We had some gooood meals over here recently!
I was recently given the opportunity to try out Blue Apron, a meal-delivery service that allows you to create delicious, chef-designed recipes at home.
The thing that really stuck out for me with Blue Apron, as opposed to other meal delivery services, is that they aren’t sending you pre-made meals. They deliver all the farm-fresh ingredients you need, right to your doorstep, in exactly the right proportions. The recipes are delivered in a refrigerated box so ingredients will stay fresh even if you’re not at home when your package arrives.
And let me tell you…having all of the ingredients you need in the exact proportions is totally amazing. If only I could have all of my meals set up for me this way!
And they really do send you basically everything you’ll need. I’m pretty sure the only extra ingredients I needed to use in any of my recipes were a little bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Everything else, right down to the toothpicks for our sandwiches(!) were included. No trips to the grocery store and no waste from unused ingredients.
The week before our meals were set to arrive (I scheduled ours to be delivered on a Friday – you can choose which day you prefer), I received an email with the menu, which really got me excited.
I was honestly a bit nervous when I signed up, since I wasn’t sure what meals would be heading my way and/or if we’d even like them. Luckily, you can choose from a few preferences, so that helped narrow things down a bit.
Blue Apron sends you three meals per week, and you can choose if you’d like servings for two, four, or six people. All meals are $9.99 per person, they always have free shipping, and there’s no commitment – you can skip or cancel the service at any time.
Jay and I chose to have 4 servings of each meal delivered so we could have leftovers and/or share the experience with friends to get their feedback as well. The first meal we made was the Seared Salmon and Tomato Chutney with Cranberry Bean and Spinach Stew, and we shared that with our friend/cousins Brian and Mal.
Mal and I worked together in the kitchen and we both agreed that this meal was actually much easier to make than I had anticipated.
I was honestly kind of nervous about cooking the fish (no good reason why, just am), but this recipe showed me that it’s not only easy (literally, just let is cook/sear in the pan!), but it’s now something I’m much more willing to try cooking again.
This dish was my absolute, #1 favorite out of all of them.
The second meal we tried out was the Classic BLT Sandwiches with Tomato, Avocado, and Cucumber Salad.
This recipe was also delicious, and definitely the easiest to prepare (since, you know, we eat BLT’s over here at least once a week). All of the ingredients were incredibly fresh and the bacon was amazing. Nice and thick…I need to start buying thicker cut bacon.
The salad that went along with the BLT’s really stood out for us as well. Again, simple to put together, but the mustard vinaigrette that it was made with really helped me think outside the box for “dressing up” my veggie sides. It was delicious!
Lucas thought so too, since he managed to sneak in and grab a bite while I was trying to snap a photo. 
The third recipe Jay and I tried was the Chicken and Snow Pea-Radish Sauté with Candied Pistachios.
Jay helped quite a bit with this particular dish and we both agreed that this one was probably the most time-consuming of them all.
Had we not had a hungry toddler at our ankles the whole time, that probably would have made a huge difference but, you know.
This dish was also probably the most outside our wheelhouse in terms of ingredients and cooking methods, but we were excited to finally have something new to help get us out of our dinner rut as of lately.
The candied pistachios? OMG…
Blue Apron offers a large selection of recipes and is always adding new dishes to their menu every week. Delivery is available to over 80% of the country, (for a full map of delivery zones check here).
Each menu is between 500-700 calories per person, and they say that all meals can be prepared in 40 minutes or less.
Breaking down our experience a bit more…
Pros:
- Ingredients were incredibly fresh, packaged nicely, and provided in the exact quantities needed (less waste!)
- Ingredients and sourced from quality local suppliers and artisans (always try to support local, when you can!)
- Allowed us to try new things and break out of our dinner rut a bit
- Less time spent meal planning/grocery shopping
- The recipes were easy to follow and absolutely delicious
Cons:
- Meals are $9.99/person, which is more like what we’d spend if we were going out to a restaurant. But even so, I’d still say that it’s a healthier alternative to going out at a restaurant, and you also save time on grocery shopping, driving to the store, etc.
