Blue Apron? or similar food delivery programs. What do you think?

chollands29

Has anyone tried Blue apron or a similar food delivery program? I just got a free week from a friend and am going to check it out. It seems pretty pricey, you get groceries for 3 dinners for $60. But the calorie range is normally 600-700 and it might get me out of my boring recipe rut?

Just curious if anyone has used it and what they thought.

jkwolly

Are you too busy to get to the grocery store?

That'd be the only reason I'd even remotely consider it. I like volume, different varieties and not spending an arm and leg for something I can go get and make myself.

dah86

I can't really speak to the healthiness of them (even though they seem very health conscious), Blue Apron is really fun and has some super delicious, easy to make dishes. Definitely try it out if you like to cook and try new things.

dah86

jkwolly wrote: »

Are you too busy to get to the grocery store?

That'd be the only reason I'd even remotely consider it. I like volume, different varieties and not spending an arm and leg for something I can go get and make myself.

Yeah but with Blue Apron, you often get ingredients you just can't find at the local grocery store.

kaseyr1505

I used it for a month.

Things felt a bit repetitive to me, which was a bit annoying. I didn't feel satiated after the meals, despite the calories. I know, because I've lost 50lbs, that you don't need to be "full", but for 500-700 calories, it felt a bit lackluster. Because the ingredients were "in season", it was really repetitive. I got Dijon mustard 6 times, salmon twice, and I made meals with radishes 4 times. Don't get me wrong, I like those ingredients, but it was frustrating. I also noticed that the choices were limited, there were only a few combinations for the box. For example, if I tried to change one of the meals, unless I changed all of them, I only had one option.

The pluses were that it helped me get out of a rut, the ingredients were really top notch, and the recipes were fairly good.

Overall, I think it's a bit gimmicky, and not worth the money. I wouldn't do it again.

janjunie

I steer clear of all these YouTube peddled companies. This, shakeology, honest diapers, and that granola company....can't remember the name. Anyways when you do a real reviews search (not the reviews that are paid for by vloggers and bloggers) you'll see that most if these companies are either shady, out to rip you off or both. If I'm going to pay that much for food someone else had better cook it for me.

MommyL2015

If I'm going to pay that much for food someone else had better cook it for me.

Quoted for truth.

ASKyle

$60 for 3 dinners? W

I'd just go out to eat. Or buy a weeks worth of groceries.

katharmonic

I tried BlueApron and have been using HelloFresh for a few months. I liked both but prefer HelloFresh because they offer more nutrition information for their meals and they seem to have more choices. I hate meal planning and grocery shopping so it has been very useful to me and I've really like the meals. I just cook for myself so I always have a meal left over for lunch or dinner the next day. Most meals are in the 500-800 calorie range and sometimes I modify the amounts a bit to cut that down if needed. I've tried a lot of new things using this service and I love it.

So yes, you can eat much more cheaply but for 1 person it's convenient and I don't waste a lot of ingredients because they send just the right amount. I don't do it every week, it's nice you can pause and restart whenever you want. It's also increased my cooking skills and variety as a bonus.

emtjmac

Aw, screw it. If it looks interesting, try it.

br3adman

It targets people making lots of disposable income that are lazy. If you're on a diet you need to burn calories every chance you get. You burn calories chopping prepping and cooking food. Plus I burn 400 calories grocery shopping. Its not really affordable if you have a large family either. Just my thoughts ha

TheVirgoddess

br3adman wrote: »

It targets people making lots of disposable income that are lazy. If you're on a diet you need to burn calories every chance you get. You burn calories chopping prepping and cooking food. Plus I burn 400 calories grocery shopping. Its not really affordable if you have a large family either. Just my thoughts ha

And how do you do that?

Liftng4Lis

br3adman wrote: »

It targets people making lots of disposable income that are lazy. If you're on a diet you need to burn calories every chance you get. You burn calories chopping prepping and cooking food. Plus I burn 400 calories grocery shopping. Its not really affordable if you have a large family either. Just my thoughts ha

Are you rollerblading during it? For an hour?

