Meal Prep Delivery: Blue Apron Review

For this post, I’ve partnered with Blue Apron to bring you my review and be able to offer you a $60 discount over your first 3 boxes! 

This year, many of us have spent more time than ever in our kitchens cooking for ourselves and our families and we’ve entered what’s referred to as “recipe fatigue.”

We know what we feel like eating but choosing a recipe to cook has proven to be a challenge, so many of us have ordered out more than we’d like -also spending more. For months, I’ve received many requests to check out meal prep delivery services and a Blue Apron review was the most requested one of all.

Take a look at the ingredients for the two meals I selected this week 😍, right?

My Blue Apron Review

I wanted my Blue Apron review to be most critical of its quality of ingredients, value (ingredient quality vs. cost), and ease of preparation. 

Since I’m very particular with the quality of my proteins, specifically beef, and seafood, I chose a beef recipe Mongolian Beef and Noodles and a salmon recipe Salmon Avocado Rice Bowls. 

Beef Quality:
The beef cut included was a premium cut of grass-fed beef which I found to be superior to the quality at the grocery store. Their meats are never fed antibiotics or hormones so that’s a big plus.

Bonus: it came pre-sliced thin, helping me save prep time. 

Salmon Quality:
The quality of the salmon in my Blue Apron box blew me away. It didn’t smell fishy, the texture was perfect, and after cooking, it was flakey and buttery. 

Bonus: they source their seafood from sustainable sources.

Things I loved from the delivery:

• Each recipe includes a step-by-step recipe card with photos to help you cook along.
• Every ingredient is pre-measured, saving you lots of prep-time.
• Fresh ingredients are part of every recipe and they were ripe and ready to be enjoyed.
• Both recipes had ingredients that I didn’t have in my pantry nor would I want to buy a full-size jar or bottle for one recipe.

If you’ve been thinking whether or not Blue Apron’s delivery service is a good fit for you and your family, read this review and make sure to take advantage of the $60 savings over your first 3 boxes.

Watch me open the Blue Apron box and cook one of the recipes with me in the video below.

What is the Best Meal Prep Delivery Service? 

Another question I receive often is “what is the best meal prep delivery service?” And I get where you’re coming from if you’ve asked yourself this question. 

The best meal prep delivery service is one that matches your eating style and can consistently deliver quality ingredients right to your door. 

My eating style is one that includes a lot of fresh ingredients, high-quality proteins, and recipes that can be made in about 20 to 35 minutes that my family will actually eat.

After browsing through the recipes offered on Blue Apron’s menu page, I can find at least two per week that meets the toughest criteria: that my family will enjoy eating.

Which Home Delivery Meal Service is Healthiest?

For the most part, all home delivery meal services deliver a combination of staple items and fresh ingredients. The answer to this question is rather personal because the word healthy means something different to everyone. 

I define healthy eating as enjoying a variety of meals made with fresh and quality ingredients and in my case, Blue Apron meets these criteria.

For my review, I specifically chose recipes that I would typically order at a restaurant; and the home version felt lighter and fresher than when ordered out.

Meal Prep Services

My two big selection points from all meal prep services were: 

• will this save me food-prep time?
• will it add variety to our meals?

Time-saving:

All the non-perishable ingredients in my Blue Apron boxes (rice, seasonings, etc) came pre-measured and labeled. 

As someone that cooks for a living, I equate this step as having a kitchen-assistant gathering your ingredients and measuring everything before you start cooking. This immediately saves time!

Since Blue Apron only covers a couple of our weekly dinners, I still have to shop for my meals. Side note: some of the ingredients are nearly impossible to find in my area.

Meal Variety: After months of browsing Blue Apron’s “on the Menu” page,

it’s rare to find a meal that looks similar. 

The toughest part was selecting which meals I wanted to get delivered, they all looked delicious. However, by selecting from a narrow menu, I did not experience the overwhelm I experience when I search for recipes on Pinterest.

How Does Meal Prep Delivery Work?

When you subscribe to Blue Apron, you can select how many servings, the number of meals, and customize your delivery menu. You'll:

• Select meal size: for 2 or 4 people
• Select meal type: traditional signature menu or vegetarian (for 2 only)
• Select how many recipes per week (2 to 4)

Since there’s no minimum commitment with Blue Apron, you can:

• Skip a week
• Adjust the number of meals you want delivered
• Pause or cancel your subscription should your needs change. I found Blue Apron to be the most user-friendly and flexible service.

Try Blue Apron Today & Save $60 over your first 3 boxes!

 What is Blue Apron Meal Prep

If you love meal prepping as much as I do, Blue Apron's Meal Prep service has the recipes we all love specially designed to create make-ahead meals.

They offer two set menus to choose from that include everything you need to prepare 8 servings in under 2 hours.

Is Blue Apron Good for Families?

In the past, I felt that only “couples without kids or very young kids” must be the ones subscribing to a meal prep delivery service like Blue Apron.

But after months of quarantine, working full-time from home, and falling into a meal rotation routine –yes, even someone that creates plans for a living can experience this! – I felt that it was time to try out some options.

After trying their recipes, I can say that Blue Apron is a good option for families because their menu includes options even my picky eaters will eat that are way better than take-out.

Why You Should Try Meal Prep Delivery

After years of wondering if meal prep delivery would be right for me, I can tell you first-hand that Blue Apron is for you if:

• You've been making the same meals on rotation and want to add variety.
• You've been spending more money eating out in the last couple of months than pre-pandemic.
• You want high quality meals in in 25-35 minutes instead of a 90-minute "dinner out" in the middle of the week.

Cost per serving:

I found that the cost per serving is far less than eating out for the meals I selected.

In addition, the quality of the beef and salmon were far higher than some restaurant counterparts -bland/generic tasting salmon is common at restaurants because the quality isn’t high.

After trying Blue Apron firsthand, I can see myself continuing the subscription a couple of nights per week for my family. 

If Blue Apron is something you’ve been considering for a while, head over to their website to try out their meal delivery service and save $60 over your first 3 boxes. 

What are some of the reasons you are considering a meal prep delivery service, and have you tried Blue Apron Before?