5+ Reasons to Try Blue Apron | What to Make for Dinner

Blue Apron has a current promotion for two free meals with your first order.

I got really lucky with this one.  A friend of ours was going out of town and offered us her blue apron box for the week.  Luckily, we are both vegetarian so it was a good fit.  

I was so blown away by her generosity and even more pumped as I opened it up and found out what it was all about.  

Somehow I was expecting freeze dried trays of cafeteria food.  I was kind of excited about popping one into the microwave (???) for a quick lunch.  Ehhhhh.  Ok.  Weird much?

What I found instead was a huge box stuffed to the brim with fresh ingredients.  We got three meals with two servings each.  There was fresh produce, grains, oil, butter, vinegar, spices, garnishes.  Everything but the salt and pepper needed to make a meal.  (And very little of that is required along the way). 

I unloaded all of the fresh food into the fridge and left all the shelf stable ingredients together in the box.  

Dinner is usually a helter skelter affair around here.  I don't know why, but I seem to have run out of dinner ideas about four years ago and they show  no sign of returning.  Every once in a while I will see a Pioneer Woman blog post that looks interesting, but let's face it, it's mostly the desserts I want.  

I wouldn't even care about all this, except I can't get the first two meals we had out of my head.  They were so completely and utterly delicious.  I thought about the summer squash quesadillas all day.  They added some awesome spice mix to the box that made those normally completely unappealing looking knobby yellow squash, the kind you find cubed and forced into succotash as if it might make lima beans taste better, into something craveable.  I have a two ikea counter top shelves full of spices and I use them regularly but I'm still not sure how they made that spice blend taste so good.  

After the second dinner, rice with soy glazed eggplant and shisito peppers, I signed up for our own account.  I can not wait to get the next box.  It's kind of addicting scrolling through the cookbook online.  

I see a lot of benefits to the subscription, even if it is $60 a box normally. 

1. Less grocery shopping.  

Grocery shopping is all too often a trap.  I spend hours of time carting all the kids around the store.  They whine for cookies and I try to distract and mollify.  I pick up random ingredients with a vague idea of cooking something.  And yet, by the time I get home I have no energy left to think of a recipe to make, let alone cook.

2. Less Produce Wasted

By the time the end of the week rolls around we are lucky if we haven't thrown away at least half of the produce we never got around to using. It's so wasteful and makes me feel like I'm pouring money into the trash.  It gets harder the next time at the grocery store to steer clear of packaged foods I know won't spoil.  Bags of tortilla chips and oreo packages are not helping me lose the baby weight.  Which is more like toddler weight at this point. 

3. Make it stretch

Even though we spend almost twice that amount on groceries each week, and even more when you count eating out expenses, I still can't help but flinch a little at the cost.  This week we were able to use the two-person meals to feed our whole family.  For the quesadillas, I made extra plain cheese quesadillas for the kids.   We even made extra for their lunches the next day, which is a big help when camp starts at 8 AM.  And, don't even think about being late, because that means a nature hike for mama while trying to find his group. 

The next day I opened up a box of silken tofu and added it to the eggplant stir fry.  I baked a portion of the tofu to make it crispy and try to avoid the naysayers.  Turns out Avinash only wanted eggplant and Ryan ate the tofu.  Stranger things have happened.  The best part was I didn't have to think about how to prep and season the tofu because the soy glaze added more than enough flavor to the whole dish.

4. Make it your own
The dishes are really well seasoned on their own but there is still room to play around where you want.  I added curry leaves and a bit of coconut oil to the rice to add some flavor there.  Scrolling through the upcoming menus I think I will be opening a can of garbanzo beans or black beans to a lot of the recipes to add extra protein and help make extra servings as well.

5.  Steal from your own box
I love that each dish has fresh herbs going into it.  The herbs are in half bunches or quarter bunches, compared to a normal bunch from the grocery store.  This helps to keep things from going bad, but I found there was more than enough garlic chives for example to grab a few for my morning scrambled eggs without taking anything away from the dish.  The basil for the risotto was also very abundant and could have been used for other dishes (except I wasn't cooking many other main dishes aside from Blue Apron).

