Blue Apron Delivery Service

As someone who cooks typically on a daily basis, it’s important to keep things interesting in the kitchen. Whether that mean scrolling through my trusty Pinterest board or leaning on a friend for a new recipe. Another cooking conundrum that tends to come up is the meal planning for the week. You miss one aspect of your grocery trip or original plan and the whole week is off – BOOM! Chinese takeout ensues.

Recently we tried out the Blue Apron Ingredient Delivery Service and I must say I am a pretty big fan. Do you enjoy cooking or want to learn how to? Give it a try. They essentially plan the meal for you and ship the ingredients to you for the week. My favorite aspects of the service are the lack of ‘crap, I forgot cucumbers’ and the flexibility of being able to go out if you want to and just make that meal the next night! Did I mention you can pick vegetarian, meat and/or fish dishes in your delivery service?

I definitely had my concerns. As a person who typically enjoys most aspects of meal planning, not having control over this portion of the meal made me wonder if this was something I would enjoy. Also, would we like these meals? We love big flavor and meals with ethnic flare! There was indeed a great balance of dishes in the weeks that we tried – not to mention you are always able to throw in your own twists. Like a little more lime in your slaw? Add it. Not feeling adventurous? Follow their instructions to the tee.

You will especially want to stick to their instructions if and when they give you out-of-the-box ingredients (another one of my favorites about the service). One of the salmon dishes we tried called for miso paste (never used it before) so they send you a perfectly portioned package of it to use down to the drop that you need it. Those times of big cans and tubs of random ingredients sitting in your fridge are gone forever (not to mention the price).

So the price – it is $9.99/person per meal. In a typical package you would be getting three meals for the week so your total would be just about $60.00. Definitely cheaper than heading to your nearest Outback or Chinese takeout – not to mention you are eating fresh and healthy ingredients in the right portions. I will say though, there are some meals that I make at home that are cheaper per person it is just a matter of what I am making and how much of it. With that said, you could not buy all of the fresh ingredients plus the out-of-the-box sauces, etc and get away with $9.99/person – so all around WINS there!

Overall, this Blue Apron idea is pretty stellar for people who love to cook or who are wanting to learn how. Do you appreciate fresh ingredients, eating well and homecooked meals? Give it a try. I hope you have enjoyed this post and more importantly I hope you get your Blue Apron Ingredient Delivery Service today!

Have you tried Blue Apron? What are your thoughts?

Rice and Beef-Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Lime-Crema Sauce

Cod & Miso Soba Noodles with Multicolored Cherry Tomatoes & Eggplant

Furikake-Topped Salmon with Fresh Edamame & Miso-Sesame Black Noodles

Blackened Chile-Dusted Chicken with Zucchini Rice Pilaf & Corn-Tomato Salsa

Has Easter Come and Gone Already?

Thank goodness! Warm weather at last. Apparently the saying goes… ‘Warm weather waits until Easter has come and gone’ and for us that means practically May this year. With Easter also comes familiar faces’, smiling kids, chocolate treats and delicious recipes to try! I wanted to share the two successes from this year’s Sunday feast…

Green Bean Casserole with Almond Topping



2 lb. fresh Green Beans, trimmed, cut crosswise in half

½ pkg. PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 cup or so of Milk (you fill the above can full of Milk)

½ cup sliced Almonds

¼ cup Panko Bread Crumbs

4 tbsp. butter, melted

1 tbsp. crushed garlic (or 2 cloves)

1 package of sliced Mushrooms

1 cup of FRENCH’s French Fried Onions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Boil a pot of water big enough for the 2 lbs. of green beans, after trimming and cutting them crosswise in half. Boil them until they are soft and mostly cooked. While the beans are cooking, use 2 tbsp. of butter in a sauté pan with the garlic and mushrooms, until they are fully cooked (browned and softened). Add the mushrooms, drained and cooked beans, softened cream cheese, cream of mushroom soup, can of milk and ½ of the French fried onions to a baking dish. Mix the ingredients around so that it becomes a casserole mixture in the baking dish.

