I’m not sure what’s happening to my motivation lately, but when it comes to household to-dos, I’m feeling less than enthusiastic about cooking, cleaning and keeping up with everyday tasks. Can I blame this on my third trimester? Yes?
About a month or so ago, I was feeling uninspired in the kitchen and, frankly, just plain lazy when it came to planning and preparing delicious dinners. Then I got a text from my mom that included a picture of her latest Blue Apron meal and I started salivating. I immediately ordered a Blue Apron shipment for me and Ryan, hoping a delivery of fresh ingredients and chef-inspired recipes would help break me out of my rut.
It ended up being just the kick in the pants I needed to enjoy my time in the kitchen again and that week Ryan and I sat down to three flavorful meals that we actually had fun preparing together thanks to easy-to-follow recipe instructions and creative cooking techniques. (I swear I learn something new to try in the kitchen every time I order Blue Apron!)
A little backstory about my experience with Blue Apron for those who may not know how I first discovered the service that delivers all the ingredients you need to make three gourmet-quality meals: I first heard of Blue Apron back in December 2013 when my friend Merri made us a delicious Blue Apron dinner of udon noodle soup during one of my visits to New York City. Merri signed up for Blue Apron to teach herself how to cook since she was not really comfortable in the kitchen and raved about the step-by-step instructions that came with each shipment of the meal delivery service.
After I arrived back home, I could not stop talking about Blue Apron and that inspired Ryan to give me four weeks of Blue Apron meals for Christmas that year! We now continue to order Blue Apron meals about once a month or so (we get the two-person plan that breaks down to $9.99 per person per meal with free shipping) and still have yet to make one meal we haven’t loved! We’ve also inspired my parents and two of our friends here in Charlotte to hop on the Blue Apron train.
Our Recent Blue Apron Delivery
Late last week I received my most recent Blue Apron delivery and requested a combination of vegetarian and fish/poultry dishes. The three meals we made were fantastic and, as always, incredibly flavorful thanks to farm-fresh ingredients sourced from quality suppliers and artisans.
Here’s what ended up on our menu:
We made this dish last night and thought the basmati rice was wonderful and incredibly aromatic. We made it with a blend of spices and thought the rice added so much flavor to this dish. I absolutely loved the addition of the fresh mint and cilantro, too!
Blue Apron’s vegetarian dishes are almost always our favorite and this one was no exception. After combining the peppery arugula with Parmesan, lemon zest and olive oil, we had a delicious fresh pesto on our hands to use on top of fresh fettuccine. I couldn’t get enough of this one!
This recipe incorporated pillowy Chinese steam buns that we filled with seasoned ground turkey and topped with zesty kimchi. It was a messy one, but I loved the spicy turkey and fresh veggies!
I personally love the way Blue Apron always includes recipes from a variety of cuisines so I’m constantly exposed to new flavors and spices. Recipes like the Spring Miso Ramen, Manhattan-Style Fish Chowder and Seared Salmon and Long Beans all sound amazing to me!
Blue Apron Giveaway + PBF Reader Discount
And now it’s giveaway time! One PBF reader will win a free week of Blue Apron meals for two!
To enter this giveaway, click here to head over to Blue Apron and check out what’s on the menu for this week and leave a comment below telling me which recipe you’d be most excited to create at home!
And please don’t worry if you don’t win because the first 100 readers who try Blue Apron will receive two free meals on their first order! To receive this promo, please click here to order.
Please note: This giveaway includes a week of meals for two people. Blue Apron now delivers to most of the United States. (You may see if delivery is available in your area here.) I will randomly select a winner on Friday.
Good luck!
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Disclaimer: While this post is sponsored by Blue Apron, affiliate links are not included and I am not receiving any compensation for orders placed with Blue Apron. Though I am partnering with Blue Apron this year, Ryan and I continue to purchase Blue Apron meals on our own because we really do love the service that much! Thank you so much for your continued support surrounding sponsored posts. I truly appreciate it!
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I think the sweet potato, broccoli and quinoa salad is an awesome combo!
I’d pick the seared steak + potatoes and the seared cod. I have always wanted to try this! Thanks!
I am super excited to make the Hoisin-Glazed Chicken Meatballs. Thank you for the wonderful giveaway.
Erin
ErinLoves2Run at gmail dot com
The Hoisin-Glazed Chicken Meatballs look so good!
I would try the black bean and quinoa enchiladas. Yum!
the cod, but everything looks amazing!
