#BGREats: Blue Apron Saved My Marriage

        By Toni Carey (@toni_carey/@blackgirlsrun) Okay, not like my marriage was on the rocks or anything, but if you're married or have been in a long term relationship, you will understand where I'm coming from. Our quandry about what to have for dinner starts somewhere around 9 a.m. each morning.

9 a.m. 

Him: So, what do you want for dinner?

Me: I don't know. What would you like?

Him: I don't know. Why don't you take out some meat?

Me: What kind?

Him: I don't know.

11 a.m.

Me: Did you figure out what to have for dinner?

Him: I thought you were going to take out some meat.

Me: Ugh!!! I forgot!! :/

Him: Okay, well let me know what you want and I'll stop at the grocery store.

Unfortnately, we have 3 more conversations along these lines s throughout the course of the day (Noon, 2pm and 5pm). More often than not, our conversation ends in frustration and we end up heading out to one of our favortie restaurants or making a trip to Whole Foods sans a grocery list. (VERY DANGEROUS!!) Things were out of control. Dinner was constantly an issue, our grocery bill was completely outrageous and my parents would balk at the amount of food we tossed that all of the starving kids in African could have eaten.

In comes Blue Apron. What's Blue Apron you ask?

Blue Apron is a new concept in grocery delivery, built around incredible cooking experiences.  They offer a once-a-week subscription service where they deliver all the fresh ingredients you need to make 3 meals, in exactly the right proportions.  They've designed their service to teach you fun new recipes, save prep time and also reduce unnecessary waste.  By letting them shop for you, they can bring you fresher and higher-quality food than you can get on your own in the supermarket, and for better prices!

[caption id="attachment_67705" align="alignleft" width="300"] Pan-seared hake with eggplant carponata and fregola salad[/caption]

Here’s how our subscription service works:

• Select the type of plan you want and the number of people
• Delivery is free, and they deliver the same day each week
• There’s no commitment: you can cancel anytime before the weekly cutoff
• Stick with them long enough and you’ll get additional free goodies in the mail!

Before you call me a lazy excuse for a new age wife, wait just a second. The $60 a week we spend for 3 meals each week is well worth it. Here's why: - First and foremost, it's helping to save my marriage. Remember all that stress I mentioned about deciding what to eat, going grocery shopping (sometimes multiple times a week), etc. It's ONE less thing to think about. Our choices are narrowed down to three. We decide. We alternate who's doing the cooking and all the ingredients are already there. EASY BUTTON. Now we can argue about more important things. - My subscription is set for two people, BUT here's the best part. I can often squeeze out an extra serving for hubby to take to work the next day! It also means we don't have to eat the same thing over and over again for the rest of the week. WINNING!!! - We were a little skeptical about Blue Apron's use of "fresh ingredients," but seriously, it doesn't get any fresher than this. Not to mention, all the veggies are normal sized, meaning they probably haven't been shot up with all that bad stuff. - Let's talk numbers. $60 for three meals a week is about $20/meal and about $240 a month. Our grocery bill was WELL over the $500 we had budgeted. Right now, with Blue Apron, we're saving about $200 - $300 off our monthly grocery bill and back on track to spend $500 - $600 on groceries which includes the Blue Apron service. SCORE! - One of the best things about this is portion control. Knowing we only have about 3 servings a meals, makes it easy to judge portion sizes. I'll be interested in seeing if my waistline agrees! - Last but not least, it's a well balanced meal! Seriously, there's nothing more you can ask for! Interested in trying Blue Apron? Tell us why you deserve a free trial and we'll gift you one! Just comment below! Winners will be announced Friday, April 25 at Noon EST.  

Also in Black Girls RUN!