Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Blue Apron

Tonight we cooked pork chops and apple mostarda using our supplies from our Blue Apron delivery. 
Blue Apron
It was easy to sign up and there is no long term commitment. We got the two meals for four, meat eater version.

The package came right to our door and was protected and packaged beautifully!

Everything we needed was perfectly portioned and ready to go.
The recipe cards are easy to follow and the pictures are very helpful. 
 First we made the apple mostarda...
Then we seasoned the pork chops and cooked them while our sweet potatoes were cooking...
Again, Christian was in charge of prep, cooking, and presentation...
This is really fun for Christian and I. It is easy enough for a 10 year old, but comes out delicious! 

If you go to the site there are videos to help you cook the meals as well if you prefer. I am sold on Blue Apron and Hello Fresh!!

https://www.blueapron.com/?cvosrc=email.Delivery+tomorrow+email.DeliveryTomorrow12_03_2015-AR&event_label=Order%3A+27457212&utm_campaign=DeliveryTomorrow12_03_2015-AR&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Delivery+tomorrow+email

Hello Fresh: Meal Subscription Service

I got my first order from Hello Fresh. We got three meals that serve two (perfect for dad and the two boys). It came in very nice packaging that kept it cool until I could get it in the fridge.
Each meal's pre-measured ingredients were packaged in a separate box.
 We chose to cook the smoky chicken fajitas first.
 This is what was in the box for this meal.
Christian is my little helper. He has helped me every night. I think it actually is going to teach him to be a great chef. I love that today he told his principal that he cooks dinner with his mom every night. Very sweet and special. 

 He does the chopping and the cooking.
 As well as the "presentation." He is so sweet!
 In the pan...
 On the plate...
 In the mouths...
Final verdict is that it tasted great and is easy enough a ten year old can do it! We since also did a steak and salmon meal. We are definetly going to continue this service. Our next shipment comes tomorrow of four more meals. You can pick your meals on Sunday to be delivered on Wednesday up to five meals. There is a veggie selection or meat.

If you want to try this for free (three meals) send me your email and I can send you three free meals to try! You just have to go in and cancel after you get them to not be charged for the next weeks shipment...you probably will want to be though! It is amazing!

I got Blue Apron too. I am trying them tonight so I can pick my favorite service. 

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Cultivate the Lovely

I have been so encouraged by my new "friends" on Periscope. I found Mackenzie Monroe through Crystal Paine and I am loving her encouragement to be bold and gracious. Her encouragement is to "be committed to pouring the labor, love, and study into creating more loveliness and beauty in every aspect of our lives."  I love the FB community where we go on each day and post three ways we are going to try and make our day more lovely. 

It is SO easy to get wrapped up in the BUSY of life. We MUST slow down and enjoy the ride. To enjoy the ride we must make it lovely! Our days are not meant to be survived but lived and enjoyed to the fullest. I used to create scrapbooks and projects that in recent years have fallen to the wayside because of busy and urgent. I am RECLAIMING beauty in my life. I know all to well life is too short. We are not promised tomorrow. Make today lovely. Do not wait for tomorrow, or more money, or more time, or perfect circumstances...those things will never come. All you have is right now. Look for the beautiful, strive for loveliness in ALL areas.

To me this looks like planning fun experiences outside of normal routine for my family, decorating, creating, writing, reading, listening, just sitting and thinking. I have spent many years rushing from one task to the next trying to be more efficient, get more done, rack up more accomplishments. At the end of the day I want my kids to look back on their childhood and say, "We had fun. Mom and dad were present and playful. They made life exciting." They are not going to remember if it was perfect; they will remember we DID it. 

I do not have long with them. I cannot wait. Today is the day to bring lovely back!

https://katch.me/BOLDturquoise
http://boldturquoise.com/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cultivatingthelovely/
http://dailyconnoisseur.blogspot.com/