The Seared Steaks & Mashed Potatoes with Sautéed Radishes & Snap Peas looks great!
hearty sweet potato, broccoli, and quiona salad for sure!!
Seared cod. I love fish!
Paneer & Vegetable Kati Rolls! Looks delicious
My husband and I (newly weds 🙂 ) love to cook together. We also love a variety of flavors and dishes and would love to try Blue Apron! Seared Steaks and Mash would be a homerun with the hubs and I would love to try the Hoisin-glazed chicken meatballs! YUM
The seared cod with spring vegetables looks amazing! I love to eat a bit lighter when it is so hot outside.
I’ve been wanting to try Blue Apron for a while now, I know y’all love it but I’m just a little nervous to pull the trigger. the steak looks awesome and so does the sweet potato, quinoa and goat cheese bowl (anything with Goat cheese- YES PLEASE)
Seared Steaks and Mashed Potatoes looks amazing!
The hearty sweet potato/quinoa dish looks incredible! I just gifted a week of these to my Mom for Mother’s Day and she loved it. Now, I’d just like to try it myself!
I would for sure want to try the Hearty Sweet Potato, Broccoli & Quinoa Salad! Summertime is always great for a good salad and I have been LOVING quinoa! 🙂
Those Hoisin-Glazed Chicken Meatballs look delicious!
I love Indian food so definitely the Paneer & Vegetable Kati Rolls!
Hoisin Glazed Chicken Meatballs
The Black Bean & Quinoa Enchiladas with Salsa Verde sounds amazing!
Yum! The seared cod dish with spring veggies looks right up my alley!
Omg, everything for the week of the 29th. Shrimp rolls, Black bean & quinoa enchiladas, Fried green tomato burgers (!) and Mozzarella and barley stuffed zucchini.
The quinoa sounds delish..the goat cheese is calling to me!
Definitely the Hoisin Glazed Chicken Meatballs. Yumm!
Southern-Style Shrimp and Grits looks amazing!!!
The Seared Steaks & Mashed Potatoes looks amazing!!!
The sweet potato/quinoa dish looks amazing!
The shrimp fried rice on the family plan looks delicious!
I’ve been dying to try Blue Apron, but I’m scared! I would odlly enough have to choose the Huevos Rancheros! I’m on a spicy kick lately. Thanks for hosting!
Hoisin glazed chicken meatballs!
The Hoisin Glazed Chicken meatballs look really tasty!
Seared steaks & mashed potatoes, yum!
The cod sounds amazing! I love to order Cod when dining out but never know the best way to cook it at home!
The cod sounds great!
I have always wanted to try this service, but I have serious issues with one of the proteins in dairy. It seems like everyone loves to put cheese and cream and yogurt in EVERYTHING these days. I could not find on the website where you could have allergy free options. Have you had any experience with this?
The Housin Chicken Meatballs look yummy!
I am not sure about requesting allergy-free options, but I do know that before your Blue Apron shipment is delivered, you can preview your menu and swap out certain meals for others that are available that week! Every meal has the recipe available online, so you could very easily double check the ingredients in the dish before saying you want to try that one. I hope this helps!
The Hoisin-Glazed Chicken Meatballs sound delish!
I love the sound of the seared steak with mashed potatoes, though to be fair everything looked delicious on the menu!
Seared Steaks & Mashed Potatoes with Sautéed Radishes & Snap Peas – something my boyfriend & I would both enjoy!
Wow, the Hoisin-Glazed Chicken Meatballs look good!
Oh, yum! I would love to try seared steaks + mashed potatoes!
I’m not usually a steak person, but the seared steak & mashed potatoes look amazing!!!
i’d love to try the hoisin-glazed chicken meatballs! yummmm!
I’d go for the seared cod or chicken meatballs! Yum!
I like the Turkey Steam Buns with Quick Cucumber Radish Kimchi!
Mmmm my hubby and I would definitely be down for experimenting with the baked empanadas de picadillo recipe!
Sweet Potato, Broccoli and Quiona salad sounds delicious.
The Hearty Sweet Potato, Broccoli & Quinoa Salad sounds amazing!
It is hard to pick just one! I have been loving Indian food lately so I guess I would pick the Paneer & Vegetable Kati Rolls 🙂
The Hoisin-Glazed Chicken Meatballs looks awesome! I have only heard good things about Blue Apron.
Huevos Rancheros! One of my FAVORITE brunch meals but I’ve never found a good recipe for it. Would love to try this.