Thank you to Blue Apron for sponsoring this post! Want to cook more at home this year? The first 50 people to sign up for Blue Apron here will get $40 off their first two weeks of orders!
Raise your hand if one of your goals for the new year is to cook at home more – anyone else? I know that’s a goal for us! Normally we cook at home a decent amount, but last year we did a lot less of it given that I was pregnant and, for the most part, not super interested in food or cooking. Dinnertime was especially hard for me because it was when I often felt most nauseous and never knew what would hit the spot food-wise, which made eating out (with so many options) easier. I had a stretch during the second trimester where I felt more like myself, but for the first and third trimesters we did a LOT of eating out, or just having cereal or pizza for dinner. You know it’s bad when your pizza-loving husband actually starts getting sick of pizza… 🙂
Now that I’m no longer pregnant and am not having weird aversions/eating like a toddler all the time, and now that the busy holiday season and family visits have slowed down, I’m excited to get back on the veggie-packed dinner train.
One of the ways we are doing that is with Blue Apron! You guys know we love Blue Apron (affiliate link) – they send you all the ingredients you need to make delicious, chef-designed recipes at home. No wasted food from unused ingredients and no meal planning or grocery store trips! We have been using Blue Apron (affiliate link) on and off for years now; we do the 2 person plan but they also have a family plan option. There are now 8 recipes (instead of 6) to choose from each week, and you can choose any combination of recipes, which is awesome. They are always adding new dishes and the recipes are always really creative and unique!
Our first Blue Apron delivery of the new year came last week – I was LOVING the look of the recipes and they were just as delicious as they sounded. Very veggie-forward! These Togarashi Chicken Lettuce Cups were a bit hit – Matt and I always enjoy lettuce cups.
We also really enjoyed this Mexican-Spiced Barramundi with Kale, Sweet Potato, and Avocado Salad. Yum – all those ingredients were definitely right up my alley! Look at that mountain or kale! Really good flavor, too. I was obsessed with the toasted pepitas – I always forget how much toasting nuts and seeds brings out their flavor!
Those first two recipes were part of a partnership Blue Apron is doing with Whole30 to kick off the new year. You guys know I am not an advocate of following a program that has you eliminating food groups (unless for medical reasons) as it’s not sustainable long term and often sets you up to feel guilty later when eating those off-limits foods. That said, I do love a lot of Whole30’s recipes because they are creative and packed with hearty, filling veggies and whole, nutrient-dense foods. I actually selected those two Whole30 meals for the week before realizing they were part of the Whole30 partnership – they just sounded amazing! And they were. 🙂 Blue Apron (affiliate link) will be offering two Whole30 meal options each week through the end of February, FYI!
Our third meal last week was Seared Chicken and Mashed Potatoes, which sounds basic, but I LOVE Blue Apron (affiliate link)’s mashed potatoes and chicken recipes – they are always super flavorful and have a delicious pan sauce. Mmmm.
This dish was supposed to have maple-glazed carrots on the side, but we don’t love cooked carrots, so instead we snacked on them raw – Matt while he was cooking us dinner, and me while I was feeding Riese her dinner! 🙂 They were actually amazing carrots – really juicy and flavorful and crisp.
I will leave you with a fun photo of Matt cooking with Riese in the “dad shirt”! Don’t worry – I grabbed her from him before he started cooking anything hot. She likes “helping” us cook, though – often I’ll stand holding her so she can watch Matt in action. She’s fascinated by it now that she’s more alert!
Are you ready to try Blue Apron this year to start cooking more at home without the hassle of meal planning and grocery shopping? Blue Apron (affiliate link) ships to most of the country, and there’s no commitment – you can skip or cancel at anytime. Meals start at $8.99 per serving and all the ingredients are delivered in a refrigerated box so you don’t need to be home when the package arrives. Click here to get $40 off your first two weeks of orders. Enjoy!!
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Are you planning to cook at home more this year? If yes, how are you going to do it – do you have a specific plan/strategy in mind?
