Easy Foodie Fun with Blue Apron

First, please note that I am not sponsored by Blue Apron, thought wouldn’t mind if I was!  Hints to BA!

Second, don’t hate if you don’t think Foodie and Blue Apron go together.  I’ll get you there.  Just take a look at the Moroccan Chicken with Prunes and Brown Rice cooking in the header photo!

We all know I love to cook and love new flavors and with 50-60 hour work weeks, that is tough.  A.D. picks up a lot of the slack there, for sure.  I was looking for something different and to learn new foods and techniques, so I decided to try a food subscription service.  Blue Apron has the best deal with $30 off the first order, so I tried them.  I may try others, but I’m not sure.

Blue Apron and Foodie Goals

Goal #1:  Try new vegetables!

Each meal we have had has been delicious, filling and unique.  It has made us try foods, especially vegetables and other combinations that we would not have thought of before.  I didn’t know I liked radishes!  They are good!  I didn’t know kale could be fantastic, and not a chore!  Since there are so many options for preparing vegetables in a tasty, healthy and flavorful way, I am looking into a CSA for this year.  I feel like I’m finally in a place where I can meet the expectations of vegetable intake without eating a ton of broccoli or a salad daily.

Goal #2:  Expand your horizons!

Food brings people together.  In a time of such divisiveness, the ability to share and appreciate foods is a small, but important gesture.  The recipes allow us to access food flavors from around the world that we aren’t exposed to in our own community.  We live in a nominally rural area that doesn’t have significant access to ethic foods outside of Italian and Mexican restaurants and Chinese take out.  That’s not diverse enough for me.  I love Asian flavors, Indian dishes and African delights and won’t get a bit of it in a restaurant nearby!  Inspired by the BA recipes, I ordered several spice selections from the Teeny Tiny Spice Company out of Virginia, including Ras el Hanout, Ethopian Berbere, and West African Curry.  I’m really excited!

Goal #3:  Confidence and skill building!

The experience with Blue Apron has given me a level of confidence in recipes and in myself that I haven’t had in a while.  Using Pinterest recipes can be disheartening to say the least; how many mug cakes have you had that were good?  Just sayin’.  I have learned new cooking techniques, food combinations and flavors.

You Say:  It’s not in my budget…

I say, that’s okay!  You still have options to learn through the fantastic repository of recipes at Blue Apron, Hello Fresh, Sun Basket and the ever-growing list of meal subscription services.  Blue Apron brings it with a searchable recipe index and you can search by the vegetable, meat or inspiration that you crave and build a menu around that.  For example, I have a great source of fresh kale; I search by kale and find recipes for Coconut Chicken & Kale Stew with Gingered Rice, Kale and White Cheddar Quesadillas, or West African Chicken with Sauteed Kale and Lime Rice.

You Say:  It’s not environmentally friendly…

I say, there’s always trade-offs and I think I agree with you.  One of the sticking points I find for myself is that I struggle with the amount of packaging for the items and transport of materials. Transporting occurs with nearly every item we buy in some way, whether it’s driving to the grocery store or other market to pick up the food there or having it delivered to our homes.  I think I prefer to stay truly local, but definitely need to do more research in this area.  They may be more local than I think, and they do definitely offer recycling if you don’t have it locally.

As with everything in our modern world, there are choices and compromises that we make.  We don’t have to compromise in every area, but sometimes it is worth it to explore. I really enjoy the convenience and confidence of the subscription meal plans, but I still need to shop and I enjoy the Farmer’s Market.