6. Get help cooking

The recipe instructions are so easy to follow that my husband could make all of the meals we tried by himself.  This is huge.  I love to cook for my family, but that doesn't mean I have the energy to do it every night.  Having an option other than greasy take out food is awesome.  Plus, I think my husband is learning more about cooking in general this way. Bonus!


This is not a sponsored post, just my honest take on Blue Apron.  I loved it so much, I had to share!  Hopefully they will start a referral program soon, lol.

I know there are a lot of other dinner delivery services out there now.  What is your favorite trick to help get dinner on the table?

Our Special Christmas Morning Cinnamon Bread

This is one of my favorite old recipes from my blog and I thought it would be fun to revisit it.  It was dubbed "christmas pan" by Avinash years ago when he used to refer to all breads as pan.  The name stuck.

Since I first shared this recipe on my blog, four years ago, it has been shared almost 100,000 times on pinterest.  Wow!!!  That is a lot for my little old corner of the internet.  Cinnamon sugar don't lie.

This is really a ring of biscuits, held together in a sticky sweet wreath after being baked together with maple syrup and brown sugar.  Making it on Christmas morning has become a really fun family tradition.  We love all things covered in cinnamon and sugar. They also require no planning ahead or rising (like cinnamon rolls), which is good if you are not a great food planner like me.   They are SUPER EASY and SUPER DELICIOUS!

Our Christmas Pan
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter and 1/2 cup shortening, cut into pieces (or 1 cup butter)

2 cups buttermilk


3 tablespoon butter, melted


1/2 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 cup chopped pecans, opt.

1/4 cup chopped almonds, opt.

Here is how you make them:

Combine the dry ingredients.
  

Cut the butter/shortening into the flour until it resembles small peas and add the buttermilk, just barely mix.  Flour surface and lightly roll out dough.  

Cut into rounds (about 15, I had a few left over which Avi got to roll out and mix over and over while we waited for the bread to bake).

Combine melted butter and syrup.  Pour half into bottom of pan, sprinkle half the brown sugar and spices on top.  

Arrange biscuits in a circle and pour the remaining ingredients on top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes in fluted bundt pan.  Invert onto serving dish after taking out of oven.

After inverting them you can see all the ooey gooey baked in goodness. 

The kids love eating them even more than baking with me.  She kept politely asking for bigger and bigger pieces.

Cinnamon roll for the baby please?

Somebody else loved them too.  First he flung all his pieces to the ground.  Then, as he realized what they tasted like each piece was carefully stuffed in his mouth.  HA!

Check out more of my holiday inspiration here:

• Crafty Gifts to Give
• December Daily / Scrapbooking
• Free Printable Gift Tags
• Food
• Holiday Style (How to do Christmas Tree Bokeh Pictures)
• Glitter Ornaments DIY

Original Post:

our christmas pan

**homemade version**

4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter and 1/2 cup shortening, cut into pieces (or 1 cup butter)

2 cups buttermilk


3 tablespoon butter, melted


1/2 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 cup chopped pecans, opt.

1/4 cup chopped almonds, opt.

Combine the dry ingredients.  Cut the butter/shortening into the flour until it resembles small peas and add the buttermilk, just barely mix.  Flour surface and lightly roll out dough.  Cut into rounds (about 15, I had a few left over which Avi got to roll out and mix over and over while we waited for the bread to bake).
Combine melted butter and syrup.  Pour half into bottom of pan, sprinkle half the brown sugar and spices on top.  Arrange biscuits in a circle and pour the remaining ingredients on top.
Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes in fluted bundt pan.  Invert onto serving dish after taking out of oven.

Want to find good ethnic cuisine? Read a one star review on yelp.

