This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Honest Cooking and Blue Apron’s fresh food meal delivery service. All opinions expressed herein are mine alone.
When it comes to dancing, I was born with two left feet. But, every December, I manage to execute The Holiday Hustle with a finesse that surprises me! Maybe you have heard of The Holiday Hustle? Maybe YOU are doing IT right now?
December finds me trying to recover from whatever painting venture I opted for on Thanksgiving, while balancing my daughter’s birthday, Christmas, Christmas parties, gifting, you name it – it seems to make it onto my holiday list. And, I am thinking I am not the only one who has their plates full at this time of the year. And, amidst all the hustling, some days it becomes pretty darn challenging to prep, shop for and make a meal from scratch.
As much as I think brainstorming recipes, foraging for ingredients and even cleaning up after is therapeutic, there are some days in December when I wish I could twitch my nose (like Samantha Stephens from Bewitched) and have a meal magically appear on our table! As I’ve never quite been a fan of take out, when the opportunity to try Blue Apron‘s Meal Delivery Service presented itself, I figured I had nothing to loose.
If you are not familiar with Blue Apron, they are a fresh ingredient and recipe delivery service that provides you with what you need to cook an incredible meal at home. They take out the meal planning and shopping so all you have to do is cook and enjoy! They have plans for 2-people or a family and they will tailor these plans to meet your dietary restrictions.
I opted to go with their 2-person, vegetarian plan and received the farm-fresh ingredients for:
• A Smoked Mozzarella and Cabbage Pizza with Romaine and Apple Salad,
• Roasted Acorn Squash with Couscous Salad and Dressed Pea Shoots, &
• Sicilian-Style Rigatoni Pasta with Cauliflower & Toasted Pine Nuts.
While my daughter and I enjoyed all three fresh meals, our favorite had to be the Smoked Mozzarella and Cabbage Pizza with Romaine and Apple Salad! I was so intrigued by this dish! I love learning something new and I gotta say, I would never have thought to top my pizza with sautéed cabbage and capers! All three of our meals were more than adequate for the two of us. With 2 out of 3 of the meals, my daughter and I had leftovers for the next day. My daughter and I worked on cooking these dishes together; with the guesswork taken out of measuring, planning and finding ingredients, we got to thoroughly enjoy each others company in the process. Another big plus for me was that since everything is measured out perfectly, when I was done, there were no wasted ingredients. No spices (like the Aleppo Pepper used in the Roasted Acorn Squash with Couscous Salad and Dressed Pea Shoots) bought just for the meal that would hang out on my shelf forever.
I am a huge believer that we all have a chef in us waiting to be let out – and Blue Apron helps that inner chef shine with their fresh food meal delivery service. Every week, Blue Apron sends hundreds of thousands of customers pre-measured and perfectly proportioned ingredients so they can prepare delicious, fun, easy and healthy meals in their kitchens. In this process, they introduce their customers to new ingredients, flavors, and cooking techniques. Blue Apron also works with family-run farms so they can provide their customers with the freshest ingredients possible!
So, the next time you find yourself doing The Holiday Hustle, I urge you to give Blue Apron‘s home delivered meals a try. Not only will you be using sustainable ingredients from upstanding farmers and fisheries, but you will be escaping the dinner rut and feeding your piggy bank while coming together over dinner!
If you chose to sign up today, YOU have the option to SAVE $30 Off Your First Delivery or get 3 Meals FREE on Your First Order!
If you are like me and don’t want to commit to a recurring plan, Blue Ribbon lets you cancel at any time – and, even skip orders.
Blue Apron’s uniquely integrated model means better ingredients, better pricing and a better planet for us all.
Please make sure to connect with Blue Apron on
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GiGi Eats
Saturday 3rd of December 2016
I did Blue Apron a while back and while it's a good concept, I wasn't the biggest fan... 1. because the foods didn't REALLY fit within my diet, and they don't have specific diet styles (or maybe they do now?) and 2. when I get food delivered to me, I don't want to still have to cook it... and 3. I LOVE GROCERY SHOPPING! lol!
Bam's Kitchen
Friday 2nd of December 2016
I think just avoiding the big huge lines at the grocery store and all the insanity is well worth having fresh ingredients sent to your door. I am all for that! I think i'm going to start dropping major hints for my kids on a great gift for mom! Take care
Maria
Thursday 1st of December 2016
I love how easy this is!
Shashi
Friday 2nd of December 2016
My thoughts exactly :) Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Maria
allie @ Through Her Looking Glass
Thursday 1st of December 2016
You girl, always make my day. I'm doing the Holiday Hustle here in NH along with you and my two left feet are also in the mix. Meanwhile -- I'm twitching my nose with you and Samantha, waiting for a miracle. Someone else to do the planning and brain work associated w/the holidays. And then you tell me about Blue Apron and it's like bing badda bing! And the food looks fabulous and fresh and the convenience is the absolute best. Thank you for lightening my load Shashi, I always appreciate your fresh ideas and take on life. Have a fabulous day my friend! XO
Shashi
Friday 2nd of December 2016
Hahaha - "bing badda bing" you say?! Allie - made my day to know that I might have lightened your load a tad bit! I can imagine how hectic things are in your neck of the woods. BTW - Best part about Blue Apron is that you can cancel anytime - just try out 1 meal or 3 and bing badda bing done! :) Also, on a side note, I got my maple syrup from Collins Hill Farm! It's so good - but am hoping I manage to find the willpower to leave some be to try your recipe! Happy FriYAY! Hope your weekend is super wonderful, my friend! xoxo
David @ Spiced
Thursday 1st of December 2016
Haha...I was born with 2 left feet too. And Laura reminds me of this whenever I pretend to dance! I like to do what is called "the white boy shuffle" :-) But the Holiday Hustle? Now that's one that I know all too well! Curling is back, and I've had 2 late games this week (get home around 11:30-11:45pm, so that alarm clock the next morning has been rough. On days like that, I sure wish my dinner would just magically appear, too! Love that pizza, too...it seems like we have the same thought there! I would never have thought about cabbage on a pizza, but it sounds like a fun topping. Plus, smoked mozzarella makes everything better! And now I want pizza for dinner tonight...thanks for that one!
Shashi
Friday 2nd of December 2016
Haha - hey, as long as Laura doesn't offer to call the exorcist cos she thinks you are possessed (like little Shashi does) I think you and your “the white boy shuffle” are just fine! Happy Pizza FriYAY, David! I hope y'all have a wonderful alarm-clock-less weekend - unless y'all use it on the weekends too, in which case I've got no words! :)