topic Re: Blue Apron in Community Chat

Blue Apron

qvcaddition — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 07:43:02 GMT

Has anyone tried or heard of this food service and if so, what do you think? My Grandson and his wife subscribe to the two person plan. They get three meals a week for two people, cost 60.00. Everything sent fresh. No hormones in the chicken or beef. Vegetables and all the fixings, also a big recipe card and step by step in preparing the meals. They showed me everything and quite pleased with it. I live alone and always trying to figure out what to eat. End up buying too much, and wasting. The two meal plan. would also give me six meals. The dishes look good and stuff I might never cook. Also proportion in amount, so no over eating. I googled it and it might work for me. You can stop at any time. I might actually save money.

Re: Blue Apron

drizzellla — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 10:19:46 GMT

We have used Blue Apron numerous times. And think it is well worth it. The food has always been fresh and the recipes are SO GOOD. What I like about it, is the food is exactly the portion you need. There are no half used bottles of something you will not use again.

And it is fun to make. We pitch in and the meal is done. And we have always liked the meal.

My husband saw the delivery last time. It was a man delivering it to our house. Guess that is why everything is always fresh and the freezer packs are still frozen. We have been pleased with the service and will continue to use them.

Re: Blue Apron

phluphy — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 11:03:29 GMT

We have used Blue Apron, Plated and Hello Fresh, enjoyed them all.

Love that everything is included and you get some very interesting menus to make. I don't usually get them all the time. You can cancel weeks in advance and choose what you like. Also it is delivered to your door.

Hope you enjoy yours also.

Re: Blue Apron

Mmsfoxxie — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 11:14:22 GMT

I enjoyed Blue Apron very much. In the summer months they are the best because of the availability of so many fresh vegetables. Food arrives on time, still frozen or almost frozen. As you said, just right portion size. One negative about Blue Apron...their shrimp has a bad taste like a chemical. Numerous complaints about it last year.

I've also tried two others, Hello Fresh and Home Chef. I think of the three that I've tried, Home Chef had the most weekly variety to choose from. Blue Apron let's you choose the type of food you like, meat, fish, or vegetarian and they send you that type of meal weekly that they select unless you skip. Home Chef gives you much more to select from weekly, not just the three meals, two of each.

I stopped ordering, not because I was displeased with the food but because my husband thought it was not enough in portion size and he was anti vegetables. (Since then, he has been diagnosed with diabetes and has to eat veggies so with that in mind, I might go on plan again). The other concern I had with one that most might think silly but I thought about the fact that I might not be able to stop deliveries in time if something happened to me. Remember, you have to contact them to stop or deliveries keep coming. Oh, one more issue...there were a couple of times that my schedule did not permit me to cook the vegetables at their fresh delivered state.

All of those services misrepresent the preparation time, at least for me. That chopping and dicing takes a lot of time and use of dishes.

This week, I'm going to try Freshly a service where the food is already cooked. It's like frozen dinners but supposedly better. I decided to try it because it's already portioned for you and no prep time, obviously. Hubby has a hard time realizing what a portion is, lol.

Re: Blue Apron

haddon9 — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 11:33:24 GMT

Last year for my birthday my son got me a week's trial just for something different.

I liked it! It was easy, the food was fresh and there were recipes that I never would have tried myself without a kit like Blue Aprons.

Re: Blue Apron

LOLLI — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 11:44:27 GMT

I got it for a gift and loved it, lots of coupons out there for new customers and the company is great to deal with. I also live alone and used the second portion for next days lunch.

Re: Blue Apron

Lucky Charm — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 12:38:34 GMT

I've been wanting to try one of these by a company called Sakara.

I love cooking for my husband and family, but I don't eat anything they do.

It would be a pleasure to have meals delivered for meeee!

Sakara delivers organic plant based only meals.

The only problem is, I would want to do it monthly and I'm never in the same place for a month it seems.

Has anyone ever tried this service?