- Meals are picked for you, you don’t choose. However, depending on how open you are to new things (we were!) this really isn’t too big of a deal, especially since you get to choose the kinds of meals you like/dislike (see above).
- Some prep took a bit longer than we usually prefer for weeknights. The chicken dish took us over 40 minutes to prep/cook, but again, we were also dealing with a hungry toddler and whatnot, so that could have been a non-issue. We’re also used to making dishes on the fly these days, so we haven’t been used to the added steps.
Overall, we absolutely loved our experience with Blue Apron, and I’m so glad we got the opportunity to give it a try. We actually have another week’s worth of meals heading our way a week after next (which we purchased ourselves), and I’m excited to see what’s on the menu. If it’s something that fits within your budget, I would absolutely, 100% recommend trying it out for yourself! So if you’re interested…
Blue Apron Discount Offer!
Blue Apron is offering the first 50 readers to get two free meals on their first Blue Apron order!*
*Two free meals are subtracted from the purchase of six, you do not get two free meals by themselves. Just an FYI!
Blue Apron Giveaway Offer!
One lucky STSL reader also gets the chance to win a week of meals for two! To enter:
Visit the Blue Apron site, check out their menu this week, and pick a recipe you would love to try the most. Leave a comment on this post with that recipe!
I’ll choose a random winner next Thursday, 9/25. Good Luck!
There’s also a Blue Apron Cookbook available on their site, featuring 50 of their favorite recipes.
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Blue Apron. The links contained within the post are not affiliate links.
I would love to try the furikake topped salmon. Yum!
While a couple of them are sticking out at me, I would have to say the Blackened Chile-Dusted Chicken looks and sounds the tastiest!
I think the curried tofu looks awesome. I agree that $9.99 isn’t nothing, but it’s a lot cheaper than eating out in Brooklyn once you factor in travel, tax, and especially drinks!
It all looks tasty! I would be worried too about not liking some of the things they send! I also like having some leftovers to bring for lunch the next day, but I can see how this would be nice every now and then! Just looking quickly I would love the Blackened-Chile Chicken!
I had the opportunity to intern for FreshRealm this past summer and it was amazing! They are a great meal kit delivery service that lets you pick and choose what meals you want with no subscription necessary. Here is the site if you want to take a look: freshrealm.co.
The blackened chilie dusted chicken sounds soo good!!
I would try the Curried Tofu. It looks really delicious. It would be worth the expense just to avoid grocery shopping. There are some days when I simply cannot get to the store. And ordering pizza gets tiresome after awhile…and expensive!
Summer Vegetable Hiyashi Chuka looks yummy!
that blackened chile dusted chicken looks divine…but they all do!! Thanks courtney!
Mmm the Parmasean Basil Chicken Burgers look really good!
omg-the parmesean basil chicken burgers sound amazing!
Curried tofu!! What a great concept!!
I would love to try the blackened chili dusted chicken, it looks great!
The parmasean chicken burgers!
I’m not a vegetarian..but the curried tofu dish is really looking good right now!
The blackened chili dusted chicken looks amazing, even more so bc I wouldn’t have to go to the store to get the ingredients! Such a time saver and wouldn’t have to listen to the little guy scream in the store…major plus!! Thanks Courtney!
I love burgers – so I’d go with the parmesan chicken burgers!
Meatloaf and potatoes! Can’t beat a standard meat and potatoes kind of meal :)
The curried tofu sounds delish!
I think the Blackened Chile-Dusted Chicken sounds really good
I’d love this for when our little one arrives in a few weeks! The Parmesan burgers look awesome.
I would love to try the furikake topped salmon!
I think the Beef Meatloaf & Roasted Potatoes with Lemon-Horseradish Green Beans looks great!!!
The Furikake Salmon looks delicious!
The salmon looks incredible!! I also recently learned cooking fish at home is not nearly as hard or scary as I made it out to be. Funny, isn’t it… ;)
Summer Ciambotta sounds perfect…I love stews and it’s right between summer/fall. They always taste awesome as leftovers too! Multi-purpose!
