Hey Guys, Happy Labor Day! I hope everyone got a chance to enjoy the long weekend. I will talk about ours on the next post, but today wanted to share my first ever Blue Apron review on the blog! We have been members since March and get asked about it often, so I decided to make it a regular segment. I hope you find it helpful :-)

***This post is not sponsored by Blue Apron, nor am I paid to review their service***

What initially drew me to Blue Apron was the convenience. I only have a handful of dishes I make well, so we would go around the same rotation of meals which becomes boring quickly. This resulted in us spending more to go out for dinner instead, and any food we had bought being wasted.

Blue Apron not only takes care of the meal planning for you, but they keep things interesting too by never sending you a repeat dish within the same year. Even better? All the ingredients come right to your door, are perfectly measured for no waste, and are top quality (most recipes are made with whatever is in season at the time). We've been able to cook with a variety of foods I had never even heard of such as pink lemons, Tinkerbell peppers, pea tips, za' atar, gochujang, masarepa, and fairy tale eggplants.

All you need to have on hand (besides cookware and utensils) is olive oil, salt, and pepper. The meals range from 500-800 calories per serving, but the portions are on the smaller side so fair warning. Each one can be made in 40 minutes or less though, and the hardest part is the prep work. The directions are super easy to follow along with, so nothing should be that intimidating.

Be sure to check the week's menu ahead of time to verify they are all dishes you would like (also view the 'Change My Menu' tab for even more choices). You are only charged for the weeks you pick therefore, if you don't like any of the meals you simply don't select that week. There is no minimum requirement of weeks to select to have a membership. Simply click 'Skip This Delivery' and you aren't charged until the next time you want meals sent.

PRICE:

We are on the 2 person plan which is $60 for each week we choose. Roughly that's $10 per person, or $20 per meal as a week of food to them equates to 3 meals. The price is only $10 more for the 4 person plan, so that comes out to $70 for each week you choose. You have the option to customize what meats and fish you do and don't like, and can also go all vegetarian. At this time, I don't believe they offer Vegan or GF options yet.

Click on the following link for more information.

They always offer the first two meals free, so try it! If you don't like it, you can cancel anytime.

REVIEW:

Now let's get to the good part, the food!!! First up for us last week was Porchetta-Style Sandwiches with baby kale pesto & a marinated cucumber salad.

The pork roast was first seared in a pan, then placed into the oven to finish cooking. While it baked, we cooked the kale then combined it with lemon zest, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice to create the pesto.

When the pork is done, you pop the rolls into the oven that have been drizzled with a little more olive oil and toast them until lightly browned.

Slice the pork as thin as you can (my husband left them a bit too thick, so it was hard to get an even bite) and pile it evenly between each roll then top with pesto. Serve alongside the diced cucumbers which were marinated in a mixture of parsley, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and crushed red pepper flakes for a spicy kick.

The rolls were perfectly crisp, yet soft and full of flavor from the pesto. The meat stayed juicy and the cucumbers were light and fresh which paired nicely with such a heavy sandwich. 5/5 stars.

Next up, Chicken & Fresh Basil Fettuccine with a creamy tomato sauce.

This pasta dish was made with ground chicken instead of beef. You cook that first then throw in garlic, onion, tomato paste, fresh tomatoes, and red chili flakes.

While that simmers, you cook the fresh basil fettuccine pasta reserving some of the water for the sauce. The cooked pasta goes directly into the sauce along with the pasta water, crème fraiche, and some parsley.

Before serving you sprinkle with cheese and a little more parsley. The flavors were great, but ground chicken with pasta just doesn't do it for me. I would have rather left it out entirely, or used ground beef instead. 4/5 stars.

Lastly, (and each of our favorite from this week) was the Summer Vegetable & Queso Tostadas with fairy tale eggplants and spicy crema.

Her Way (on top of rice without the tortillas):

And His Way (on top of the tortillas as the recipe said):

The little browned cubes you see that look like tofu by the way? Those are actually squares of pan fried cheese. PAN FRIED CHEESE YOU GUYS!! What's better? Nothing, the answer is literally nothing.

The prep work of chopping all the veggies took a while, but was so worth it. Eggplant, bell pepper, fresh corn, shallot, garlic, and lime juice all get sautéed in a skillet, then you wipe out the pan and heat some olive oil in it. Add the cheese cubes and cook a few minutes per side until heated through and lightly browned. Exceptional.

My husband ate his on tortillas he seasoned and fried in more olive oil. I was starving so I made a cup of white rice we had in the house already for mine. They also included cilantro for garnish, and had us make an incredibly easy spicy crema with pickled jalapenos and lime zest. We licked our plates clean. #noshame 5/5 stars.

We have Blue Apron again this week, so I will be back soon with another review. Until then, stayed tuned for my Labor Day weekend recap and enjoy the rest of your holiday!

<3 Elyse