Meal Delivery: Blue Apron

Last week I posted a blog reviewing the meal delivery services of HelloFresh. This last week we tried another service, Blue Apron. Thanks to my friend Katie for sharing the company with us and sending us free meals to try (message me if you want some free meals and as I earn them I will send them out). They have almost identical concepts but just a few differences in the details.

If you want to review what we though to HelloFresh, read my post here: http://www.hamratime.com/2015/08/meal-delivery-hellofresh.html

Blue Apron

www.blueapron.com

HOW IT WORKS: Same as HelloFresh except for price and how you receive your meals. It still comes in a big box with cold packs but they aren't individually wrapped per meal, just one big box of ingredients (with labels when needed). You get little bags called "knick knacks" that have additional ingredients that aren't the meats veggies or fruits (like butter, sauces, garlic, etc.) You pick your plan type (2-person or Family), delivery day (Wednesday through Saturday), and dietary preferences (uncheck the foods you don't eat). The 2 person plan for 3 meals per week is $59. The Family plan for 4 meals per week is $139.84 or you can do 2 meals per week for $69.92. Just like the other service you can skip any week or cancel with no penalty.

HOW IT ARRIVES: In a large box, all ingredients wrapped in a giant insulated bag with cold packs.

_ _ _ _

OUR MEALS:

Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken

with choy sum & jasmine rice

Ingredients: boneless chicken breast, jasmine rice, garlic, scallions, choy sum, thai basil, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, rice vinegar
Cook time: 35-45 minutes

Verdict: This was DELICIOUS, the mix of ginger, soy and sesame really give it a bold taste. This was John's favorite, he referred to it as "that yummy stuff that was as good as take out". I had never eaten choy sum as a side and it was really good and easy to prepare.

_ _ _ _

Southern-Style Shrimp & Grits

with corn, zucchini & cherry tomatoes

Ingredients: shrimp, yellow grits, scallions, garlic, corn, lemon, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, butter, cheddar cheese, smoked paprika

Cook time: 25-35 minutes

Verdict: My favorite! Completely obsessed with this one, I would never in a million years think to make this but will most definitely make it again. Unfortunately John wasn't a fan because he doesn't like shrimp but he still ate it. The best part about it is the smoked paprika seasoned shrimp, which compliments the smooth, buttery and cheesy grits.

_ _ _ _

Whole Grain Spaghetti

with corn, cherry tomatoes & mascarpone cheese

Ingredients: whole grain spaghetti, multicolored cherry tomatoes, garlic, corn, basil, mascarpone cheese, shallot, Parmesan cheese, crushed red pepper flakes

Cook time: 25-35 minutes

Verdict: Both of our least favorites but still really good. I never eat tomatoes because of the texture but I had no problem eating them in this dish. It is nice and light. The mascarpone cheese paired with the garlic make for a nice sauce.

_ _ _ _ _

Finally Opinion: We loved Blue Apron and I already ordered our second box. I like their variety of recipes (this week we get to try Thai Chicken burgers and Catfish & Freekeh!) I prefer the way HelloFresh is individually wrapped in boxes. It helps to keep it all together in your refrigerator and for newbies prevent making mistakes....which I did. I used all the garlic in the first recipe because I hadn't read that the other recipes would need cloves from it later. HelloFresh is cheaper but not by very much. We will probably use both and just pick and choose based on the recipe offerings. I plan to try a few other services as well and will report back after we try them out.

My biggest PROS for using a delivery service:

• It has prevented us from eating out, we have been having dinner at home almost every night.
• Opened us up to trying new types of recipes I would have never thought of
• taught me cooking techniques I usually shy away from (ex. cutting corn off the cob instead of buying frozen or canned corn)
• And my favorite, I get 20-40 minutes of ME time to cook. It has been a huge de-stresser but still Sawyer likes to help with some recipes and that is still just as enjoyable.

And CONS:

I really don't have cons except maybe the choices of how many meals and for how many people. It would be nice to get one for 3 people and maybe just 2 times a week.

Meal Delivery: HelloFresh

Meal Delivery services are all the rage and for good reason. They help people, like me, who are short on time still have an opportunity to cook tasty/healthy meals without having to even step foot in a store or search for recipes. Being a new mom to two kiddos, my normal dinner routine is usually organic chicken nuggets and Annie's macaroni and cheese (trying to be somewhat healthy) so when I heard about these services, I quickly decided we would try it. We are trying both HelloFresh and Blue Apron. Here I will share our experiences in case you have been thinking about it but had questions.

This blog will cover our first HelloFresh Delivery and I will review my Blue Apron delivery next week.

HelloFresh

www.hellofresh.com (use code: F5GXE4)

HOW IT WORKS: You select meal choices the Wednesday before your delivery for the next week. You have an option of 5 meals depending on your taste and they must be entered before the deadline (midnight) or they send you the default meals for that week. You pick your delivery day of Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday and it arrives at your door step in a big box with cold packs, farm fresh ingredients and recipes. They have classic box which includes meats or a veggie box too. We choose the Classic box 3 meals per week for 2 people, cost $54 but they have a 4 person option for $114. Your first box though is only $34. You have to sign up for continued delivery but you can skip any week for no penalty or can cancel at any time. 