Before adding to the oven, in a small bowl add your almonds, panko and the rest of your melted butter to make your topping. Add to the top of your casserole mixture being sure to cover all areas. Bake for 30 minutes.

When finished, add the rest of the French fried onions around the sides of the casserole, and serve – only to loved ones :)



Broccoli Salad

I was tasked with bringing a salad - but I really wanted to do something different. This salad is typically paired with ranch or a mayonnaise based sauce, however, I chose to use Oikos Greek Yogurt and ranch seasoning to dial down the calories but pack in the flavor. Enjoy!



½ cup of Green Pepper

½ cup of Red Pepper

½ cup of Red Onion

1 whole glass container of Hormel Real Bacon Bits (or crumbled bacon)

2 heads of Broccoli

1 cup of Sharp Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 cup of half sliced Cherry Tomatoes

½ cup of chopped Green Olives

1 head of Cauliflower

2 cups of Oikos Greek Yogurt

1 package of Ranch Dressing Seasoning

Well – this one is super complicated. Chop all veggies. Add all ingredients into a bowl… and stir. Oh! And… ENJOY! :)





 

Easter Ideas for the Kiddies

I thought this was genius! All of the little ones spent their time decorating the cake while the adults got to either A) watch or B) kick back and relax. And the best part? We got to eat it at the end!

Things you need:

-White Cake Mix

-White Icing

-Green Coconut Flakes

-Pink Coconut Flakes

-Small Chocolate Kisses

-Jelly Beans

-Twizzlers





I hope everyone’s Easter was wonderful! Mine sure was. We celebrated at my boyfriend’s parents but my dad, his girlfriend and my little sister were able to come join us. She is 12 going on 25 – so it is great to be able to check in on her from time to time. They grow up so fast!

The 'big kids' had an Easter Egg Hunt too! We found the golden and silver eggs.

 

It was great to see my Daddio. He had a long day of driving just to have dinner with us!

These are my boys. This is perfection right here!

Mexican Chicken and Lime Soup (Sopa De Pollo)

We recently stopped by a local Mexican restaurant and I decided to branch out a bit from my usual shrimp tacos or taco salad. Boy am I glad I did! I ordered their 'Sopa De Pollo' and was pleasantly surprised with the amount of flavor from this relatively healthy Mexican style chicken and rice soup. I had to figure out how to recreate it at home...



Mexican Chicken and Lime Soup (Sopa De Pollo)

1 Rotisserie Chicken (pick chicken from the rotisserie and shred)

1 quart of Chicken Broth

2 Jalepenos, chopped

1 Yellow Onion, chopped

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Juice of 2-3 Limes, 1 extra lime (slices for serving)

1 Hass Avocado, chopped

1 large Tomato, chopped

Salt and Pepper

3 stalks of Celery, chopped

1 ½ packs of Chicken flavored Uncle Ben’s 90 second rice

In a pot, add shredded chicken, broth, rice, and celery. Let the ingredients come to a boil then sit on low for 20-30 minutes. While the soup is cooking, mix the ingredients for the ‘pico de gallo’. Add the jalepenos, yellow onion, cilantro, lime juice, tomato, and salt and pepper into a small bowl and mix.

Also, have your chopped avocado in a seperate small bowl prepared for when the soup is done.

After the soup is done cooking, spoon into a bowl and top with pico de gallo and some chunks of avocado and serve! It is absolutely delicious… Words can’t describe.



 

Baked Artichoke Chicken

Snow days are perfect for filling the house with great smelling food. Better yet, they are the perfect days to try out new recipes or dust off your old ones. This is a quick prep meal... Simply throw it in the oven, set it for an hour and head out into that wintery wonderland to play with your loved ones! I know I did.

Now let's get started...

Baked Artichoke Chicken

2 lbs. Chicken Thighs, w/ skin

1 cup Artichoke Hearts, halved (canned is fine)

1 medium Onion, cut into pieces same size as the artichokes

1 carton white Mushrooms (halved or quartered)

2 tablespoons Brown Mustard (I used Spicy Brown Mustard)

2-3 cloves Garlic, minced (I used canned already minced)

1/4 cup Olive Oil

1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar

1/4 cup White Wine

1/4 teaspoon dried Basil

1/4 teaspoon dried Thyme

1 Bay Leaf

Salt and Pepper

Preheat your oven to 375 Fahrenheit. Next, place artichokes, onions and mushrooms (all cut to the same size) on the bottom of a big pan or casserole dish. Place the chicken thighs on top of the veggies. Mix the mustard and the rest of the ingredients listed to create your sauce.