Re: Blue Apron

Sooner — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 14:37:09 GMT

For us, it is easy to put together meals from ingredients we buy. If you live alone, a sous vide is a wonderful thing for "cooking" because there is basically no cleanup, veggies are easy to saute or microwave, and that way we get things we like to eat.

There are so many freshed and packaged salad and greens mixes now that are organic and relatively inexpensive, and pre-sliced veggies and slaws that it is easy to use these in salads and stir fry.

We also to drices, pastas, and grains like bulgar and farro and add tiny tomatoes, cuke slices, onions, olives and whatever and make our own vinegar and oil dressings. SOOOOO good especially in the summer. Soups are easy too for using up leftovers and bits of veggies.

If you master a few "recipes" techniques, it is easy to change up the flavorings and vary your diet.

Just some ideas in case it might be productive for you.

Re: Blue Apron

Vivian — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 17:26:59 GMT

I am fortunate enough to have a Wegman's supermarket in my town. They offer many prepared foods that just need to be cooked and served. A couple of days ago, I made braciole, steak with spinach and ham stuffing. I nuked a baking potato and some frozen veggies and served a great dinner with a minimum of effort. I assume Blue Apron and similar services are quite expensive. I'll take Wegman's any day.

Re: Blue Apron

ccassaday — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 17:43:47 GMT

There is one called Terra's kitchen where everything is already chopped and diced.

Re: Blue Apron

software — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 21:08:39 GMT

@Mmsfoxxie wrote:
I enjoyed Blue Apron very much. In the summer months they are the best because of the availability of so many fresh vegetables. Food arrives on time, still frozen or almost frozen. As you said, just right portion size. One negative about Blue Apron...their shrimp has a bad taste like a chemical. Numerous complaints about it last year.

I've also tried two others, Hello Fresh and Home Chef. I think of the three that I've tried, Home Chef had the most weekly variety to choose from. Blue Apron let's you choose the type of food you like, meat, fish, or vegetarian and they send you that type of meal weekly that they select unless you skip. Home Chef gives you much more to select from weekly, not just the three meals, two of each.

I stopped ordering, not because I was displeased with the food but because my husband thought it was not enough in portion size and he was anti vegetables. (Since then, he has been diagnosed with diabetes and has to eat veggies so with that in mind, I might go on plan again). The other concern I had with one that most might think silly but I thought about the fact that I might not be able to stop deliveries in time if something happened to me. Remember, you have to contact them to stop or deliveries keep coming. Oh, one more issue...there were a couple of times that my schedule did not permit me to cook the vegetables at their fresh delivered state.

All of those services misrepresent the preparation time, at least for me. That chopping and dicing takes a lot of time and use of dishes.

This week, I'm going to try Freshly a service where the food is already cooked. It's like frozen dinners but supposedly better. I decided to try it because it's already portioned for you and no prep time, obviously. Hubby has a hard time realizing what a portion is, lol.

I bet deliveries stop when the checks quit rolling in! It's just not something I worry about. I figure when I stop paying, it's time to stop a delivery!

Re: Blue Apron

Mmsfoxxie — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 21:49:13 GMT

@software, they have your credit card number on file. There has been a time or two that I forgot to notify Blue Apron that I wanted to skip a particular week and there it was at my door that Friday. I could have been out of town and come back to spoiled food. I get so many emails from them that I missed reading the notifications. Totally my fault because I know how the program works. Every week you have to be on alert to cancel for the following week.

Re: Blue Apron

Kachina624 — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 21:53:35 GMT

These food services seem to be everywhere I look. I want my food to arrive cooked and ready to eat. I don't want to stand in the kitchen 30min to prepare it.

Re: Blue Apron

GusMo — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 22:47:52 GMT

My concern is the cost and the amount of packaging.

I tried Blue Apron, thought it was very expensive and lots of trash/recycling.

Re: Blue Apron

tdog — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 23:09:15 GMT

@Sooner What is a sous vide?