HOW IT ARRIVES: In a large box with cold packs individually wrapped per meal.

_ _ _ _

OUR MEALS:

Tex Mex Risotto 

Ingreditents: arborio rice, cumin, cilantro, garlic, shallot, jalapeno, corn on the cob, red bell pepper, stock concentrate, Monterrey jack cheese
Cook time: 50 min.

Vedict: Delicious. John and I both loved the flavor especially that it had a little spice but not too bad. I had never made risotto and the instructions made it easy. This was John's favorite of the three.

_ _ _ _

Chicken and Nectarine Panzanella

Ingredients: chicken breast, nectarine, demi baguette, fresh mozzarella, mint, arugula, shallot, white wine vinegar, and zucchini
Cook time: 35 min.

Verdict: I ha never heard of Panzanella but this was my favorite of the three! The mix of mint and vinegar in dressing was perfect, the warm tender chicken and cruncy home-made croutons on top were the icing on the cake. Deceivingly filling!

_ _ _ _

Crispy Skillet Chicken

Ingredients: chicken, cracked Bulgar, carrot, zucchini, parsley, lemon, stock concentrate, dried apricots and shallot
Cook time: 40 min.

Verdict: Good but our least favorite. The Bulgar and veggies were yummy but we had trouble getting the chicken cooked completely with the suggested cook time. I ended up cooking it for an extra 20 minutes but that made it less juicy. I wouldn't make this again.

_ _ _ _ _

Finally Opinion: We will definitely be ordering HelloFresh again. Was very pleased with the 

way it was delivered and how helpful the instructions were. We had one item arrive different that was indicated (fresh mozzarella actually came as packaged) and I emailed their Help Desk and they credited my account for the mistake.

Little Celebrity

My mom was kind enough to enter Sawyer in the Sprout Organic Foods "Sprout Sweetie" photo contest and he won! He is their October "Sprout Sweetie".  The theme this month is Super Heros and her submission said his super power is that "he is faster than a speeding bullet". Boy is that true!
So excited to see his cute little face on their facebook page and website for the entire month. This photo was taken during Sawyer's 1 Year photo session with J Design Studio.
Check it out until the end of the month here:
http://www.sproutorganicfoods.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/sproutfoods)

Thanks Mom & Sprout Foods!

SPROUT'S WEBSITE:

SPROUT'S FACEBOOK PAGE

Toddler Snacks

Sawyer's favorite breakfast of cheerios, whole grain waffles, peanut butter and bananas

We are very blessed to have a son who is the antithesis of a picky eater. He will eat anything, anytime. I know this may change but while it lasts I have the opportunity or should I say challenge of finding a variety of meals and snacks for him.

Our go-to snacks have to serve two purposes in our family.
1. Quick
2. Healthy yet filling

Here is our recomended list of 10 snacks for toddlers (Sawyer is almost 14 months) that fit both of those catergories.

1. String Cheese: Great source of protein & calcium and easy to pack.
We recommend: http://www.horizondairy.com/
2. Cheerios: Whole grain cereal's fiber is a great way to keep your toddler full while also giving them some much needed vitamins.
3. PB & J: Peanut butter give them fiber & protein and when paired with natural fruit jelly it is super yummy and healthy. Cut into little squares or fun shapes, put in tupperware and just throw it in your diaper bag.
We recommend: Smucker's Organic Peanut Butter  and  Welch's Natural Grape Jelly
4. Applesauce: Sawyer is hooked on it because of the sweetness but he doesn't even realize he is getting his vitamin C. The all-natural snack packs are great on the go.
We recommend: http://www.motts.com/products/6
5. Cottage Cheese: Another great source of calcium and protein, cottage cheese can also be paired with fruit for a sweet snack. We recommend:
6. Yogurt: Another great source of calcium but also taste yummy. You can even mix with some cereal or fruit. We recommend: http://daisybrand.com/products/low-fat-cottage-cheese.aspx
7. Eggs: While scrambled eggs might not be handy, making some hard boiled eggs and packing them you can give your child a large percentage of their daily protein needs.
8: Whole Grain Waffles: These are our favorite go-to breakfast item. The fiber keeps them full longer. We top with a little bit of all-natural peanut butter and cut in to strips for an easy to carry snack.
We recommend: http://www.vansfoods.com/our-products-waffles
9: Fruit Roll-ups/Leather: Find the all-natural type made with real fruit and you have a great snack with fiber. We recommend: http://stretchislandfruit.com/
10. Hummus: We just recently discovered hummus for Sawyer. John and I have always loved it but never thought to let him have it as well. Great on whole wheat crackers or carrots, he tends to just lick it right off. Hummus is a great source of Iron. We recommend: http://www.tribehummus.com/