 

Pour it over the chicken being sure to cover each piece. Season with salt & pepper.

Bake for about 1 hour. During the cooking process, baste the pieces once or twice. In other words, utilize the juices/sauce from the pan to re-coat the chicken. A good indication that the chicken is finished is a nice brown crust on the skin - nothing like it! :)

Pistachio Crusted Chicken

I do love chicken, but I am constantly trying to find ways to keep it interesting. Well, HERE. WE. GO.  If you have kids, a picky eater, someone who loves chicken, or really just anyone... they will probably love this recipe! I had it for the first time at a dinner party and fell in love. After making it a couple of times, I found what version of it worked best for me. It pairs really well with mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. Basically heaven on a plate. Give it a try and please do tell me what you think!

Pistachio Crusted Chicken

1 cup chopped/smashed Pistachios (or any pistachio blend) *no shells

½ cup of Bread Crumbs

½ cup of Olive Oil

¼ cup of Honey

*Some recipes call for 2 tablespoons of Dijon Mustard in the sauce - you are welcome to try that as well!

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 ½ pounds of Boneless Chicken Breast Tenderloins (Chicken Strips)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. For easy clean up, line your baking sheet with tin foil or lightly coat it with cooking spray.

Chop your pistachios, or I prefer to add them to a quart size plastic bag and smash them with a handy wine bottle. Mix together the pistachios and bread crumbs in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the olive oil, honey, salt and pepper together until smooth. Dip the chicken tenderloins into the olive oil mixture, and then coat it with the pistachio mixture. Place the tenderloins onto the baking sheet.

Place the baking sheet into the oven. Bake the chicken tenderloins until the chicken is no longer pink and the coating starts to turn golden brown. The cooking time takes anywhere from 10-20 minutes depending on the size of the tenderloins. Just keep a keen eye on ‘em! You’ll know. It will look a little something like this...

You really can't beat the mixture of salty (pistachio) and sweet (honey) flavor that comes packed into these chicken tenderloins. I recommend trying this recipe even if you are not a pistachio lover - you will be pleasantly surprised!

Korean BBQ Steak Tacos with Honey Sriracha Slaw

Who said Crock-Pot recipes needed to be hard? Campbell’s certainly didn’t. They recently came out with a line of ‘Slow Cooker’ sauces that have made making Crock-Pot dishes almost impossible to turn down. With my pure love of Asian food, I was ECSTASTIC when I saw they had a Korean BBQ version of the sauce.  Instant light bulb went off: TACOS!

It’s fairly easy to come up with things to put on a flour tortilla, but it is not often that you find something new and different. I thought you all would really appreciate this Mexican dish with some Asian flare for not only its flavor but its simplicity, too! Have at it :)

Korean BBQ Steak Tacos with Honey Sriracha Slaw

2-3 pounds of Chuck Roast Steak (make sure there is some marbleization so that it doesn’t get tough)

1 package of Campbell’s Slow Cooker Korean BBQ Sauce

1 carton of sliced Mushrooms

1 package of shredded Cabbage (you only need to use about 3 cups worth)

¼ cup of Mayo

1 tablespoon of Sriracha

1 tablespoon of Honey

1 package of small Flour Tortillas

Optional:

1 bunch of Green Onions

1 bunch of Cilantro

Set your Crock Pot to low and add your whole chuck roast as well as your mushrooms.

Pour the entire contents of the Campbell’s Slow Cooker sauce into the Crock Pot. Let it sit on low for the remainder of the day (6-8 hours).

Once it is done cooking, use a fork or tongs to shred the meat a bit. Add your desired amount of shredded steak and mushrooms to your flour tortillas.

