As women grow up and the days start feeling shorter and shorter, it often feels like we don’t have enough time to do the things we love. This is especially true once we become mothers, as our kids end up taking much of our time and energy. In response to these changes in our lives, sometimes it feels like the only thing we can do is to cut out extra-curricular activities that we personally enjoy, in favor of more necessary tasks like cooking and cleaning. However, there is another way! And that is to decrease the amount of time and effort you put into said necessary tasks. Today, we’ll talk about Blue Apron and other pre-prepped meals and how they can radically change your lifestyle for the better!
If you don’t know, Blue Apron is a way to get delicious meals delivered straight to your door. Yes, you still have to cook them and prep them to a certain extent, but they are pre-portioned out and give you all the ingredients you need so that “cooking” is a breeze! And while there are plenty of other similar companies that do the same thing nowadays, Blue Apron was one of the first companies to break out into this space. So while we will reference Blue Apron from now on, note that you can use any of the other similar pre-prepped meal delivery services that you choose.
The first great thing about Blue Apron is the fact that we can have delicious meals that vary on a daily basis. I remember back in the old days when I only cooked things like Meatloaf, Spaghetti, Lasagna and the like. You know what I’m talking about – easy to make foods that don’t require a lot of thinking. And while they were delicious, you can imagine that getting pretty old after a while. But with Blue Apron, they give us all sorts of interesting meals that I normally wouldn’t bother trying to cook if I had to make them from scratch myself. Things like “salmon with fennel” and “cauliflower steak” are the sort of dishes that you end up receiving from Blue Apron; definitely a step up from spaghetti!
The other selling point of Blue Apron is that you literally receive everything you need for your meals in the box that gets delivered right to your door (and don’t worry – the ingredients are contained in ice packs to keep them cool and fresh until you get home from work). Not only does this mean that you don’t have to go out of your way to get any ingredients from the supermarket to make your meals, but it also means that you don’t end up cluttering your refrigerator with leftover ingredients. Literally everything in the Blue Apron box goes to use for each meal – nothing more and nothing less.
So yes, Blue Apron is great just from the literal cooking aspect – you get delicious, varied meals and they make it as easy as possible to get it from the box and to the dining table. But how it affects your lifestyle outside of the kitchen is even more important. You see, with Blue Apron, you end up with way less stress. And if you think about it, this makes perfect sense. Cooking is something that we are almost forced to do on a daily basis. And typically with cooking, there are not only decisions to be made about what to eat, but also time wasted looking through supermarkets for just the right ingredients. But with Blue Apron, these issues just vanish. No more spending all day worrying about what you and your family are going to eat tonight. And no more spending unnecessary time shopping for all the ingredients you need. With less stress and more free time on your hands, you can go back to focusing on the things you really enjoy in life!
(And for those of you who actually like cooking as a general hobby, don’t fret: Blue Apron still allows you to cook and get your hands dirty creating delicious and innovative meals – just without all the dirty work shopping for and deciding on ingredients.)
Another great thing about Blue Apron is that they are not overly expensive. Yes, they are more expensive than ordering ingredients yourself, but they are just about on par with going out to eat at a decent restaurant (if not slightly cheaper). So even if you don’t have the financial flexibility to eat Blue Apron on a literal daily basis, you can still use it to replace some (or all) of your nights when you’d typically eat out. This way, you aren’t adding any extra burden to your bank account, while still getting the variety of a delicious restaurant-quality meal, all in the comfort of your own home!
It’s so hard to even describe to you how much my life has changed since I started using Blue Apron on a regular basis. I literally have at least a half hour every day to spend on things I actually enjoy doing, rather than being out shopping for groceries, or stuck in the kitchen with unnecessarily long meal-prep, or even just spending time thinking about what to cook that night. I have gotten back to reading on a regular basis, as well as working on my garden. And I’ve just gotten to spend more quality time with my husband and children. Blue Apron (and any other pre-prepped meal delivery services) are a great way to change your lifestyle for the better, and definitely worth a try!