beat the dinner dash with blue apron’s new family plan :: review + coupon

In my mind, we will all sit down to a lovely meal at 6:00 every night. Fresh veggies, main course, a good carb. But then the afternoon happens. 4:00-big kids get home from school (snack, homework, search for lost mittens, change baby’s diaper). 5:00-look in the fridge (Forgot to thaw the chicken. Veggies are wilting. Where is the milk? Didn’t I buy milk?) 5:30-resign myself to soup and sandwiches. Again.

We all do it–plan one thing and end up with another. But with Blue Apron‘s new family plan, you can leave the planning (and I’m talking all of the planning here–choosing the recipes, doing the shopping, even measuring some of the ingredients) to Blue Apron. When 5:00 rolls around, you open the fridge and find everything you need to make a fabulous meal.

Blue Apron delivers a package once a week to your home with everything you need for your meals. With the family plan, you can order 2 or 4 meals for 4 people (there is also a 2-person plan if that fits you better). They can accommodate dietary preferences and you can skip a week whenever you like. They work with artisanal purveyors and family-run farms. Their meats are naturally raised on an antibiotic and hormone-free diet. The meals come with a folder with large recipe cards (with full-color pictures) that explain step-by-step what you need to do and when. That way your potatoes finish cooking the same time as your chicken and your salad is prepped and ready to go.

I tried out two family-style meals from Blue Apron and loved them both–and so did the rest of my family which is saying a lot! There aren’t many recipes that please us all. I loved pulling out all the fresh produce from the Blue Apron box. That many veggies in just two meals? Big win in my book. And it’s as fresh as (if not fresher than) produce I buy at the grocery store. And the fresh pasta? I wouldn’t even know where to find something like that near me. It. Was. Amazing.

The first meal we made was Chicken under a “Brick” with Rosemary Roasted Potatoes and Broccolini. The directions were so simple to follow yet specific enough to remind me to wash the produce and trim of the broccolini ends. There was even a yummy butter sauce to serve with the dish. Next we made Fresh Pappardelle Bolognese with Romaine, Celery and Apple Salad. Again, easy directions. Fabulous results. Portion sizes were generous. We all ate our fill and there was still a bit left over of each (which I hoarded for my own lunch the next day).

What I loved most? Not feeling that stress at 5:00 and making an even more fabulous dinner than I would have on my own. When it comes to dinner, it’s rare that we all feel spoiled, yet Blue Apron made that happen! My first 50 readers get two free meals with their first Blue Apron Box – redeem here