In a bowl, combine your shredded cabbage, mayo, sriracha and honey. Stir the ingredients and top your tacos off with the mixture. Lastly, add chopped green onions and cilantro to your tacos, if you wish (I would recommend doing so!)

And that’s all folks. You heard it here first.

Man Pleasing Chicken

Pinterest is every girl's best friend. Really I don't know how our Mothers and Grandmothers weathered the cooking, party planning and baby planning storm without it! With that said, when I came across this recipe - the name said it all. It's the grown up version of sweet and savory honey mustard sauce... smothered... all over... everyone's favorite: chicken.

Some versions of this are done with chicken breasts or bone-in chicken thighs, well friends, time and time again I prefer the boneless chicken thighs for the flavor and texture after a long baking time in the oven. This recipe is sure to please more than just the 'man' but the whole dinner table. I recommend serving it with mashed potatoes or cauliflower mash for a healthier take at the traditional mashers (see cauliflower mash recipe). NOTE: If you don't have much cooking experience but want to knock a dinner table's socks off, this is the recipe for you.

Man Pleasing Chicken

1/2 cup Dijon Mustard

1/4 cup Maple Syrup

1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar

6 Chicken Thighs (1 1/2 pounds)

Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Mix Dijon mustard, maple syrup and rice wine vinegar together in a bowl. Place chicken thighs in oven proof dish salt and pepper chicken. Be sure to use your tin foil for easy clean up. Pour mustard, maple, vinegar mix over the the thighs. Turning the thighs over so they are fully coated.

 

Put your chicken in the oven and set the timer for 40 minutes. I have found that the amount of time the chicken takes can range anywhere from 25-40 minutes (I personally like mine to have some browning on the top). I would recommend checking  the chicken's temperature at 25 minutes. When the chicken is 155 degrees Farenheit it is done. When it is done, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Top with green onions or chives if you prefer :)

 

Spicy Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Pico De Gallo

My two ultimate favorite versions of Shrimp tacos have to be either Pelon's (Norfolk, VA) or Plaza Azteca (Hampton Roads, VA). You'd think this would be a dish that no one could royally screw up, but from experience, I can tell you people SURE have! I think with some fresh ingredients and passion for good tacos, you can create the perfect ensemble! Don't let the amount of ingredients deter you from making these. You can always incorporate store bought Pico De Gallo with these delicious spicy shrimp!

Pico De Gallo

1 small yellow onion

1 jalapeno pepper, quartered and seeded

2 garlic cloves, peeled (or garlic salt)

1 tomato, seeded and chopped

1 avocado, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped (the more the merrier)

 

Shrimp

1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1-1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

A pinch of cayenne pepper

1-1/2 pounds large or extra large shrimp, peeled and de-veined

*I recommend making them as spicy as you like, these are not strict measurements

 

For Assembling

8 - 10 six-inch corn or flour tortillas

Approximately 2 cups chopped red cabbage, for garnish (I buy it pre-chopped in a bag)

2 limes, cut into wedges, for garnish

Approximately 1 cup sour cream, for garnish

To make the pico de gallo, dice all of the veggies finely. Add all of the ingredients into a medium sized bowl and stir lightly (not too rough because you want the avocado to be in tact). If you’re not going to use the mixture right away, place a piece of saran wrap inside the bowl and directly over salsa to prevent discoloration and refrigerate.



Now it is time for the shrimp. Heat the grill to medium. Meanwhile, mix the olive oil, chili powder, salt, cayenne pepper and shrimp in a large bowl. Stir until shrimp are evenly coated with seasoning. Add the shrimp to skewers and place them on the grill. Cooking the shrimp only takes about 1-1/2 - 2 minutes per side until they are just opaque. Cover to keep shrimp warm.



Spoon avocado salsa generously over tortillas (heated if you want), then top with 3 (or 10) shrimp, red cabbage and dollops of sour cream. Serve tacos with lime wedges on the side or more importantly, drizzle some Sriracha Hot Sauce on them for some extra heat :)


Tip: Adding fajita or taco seasoning to the sour cream turns a simple ingredient into a zesty condiment. Take my word for it, it is deeeeeeeelicious!