Please note that these meals were provided for free by a Oiselle friend.  

I’ve always been curious about Blue Apron but did not want to pay for it.  So, when a friend offered to sign me up to get 3 free meals, I couldn’t say no.  

I received a box with ingredients for the following meals:

  • Seared Steak and Fingerling Potatoes
  • Shrimp and Fresh Fusilli Pasta
  • Cajun-Spiced Chicken

Everything came neatly packed in a refrigerated box.  

Any extra (small) ingredients was packed separately.

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I decided to first make the Shrimp and Fresh Fusilli Pasta.  Spoiler: It was delicious.

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I did not follow the steps exactly as was listed in the sheet (I cooked the squash in my toaster oven instead of the oven and I used minced garlic from a jar instead of the garlic that was sent to me).  I did not add the olives because I do not like olives at all.

I love shrimp!  I wished more was included in the box but I guess I could have added some that I had in my house.

It was a very simple and fast recipe.  I was worried about overcooking the shrimp as well as making sure they were properly cooked.  I like the taste of the tomato sauce and tomato paste.  <<So much tastier than spaghetti sauce.

The second meal I made was Seared Steak and Fingerling Potatoes.  It was another delicious meal.

I cooked the potatoes and onion in my toaster oven and I did not use all of the knick knacks for the salad.  The butter lettuce was crispy and tasty.  

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I’ve never heard of crème fraîche or verjus rouge.  I do not like mustard so I didn’t use it either.  Those ingredients were to be used for the dressing but instead I used my own.

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I am not a big fan of onion either but these were pretty good. 

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Finally the last meal was Cajun-Spiced Chicken.  

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This one took the longest to prepare.  The instructions indicated that it was 15 minutes of prep time.  Wrong.  I think it took me about 20 minutes just to chop the pepper, celery, onion, potatoes, and cabbage.  That was a bit frustrating.

I ended up cutting the chicken breast into pieces.  I think that they cook better and faster this way.  The cajun spice blend was not spicy at all but it was flavorful.

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The potatoes and salad were very good.  I went back for seconds and got these two items to eat.

Looks good, right?

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Thoughts:

  • I like how everything you need comes in a box.  No need to go to the grocery store for one pepper or 3 potatoes.  Plus, the ingredients are pre measured.
  • Instructions are easy to follow.  The pictures help in case you need to know if you’re doing it correctly.
  • The meals are yummy.  There are two meal plans to choose from: 2-person or family. Also, you can choose from meat, fish, or vegetarian meals.
  • The following week’s menu are posted on the website a week in advance.  This is good to know in case you want to skip a week or two.  You can also cancel at any time.
  • Not cheap.  It is $59.94 for 3 meals for 2 people, $71.92 for 2 meals for 4 people, or $$143.84 for 4 meals for 4 people.  <<Yes, per week. 

Have you tried Blue Apron?  Thoughts?

I’m linking up with Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness for Friday 2.0.

fridayfive

 

18 Comments on Friday Five 2.0-Thoughts on Blue Apron Meals (not sponsored)

  1. I have tried Blue Apron. The first order they messed up (sent me the wrong menu) so I ended up getting two additional orders for free. It was nice because all the ingredients were there but I thought the prep work took entirely too long for my liking.

    Thanks for linking up!

    • I agree about the prep work. My last meal was taking too long and I did not like that at all.

  2. I have not tried any of these types of services but have several friends who have. I hear better things about Blue Apron than Hello Fresh. If you got the 3 meal plan, would the ingredients last if you spread the meals out over a couple of weeks?

    • Yes but then some of the vegetables will not be fresh and then you would need to replace them. I did my meals within a 2 week period and my green pepper wasn’t looking that tasty anymore. 🙂 I did freeze the meat so that helped a bit.

  3. I started looking at recipes on Hello Fresh, and I’ve printed off the ones that look interesting. I don’t mind getting the ingredients myself, but I started looking at the recipes for fresh inspiration. Since I don’t have a lot from the website, I’m happy I’m sticking with just the recipes. I’m a very picky eater.

  4. I’ve thought about trying it but I can be a somewhat picky eater so I don’t think I would find 3 meals in a week that I like. And it is kind of expensive to still have to cook your own food!

    • That is true. I guess with this option you can try it out for a few weeks and maybe skip a few as well. I did like the variety of recipes.

  5. This sounds great, convenience-wise, but I am a meal planner and I don’t think Blue Apron would change anything for me. Except that I wouldn’t have to go to the store, which would be a treat!

    • I agree that it is convenient but won’t be doable for those that like to plan meals.

  6. The meals look delicious! I’d love to try something like this because it would save so much time, but I wish it wasn’t so expensive!

    • I like the convenience of having everything shipped to me but I still cannot justify the price.

  7. I haven’t tried Blue Apron or any of the other meal boxes, but I’ve heard very similar feedback from those who have tried it, especially about the time it takes to prep the meals. You would think it would take less time if the food is already portioned out.

    • So true. The last meal I made was the one that took the longest and I was getting annoyed by it. At one point I wanted to stop chopping the vegetables and put them back in the fridge.

  8. Great post. My husband and I use BlueApron occasionally. We used to do it a lot more, but we are turned off by how long it takes to prepare- usually 50-60 minutes and we are just too tired and hungry after work to wait that long. I agree that the overall quality is good and I think that the price is worth it– just wish it were quicker to prepare.

    • I am no cook and I like my food to be ready in 10-15 minutes. That’s one of the things that turned me off is the amount of prep time. I can imagine after work that you want something quick and ready to eat.

Thank you for your comment!