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hot honey chicken with rice and green beans
September 30, 2020 (Updated August 29, 2022)

No Meal Plan? No Problem

by Anne Mauney, MPH, RD

7 comments
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I’ve written about our love for Blue Apron for many years, and today I want to share some of the delicious eats we’ve had from them lately!

Thank you to my friends at Blue Apron for sponsoring this post. 

In case you haven’t heard of it, Blue Apron is a meal kit company that sends you all the ingredients you need to make delicious, balanced meals right at home – no grocery shopping or meal planning necessary. 

hot honey chicken with rice and green beans

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Pictured above: Hot Honey Crispy Chicken with Dirty Rice and Garlicky Green Beans (this was so good)

Matt and I both enjoy cooking, but neither of us love meal planning. I know, I’m a dietitian and I don’t like meal planning – yep, I said it, it’s fine. 

In the past, when we’ve tried to meal plan, both of us put it off as long as possible and then halfheartedly tried to plan something last minute, making it all feel stressful. It also led to lots of repetitive meals – I’m usually testing out a new recipe for the blog once a week or so, but other than that we’d end up just making the same usual things over and over on repeat and getting really tired of them. 

Over the years we’ve discovered that what works best for us is to have a similar list of groceries that we buy each week (stuff for our usual easy breakfasts and lunches and snacks, plus stuff for 1 or 2 super easy standard meals that we make all the time, like tacos, or a pasta night). We usually plan to order in or eat out (outdoors at the moment!) one or two nights a week, and for the other 3 nights we have Blue Apron to do the planning for us! 

blue apron recipe instructions

Blue Apron can make everyone’s lives easier by saving them the time to meal plan and grocery shop for dinners. Not only is this nice because it takes out the stress of planning a ton of unique meals each week, but it also keeps things interesting because the recipes that Blue Apron introduces us to are often things we wouldn’t try making ourselves at home, or wouldn’t think to make! 

Take this Seared Tilapia with Lentils, Snow Peas, and a Creamy Mustard Dressing, for example – we never would have thought to make something like this, but all 3 of us ended up loving it – even our toddler Riese!

tilapia with lentils and snow peas

The way Blue Apron works is that every week you select the meals you’d like for upcoming weeks. There are about 10 options to choose from, and you can choose either 3 or 4 meals (the 4 meal option is brand new, and I’m excited about it) and either 2 or 4 servings depending how many people will be eating. You can change these setting options each week, too – for example, we have my brother-in-law and his wife here visiting this week so we switched our order to 4 servings – easy!

The recipe instructions are easy to follow and you receive exactly the amount of ingredients that you need to make the recipes, so there’s nothing leftover and no waste. Riese likes helping us make them, too – there’s always something she can help with as we prep, like stripping herbs off of stems, stirring, or snacking on the raw veggies in the dish as quality control. 😉

cooking with a toddler

I know everyone is busy right now – especially with many parents jugging virtual school and busy work schedules at the same time – and Blue Apron is a game changer so dinner is one less thing you have to worry about. 

Click here to check out this week’s menu on their website and to save $60 off over your first 3 boxes, too.

Enjoy – and let me know what you think!

hot honey chicken with green beans and dirty rice

I’m curious – what is your household’s usual process for planning out meals each week? Always interesting to hear how others do it! 

And if you’re already a Blue Apron fan, what’s the most delicious meal you’ve had from them recently? I’ve been loving any of the meals that include za’atar… so flavorful and delicious!

p.s. If you’re interested in how Blue Apron compares to some of the other similar services, here’s my take in this full review comparison post: Blue Apron vs. HelloFresh vs. Sunbasket. 

- anne
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7 comments
  • Ana September 30, 2020 · 11:55AM:
    I hate meal planning, too! And you’re right, Blue Apron comes up with some really interesting flavor combos that would never occur to me!
    Reply
  • Beth September 30, 2020 · 12:22PM:
    I love meal planning, it's my zen, for lunches and dinners and it's how I develop my grocery list. I do give myself leeway to change my mind because I hardly ever eat out/bring-in so I cook most of my meals. I also make the freezer and pantry my friend with leftovers when I cook too much, vegetables for a quick stir fry, and other items. For example - in my freezer is the leftover mozzarella I couldn't use up before it went bad so I presliced it, the small italian bread my friend didn't want from a take-out, and a little thing of tomato sauce. That will become - garlic mozzarella bread with tomato sauce for dipping.
    Reply
    • Anne
      September 30, 2020 · 12:55PM:
      That's awesome, Beth! I'm impressed and glad you have found what works for you :)
      Reply
  • Lisa of Lisa's Yarns
    September 30, 2020 · 4:10PM:
    Has Blue Apron's GF menu options improved? I want to say that your husband does not eat gluten due to a health issue so I'm thinking their options must have improved since we last tried them. I haven't done a meal planning kit in years as my husband HATED all the packaging and he now helps w/ meal planning and does all our grocery shopping so things are more equitable in that area of our life now (I do all of the cooking unless there is something to grill). But in the future it might be nice to try a meal service again as I find meal planning very fatiguing at times!
    Reply
    • Anne
      October 1, 2020 · 1:45PM:
      Hey Lisa! Good memory - Matt was avoiding gluten for about 6 months many years ago (I think in late 2015/early 2016) because of his Lyme diagnosis (his doctor suggested doing it for a bit in tandem with some supplements, etc.), but he doesn't follow that anymore - it was just for a short time period. Regarding Blue Apron and gluten free options, they don't have a specific gluten free menu, so even though usually a few of their meal options each week happen to be gluten free, it would require the customer knowing very well what's gluten free and what isn't, because the gluten free meals aren't labeled specifically GF. I hope they will add a gluten free menu option in the future because I know a lot of people would be interested - perhaps you could email them and suggest it because I'm sure they are always open to customer feedback!
      Reply
  • roadrunner September 30, 2020 · 9:05PM:
    Thanks for the reminder of this great option, Anne. Will check it out!
    Reply
    • Anne
      October 1, 2020 · 1:45PM:
      Let me know what you think!
      Reply
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about Anne

anne mauney fannetastic food
Hi, I’m Anne! I'm a Washington D.C. based Registered Dietitian, mother, runner, and lover of travel, adventure, and the great outdoors. I've been blogging since 2009, sharing a mix of lifestyle content, recipes, and fitness tips. Come for the recipes – stay for the fun!
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anne mauney

I’m Anne, a Registered Dietitian and mother. I've been blogging since 2009 and love showing others that eating nutritious foods and staying active can actually be fun rather than overwhelming!

When I’m not writing or cooking for fannetastic food, you can find me running, coaching nutrition clients, or on an adventure with my family. Feel free to reach out - I'd love to hear from you!

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