The Curried Tofu looks so yummy!
Ahhh! With an impatient toddler in the house, it would be great to have my meals prepped out for me too! Especially since we’ve been making some pretty lame-o quickie meals lately. The “Blackened Chile-Dusted Chicken” sounds divine!
chile chicken!!
The blackened chile dusted chicken sounds really good! this seems like a great way to learn to cook new meals without wasting ingredients!
This would be an awesome date night in! The chicken bahn mi looks tasty.
What a fun giveaway! The blackened chili-dusted chicken looks amazing!
Classic but the Meatloaf and roasted potatoes…is it sad that I’m 30 and I’ve never made meatloaf? Perfect comfort food for these colder months.
Would love to try the summer vegetable hiyashi chuka
Yum! I’d love to try the chili-dusted chicken!
Thanks, Courtney!
Blue Apron sounds great! What a fun way to try new foods and get creative in the kitchen. The blackened chile-dusted chicken sounds lovely!
Beef meatloaf and roasted potatoes, please!! :)
I’ve been so curious about Blue Apron! The chili dusted chicken stood out to me – I get bored with the same chicken at home over and over!
The blackens chilie chicken
I would most love to try the Furikake-Topped Salmon!
I would love to try Blackened Chile-Dusted Chicken — it sounds amazing!!! Thank you so much for sharing your experience — i have been on the fence about this and think I may take the leap.
The salmon looks amazing!!
Your seared salmon with tomato chutney looks great!
I would go for the Summer Vegetable Hiyashi Chuka. It’s definitely not something I would usually cook, so it would be fun to branch out a bit!
I would love to try the Summer Vegetable Hiyashi Chuka. I have been back and forth with wanting to try blue apron for a while now for some reason I just cant pull the trigger and order it :) I think the fact that you cannot pick your exact meals is whats stopping me.
Caramelized Onion and Heirloom Tomato Crostata? Yum!!
All of these recipes look so good! I would love to try any one of them :)
I’m all about that salmon, I love salmon and finding new ways to prepare it. I have no idea what furikake is, so I guess that’s the whole beauty of this service! :)
The curried tofu sounds amazing!
Maybe it’s’ the change in the weather, but that meatloaf is looking good!
the salmon with tomato chutney sounds INCREDIBLE! but so does the blackened chile-dusted chicken!
My husband and I love blackened chicken so the Blackened Chile-Dusted Chicken is right up our alley!
Mmmmmm chile chicken looks yummy!!
I am excited I am getting my first Blue Apron box this Saturday! After reading your review I am even more excited about it. I think the Summer Vegetable Hiyashi Chuka looks awesome. Definitely out of my cooking wheelhouse so it would be fun to try.
I have a lot of friends trying this service and I think $9.99 is super cost effective (we live in SF and things are just more pricey here!). I wouldn’t be very excited about making sandwiches via the service, but I sure would love to win to get a chance to try out the Furikake Salmon. Anything with fish for me!
Thanks for sharing!
The tomato, peach & goat cheese salad looks amazing!
The blackened chile-dusted chicken sounds delish!
Parmasean Basil Chicken Burgers – yum!
What a great giveaway! I’d love to try the blackened chile dusted chicken- yum!
I would love to try the Blackened Chile-Dusted Chicken with Zucchini Rice Pilaf & Corn-Tomato Salsa. Yum!
Would definitely help change up my menu rotation!
The Blackened Chile-Dusted Chicken
with Zucchini Rice Pilaf & Corn-Tomato Salsa is so pretty and sounds really good!
The parmesan basil chicken burger sounds amazing!
I would love to try the Curried Tofu!
Furikake topped salmon. This sounds delicious!
Blackened Chile-Dusted Chicken!
The furikake topped salmon sounds amazing!
The Furikake-Topped Salmon looks delicious!
The vegetable pot pie and the chicken noodle soup look yummy! I like this idea. I am with you though, I am not sure I would spend that much on it.
