Are you looking to get healthy in the new year, but are too busy to cook a lot of healthy meals? Blue Apron can help with that! Below, RSG contributor Chonce Maddox-Rhea shares how she tried out Blue Apron with her family, and what they thought of Blue Apron below.
Quick summary:
- Blue Apron is great for busy families who like (or need) variety
- Offers thousands of different recipes for you to choose from – or find inspiration!
- Blue Apron has almost every type of eating preference covered, from vegetarian to wellness and more in between
When it comes to planning and preparing meals, my family loves variety. We don’t have any super picky eaters, but we also can’t eat the same thing all the time because it gets boring. This is why I love meal delivery services like Blue Apron.
I’ve used Blue Apron in the past and it was nice to just have everything I needed shipped to my door and be able to learn some new recipes as well. In a society where convenience is heavily praised and sought after, meal delivery companies are also noticeably on the rise.
If you’ve heard of Blue Apron before but didn’t know whether you should try it or not, you’re not alone. In this Blue Apron review, I’ll be explaining how it works and answering the important questions so you can decide whether it’s right for you.
What Exactly is Blue Apron?
Blue Apron is a weekly box including recipes and ingredients to help bring dinner ideas to your home. The company was founded in 2012 in New York by Matthew B. Salzberg, Ilia Papas, and Matt Wadiak. According to Pitch Book, the company quickly became a hit with a 2014 net revenue of $77.8 million.
There are up to 8 different meal options available through Blue Apron. Different plans are available to accommodate your family size whether you just need food for two people or a family of 4 or 5.
If you enjoy cooking and trying new recipes but hate doing the shopping, Blue Apron provides a great solution with ready-to-prepare ingredients delivered right to your door.
How Blue Apron Works
Blue Apron recipes and ingredients are available through their website or mobile versions. Sign up to receive step-by-step food recipes and farm-fresh ingredients delivered to your doorstep in a Blue Apron chilled box.
The box helps keep all the food fresh until you’re ready to open your delivery. After creating an account, you can save and browse over 4,000 different recipes. Not only does Blue Apron provide you with food and recipes, but you can also receive exclusive techniques and tips and even have access to how-to-videos to help you through preparing the meals.
If you want to enjoy wine with dinner, Blue Apron can provide that as well. The monthly service is available to Blue Apron customers if they want.
Who is Blue Apron Best for?
Blue Apron is all about providing options for families who want quick meals. That’s exactly what Blue Apron does, with most meals from box to your plate taking 45 minutes or less. Family time is important and Blue Apron provides an opportunity to spend time at home cooking together instead of at the store shopping for food.
If you’re in a hurry, there’s also plenty of 20-minute meals to prepare as well and you can even prep some of your meals ahead of time when your box arrives for the week.
Blue Apron is also a solid option for anyone who is paying close attention to what’s in their food. If you’re looking for farm-fresh, natural ingredients, this company only provides food from the best sources. Meal ingredients often come from farms, importers and family-run purveyors.
Examples of Meals from Blue Apron
Meals are broken up by serving size. There is a 2 serving menu, and a 4 serving menu. You can choose between 4 main meal plan categories:
- Signature
- Signature For 4
- Vegetarian For 2
- Wellness For 2
The Togarashi Popcorn Chicken gives customers an option for chicken that they might not have thought of before.
The dish can be served with hoisin mayo or sweet chilli slaw. The entire list of nutritional facts are available to look at before ordering. Prepare the meal in just 5 steps with each part broken down – nice and simple for families.
Need something with a larger serving size? Well, this seared steak and crispy shallot has a serving size of 4 and looks delicious.
This meal takes over 45 minutes to prep and cook. Blue Apron provides everything you need to prepare this meal, including the steak, ketchup, chicken bone broth, sour cream, garlic gloves and more.
How Much Does Blue Apron Cost?
Customers can choose a new menu each and every week! Shipping is $7.99 per order.
You can choose to receive meals either 2, 3, or 4 times per week depending on the meal plan. All pricing is available through their website, but some examples of how much menus cost is $4.99 for 2 vegetarian recipes per week, and $6.66 for 3.
Is Blue Apron Healthy?
Yes! They have meals for everyone including people who are looking to eat healthier meals. Blue Apron even offers meat-free dishes for the vegetarians out there.
Other meals are a combination of dishes that include meat, Beyond Meat, fish, and even WW approved diabetes-friendly meals.
They are taking another step in 2021 by launching the Wellness for 2 plans on January 4th. Recipes will feature nutritionist-approved put together with your holistic health in mind, and they’ll also be carb-conscious food items.
Blue Apron Promo Code
Blue Apron has a coupon through Retail Me Not that offers $60 off your first 3 boxes. Promo is for one redemption per household. The $60 breaks up to $20 off your first 3 deliveries.
Companies like Blue Apron
Plated
In late 2019, Plated shifted their focus from meal delivery to a in-store. Certain markets started to sell Plated meal-kits in-store rather than the company focusing on selling online.
HelloFresh
HelloFresh is trying to reel in new customers by offering $80 off your first order. If that doesn’t sound good enough, they are also allowing free shipping on those orders. If you want to pause the meal plans, simply cancel your delivery 5 days prior to your delivery date and you will no longer have to worry.
You can save $40 on your next HelloFresh order using our referral link here.
Sun Basket
Sun Basket is similar to other meal delivery services out there except they do seem to offer a little more custom meal plans. Customers can choose from carb conscious, gluten-free, Mediterranean, Pescatarian, paleo, and more.
Daily Harvest
The meals through Daily Harvest are built with vegetables and fruit. Daily Harvest customers can choose either 9,12, 24 menu items to send to your home either weekly or monthly.
Blue Apron Alternatives
Another popular Blue Apron alternative to mention is Home Chef. The ‘customize your plate’ feature makes it even easier to double up on or swap out on a favorite protein. If you really want quick meals, you can even go with some of the oven-ready meals that come served in a oven safe tin.
Summary
Blue Apron has been standing strong for years as one of the top meal-delivery options in the nation. The meal options continue to expand with wellness recipes that focus more on keeping customers focused on carb intake set to launch in 2021. Blue Apron’s prices are reasonable and definitely worth looking into especially if you’re looking for high-quality ingredients.
The fact that Blue Apron also includes every ingredient, including condiments and seasonings, adds to its value so you never have to worry about running to the store to pick up a missed ingredient.
Readers, have you or would you try a service like Blue Apron?
-Chonce @ RSG