Unknown

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br3adman

TheVirgoddess wrote: »

br3adman wrote: »

It targets people making lots of disposable income that are lazy. If you're on a diet you need to burn calories every chance you get. You burn calories chopping prepping and cooking food. Plus I burn 400 calories grocery shopping. Its not really affordable if you have a large family either. Just my thoughts ha

TheVirgoddess wrote: »

br3adman wrote: »

It targets people making lots of disposable income that are lazy. If you're on a diet you need to burn calories every chance you get. You burn calories chopping prepping and cooking food. Plus I burn 400 calories grocery shopping. Its not really affordable if you have a large family either. Just my thoughts ha

And how do you do that?

And how do you do that? takes me 6000-7000 steps. I park at the last spot in the parking lot. I shop by a list so I mix up stuff. May grab apples oranges then go all the way to the back to get sardines then back to grab plums,bananas. I keep walking back and forth instead of getting everything in one section at once. I'm also quite big so its helpful for me personally.

br3adman

TheVirgoddess wrote: »

br3adman wrote: »

It targets people making lots of disposable income that are lazy. If you're on a diet you need to burn calories every chance you get. You burn calories chopping prepping and cooking food. Plus I burn 400 calories grocery shopping. Its not really affordable if you have a large family either. Just my thoughts ha

And how do you do that?

.
takes me 6000-7000 steps. I park at the last spot in the parking lot. I shop by a list so I mix up stuff. May grab apples oranges then go all the way to the back to get sardines then back to grab plums,bananas. I keep walking back and forth instead of getting everything in one section at once. I'm also quite big so its helpful for me personally

scalebeater

I tried Blue Apron, I wasn't impressed. I found the recipes a little fussy even with all the ingredients laid out. For the money and calories, I'd rather eat out and not have to clean my kitchen. I'm more of a one pot/300 calorie dinner person when I cook at home. I also missed the Fitbit steps from roaming the grocery store.

wrrly

My husband and I are hardly lazy. We both work full time and, in the past, would rely on takeout or those quick dinners from the grocery store.

We started using Hello Fresh about a month ago and really like it. Meals take about 30 to 45 minutes to prepare. We're eating more veggies than before and learning about different food preparation techniques. For us the portion size is perfect. And though we're paying for this service, we're spending much less money at the grocery store each week.

So for those people on the go, it works.

Kalikel

I get flyers for those things all the time. I looked on the site and it's a little confusing, trying to figure out how to get something you know you'd like or at least would like to try.

It's kind of expensive, too. It's one of those deals where they take and re-charge your card. You can't just buy a single one, but must do that whole canceling thing. Companies seem to be much better about charging than canceling, so I steer clear of things that aren't a one-shot deal.

But if you have the money and interest, you should try it. Let us know how you liked it!

RodaRose

The best part about it is that, because it is free, you can try something that you might not otherwise do. Have fun.

TheLittleGingerDoesWeightLoss

If you got a week for free then it can't hurt to try it. But the prices are crazy! Personally, I truly enjoy the experience of picking my own food in the produce section. It's a fun tactile experience, plus I might pick up things I wouldn't have thought of. It might be weird, but I want that relationship with my food like that at store or a farm. I can't do that with things behind a screen or in a box.

rak173

I enjoyed blue apron, but not enough to continue. I would get it for 1-2 weeks/month for about 6 months. It was a great way to try recipes I wouldn't think of. But, I found it to be repetitive and expensive. Also the meals took me closer to 45 min to make than the 30 they'd say. I would do it if I didn't have time to grocery shop.

chollands29

thanks for all of the replies! it seems like most people think it is fun but expensive. Which is what I thought might be the case. I'll use my free week and see how it goes. I think the appeal for me is that it might motivate me to try cooking new things. I'm in a pretty boring rut for what I cook at home and as a result am tempted to eat out too often. They do have all of their recipes available online so maybe I'll just borrow the recipes and shop myself afterwards!? we'll see how it goes. thanks!

kdiamond

I like it for a change up and it makes me try things I normally wouldn't. I cook 90% of the time at home so I like new ideas. For the person who said it's lazy, it's not at all, you have to chop everything and cook it like anything else. I'm still at the grocery store a billion times a week since I eat everything fresh. I do it for a month, stop, do it another month, etc. There's no commitment.

