Plated Vs. Blue Apron

After using (and loving!) Plated for the past few weeks (a wonderful activity to do with DD8), my friend gave me a gift subscription to Blue Apron to try it free for one week. I’m all about options so used her code and signed up for my free week, choosing the package that most similarly resembled my current package on Plated to make a fair comparison.  There are so many differences, it’s hard to believe these two companies are based off the same concept of convenience cooking but here goes:

Both Plated and Blue Apron send you, in heavy duty icepacks (not dry ice) EVERY single ingredient along with detailed instructions to make meals. You can choose the portion size and, in most cases,

You will begin to hate this little Blue Apron pot symbol...... 

choose the meals (see more details on that below).  You can change your dietary preferences on both to note you don’t eat a certain type of food, are a vegan, need gluten free or any food allergies or preferences you have.  On both, you subscribe for weekly or bi-weekly deliveries but can skip weeks whenever you’d like.  However, on Blue Apron you will begin to hate this little pot symbol as you have to skip each week individually and wait for the system to update which takes for-e-ver.

On a website note, both are semi easy to navigate once you’ve been there once but Plated wins . Blue Apron is a bit harder to figure out where to change your profile and see which menu you’re working with for which week.  Blue Aprons site is built off of Blue and White, which makes me feel like I’m on the Microsoft, GM or Prudential website – or even worse – checking my American Express bill.  Plated’s website uses a plethora of vibrant and almost delicious colors in a scheme that makes me hungry just looking at the pictures of fresh, colorful vegetables (yay! Farmers markets!) versus BA’s stock picture of pots (oh no…. work!).

Not to mention, Plated’s homepage is all about what they’re _about_ while Blue Aprons (as I write this post) is about buying saucepans in their online store……

For meal sizes, Blue Apron seemingly has more options giving you the family vs. couple plan but in reality, you get those portions plus more at Plated where you can choose 2, 4 or 6 person options for each meal. I like to order one meal that I know I’ll be able to make well for those weekends when we’re having people over. 

The BIGGEST difference so far has been the menu options. OMG. While both look delicious and are organic and locally sourced, Blue Apron tends to have recipes I’ve heard of or tried before (Hoison Glazed Chicken Meatballs, Seared Cod, Huervos Ranchos) and/or that are really simple – both in ingredients and possibly in taste (I’ll discover that part once I cook….) While Plated takes everyday ingredients that I can find anywhere but combines them into a dish I wouldn’t have thought of otherwise much less made (Seared Filet Mignon with Red Onion Jam and Cucumber-Radish Farro Salad). Also, each week Plated has about 9 options to choose from, all with sides – BA only has 6 options, some with just the protein listed and a complicated ordering process…..

Which brings me to the actual part of choosing your menu. On BA, I was afraid I was going to have to stick with the three dishes they assigned me to but after finding where I can change these three dishes I was pleased to see they had a couple of dishes I would like to cook and try – a Brie sandwich and a lamb pasta dish. However, when I went to click on one of them, the other would grey out saying “combination not available”  OMG!!!! So, I had to settle for a “combination” of three dishes where I didn’t even like one of them. UNACCEPTABLE. If I’m ordering and going through the trouble of cooking, I want to buy, cook and eat the combination that I WANT!  Even if it costed a few dollars more. This is ridiculous. On plated, you can choose any dish you’d like and it costs X amount per serving of each dish offered.  For this reason ALONE I would cancel my subscription to Blue Apron after this free week. Let’s see what happens when the box arrives….

Culture Shock?

So, she not only doesn't speak English which makes the communication almost impossible (although I can tell when she's laughing at me) but yesterday she never saw a microwave which was relatively easy to show her. But now she wants a bucket and soap to wash clothes and put them outside. I showed her the washing machine but Mummy says that while they have washing machines they're not common and she doesn't trust the washing machine... What's the washing machine going to do? Eat her clothes? That's only dryers with socks.... So, I don't have a bucket so going to buy one. But, apparently she only uses powdered soap so now I have to go buy a big bucket and powdered soap even though my HE washing machine won't take powdered soap.... Nothing beats the look on her face when she saw the automatic kitty litter. Understood that indoor house cats go in the litter here but when we were standing there and it began scooping out the solids and putting them in the bin she thought it was something straight out of the Jetsons......... Quite funny but I don't think my previous life (as in last week) had much room or patience left over to take on more.... Or, perhaps that's just the hangover talking......

Seriously Now?

Not that I have all of the time in the world to 'blog' (who does) but this is sort of like an online journal of my days and nights as a Medha - holding all of the roles (most willingly, some not so much so) that I've been bestowed.
I will *not* screen what I write here. I don't care. there, I said it
I will *not* spell or grammar check anything on this blog. you don't like it, don't read it

I am a true, honest to god person - a woman - who grew from a pigtailed child to a frizzy-haired teenager. I asked my girlfriend to show me how to french kiss the summer after 8th grade since I'd never kissed a boy and heard that everyone kissed in high school (relax men... she taught me using our fists.....) Watching my Mom be exploited and then myself, it was only natural for me to take that path myself. But, now, with my amazing husband and hard-earned stable and cozy life - I have a sense of confidence, stability, purpose and comfort that I could've only pretended to have when I was younger.

Oh, and how do I make that wedding picture align up here on the right side instead of the left???
Keepin it real.... M

Am I really going to blog??

Am I really going to start this?? Well, let's see... I've learned that day to day life with toddler is rewarding but SO much more physically exhausting than with an infant! She loves to run and jump and throw and pillow fight! Jeez... I feel old!