How to Make Cooking Fun Again in 2020

Blue Apron Review by popular D.C. food blogger, Alicia Tenise: image of a woman standing next to her gas range stove. wearing a grey apron, and cooking some chicken in a pink frying pan.

I’m going to be real with you: I love to eat, but I still have a lot to learn about cooking. Which is why today I’m going to share my Blue Apron review with you because it has been a complete game changer!

Last year, I lived my best travel blogger life, and I was on the road most of the time. This year, life looked a lot different for all of us. Instead of eating out at restaurants regularly, life slowed down quite a bit, and we all had to become home chefs!

To be honest, I’m thrilled that I had the opportunity to slow down a bit in 2020. At the beginning of this year, I felt burned out, I was starting to have stomach issues due to IBS and anxiety, and I was longing for a break. I’m a firm believer that 2020 is the year that definitely challenged us all, but it will make us stronger in the long run!

After months of going to the grocery store and figuring out weekly recipes on our own, Tom and I got stuck in a cooking rut. We’d make the same meals over and over again, which was fine, but after a while, it became super repetitive. We started ordering takeout to switch things up, but that caused me to have a whole ‘nother wave of digestive issues!

When Blue Apron reached out for a partnership, I was over the moon. We were tired of coming up with new recipes every week; grocery store trips gave us fatigue, and I wanted to pay attention to my gut health more and get my IBS under control again. We’ve been using Blue Apron for the past month now every other week, and it’s a treat to be able to make high-quality meals at home!


Save $60 Over Your First 3 Boxes of Blue Apron!
 


Blue Apron Meals, Cajun Chicken & Pepper-Olive Mayo with Chorizo & Vegetable Sauté | Blue Apron Review by popular D.C. food blogger, Alicia Tenise: image of Blue Apron meal  Cajun Chicken & Pepper-Olive Mayo with Chorizo & Vegetable Sauté.
Cajun Chicken & Pepper-Olive Mayo with Chorizo & Vegetable Sauté
Blue Apron Review by popular D.C. food blogger, Alicia Tenise: image of Alicia Tenise dishing up  Blue Apron Cajun Chicken & Pepper-Olive Mayo with Chorizo & Vegetable Sauté.
Blue Apron Review, Anthropologi Isabel Mini Dress | Blue Apron Review by popular D.C. food blogger, Alicia Tenise: image of Alicia Tenise standing next to a Blue Apron box that's resting on her counter in her kitchen.

Blue Apron Review

Blue Apron: Why It Works For Our Household

Blue Apron works well for us for many reasons: for starters, you can choose 2-4 meals a week to be delivered to your front door, and you can choose between several options. I love that we spend less time at the grocery store, less time recipe planning, and less time wondering what we want for dinner each night! Blue Apron only sends you the food you need: there’s no waste and no worrying about finding certain ingredients in the store.

I also love that you can easily skip weeks as well. We typically get Blue Apron delivered every other week due to our work schedules. Since Tom and I are both creatives, we don’t have a typical workday. Sometimes we have a lot of downtime at home. Other times, our weeks are jam-packed with shoots. I love that Blue Apron is flexible to fit into our freelance lifestyle!

Admittedly, Tom is far more skilled than I am in the kitchen, so ordering Blue Apron recipes helps me learn new cooking skills at home as well. There are plenty of recipes that take 30 minutes or less to make, and they also have premium recipes each week that are a little more elevated, which is perfect if you’re craving for a higher-end dining experience at home!

Pro Tip: if you have leftovers, make a breakfast hash in the morning with them! We reheated this chorizo and vegetable sauté pictured above on the stove, and added a scrambled egg. It tasted like heaven!

Blue Apron Review by popular D.C. food blogger, Alicia Tenise: image of Alicia Tenise cooking some zucchini on her gas range stove top.

Blue Apron Review by popular D.C. food blogger, Alicia Tenise: image of Alicia Tenise dishing up  Blue Apron Cajun Chicken & Pepper-Olive Mayo with Chorizo & Vegetable Sauté.
Blue Apron Review by popular D.C. food blogger, Alicia Tenise: image of Blue Apron meal  Cajun Chicken & Pepper-Olive Mayo with Chorizo & Vegetable Sauté.

 
Blue Apron: Picking Meals For Your Diet

Every week you can choose new meals to be delivered to your home, and Blue Apron has options for many types of diets. I’ve determined what High FODMAP foods trigger my IBS symptoms, and I love that I’m able to see all of the ingredients each meal has on their sample recipes page before selecting my meals for the week.

Blue Apron also has a Vegetarian Plan, and they also have options that include Beyond Meat™, meals that are WW Approved and/or Diabetes-Friendly. Whether you’re looking to indulge in a gourmet meal or pick health-conscious options, Blue Apron has plenty of options that will work with your lifestyle!

Blue Apron Review by popular D.C. food blogger, Alicia Tenise: image of Alicia Tenise standing in her kitchen and holding a plate of food made from Blue Apron supplies.

Blue Apron: Food & Wine Pairings

You guys probably know by now that I love my wine. So much so that I’m starting my WSET Level 2 classes this month! If I’m making a good meal, I love to pair it with a glass of wine that will complement the dish and amplify the flavor. 

One amazing feature that Blue Apron has? There’s a wine pairing note on each recipe card. Take these Calabrian Chile Butter Steaks pictured above, for example. On the recipe card that was sent, it recommended serving this dish with a wine that was “Bold and Spicy.” Once you see Blue Apron’s wine pairing suggestion on the recipe card, you can head to their website to find the perfect varietal to enjoy with your meal!

Blue Apron Review by popular D.C. food blogger, Alicia Tenise: image of Alicia Tenise holding a glass of red wine on a table filled with plates of Blue Apron food.


Save $60 Over Your First 3 Boxes of Blue Apron!
 


What did you find most helpful about this Blue Apron review? What have you been cooking lately? Let me know in the comments below!

Photos by Tom McGovern

Thank you to Blue Apron for partnering with me on today’s post! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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