Does dinnertime stress you out? Are you too busy to plan meals and shop for every dinner but still want homemade food? I found a solution that makes it easier to serve home-cooked meals with less hassle: Blue Apron.
Blue Apron is a meal delivery service that sends fresh ingredients and step-by-step recipes right to your door. I’ve enjoyed trying many subscription services over the years, and Blue Apron fits that trend—providing convenience without sacrificing quality.
The company sources farm-fresh ingredients from smaller, family-owned farms and delivers them pre-portioned to reduce waste and simplify preparation. Having ingredients measured and bundled together shortens prep time and eliminates the guesswork of portion sizes.
Beyond convenience, I appreciate Blue Apron’s focus on sustainability. They emphasize responsible fishing and farming practices and the ethical treatment of animals. Knowing where my food comes from matters, and Blue Apron makes an effort to source carefully. They also run a recycling program: if your local area lacks recycling options, you can return 100% of the meal packaging to Blue Apron for recycling and reuse. They partner with USPS to utilize existing routes, minimizing additional carbon impact from returns.
Now, about the meals. We tried two family-plan recipes, each serving four. Both were excellent.
The first was Seared Sirloin Steaks with Roasted Potatoes and “Creamed” Kale. 
One of the best parts of the service is the built-in portion control. When food is already portioned, it’s easier to avoid overeating; my parents tried Blue Apron and my dad even lost weight while using the service. This steak meal took about 10 minutes to prep and 25 minutes to cook, with all ingredients measured and ready. 
The recipe cards are large and give clear, step-by-step instructions, which makes the cooking process straightforward. The finished dish was fantastic—the kale, prepared in a way I hadn’t tried before, became a new favorite. 
My kids love steak and potatoes, so that part was an easy hit. Greens are tougher to sell to them—Meghan tasted the kale, but Luke wouldn’t try it. He did, however, finish everything else on his plate. Seeing my kids smile at the table made the whole experience worthwhile. 
Meghan gave the meal a thumbs up! 
The second meal was Star Anise & Soy-Glazed Cod with Gai Lan and Cashew Brown Rice. I had never cooked with star anise before, so this was a fun opportunity to learn and try new flavors. 
Blue Apron is a great way to get out of a cooking rut and explore new ingredients. In this meal alone we tried a fish I rarely buy, a green I wasn’t familiar with, and a spice I’d never used—exactly the kind of culinary growth I enjoy. 
Each Blue Apron recipe takes 40 minutes or less to prepare; this cod dish was about 40 minutes and the result was another winner. The cod’s flavor was outstanding. 
Before trying Blue Apron, I worried my kids wouldn’t try the meals. While this menu included foods not on their usual lists, framing dinners as “tasting adventures” helped make trying new foods fun. Meghan tried and enjoyed the fish, and Luke is slowly warming up to new flavors.
Sticking only to familiar favorites limits culinary growth. Blue Apron helps families expand their tastes by offering a variety of recipes and ingredients that encourage exploration in a low-pressure way.
Blue Apron continually adds new recipes each week, and we plan to use the service every other week. Having two meals planned and the ingredients ready removed a lot of dinner-time stress and made weekdays smoother.
This post is sponsored by Blue Apron; all opinions are my own.