So far we have only found one good Indian restaurant in Austin and nothing in the way of chaat (Indian snack-type food, often fried, always delicious).  We even drove to San Antonio once for chaat only to discover the place was shut down.  Bummer. 

Luckily, a couple of our friends (not Indian, but with good taste) took us to a place in North Austin (called Naanfull if you are curious).  The food was outstanding.  The gobi manchurian was fantastic and always is.  Spicy, crunchy cauliflower that tastes nothing like a cauliflower should (since normally it is awful). 

I came back several more times with them and on my own.  I brought another friend along there.  The service is horrendous.  They do things like refuse to honor their kids eat free Monday deal.  They charge extra for chutney even though the menu says it is included.  The chutney is super small anyway and really just raita.  They also tend to forget at least one item each visit. 

They also have really strange ambiance.  They are totally trying to copy chipotle or a mini cafeteria style salad bar.  I have no idea why they think this type of layout would be appealing to anyone.  I don't mind counter service at all, but why would you try to look a like a chain when  you are not?

Still, my taste buds keep making me go back.  I finally got a chance to take Ryan this weekend.  He asked a question about the paneer 65 appetizer and was given the most condescending response that left both of us befuddled.   We ordered anyway and I decided I need to get on Yelp to call them out for the rudeness. 

I was skimming through most of the (rave) reviews when a one star review caught my eye.  Some guy was irate about the state of his samosa chaat.  He said it was covered in way too many vegetables, chickpeas and weird sauces instead of the 'lightly garnished' samosa he was used to! I almost fell out of my chair.  CHAAT!!?! THEY HAD REAL CHAAT HERE!  I could not have heard a more appetizing description of samosa chaat than this guys review.  I don't know why I never noticed it on the menu (probably because of my gobi tunnel vision).  I made Ryan get up and order again. 

It totally lived up to everything I wanted it to be.  No, it was not a plate of plain samosas.  Obviously.  It was real and true samosa CHAAT.  Sweet, spicy, saucy, crunchy, creamy.  Just every flavor in one bite.  I honestly don't think I have ever had better samosa chaat in years.  The potato filling inside was perfectly spiced, the shell was still crispy despite being covered in three different chutneys and they didn't skimp on the vegetables or chickpeas on top.  Just amazing. 

I could say that pregnancy is making me crave chaat, but when am I not craving chaat?  I am so grateful I found somewhere in Austin to get at least one type of chaat.  Thank you one star Yelp review guy!

2 Pizzas

Let's talk about food for a minute.  I always need quick dinners that are kind of mindless to prepare. 

I love pizza because it requires little forethought, I'm relatively certain the children will eat, and it is fun especially during football games.

I tried out two new pizzas that we all loved instead of the usual marinara and mozzarella.  

Paneer pizza

This one was inspired.  I found out they sell paneer (an Indian cheese you can bake without melting) at Whole Foods.  Not having to make a second trip to the Indian grocery store is huge.  One less errand, one more shred of sanity saved. 

I use premade pizza dough which I now get from the pizza counter at Whole Foods.  It is better than most other places I have tried. 

I started out by marinating the paneer in yogurt mixed with spices. I use gatam Masala (a mix of cumin, haldi, coriander, mango powder)

Here is the recipe:
Pizza dough
Canned Crushed tomatoes
3 garlic cloves, chopped
One quarter onion and one bell pepper, chopped
Marinated Paneer
Mozzarella
Parmesan
Cilantro

Assemble and bake.  I set my oven at 425 for 20 minutes.  

The paneer gets all crispy around the edges and has just enough spice to make it interesting.  Avinash ate all the paneer off his pieces and left the pizza part alone. 

One other new pizza I tried was enchilada pizza.  This was based off a post by Elise Joy, click here for the recipe.

I modified it to be vegetarian.  I basically just added mozzarella in addition to the Cheddar cheese.  I truly loved it.  The use of enchilada sauce instead of tomato sauce tasted great to me but was not a huge hit with the rest of the family. 

Our patio garden.

Determined to take it slow today because of all the activity&excitement later in the week. 

