Meal Delivery Services

So I know these meal deliveries companies have been around for awhile. Hello Fresh, Blue Apron, Purple Carrot, etc. but we never tried them before. They are a bit pricey and out of our weekly budget for the regular price of the service, but with coupons they are very affordable. I always seem to see $30 off coupons, but after doing some googling I was able to find $40 off coupons. By using this coupon, 3 meals for 2 people each is only $20. This is so much cheaper than if all the supplies were purchased at a grocery store. The regular price is completely worth it also for the convenience and quality of food, but it's just not something we can afford. Finding a way around paying full price has been great because we are really enjoying the meals.

 

We have tried one week of Hello Fresh and one week of Blue Apron so far and are pleasantly surprised with the meals. My husband also loves cooking the meals and learning new recipes we can use in the future and small things you wouldn't think to do or mix together but works and tastes delicious. Plus it's a win win for me because I don't have to cook. Another plus is having my husband see that healthier options can taste good too and to broaden the types of food he eats. Who knew he liked radishes and cabbage?! :)

 

The meals only take about 30 minutes with prep and cooking which is not bad at all. They are full of flavor, there's a good variety of meals to choose from each week and are good portions. Portion size is one thing my husband was worried about. When we received the first box and saw all the supplies it didn't seem like enough for us, but once the meals were cooked and plated it was plenty. The only downfall is there isn't enough for leftovers for lunch the next day. We like leftovers but at the same time they seem to go to waste a lot too.

 

I have heard Hello Fresh is better than Blue Apron but from our experience they are equally as good.  We are excited to try more companies and more meals. Here are a few of our meals we've made so far, we as in my husband haha:

 

 

If anyone is thinking about trying one of these services I highly recommend it. If you need help finding a coupon to use let me know!

Postive vibes,
Jenn

Flo's Chicken & Spaghetti

This is such a nostalgic dish for me. I haven't eaten this for MANY years and I have never cooked it before myself. It's a meal my grandma would make a lot. I always remember as a child, the chicken and sauce simmering in a pan, it would smell up her house and we would always have this meal with buttered bread. My grandpa loved buttered bread. I would often have dinner there or breakfast before school depending on my parents work schedule. They were such great times and I cherish them.

My mother gave me the most information on the recipe she could remember and it's not many ingredients, but the flavor is there. It's a simple dish, but so good. The chicken cooking in the sauce brings this significant taste I remember from many years ago. The recipe may not be exact but the moment I tasted the sauce on the spoon while cooking, I knew my grandma was there helping me make this meal.

The recipe calls for:

chicken thighs or breasts (I used breasts, but my grandma used thighs)
1 large can of tomato sauce
1 small can of tomato paste
variety spices: garlic powder, oregano, chicken seasoning
salt/pepper
1 tbs olive oil
whole grain spaghetti (My grandma would use regular spaghetti)

-- Heat the olive oil in a large pot/pan. Once heated, add the chicken. Add salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder and chicken seasonings to both sides of the chicken and cook the chicken.
-- Add the tomato sauce and paste to the pot/pan. Let this simmer for an hour.
-- Cook the pasta and add it to the pot/pan once the hour of simmering is finished. Stir and serve.

Enjoy this special recipe!

Salsa Chicken Quinoa Casserole

I am starting to finally use my crock pot more. My goal is once a week. It really makes for an easy after work meal with no stress and rushing around. I walk in the house after getting my son at school and it smells amazing, all my worries about what's for dinner are gone and I can concentrate on quality family time. 

This healthy recipe didn't disappoint. I look forward to eating leftovers for lunch today. :)

The recipe calls for:

3 chicken breasts

8 oz quinoa

2 cups salsa

1 can black beans

1 can corn

2 cups water

8 ounces shredded Mexican cheese blend

1 can green chiles

5 ounces queso fresco

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Optional toppings:

avocado, tomatoes, greek yogurt, olives, extra salsa or cheese

In my opinion next time I think I will skip the queso inside the crockpot and only have my husband use it as a topping. There's so many other flavors that to me it was just added calories to the mixture. 

-- Put the chicken in the crock pot. I used frozen chicken because it was easier but you can use thawed.

-- Rinse and drain the beans and drain the corn. Keep the liquid from the green chiles. 

-- Add all ingredients to the crock pot except water and 1/2 of the shredded cheese. Once all other ingredients are added, top the mixture with the water and remainder of the cheese. You can also use chicke broth instead of water. 

-- Cook on low for 6-8 hours. 

-- Serve with toppings of your choice. 

21 Day Fix Approved Buffalo Pizza

The recipe calls for:

whole wheat pizza dough

2 chicken breasts

1 cup hot sauce 

chili powder

garlic powder 

oregano

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese

-- Heat oven to 400 degrees.

-- Season chicken with garlic powder  and chili powder. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes.

-- While the chicken is cooking, season the dough with some garlic powder and oregano. Add the sauce. 

-- When the chicken is done, cut into pieces and mix in hot sauce. Add the chicken to the pizza and top with cheese. 

-- Cook in the oven for about 8-10 more minutes. 

Feel free to add other toppings too like spinach or onion. The original recipe called for those two toppings but I didn't use them. 

Enjoy!