Imagine a world with fewer trips to the grocery store, no more angst about what to cook for dinner, and no food waste.
Blue Apron and other services it like want to make those concepts a reality for their customers.
Blue Apron, which began in 2012, sends subscribers a box each week with the ingredients for three meals for two people or two meals for a family of four. Along with the food are step-by-step instructions with pictures of the ingredients, the process and the finished dish.
The two-person box is $59.94 a week, the family plan is $69.92 for two recipes or $139.84 for four recipes.
Virginia Barrette, a mom of two from West Des Moines, tried Blue Apron after it was recommended to her by a friend. For her it was a good experience.
“I like that it makes me cook out of my comfort zone,” Barrette said. “The recipes I’ve received so far are nothing I would have cooked on my own.”
Blue Apron also lets her skip the grocery store which is one of her least favorite chores.
Even with all the good things I had heard about meal delivery services I have to admit I was still skeptical. As a mom of a three- and two-year-old I have to streamline my cooking prep. I didn’t want to get stuck with a recipe that had too much prep or something that would take hours to cook.
I like the freedom to choose what I’m going to make and I do enjoy going to the grocery store so I can find new products and see what is on sale.
All that being said, one thing I was not worried about was the variety of foods. My husband and I both like all kinds of food and luckily our kids are not picky eaters at this point.
For the purpose of research I was happy to try a week. Going into this assignment I knew very little about Blue Apron’s services. I knew they would send me a box of ingredients and that’s it.
Here’s what happened when I tried it out.
First I signed up on blueapron.com. It was simple to select what types of meat and seafood I was interested in and my delivery day. I decided to try the two-person plan that included three recipes.
As the delivery day neared I received emails from Blue Apron detailing the recipes for the week and instructions for storing the food once it was delivered. The box came right on time and I was very impressed with the packaging. Each ingredient was in it’s own bag and the ice packs were still frozen solid. There was a recipe sheet for each meal with a description of the food, pictures of all the ingredients, calorie information, and prep and cook time.
On the back of each sheet were the instructions broken up into six steps (with pictures) for each meal. The three meals included in my box were Red Curry and Coconut Shrimp Stir-Fry, Seared Chicken with Verjus Pan Sauce and Soy-Glazed Meatballs.
There was a lot I liked about Blue Apron. I liked the fact there was absolutely no food waste. The packaging was recyclable, the food quality was very good and it saved me a trip to the grocery store.
The meals were easy to prepare, my family liked all of them and probably best of all, there was enough food to feed the four of us and a little leftover from each dish.
Because this is a subscription service, it adds one more reminder to your calendar if you plan on skipping a delivery. Unless you go to the website (or app) and skip a delivery six days in advance they will ship you the next box.
I wish there had been a better variety of vegetables — and maybe there are in other weeks. In this box the vegetables were collard greens, Swiss chard and kale. If a family isn’t into cooked greens this would not have been a great set of meals.
Overall, I was very happy with this meal service and I will definitely use it again. I will most likely use it when I have a busy week and I need to save time.
The people I think would like Blue Apron would be those who want to learn to cook, people who have moved to a new city and are not yet familiar with the grocery stores in the area, busy families who want to branch out with new recipes and people who want to cook but don’t have the time or energy to plan meals or get to the grocery store.
For now, I’m looking ahead to the next few weeks of meals and contemplating what I want the most, the Peruvian Roast Chicken, Summer Bean and Goat Cheese Panzanella or the Grilled Fontina and Fig Jam Sandwiches.
Blue Apron is just one of many meal delivery services. Here are some other businesses, some national and some local, that you may want to try.
www.hellofresh.com
Choose from a Veggie, Classic or Family Box each week. Prices range from $59 – $129 depending on the box and the number of meals. Like Blue Apron, you get a box of ingredients and recipes.
www.plated.com
Choose from nine different recipes each week and get a box of ingredients delivered. Plans range from $54 – $96 depending on the number of meals. You can also add desserts to your subscription.
www.thegratefulchefdsm.com
This local service provides you with meals that are ready to be cooked or reheated. Each week there is a meat entree, vegetarian entree, soup and salad. The entrees are $30 for four servings. Soups and salads are $10 and occasionally there are also dessert options. Orders are due by noon on Mondays and available for pickup on Thursdays.
www.beefcakefuel.com
Based in Waukee, this service provides ready to microwave meals. Customers can buy individual meals or buy a plan. There are a variety of plans. Options include the Gym Rat Pack that includes 48 meals from $372.30 or a five meal lunch pack from $43.75. Orders need to be in by 4 p.m. Fridays and will be delivered early the next week.
www.jbspaleo.com
These prepackaged single serving meals from this local services are paleo-friendly. Orders are due on Saturdays and there are several drop sites to choose from where you can pick up your meals on Tuesdays after 8 a.m. There are three meal options per week and a “not quite paleo” sweets option. There are five, three and two meal options that range in price from $25 – $62.50.