Girl’s Night In with Blue Apron
Last Saturday, a good friend of mine invited me over for a Girl’s Night In. She has been using a service called Blue Apron for the past few months and was raving about it. She gets pre-packaged, FRESH ingredients for meals 3x’s per week. There are many options on Blue Apron to fit your lifestyle. She uses the 2-Person Plan and finds that there is more than enough food for her dinner meal and lunch the next day! The cost rounds out to be about $60 per week. This helps cut down grocery shopping because dinner (and lunch) is now covered!
We decided it would be fun to cook up a meal together! The menu was Seared Steaks & Mashed Potatoes with a side of Sauteed Radishes & Snap Peas. I will say, cooking together was totally fun! I can see how Blue Apron can get you excited to cook even if being in the kitchen makes you nervous. For couples and families, I definitely think this is a great bonding opportunity. It was like playing restaurant! The quality of the ingredients was awesome and I loved how her fridge and freezer were stocked with labeled baggies and containers of ingredients for the week’s meals. *Calorie count was also on the card. The meal we cooked was 700cal per person.
The menu on the Blue Apron web site is updated weekly. My girlfriend says she jumps on the site to check what meals she’s receiving. If there are a few planned that she isn’t interested in trying, she skips that week. You can also tailor meals based on dietary restrictions and preferences.
Here is what we mastered:
1. The recipe card was easy to follow and included pictures. The level of difficulty was also listed on the card. I am OKAY in the kitchen, but this card was pretty helpful explaining techniques step-by-step.
2. The ingredient quality was great. The potatoes and other veggies were fresh, the steaks were wrapped nicely, the herbs and seasonings were included. You didn’t have to think. It was all there for you!
3. I loved how Blue Apron included ingredients that I’d never normally use. This recipe included a lemon/tarragon sauce. I would have never paired that sauce with a steak on my own. It was adventurous and DELICIOUS! I’ve also never sauteed radishes. I’ve always thinly sliced them raw. For this recipe, you quartered each radish and sauteed them until soft and brown. This was YUMMY tossed with the snap peas. This is a side dish I will now make on my own when I’m cooking!
4. It was FUN! Cooking together was filled with a lot of laughs! We had a plating competition after our food was cooked. We plated a dish for one another following the picture on the card... of course we took photos! ;) Blue Apron is perfect for exploring your inner chef! Perfect for a Girl’s Night In, Date Night, or family cooking.
1. Butter and heavy cream?! There was some decadence. Everything in moderation, right?
2. I don’t have mad skills... I’m not the best at chopping. I did notice that my lemon/tarragon sauce (which had all the butter, ha!) was chunky compared to the picture. What I learned is that I should have finely chopped the onion and herb. This is a down side for those with time constraints when it comes to throwing together dinner. You’re definitely taking your time when preparing these meals. Each meal will vary in time and level of difficulty.
3. Portions... this might not be a downer for some. I felt like there was A LOT of food. I felt really full afterwards. I think even with the 2-person option, some recipes will leave you with leftovers.
Blue Apron was perfect for a night in with a good friend. We enjoyed being in the kitchen together and actually preparing something delicious! I’ve heard a lot of great things about Blue Apron. It is worth considering if you want to spend time in the kitchen. Remember, this isn’t a delivery service with meals you just warm and serve. You’re COOKING! You’re doing ALL of the dicing and the slicing!
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