I would love to try the furikake salmon. I had never heard of furikake until I read a recipe yesterday for furikake popcorn. Sounds like something worth checking out!
I would love to try the Chicken Hiyashi Chuka!!
Love meatloaf so i want to try Beef Meatloaf & Roasted Potatoes
For sure the Summer Ciambotto! Two of my favorite things…purple potato and Farro! Yum!!
I would love to try the southern style shrimp and grits!
I’d love to try the Mexican-Style Turkey Burgers!
I am hearing such rave reviews on this service – perfect idea for our busy families! The blackened chili chicken – YES!
Blackened Chile-Dusted Chicken with Zucchini Rice Pilaf & Corn-Tomato Salsa looks delicious!!
The Blackened Chile-Dusted Chicken with Zucchini Rice Pilaf & Corn-Tomato Salsa looks A-M-AZE!
The Summer Vegetable Hiyashi Chuka looks awesome. I’ve been wanting to try one of those gourmet Ramen dishes.
Mexican style turkey burgers
The Parmesan Basil Chicken Burgers!
Two things I can never look past… Salmon. And meatloaf. YUM. I would definitely go for the Furikake-Topped Salmon or the Beef Meatloaf & Roasted Potatoes.
I would love to try the Curried Tofu!!
Blackened chile dusted chicken looks great but the furikake-topped salmon looks so different and out of the norm for us so I’d love to try both!
The Blackened Chile-Dusted Chicken looks delicious!
I’ve been stuck in a serious dinner rut lately, so I really hope I win because I think this would be the perfect way to snap out of it! So many delicious sounding options, but the Carmelized Onion and Heirloom Tomato Crostata definitely jumped out at me.
The blackened chile-dusted chicken!
The Chile Dusted Chicken looks delicious, but he Salmon dish does as well…I can’t just pick one!
Blackened Chile-Dusted Chicken looks amazing! It is such a struggle to cook, especially with the hungry child at the ankles!
The Blackened chili dusted chicken looks great! seems like that is a popular favorite on here :)
All of the meals look awesome honestly, but the blackened chile-dusted chicken looks extra awesome :)
I’ve been looking at Blue Apron a lot lately. I’d love to try the blackened chile-dusted chicken. FYI, their recipes on their page also look phenomenal! Making some of their stuffed polano peppers this weekend.
I think the blackened chili-dusted chicken looks amazing!
I’ve been curious about Blue Apron and would love to try the Summer Ciambotta
with Purple Potatoes & Farro or Summer Vegetable Hiyashi Chuka
with Fresh Ramen Noodles & Soft-Boiled Eggs!
I’d like to try the blackened chili crusted chicken! But mostly I’d like to win for my sister…she would get a HUGE kick out of this!!
The Blackened Chili-Dusted Chicken looks delicious!!
Beef meatloaf looks amazing and some good comfort food for the upcoming cooler days!
I would love the beef meatloaf and roasted potatoes!
I hope I win!
yumm they all look good. I think I would like to try the furikake topped salmon
i’d love to try the Cod & Pattypan Squash En Papillote!
yum! I would love to try the ramen noodle dish :)
I would like to try a lot of them one being salmon burgers!
I would love to try the Curried Tofu recipe!
the Blackened Chile-Dusted Chicken with Zucchini Rice Pilaf & Corn-Tomato Salsa looks amazing
I would love to try the blackened chile dusted chicken. Yum!!
The curried tofu looks delish!
I would love to try the curried tofu!
I would love to try the peach tomatoe and goat cheese salad!
While Meatloaf is one of my favorite comfort foods, I think trying the Summer Vegetable Hiyashi Chuka would definitely break me out of my dinner time rut!
The summer ciambotta looks good!
I would love to try the Summer Ciambotta, it looks so pretty with all those colors.
Courtney, thank you so much for the deal! Can’t beat saving 20$. I am REALLY looking forward to our first delivery!! I also love how you can skip deliveries AND check out the menu before choosing to receive or skip! Thank you, thank you, thank you!! Meatloaf, blackened chicken and salmon here we come!!!
