Cooking (in my NEW KITCHEN!) with Blue Apron

<center></center>I first heard about <a href="http://9nl.eu/ll9n" target="_blank">Blue Apron</a> when we lived in the city and some our friends would use the service. One of my good friends would always order a Blue Apron box when she was having house guests or if she knew it was going to be a particularly busy week at work.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo Blue7.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda010/Blue7.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />We are getting the house ready for that magazine shoot, so my mom offered to take my girls up to her house in the mountains for the week so we could focus on projects. It felt like perfect timing when <a href="http://9nl.eu/ll9n" target="_blank">Blue Apron</a> reached out to see if I would like to try a box for myself this week - the last thing I have time for right now is grocery shopping! So last weekend I got my refrigerated box full of the exact proportions of ingredients I needed to make three meals for Michael and I (though you can order the box for either two, four or six servings).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo vIMG_7415.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/ALBUM%2021/vIMG_7415.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />Meals are $9.99 per person - and they are DELICIOUS. These recipes are for sure keepers.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo Blue6.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda010/Blue6.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We made the <a href="http://9nl.eu/fcyv" target="_blank">Fresh Beet Pasta</a> and it was so, so, so good! I pretty much love anything with beets, but the lemony tang and the fresh goat cheese and walnuts seriously put this recipe over the edge for me. Blue Apron uses only the freshest ingredients and they try to source local and artisan goods where possible. They were gorgeous.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo Blue1.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda010/Blue1.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo Blue2.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda010/Blue2.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />I love that there's no commitments with Blue Apron. I can skip or cancel my delivery at any time for the weeks I have a little more bandwidth. But sometimes, like this week, where I feel like my brain might explode if I have to make a single more decision, it's nice to have a menu plan and all the ingredients sitting in front of me on my counter top at 5 pm.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo Blue3.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda010/Blue3.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />The meals are so easy to prepare, especially with the well-designed recipe sheets. All of them take less than 40 minutes to make, though it will look like you slaved away for hours! Michael is always a good sport, but he definitely has an opinion about food (so it's a good thing he's always willing to cook), but this dish was a total home run with him. I'm excited to make it again when the girls get home! Claire loves anything with goat cheese. :)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo Blue4a.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda010/Blue4a.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />Also, I was surprised at how generous the serving sizes were! We ended up sharing with friends who stopped over. It was fun to be like, "What? Oh, this? Yeah, I just threw it together. Just a regular old Wednesday night meal..." (as I'm quickly shoving the Blue Apron recipe sheets into a drawer) ;)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo Blue5.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda010/Blue5.jpg" /></div><br />Have you tried <a href="http://9nl.eu/ll9n" target="_blank">Blue Apron</a>? I am so excited to use it again and try some new recipes. They ship nearly everywhere in the US (there's a full map <a href="http://9nl.eu/gvtl" target="_blank">here</a>).<br /><br />And good news! Blue Apron is giving the first 250 readers two free meals with their first order! <a href="http://9nl.eu/vzsc" target="_blank">Here's where you can sign up</a>. Happy cooking!

Cooking (in my NEW KITCHEN!) with Blue Apron

I first heard about Blue Apron when we lived in the city and some our friends would use the service. One of my good friends would always or...

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Kids Crafts and Cook Smarts

<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo CS12.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda007/CS12.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Summer break started for us about a week ago. It's a whole different ball game here in Arizona with 100+ degree weather and indoor activities are a absolute must with the girls! I sat down with them and made a list of crafts we could do together over the next two months. Things that are easy, inexpensive and fun. I've been wanting to paint plain canvas tote bags to use as reusable shopping bags for a while (because my old ones are just about finished, and truly, they're not the cutest), and the girls were super down. I think what they came up with was prettier than anything I could have created by myself. :)</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo CS1.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda007/CS1.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo CS2.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda007/CS2.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I watered down basic acrylic craft paint with one part paint to three parts water. It goes on smoother, dries quicker, and makes for a way easier clean up. It also ended up being a fun lesson in abstract painting. We walked around the house first and pointed out the art and patterns that looked more abstract and they looked closely and the paintings and made notes about how to get the look. </span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo CS4.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda007/CS4.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo CS5.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda007/CS5.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">So cute, right? These new bags are making grocery trips so much more appealing lately, and I've desperately needed a bit of a kick in that department! If I have a menu for the week and a written out list, things are great. But life gets in the way and sometimes I end up at the store stocking up on the basics and come home feeling like I have nothing to make a complete meal. I came back from the store a last week and Heather pulled a jar of peanut butter out of the bag and said "Um, we have like three jars of peanut butter in the pantry already!" Oops. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo CS6.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda007/CS6.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">It took only a few minutes of poking around on <a href="http://9nl.eu/4ydm" target="_blank">Cook Smarts</a> to fall in love with the concept after they reached out to me. The first thing that jumped out was the shopping lists. <a href="http://9nl.eu/j7zv" target="_blank">Cook Smarts sends you four recipes <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_553758114" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">on Friday</span></span></a> for the following week (you can use their set menu plan or customize your own) and a shopping list of everything you need for the meals. It's broken up into categories like "produce" and "spices". You can print the list or email it to yourself, which is a huge selling point for me because then I always have my list with me on my phone. Their site is super easy to use and beautifully photographed and organized- which always helps. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo CS13.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda007/CS13.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">I decided to jump right into the week Cook Smarts was currently on and make the <a href="http://9nl.eu/krb5" target="_blank">Three Tomato Spaghetti with Kale and Apple Salad</a>. I'm so, so impressed with how easy and simple the recipe was. Not only did it take exactly how long they said it would (35 minutes) to cook, but it was insanely simple and most importantly- delicious! Like really, <i>really</i> good. The dressing on the salad was perfection and the whole family ate it up! I can't wait to try more recipes. Two other meals this week are <a href="http://9nl.eu/krb5" target="_blank">Batterless Chile Rellenos and Chicken Fajita Bowls</a>- <i>I'm so in. </i></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo CS7.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda007/CS7.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo CS14.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda007/CS14.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">There are also <a href="http://9nl.eu/ugj6" target="_blank">the cutest little videos</a> on every recipe with some cooking tips- like how to dice a shallot or the best way to slice cabbage. When you sign up, you can choose to try a starter account and then you can try out three meal plans for free, and starting at about $6 each month, you can have access to an absolute mountain of delicious and easy recipes.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo CS9.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda007/CS9.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">I texted a few of my friends about Cook Smarts after discovering how customizable the meals are. Every single recipe has a gluten-free, paleo, and vegetarian option - seriously so convenient for families with food restrictions! My sister's family has gluten allergies and we cook a lot of meals together, so this feature has been coming in handy for me lately!</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo CS11.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/jkomenda007/CS11.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Cook Smarts is generously sponsoring today's give away of a $250 gift certificate to Whole Foods and an adorable reusable grocery tote. To enter, just <a href="http://9nl.eu/er7n" target="_blank">sign up for a FREE Cook Smarts account</a> and leave a comment here with which recipe is calling your name!<br /><br />Contest ends next Friday at midnight.<br /><br />PS - for 30% off your first meal plan, use the code LGNCOOKS. (Code expires on June 12)</div></div>

Kids Crafts and Cook Smarts

Summer break started for us about a week ago. It's a whole different ball game here in Arizona with 100+ degree weather and indoor activ...

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