter my credit card/debit card information but was assured I could cancel at any time and would not be charged for this first order.Blue Apron had several options allowing me to choose between pork, beef, chicken, fish, shellfish or vegan. I could also choose which meals I preferred within a set and which I didn't want. The meal choices came in lots of 3 which permitted me to choose 2 meals with meat but the third was a without a meat choice (I'm not sure what the options would have been if I had initially selected vegan). So I purposely decided on meals that were unusual to us or dishes I hadn't yet tried. A little free adventure in my life...yes I'm that nerdy. I clicked done and placed my bets and waited for the day for my box to arrive... I'm going to be honest I was kind of giddy about when and how my box would arrive, but I've always gotten excited over mail!
PROS:
It was fresh! When the box arrived on the day I had set, it came via FedEx and everything was packaged so neatly and efficient inside. It was a considerably hot day, but with the insulated bag within the box and two large ice packs, everything as cold and well within a temperature range. Plus, the ice packs were reusable and are now housed in my freezer. Win.
It made my dinner feel like a gourmet meal and I the chef. New, adventure, gourmet... All these things are truth when thinking about having a meal sent directly to your home, but after ordering Blue Apron I began to realize the appeal to it all is kind of like Starbucks. It is a novelty. I get to choose, I get amazing meals and adventure with my food, I'm being pampered...yada yada yada. But let's be honest, I could google a recipe and go to my local Kroger and prepare what was boxed up for me.
 |
| Paprika Shrimp & Cheddar Grits |
It helped with organization and time management. I live 20 minutes away from the nearest grocery store, not very far but I do NOT want to have to run out at the last minute for a spice or vegetable that I absentmindedly forgot on my last trip. Plus, with the busyness of schedules today and families, having a meal on my doorstep...actually three meals that I didn't have to think about or plan was really nice. You can cancel at anytime and you can skip weeks for as long as you need...in case you want to invite me to go on a month long cruise with you.
If you eat out often, it might save on your budget. $9.99 per serving isn't bad if you are used to eating out at nice restaurants multiple times a week. Ideally you are being served a gourmet meal and you wouldn't get by with just ten bucks at a restaurant for what you are preparing at home. But then again, I'm preparing the food and I still have to get the BryanAutomatic 2000 dishwasher going as well.
The packaging and pre-measured spices and ingredients is amazing. Who wouldn't love to have all your little spices measured out perfectly for each recipe. Hello, Ree Drummond and the Food Network. Even the vinegar, special oils and butter were all measured and placed in small containers. The organizational nerd in me LOVED the packaging! (Seriously considered keeping them).I loved trying new foods and getting new recipes. I could spend quite a large amount of time on Pinterest of Google looking for new recipes or I could save the new ones Blue Apron sent me and add my own little tweaks to them for meals down the road.
CONS:
It was complicated and I couldn't multitask. Ok, just my opinion but from the prep to the cooking it seemed to take more of my time and required more of my thought. BUT these are new recipes and if I did a new recipe my self it would require extra effort. You really have to do all the prep first and follow the step-by-step instructions. And read the DETAILS. One of my recipes called for half of the green scallion and I used the whole thing, not realizing I would need the other half for the second recipe. (I had to mentally remind myself that this was a "gourmet" type meal and would require just a bit of extra time...)
Not EVERYTHING is included. This may seem like a small point, but you do have to provide your own oils, salt, pepper, etc. Most people do have those on had however if you are a literal individual like myself...everything means everything.
It is costly. Bryan and I don't eat out every night and in fact in the last year or so I've really tried to watch our food budget. Food is the WORST investment you can make with your money because it is gone so quickly and there no return. Can we say Taco Bell...gross. With that being said and due to the fact that the portions were not large enough for leftovers, this would not be an option for our budget. For the 2 serving option with 3 meals per week, your total would be $59.94 per week. Shipping is free and you can cancel or skip anytime.I used more dishes and containers. Again, just my opinion but I felt like there was more of a need for dicing and slicing instruments, small bowls, pans, etc. I use the BryanAutomatic 2000 as a dishwasher so less is more in our house. As much as I was nerded out over the small containers and packaging it was BPA free or anything so I didn't feel I could reuse them and wondered over the extra trash I was making.
The food was very good but not great. After both of us having traveled overseas we are really big on not complaining about food, eating leftovers and being grateful for what Father has given us. So it was hard for us to critique... however, after 2 meals B and I both agreed the food is good but not amazing. Perhaps my expectations are too high, but we just weren't overly wowed.
Blue Apron. If you've got the money go for it. It is fun to be adventurous sometimes and branch out with new meals and ideas. Plus, all of the above are really 1st world problems. As for the me and B, we will be shopping at Aldi, watching for really great coupons (I'm not a crazy coupon lady) and still eating at home without that little exciting box on our doorstep.
A special shoutout to Court for giving me the opportunity to try this and review the company. Plus, who doesn't love a friend who gets you free meals.
Beautiful, at the end of the day I'm still thinking about those who don't have a meal today, Feet
You can also watch the video review on my Facebook... https://www.facebook.com/whitneyjaijai/videos/10157407184170333/
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