DISCLAIMER: This is a sponsored post brought to you by Blue Apron. The opinions are 100% my own.
This past month our family got really exciting news! My little brother Tim (some of you call him Hot Tim….shweebies!) got engaged!
That’s right! He is officially off the market. And I am so thrilled for him and his girlfriend…err….fiancee…Jessica. They have been dating off and on for the last several years and then in the last year, Tim told us that he was getting more serious about her and BOOM! Engaged!
You haven’t seen a bunch of her because she is extremely quiet….like you could walk into a room and never know she is in there kinda quiet. Which is VASTLY different than everyone else in our family….but for some reason she keeps coming back 🙂 Her family lives in our area and we had everyone join us for Thanksgiving where I got to snap a photo of the whole bunch. Note that my brothers physically can not take a normal photo….ever.
While we were getting the basement ready, we had some furniture that we thought Tim and Jessica might be interested in and we invited them over to ‘shop’ our garage sale and then we ended up celebrating their big announcement by making them dinner. We had a Blue Apron delivery earlier that day and it was perfect timing because I didn’t have anything defrosted! I am a big believer in that if you really want to get to know someone….eat with them. Make them dinner. And since Jessica isn’t a big talker, this meal was the perfect opportunity to get to know her a little more. And it was the perfect opportunity for my big kitchen helper to show off his peeling skills…
Seriously I am such a proud mama! Have you ever even seen a better peeled sweet potato?!? It has never existed. Nope. Never. Top Chef here comes Will Bower!
If you haven’t tried it or are one of the few people on the planet that haven’t heard of them, Blue Apron is a delivery meal service….that really forces us to try new dishes and expand our meal diversity (and helps my kids hone their culinary skills!). They deliver a refrigerated box right to your doorstop and then we make the meal using the fresh ingredients here in the comfort of our own home.
Everything comes in the box that you need. There isn’t any additional grocery shopping or whatever. It’s all there ready for you to make chef-designed meals. And they give you the instructions too…step by step ones with pictures…ya know…for people like me that need visuals. I hoard my meal cards…they are gonna make a fantastic recipe collection when I get them all. They also have tons more recipes online…you should go check them out and pin some for your next dinner!
I know that you probably have heard everything there is to hear about Blue Apron…both here and in the rest of blogland….and I have to tell you….there is a reason why so many people love it. It takes a lot to convince so many different tastebuds that something is tasty…and I truly believe that Blue Apron is delicious….that is what matters to me….delicious food at a reasonable price. And to all you anti-sponsored-post people…I get it…but as a blogger, I believe that there is a balance to be had…I do want to introduce new products and services and also select a few to be faithful supporters. Putting my stamp of approval on something long term is a big deal to me. But Blue Apron makes that easy because I truly do love the service, the food, and I actually tell my friends about it all the time. The fact is…sponsored or not, we are fans.
I mean seriously…who wouldn’t be a fan if you could eat this….
We served Tim and Jessica blood-orange roasted salmon with avocado, pepitas & israeli couscous salad and pan-roasted pork with bacon, brussels sprouts and sweet potato hash. Everyone loved the couscous salad….there wasn’t even leftovers! And the salmon? with the oranges? Amazing. I think the boys liked the pork but I wasn’t paying attention what with all the chewing that needed to happen 🙂
If you want more info on Blue Apron, here is the run down….
- Blue Apron boxes now come in TWO PLANS! There is the 2-person plan (serves 2 people 3 meals per wk) or the family plan (serves 4 people 2 meals per wk).
- Meals are $9.99 per person for the 2-person-plan and $8.74 per person for the family plan
- FREE SHIPPING!
- Available to most of the country (full map of delivery zones click here)
- No commitment – skip or cancel service at any time!
- Each meal is 500-700 calories per person
- Ingredients sourced from quality local suppliers and artisans
- All meals take 40 minutes or less to be prepared
- They have a COOKBOOK and other products!
An awesome thing about Blue Apron is that it is great for families like mine….people that enjoy a nice meal in your home with the people you love. I love going out but it just isn’t practical with the little ones…they end up trapped in high chairs and crying for constant entertainment while they wait. It isn’t fun. And this FEELS and tastes like a meal you get at a fancy restaurant. It just is special. And it is perfect for those moments of celebration. Try it once and you will see what I mean. You’ll want to tie the figurative knot 🙂
As for the OTHER knot….Tim and Jessica shared all sorts of plans…like they are getting married this fall, having a small wedding and they are using turquoise in their colors! Now I can’t wait for my next Blue Apron delivery to arrive just so that I can invite them over again and hear more details! Ahhh!
****FIRST 100 Readers will get TWO FREE MEALS on their first Blue Apron order!!!! CLICK HERE!
Oooh! That looks DELICIOUS!!
I want blue apron!!!
I have been having Blue Apron delivered since November, when you blogged about a special offer. Since then, my husband and I have tried a variety of spices, grains, and meals with chicken, fish, and pork. Overall we are very pleased with Blue Apron. The instructions are specific, the ingredients fresh, and the dish quite tasty.
Congratulations to your brother and fiance!
If only they delivered to our area!
