Ever since I first read about meal delivery services on other blogs, I was intrigued.

I’m not a natural-born cook. I need thorough directions, plenty of prep time, and as few distractions as possible. Cooking just makes me nervous and I’m awful at multitasking (says the woman who started a food blog).

And despite the myriad recipes at my fingertips (thanks to the internet and our extensive cookbook collection), I often find myself in a food rut.

This is where Blue Apron comes in.

This past November, my husband’s colleague gifted us a week’s worth of meals from Blue Apron. We also purchased a second week of meals on our own.

Here’s how Blue Apron works.

• When you sign up, you choose from the 2-person or 4-person family plan. Each week (you can opt to skip when desired), you select 3 meals from the posted meal plan.
• You can also list dietary restrictions (vegetarian, for example) or any ingredients you must avoid due to allergy/etc.
• Then on the day of your choosing, the recipes and ingredients—in perfectly measured servings—arrive at your doorstop in a refrigerated box.

It’s so easy!

Unfortunately, our first shipment delivered right when Mark was coming down with the flu (or whatever it was he had), so he barely enjoyed those meals.

I, on the other hand, enjoyed all of them (Trattoria-Style Cheeseburgers; Seared Chicken & Roasted Sweet Potato Rounds; and North African-Spiced Shrimp & Couscous).

Trattoria-Style Cheeseburgers with Crispy Rosemary-Garlic Potatoes & Aioli

I loved using ciabatta rolls and kale for the burgers and thought the sauce for otherwise ordinary chicken was delicious. I think the seasoned shrimp was my favorite, as I loved cooking with a new-to-me spice blend, ras el hanout.

Our second box arrived the day before Thanksgiving (we’d intended to skip this week because of the holiday, but we did not cancel in time). Although a bit overwhelming in a week full of food, the selections (Spiced Pork, Squash, & White Bean Soup; Roasted Cornish Game Hen; and Spiced Salmon & Cranberry Chutney) were a nice break from leftovers.

We both enjoyed the soup, which yielded enough for small lunch servings later in the week. The salmon was delicious, too, and I was excited to eat parsnips for the first time (they’re earthy and roast magnificently!). Because of Thanksgiving and our own oversight, we accidentally let the game hen go bad (we totally meant to freeze it).

Spiced Pork, Squash & White Bean Soup with Lacinto Kale & Sage-Walnut Pesto

Let’s break down the good and bad.

Pros

• Convenient—the items arrive at your door step
• Perfectly portioned—no large bottles of new spices go unused
• Seasonal ingredients (and local, when possible)
• A great way to branch out and try new ingredients
• Several choices that will appeal to all tastes/diets
• Detailed recipe cards that can be kept for future use
• All recipes are archived on the website

Cons

• Expensive (for our budget at least)
• Too much packaging (although they do have a recycling program now)
• Time consuming (there’s a lot of prep-work and dirty dishes)
• Too little yield for the effort (when we take the time to cook a labor-intensive meal, you better believe it’s going to result in plenty of leftovers!)
• Because the food is fresh, you risk spoilage if you wait too long to prepare the meals

Was I disappointed in my Blue Apron experience? Not at all. I enjoyed every single meal—some more than others—and felt satisfied after. For our limited budget, though, $9.99 per serving is too expensive for routine purchase. At that price, I feel like I should be getting at least 2 meals.

Detailed Recipe Cards That Can Be Used Again & Again

Something that struck me—and Mark agreed—is that Blue Apron is like ordering at a fine restaurant but having to do all the work yourself! The dishes are unique and the ingredients are fresh and high-quality, but for the price and effort, I felt a bit short-changed. And neither of us has ever used so many different dishes and utensils while prepping!

Will we purchase meals again? Perhaps, but not for some time. In fact, we recently suspended our subscription after forgetting to skip yet another week! I do think we’ll revisit some of these recipes, though.

Although it may not be a weekly fit for us, Blue Apron is a fabulous tool for somebody who’s learning how to cook. It would make a great gift (particularly for new parents—if you offered to cook them as well!) and is a creative way to dig your way out of a food rut.

• Do you enjoy cooking?
• Have you ever tried Blue Apron or other meal services?
• What is your #1 consideration when preparing a dish (prep/cook time, use of certain ingredients, yields leftovers, etc)?

**This is not a sponsored post, and I was not compensated for my time. While we received a free week of meals as a gift, the other meals were purchased on our own. As always, all opinions are my own.**