Now the pre-packaged meals, no, I don't like those. Most of them (I'm sure there are exceptions) are processed crap food. But I have found Blue Apron to be all natural ingredients.

jcputerbaugh

If it's available in your area, try grocery delivery service to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet or increase your repertoire. I have been using a delivery service (Green Bean) for about 4 months now. It has forced me to eat and prepare more fruits and vegetables than I would normally buy, for two reasons: 1. I have to order enough to meet the free delivery minimum (which can only be met with fruits and vegetables), and 2. I absolutely HATE to throw any food out, so out comes the cookbook or an internet search to see how I can use what I have. There's just two people in my household, so I'm on an every other week delivery. You get to pick what you want, and while they emphasize seasonal/local/organic, they don't eschew the more exotic fruits like bananas and mangoes and you don't end up with 12 ears of corn. They have grocery items also, but the focus is on the fresh items. Overall, it costs slightly more than going to the store, but it's delivered to my house and I had a tendency to buy the same things over and over at the store. There's enough choices that I don't have to get items I feel aren't a good value, and it's definitely increased the variety (and colors) of foods I eat.

katkins3

My daughter was using Blue Apron last time I stayed with her. Her husband and I both hated it! The meals were horrible...
The meals must cause weight loss due to inability to face eating them.
If you want low cal food, Google low cal recipes and find tasty meals instead.

jmcmaster140285

I use Blue Apron all the time. My husband and I both work long hours, and having fresh ingredients delivered is great. The recipes include many ingredients that I would not ordinarily buy, so I have been introduced to a whole new palate of flavors.
Whoever said it is for lazy people is incorrect. Lots of chopping and preparation. Lots of dishes to wash.
No waste because they send measured amounts.
The calorie counts are high, I think, but the serving sizes are bigger than I would normally eat. Usually makes enough for dinner , plus a packed lunch or two.

ActuarialChef

chollands29 wrote: »

thanks for all of the replies! it seems like most people think it is fun but expensive. Which is what I thought might be the case. I'll use my free week and see how it goes. I think the appeal for me is that it might motivate me to try cooking new things. I'm in a pretty boring rut for what I cook at home and as a result am tempted to eat out too often. They do have all of their recipes available online so maybe I'll just borrow the recipes and shop myself afterwards!? we'll see how it goes. thanks!

This is what I do. I had a free week to Hello Fresh and was super happy with the food we got. But I couldn't justify spending as much on ~3 meals as I usually do on 6 plus snacks and drinks. So I started saving their recipes instead. I can but the ingredients for 6 of their meals for the price that they charge for 3. Sounds good to me! And I never have problems finding any of the ingredients, even the obscure ones, because I shop at wegmans and there are ethnic grocery stores near me.

I recently found Blue Apron too, and they have their recipes online for anyone to use as well. We haven't been as fond of their recipes though. I'll stick with my hello fresh! Oh and it was super easy to cancel after our first (free) week. I emailed and asked them to put my account on a permanent hold because I couldn't justify the cost, and they did so immediately.

annaskiski

We've been using Blue Apron for almost a year now, and we love it!

We've tried a lot of different veggies and foods that we've never heard of, or at least never cooked with before.
The meals are 600-700 calories typically, but they are usually a LOT of food.

My favorite thing about Blue Apron is the fact that the veggie side dishes are terrific! I've never been a veggie person. I've always eaten them because they're healthy. However, just the other day I was saying to someone that if I had grown up eating veggie dishes as tasty as the Blue Apron recipes, I might have grown up loving veggies (as some of you weirdos do)

6502programmer

We've been doing the family meals.. $35 per meal for the family with decent ingredients, something we don't usually eat, fairly balanced, and healthy? It's a no-brainer.

We all trade time for things or things for time. I trade my time to my employer to buy things, and I trade my things to buy time. For me--Someone who rides the bus and train to work every day and doesn't drive on a daily basis--Blue Apron is a slam dunk. I get to cook healthy meal for my family and I don't need to go to the store (or as is more typically the case, MULTIPLE stores to buy specialty ingredients--Today's shipment includes fresh ramen noodles, togarashi, and mizuna). Yeah, I don't get the tactile experience of picking out my own ingredients, but I save an hour of shopping to buy ingredients and get to focus on cooking healthy, balanced, from-scratch meals for my family.