Thanks, kb! Just placed my order with my two free meals. 🙂
hopefully my hubs will enjoy this as much as me! and MEGA congratulations on baby #4. god is so so so so good.
I LOVE Blue Apron. My husband and I have been using the service since the summer and its been so great for us. We both work and knowing I have everything ready to go when we get home makes life so much easier. It also incorporates flavors and ingredients I wouldn’t necessarily shop for on my own not knowing if we will like it. I also find I spend less at the grocery store the weeks we have BA. I only shop for lunch items and one or two other meals because more often then not I have something to defrost in the freezer from a big cook or crockpot meal that I’ve frozen. I’m gluten free and occasionally I have to supplement my bread, pasta, or soy sauce but more often then not its fine as is. My coworker also gets it and each week we compare as we cook and sometimes we share tips if if one of us has cooked something before the other one. There was an error with one of my deliveries and their customer service is top notch for that but also when I had just a basic question.
Just ordered my first delivery. I can’t wait. Thanks for the discount !!
Hi Katie! My husband and I have been using Blue Apron for the past 6 months. We were doing weekly meals, but recently switched to every other week so I can still be creative with my own recipes. I despise grocery shopping, but I love to cook – so it’s the perfect combination for us. Here’s our review: http://www.thelovelyroost.com/2014/11/blue-apron-review.html
You know what is horrible? That I’ve read your Blue Apron posts before and you totally sold me on it and I’m DESPERATE to try it and they don’t deliver to TEXAS!? Whhhhhhhhaaaaaaaa 🙁
Going on the record to say sponsored posts are a-ok with me. You do you, boo.
Looks delicious, but I was so disappointed to learn they don’t ship to my area. 🙁 I didn’t think I lived anywhere that wouldn’t be covered–St. Paul, MN (you know, Minnesota’s state capitol…) but oh well. Maybe in the future.
Thank you for the 2 free meals, Katie! I’ve been intringued by B.A. and your discount gave me the push to take the leap. Can’t wait for them to come! Congrats to your brother on his engagement and congrats on baby #4!
Oh! Big congratulations to Hot Tim and Jessica. If they’ve been around that long and both keep coming back it must be right. I hope they are considering Bower House for their nuptials and then we can all get an invite! I love how your family spend time together and include extended family, it’s such a joy to spectate. And congratulations to Will too. That sure is some professional peeling there! I loved this post, thanks.
As soon as they get to Madison I will give it a shot. They are in Milwaukee, inching closer!
Seriously. That was super mean LOL I thought by the title it was gender reveal time! Have you said when you plan on spilling the beans?!
I just signed up – I’m so excited to try Blue Apron! My husband and I have 3 children and dinner planning can be a struggle when you spend so much time in the car carting kids around for their sports/activities. Blue Apron sounds like the perfect solution for our family. Thanks for sharing!
Just wanted to go on record and say I LOVED your comment! 🙂
We tried, and loved, Blue Apron when you posted about them last summer. During Autumn we were sent more and more meals with tree nuts – a major allergen for me. I asked about it and Blue Apron said, to paraphrase, too bad. So sad. Have a nice day. I would love it if they could accommodate allergies. Even if it’s to say here is an alternative use for the ingredients that doesn’t include the things that could kill you.
Oh no! That doesn’t sound like what I have heard from their customer service on my own…maybe they could be omitted?
xo – kb
Sorry! I didn’t even think of that. We don’t know what it is yet (it’s all happening really fast) and I don’t know if we will find out this time. We just haven’t made the decisions yet.
xo – kb
Katie, thank you for sharing! I just signed up using your link and I am looking forward to it.
I wish they delivered in our area, but they don’t. I could really use some help with meals on the weekdays.
Congratulations on the happy news!
My husband have been getting blue apron deliveries since last summer when you blogged about it. We love it, and tell all of our friends about now too! Thanks for sharing it with us!
I have been reading all of your posts about Blue Apron and I am seriously thinking of trying it! Everything just looks so good, and I like the convenience of the delivery AND instructions. I am trying to be more adventurous in my eating and trying new things. This might be good for me.
So I signed up. I got the box. I was TOTALLY wowed by the packaging and what I received. And I was even more wowed when I ate the food–SO GOOD! My hubby’s comment was, “This is restaurant quality!” And it was.
Is $10 per person (or $6.67 thanks to your discount) what I normally spend on a meal per person when cooking at home? No, but that is because it is usually a plain meat and boring veggie, to keep costs down. However, it is about what it cost me the last time I got a “value” meal at Wendys (I never do fast food and was shocked at how much a chicken sandwich meal cost–no upsize, either!). And it is way less than I’d spend eating out at a regular restaurant. And, really, if I was to buy some of the special produce and meat and ingredients that they include that are not my normal fare, it probably is cheaper–I have spent $35 or more on a dinner for the two of us when a lot of spices and such I didn’t have on hand.
All of this long rambling to say, I loved it. Wish I could do it weekly, but that is not at all in the budget. I’m going to try to do it monthly, and see how that goes. I’m just really enjoying this week of cooking some new things and skipping out on the same-old-same-old meal rut we normally are in.
Thanks for the suggestion–and the discount!
That’s what we do…monthly…it makes the most sense for our family and that’s what I recommend…do what is best for you!
xo – kb