So no outings, just straight home after school.  We did head outside to play on the patio for a while though. I love that they both help me with our plants.  I kept refilling their little watering cans, at least before they started painting themselves with chalk.  Why is is body art always so appealing?

We already have a few tomato flowers blooming.  And one tiny little green tomato that I fear may never ripen.  All of the plants are starting to wilt and I think I may need to start over.  I tried putting coffee grounds in the pot, but I think that made things worse. 

I have a huge pot, from a lemon tree that didn't make it, now full of basil, purple basil, and cilantro.  My cilantro was very weak last year, hoping to keep it alive this year and save myself $.50 a week at the grocery store.

 An errant acorn trying to become a tree. Avi and I track it's progress together.

Bougainvillea, jasmine and our lipstick flowers in the background.  I so love when the jasmine starts flowering, one of my favorite scents in the world (I wore them in my hair at our wedding).

We have a ton of seedlings all over the place too.  Just hoping I'll be able to figure out what is edible and what is not in a few weeks time.

Then, this happened.  I blame Jill Sprott.  I used a brick of cream cheese and made at least a dozen peppers.  I made them vegetarian and used a bit of panko to get a crispy top.  They were deemed to spicy by the rest of my family and I may have eaten almost the entire tray.  And that is the story of why I will have  a double chin in every picture taken this weekend.

Linking up with littlegreenshed for the Centipede Challenge at JBS too!

My favorite pasta sauce.

It has been a while since I shared a new recipe on here. Honestly I haven't been in the mood to cook that much. I find it hard to get new ideas. I make a lot of roasted vegetables, like cauliflower or Brussel sprouts, which we all love. My other go to is pasta. I love this recipe because it has so much more flavor than regular tomato sauce.

Source: 6bittersweets.com

1/2 pound dry thin spaghetti pasta OR any other pasta
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion OR 2 to 3 shallots
Scant 3/4 tsp salt, divided 1/8 to 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper OR 1 dried red chili, minced
Fresh black pepper to taste
1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup vodka
1 (14.5-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1carrot and 2 zucchinis roughly julienned
1/4 cup whipping cream
3 Tbsp thinly sliced fresh basil
Shaved or grated parmesan cheese, to garnish
Additional fresh basil leaves (optional)

Boil a large pot of salted water. Brown onions slowly, over medium heat. Add the salt, pepper, chilis and garlic when they are nearly done. Add the vodka and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes and let simmer for fifteen minutes. Turn down heat, stir in cream, basil and vegetables. Let cook for two minutes before adding in cooked pasta. Garnish with fresh parmesan and basil.

**I love this recipe and make it all the time now. I changed the original to make the sauce a little thicker in tomatoes, remove the step of pureeing the sauce and added more vegetables.  I just julienne them to mimic the noodles but do it by hand so they don't get too skinny. I add the vegetables just a minute before adding the pasta so that they don't get soggy. When I am feeling particularly adventurous I only boil the pasta half way and cook it in the sauce itself. I have made this many times without the alcohol. It is still good but lacks a certain depth. I have also used vermouth in place of vodka and love that too.**

Taking on the monster

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I hate smoothies. And I really don't like salads. As a vegetarian I feel they are being forced on me and I'm nothing if not contrary. I usually prefer my vegetables roasted or cooked in pasta and my fruits baked into some sort of cobbler.
But, I kept reading about these green monster thingies. People getting lots of energy, something I desperately need.  So I checked out the Green Monster Movement site and I was hooked.

This is day 3 for me of having them every day.  The first day I had two cups of coffee.  The second day I had one. Today I had none and skipped the usual headache that goes along with that.

Classic Green Monster 

Yield: 1 serving/2 cups

• 1 cup almond milk, or milk of choice
• 1 ripe banana, preferably peeled + frozen
• 2 handfuls organic spinach
• 1 tbsp chia seeds OR 1 tbsp ground flax
• 1 tbsp nut butter (here I used Dark Chocolate Almond Butter)
• 1-3 Ice cubes

I made a few substitutions.

