I must confess, that I could do rich very well. I would be very nice to the people who worked for me–the housekeeper, landscaper (yes, I would have someone to plant the pretty flowers), the driver, the one who purchases the groceries, everyone. But since it does not seem to be in the cards that I will ever be wealthy, I have decided that I deserve some help some of the time.
You can ask anyone who knows me, and they will tell you that I am a very good cook. When my children were young, I tried everything and had fun doing it. Then one day they said the dreaded words “I don’t like that”. Even then it was still fun, and I still enjoyed it. As time has gone on, I have fallen in love with cooking shows. If you ever watch the movie “Chef”, I even made his pasta dish after I went grocery shopping the following day.
There in part lies part of the problem that I face when it comes to cooking now. There are basically three problems that make cooking unpleasant for me now.
- Cooking the same thing time and time again. It is easy to do. It is just a habit that is hard to break and it makes everyone happy.
- Grocery shopping is a job in itself. When you do find a new recipe that you like, you have to go to the grocery store because there is a spice that it calls for, and you don’t have it. Oh you can leave it out–it’s only a teaspoon, but that teaspoon matters. Then there are the questions, do I buy regular apples or organic apples? What makes Central Market organic apples cost so much more than Walmart organic apples? Are they even organic or is that just a fancy way to say pay more?
- Cooking for two is so much harder than cooking for four. There are recipes that are for two, but most are for at least a family of four.
I found the not so perfect solution to all three concerns. I found *Blue Apron or my oldest daughter found it. It does work. First of all I noticed that she and my favorite son-in-law had lost weight. She informed me that Blue Apron was portion controlled, and it did fill you up. More importantly to me was the fact that all of the ingredients come with it, and the cost is reasonable.
I have enjoyed cooking new recipes for my hubby and myself, and even the girls like it. I love the sides that come with it more than anything. They are quick and easy. The sides use ingredients that I usually have, but have never thought about putting together. My daughter wishes they would go one step further by chopping the ingredients too–that doesn’t bother me. The meals are very tasty and the presentation is great too. The recipes are easy to follow–they have pictures to aid in this. I have enjoyed every one of the meals with a few things that I would tweek if I did them again.
Since I can’t hire a chef, Blue Apron has become my personal chef, and it is worth it. I am not cooking the same things over and over and even going to the grocery store is more enjoyable.
*Blue Apron is not the only meal delivery service, I have friends who use others including Home Chef, Hello Fresh and Plated. You might want to give one of them a try. You do not have to receive a shipment every week, and there are vegetarian meals to choose from.
Everyone deserves a little help. Remember “thisisyourbestyear”. Bon appetit!