I would try the blackened chicken! This looks like a huge time-saver. I have heard really positive things about Blue Apron.
Oh man that meatloaf looks awesome! I so wish I liked salmon because the stew you made looks AMAZING.
I’d totally be up for the curried tofu – I’ve never made tofu at home but like ordering it!
The Furikake-Topped Salmon sounds yummy!
I would love to try the summer vegetable hiyashi chuka!
I’d love to try the beef meatloaf and potatoes!
I always want to be adventurous with what I make but that never seems to happen so blue apron would be great for me! I’d love to try the Summer Vegetable Hiyashi Chuka.
Yum! I want the chili chicken!
I would love the Blackened Chile-Dusted Chicken. I love any side dish with zucchini!
I would love to try the Seared Salmon and Tomato Chutney with Cranberry Bean and Spinach Stew. YUMMy!
I’m on a curry kick lately, so I think my #1 pick would be the Curried Tofu. They all look pretty good though.
Parmesan chicken burgers look amazing!
I think the Parmasean Basil Chicken Burgers look DELISH! I would love the opportunity to try these babies out!
I think the Summer Vegetable Hiyashi Chuka sounds great. Its not something I would normally try to make at home but they make it look so easy. This seems like a great way to learn how to cook things that you wouldnt already know how to prepare.
The meatloaf and potatos look sooo good!!
I would try the blackened chilie dusted chicken
The curried tofu looks delicious and completely different than our usually rotation of meals around here!
I have such a hard time thinking up meals to eat every night so I would love someone to tell me exactly what to cook and how. The curried tofu looks amazing!!!
The Blackened Chili Crusted Chicken looks great!
I would love to try the Furikake-Topped Salmon
That salmon looks amazing! Would love to have that meal to end up a crazy day!
The Summer Vegetable Hiyashi Chuka looks delicious!
The blackened chili dusted chicken looks amazing!
I thought your meals looked like last week’s menu :) I have been obsessively checking out Blue Apron’s website for recipes lately, but just haven’t bit the bullet yet. I’ve just been taking advantage of our new Whole Foods to try and mimic the recipes.
I’d go with the Beef Meatloaf with Roasted Potatoes. They all look pretty darn good though!
Curried tofu looks amazing!!!
I think the furikake salmon sounds good!
have been wanting to try BA for a while! the Blackened Chile-Dusted Chicken looks delish!
I think the Beef Meatloaf with Roasted Potatoes looks delicious!
The curry tofu or the salmon for me, please!!
Blackened chicken or salmon – yum!
The Fresh Beet Pasta looks amazing!! There are so many that I’d love to try!
I would have to say the Beef Meatloaf & Roasted Potatoes with Lemon-Horseradish Green Beans . Would love to try this at home.
I would love to try the salmon dish. Salmon with lemon and olive oil is getting old!
The Summer Ciambotta with Purple Potatoes & Farro looks so good! I’ve never had anything like it before.
All of the recipes you made looked so good! I’d love to try the Beef Meatloaf & Roasted Potatoes :)
I would like to try the Furikake- Topped Salmon. Sounds interesting and I love fish!
I don’t have any experience blackening, so it would be awesome to try out the Blackened Chile-Dusted Chicken.
Nice give-away :)
All of this weeks recipes sound really good but I would love to make the beef meatloaf with roasted potatoes. :o)
Yum! The Furikake-Topped Salmon sounds interesting. I’m always impressed by the meal ideas they come up with. For a meal delivery service, they’re pretty creative.
I’ve tried Blue Apron before, and I love it! I would like to try the Summer Ciambotta
with Purple Potatoes & Farro.
The furikake-topped salmon sounds delicious!
The furikake-topped salmon looks delicious! I’ve been wanting to try out blue apron; thanks for the giveaway!
The Fresh Cavatelli & Sun Gold Tomatoes looks really good – and interesting! The only thing I’d want to ask of them is if the packaging the meals come in is reusable or recyclable… it just seems like a lot of wasted materials!