Re: Blue Apron

mantaraye — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 23:24:54 GMT

@Mmsfoxxie - I was subscribed to Freshly. Their food is delicious, but when I read the sodium content of their dishes, I deactivated my account. One dish, in particular, Chicken Parmigiana, sodium content was 1460.

@Mmsfoxxie wrote:
I enjoyed Blue Apron very much. In the summer months they are the best because of the availability of so many fresh vegetables. Food arrives on time, still frozen or almost frozen. As you said, just right portion size. One negative about Blue Apron...their shrimp has a bad taste like a chemical. Numerous complaints about it last year.

I've also tried two others, Hello Fresh and Home Chef. I think of the three that I've tried, Home Chef had the most weekly variety to choose from. Blue Apron let's you choose the type of food you like, meat, fish, or vegetarian and they send you that type of meal weekly that they select unless you skip. Home Chef gives you much more to select from weekly, not just the three meals, two of each.

I stopped ordering, not because I was displeased with the food but because my husband thought it was not enough in portion size and he was anti vegetables. (Since then, he has been diagnosed with diabetes and has to eat veggies so with that in mind, I might go on plan again). The other concern I had with one that most might think silly but I thought about the fact that I might not be able to stop deliveries in time if something happened to me. Remember, you have to contact them to stop or deliveries keep coming. Oh, one more issue...there were a couple of times that my schedule did not permit me to cook the vegetables at their fresh delivered state.

All of those services misrepresent the preparation time, at least for me. That chopping and dicing takes a lot of time and use of dishes.

This week, I'm going to try Freshly a service where the food is already cooked. It's like frozen dinners but supposedly better. I decided to try it because it's already portioned for you and no prep time, obviously. Hubby has a hard time realizing what a portion is, lol.

Re: Blue Apron

HappyDaze — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 23:38:47 GMT

I love Sunbasket- mostly organic ingredients and very interesting combinations, lots of healthy choices and I love that their packaging is recycleable. I do enjoy Home Chef as well. Their meals are more basic but still tasty and I've found some really good meals that I can make on my own with my own groceries.The thing I don't like about Home Chef is all the waste that comes with their boxes and not recycleable so I don't use them that often.

We get the 2 person meal plan that comes with 3 meals a week which is so convenient as we rarely have time to shop and we don't like to eat out very often. It is also the perfect amount of food so we don't waste anything. Sometimes more than enough for leftovers which we generally will have for a lunch at work.

The thing is with any of these home food programs is you do NOT need to use the amount of salt and/or butter that they suggest in the recipe or give with the meal. i never add salt to any of the meals even when they say to and I may or may not use the butter but certainly not as much as they give with the box. In other words, there are ways to make them healthier (e.g. less sodium, less fat) if you are creative and don't follow their recipes to a "T".

Re: Blue Apron

tansy — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 23:47:20 GMT

@Kachina624 wrote:
These food services seem to be everywhere I look. I want my food to arrive cooked and ready to eat. I don't want to stand in the kitchen 30min to prepare it.

Up above someone mentioned Freshly.

Re: Blue Apron

Mmsfoxxie — Tue, 18 Apr 2017 00:37:30 GMT

Oh my goodness, @mantaraye, that definitely is high. We haven't tried ours yet. It came on a Saturday and we had leftovers in the fridge from Friday. Then, on Easter Sunday, we went out to dinner, eating our doggy bag food today, lol. It's in the freezer.

Thanks for mentioning the sodium. My husband looked at the packaging and said it looked mighty small, lol.

Re: Blue Apron

Sooner — Tue, 18 Apr 2017 17:15:59 GMT

It is a device that sort of looks like a stick blender (it's about that size) but you put it in a pot of water and it heats the water gently and cooks food that is sealed in a plastic bag. The water doesn't get terribly hot and you cook in in the pot but doesn't have to be in a stove.

It makes wonderful chicken, fish and even steak (not as good as grilled but good!). It is easy to use, accurate, you can hold the cooked food at temp for a good while (if you have people eating at different times), and no real mess to clean up.

Read about it! Restaurants have used them for many years.

I hope that helps!