Meal Delivery Services - Mediterranean Diet Now Available - Pros and Cons
The kitchen can definitely be an intimidating place and while we strive to cook and eat fresh wholesome foods, meal planning and getting to the supermarket is not always easy.
Food kits - from companies like Blue Apron and Marley Spoon - can help eliminate some of the guesswork from great cooking. They provide easy to follow recipes, perfectly-portioned ingredients and ‘How To’ guides that will empower even the most hesitant home cook.
For many people, cooking involves a rotating menu of the same half dozen meals. But services like Blue Apron can pique your culinary imagination by spicing up your routine with dishes like kung pao broccoli and parmesan-crusted chicken. It’s about using the ingredients you’re already familiar with in fun, new ways while also learning how to incorporate new flavor profiles and ingredients into a dish. So you can keep the roast chicken that the whole family loves, but also get inspired to swap out the baked potatoes everyone’s tired of eating for something a bit more bold like a chickpea and feta salad.
We are excited to see that Blue Apron has recently added a line of Mediterranean Diet meals.
PROS
Low-Risk Way to Cook with Exotic Ingredients
Been hearing about bok choy, or kimchi, or udon from food blogs and freinds, but don’t have the slightest idea as to where to find these ingredients or how to work with them? A lot of their recipes incorporate ingredients you’ve probably never heard of but will absolutely love. It’s a good way to get to know a different aisle of the supermarket.
You Might Discover a Newfound Love
Maybe you tried ginger once and hated it. Or you swore off oysters after an unsavory experience. Cooking with food kits can give you a new appreciation of the foods you’ve been avoiding all your life. By using wasabi in a different way or by enhancing or complementing the flavor of ponzu sauce you might realize you were too quick to dismiss something really amazing.
Most of the delivery services do a good job of explaining the basics of the cooking techniques described on their recipe cards. So next time you’re in the kitchen you’ll know why an onion should be cut a certain way, or the precise moment to add in the garlic. And in the process not only will you learn to love to cook, but your confidence and sense of experimentation will keep growing.
You’ll Eat at Home More
One of the biggest selling points of meal delivery services is that they allow you to prepare restaurant-level meals in your own kitchen. If you routinely dine out (or get take-out) several times a week, using a meal delivery service will probably save you money in the long run.
You’ll Learn New Recipes and Techniques
If you’re new to cooking or tend to make the same meals again and again, a meal delivery service will expand your horizons and help you learn new skills. All meal planning kits contain detailed recipe cards. Once you discover some new favorites, you’ll be able to recreate them on your own by simply purchasing the ingredients.
You’ll Minimize Food Waste
If you routinely buy more groceries than you need and find yourself throwing away food because it’s gone bad before you can use it, a meal kit delivery service will help with that. Everything is perfectly portion controlled and if you prepare the meals as directed, you should end up with zero food waste — and zero wasted dollars, too.
CONS
The Expense
While the cost of meal delivery services varies, they average out to around $10 a meal, per person. And while that’s more than what you’d pay buying groceries on your own, it’s much less than you’d pay for dining out. Also, many of these services offer significant discounts on your first delivery. Provided you remember to cancel after your first box, you could try out several boxes at a discount before deciding whether to continue with a service long-term.
Excess Packaging
In addition to the box everything comes in, every ingredient inside is packaged individually, and there are cold packs, too. To avoid a sky-rocketing carbon footprint from disposing of all that packaging, you must be committed to recycling everything.
You Might Not Like Every Meal
Although most services allow you to specify certain ingredients or flavors you’d rather not receive, there’s still a chance you’ll run into a meal that doesn’t match your personal tastes. You’ll get the most value — and enjoyment — from a meal kit delivery service if you have an adventurous palate and few dietary restrictions.
Check out the Blue Apron website and see for yourself.