I would love to try the Furikake-Topped Salmon. I have never had salmon before!
I would love to try the curried tofu. We’ve never made tofu at home before.
The fresh cavatappi looks amazing! Looks like a lot of veggies are used which is great!
The Tofu dish sounds delish!
I would definitely like to try the Blackened Chile-Dusted Chicken
with Zucchini Rice Pilaf & Corn-Tomato Salsa.
I’d want to make the furikake-topped salmon!
I’ve been wanting to try this service for a while now, and I’d love to try the curried tofu!
The Parmesean chicken burgers look really good! We could definitely use the help with dinner plans :)
The peach and goat cheese salad sounds great.
Blackened Chile dusted chicken! Everything looks delish
The Furikake topped salmon looks divine!!
I would love to make the blackened chile-dusted chicken! I think my husband would agree too :)
I would love to try
Ingredients
Recipe #437
The technique of “blackening”
is a time-tested method for
making things delicious. The
practice originated in Cajun
cuisine and is most often used for
fish. But why stop there? In this
dish, we’re blackening chicken:
coating it in ancho chile powder
(a mild spice made from dried
poblano peppers) and searing it
in a hot pan. This allows the spice
to char slightly, releasing all of its
flavor and creating a signature,
flavorful crust.
2 Airline Chicken Breasts
½ Cup White Basmati Rice
4 Ounces Cherry Tomatoes
3 Scallions
3 Cloves Garlic
1 Ear of Corn
1 Zucchini
1 Lime
1 Large Bunch Cilantro
Knick Knacks
2 Teaspoons Ancho Chile Powder
¼ Cup Mexican Crema
Makes 2 Servings
About 700 Calories Per Serving
I’d like to try the chicken banh mi!
I love salmon! I would try the Furikake topped salmon.
The Blackened Chile Dusted Chicken looks amaze-balls!
Definitely the furikake topped salmon! YUM
The chicken hiyashi chuka! It’s so different from anything I’ve ever made.
The salmon with miso noodles looks awesome!
The blackened chicken!
The beef meatloaf and potatoes sound like a good comforting meal!
Furikake topped salmon please!
the furikake topped salmon and the meatloaf look so yummy!
I’d love to try the curried tofu
The Summer Vegetable Hiyashi Chuka looks amazing!
I’d love to try the meat loaf!
The blackened Chili Dusted Chicken looks awesome!!
parmesan basil burgers look delicious!
The Kale & Queso Oaxaca Quesadillas look delicious!
I would LOVE to try the Lamb, Mint & Pea Orecchette. My husband and I just tried lamb for the first time on our honeymoon and we really enjoyed it. I’d like to re-create a dish from our vacation, and this one comes pretty close.
I love Cuban sandwiches, but I’d be particularly interested in the Togarashi-Spiced Tilapia & Jade Pearl Rice!
The curry tofu!! I love anything curry!! Thanks!!!
the chicken and collard stew sound awesome!
Those stir fried chow mein noodles look amazing!! Would 2 servings be enough for 3 girls about 100-150 pounds who don’t eat a lot?
The Chicken Hiyashi Chuka looks delicious!
Holy quesadilla!
http://www.blueapron.com/recipes/kale-queso-quesadillas-breakfast
Its simple but the cuban sandwiches sound yummy!!
OMG, the cubans with sweet plantains and kale salad sound fabulous! Holy yum!
I know you said pick one,but the Turkey Meatballs & Linguine
with Fresh Tomato Sauce & Pecorino Cheese and the Cuban Sandwiches
with Sweet Plantain & Kale Salad sound amazing!!
I would love to try the Togarashi-Spiced Tilapia & Jade Pearl Rice
The Cuban looks SO good! I have been looking into ordering from Blue Apron, but haven’t pulled the trigger yet!
Omigosh…totally craving the pan seared salmon with fennel and heirloom potato salad! Here’s hoping my wish will be granted! :)
the chicken noodle soup