I'm not into soy milk either (it goes along with the no salad thing) so I subsitute yogurt instead.

I have also added mint, basil, watercress, one kale leaf, pear, peach, and apple (skins on).  I didn't have nut butter so I used peanuts, some coconut oil and some honey.   I found I liked a little extra sea salt on top at the end.  I also don't use any ice.  The yogurt gives it enough texture.

We have all tried them.  Me and my husband love them.  Nandini won't touch it and Avinash will mindlessly sip it while watching TV.

I will let you know how it goes.  I feel like I could have three of these a day right now, but I don't want to overdo it and get sick of it.  The taste does linger in my mind though.

Have you tried this? Is it just another fad? (Please say no!)

Peaches, peaches.

 Found some Texas peaches at Central Market this week. 

So pretty.  I almost hesitate to cut them up and make cobbler.

Except I never hesitate to make cobbler.  Tonight we are watching opera in the park, so making it in muffin tins for better picnic portability.
 
And, in a strange turn of events I'm actually cooking dinner as well.  Having a huge bunch of wild ramps doesn't hurt either.

I remember trying wild ramps from the union square farmer's market like ten years ago and loving them.  Every spring I would impatiently anticipate their delicious arrival.  Never found them in Houston.  Until now.  You can imagine how excited I was to finally get some again.  Hence all the picture taking.

Browning the white bits in butter to toss in quinoa pasta with the green tops. 

What is a boy supposed to do while Mom is doing all this cooking.  Glitter, stamps and some leftover tags on the kitchen table did the trick.  The ABC tag is my hands down favorite. Now I just need to vacuum glitter off, like, the whole house.

Oxheart

Even though I really enjoyed my family day at home on my birthday I didn't mind it one bit when Ryan made us reservations the day after for a new restaurant downtown Houston.  And, they vegetarian menu didn't hurt either.  Apparently Oxheart refers to a type of cabbage or something. 

 We had squash three ways in soup, it was a little under-seasoned and watery.  The brioche buns and grilled spring onions were the best part.  You cut the onion in half and roll up one leaf at a time on your fork like pasta.  Crispy green stems and the almost creamy white center together in one bite.  Then roasted potatoes on top of swiss chard sauce.  Not as good as mine by a long shot.  Then sunchoke semifreddo.  About as good as it sounds.  I love having so many vegetarian options in one place, but it will take a while for us to go back.

Gratuitous bokeh shot of the porch lights outside.

The check arrived on a branch.  So, then we had the pleasure of working out the appropriate Portlandia sketch that would go along with this.

On my birthday

 I washed my pillows and sheets the night before for my birthday sleep.

I took a million pictures even though I just did that on the 12th.  Even the toys scattered around the living room seemed more artful.

I made jaggery syrup for my birthday coffee.

I bought a bunch of flowers and arranged them myself to brighten up a corner of my desk.

I made breakfast, lunch and dinner with my family.  Lunch was cobbler.  Dinner was outside on the patio.  Chickpeas and my famous crispy stove top fingerling potato and garlic recipe. 

I had to stop by Target for all the birthday essentials.

I had a birthday workout, birthday nap, birthday shower (you get the idea).  

I got a new game from my favorite boy and girl.  She kept trying to eat the marbles, but luckily Ryan was too fast for her. She was persistent though.

 

I did some birthday crafting.  Using scraps and my new SC City of Lights kit.

 New + old Amy Tangerine seemed to play well together.

I used like every paper in this one kit on this layout.  I misted, stamped, embossed, inked, misted again, cut paper frames, washi taped, journaled, titled, stapled, twined...but the whole thing seemed lacking.  So I tried a sprinkling of sequins.  It wasn't working until a randomly scattered a big handful from above.  Glue in place and done!

I am looking forward to celebrating this weekend with a lot of great friends.  And embarrassing them by making them sing in public.