How To Eat Healthier Without Sacrificing Taste

All throughout college, eating like absolute garbage was one of my strongest personality traits. My affinity for Taco Bell, pizza rolls, and microwaveable mac and cheese was mostly due to a combination of 1) despising veggies and not knowing that nutrient-dense foods could be tasty, 2) being an absolute novice in the kitchen, and 3) not knowing how to tackle the learning curve that stood in the way of becoming my healthiest self. At the time, my friends all seemed to know the secret of how to cook at home and how to eat healthier than me, and meanwhile, you could find me ordering pizza to the library (for the third time in a single week).

Once I graduated, I took some baby steps and made some copycat meals of my favorite takeout spots, but due to redundancy, lack of direction, and the fact that I’d set the fire alarm off pretty much every time that I cooked, I hadn’t quite nailed the “not-ordering-out-every-weeknight” bit. A few years later, wellness came to the forefront in my life and I decided that if I was going to continue to have the palate and cooking skills of a toddler, I’d have to re-strategize. And so began my journey of figuring out how to pull off some bomb recipes that would make me fall in love with finding balance in my meals and in the kitchen.

After a few years of getting my meals down to a science, my best hack that I give to anyone who will listen is to order meals through Blue Apron. If you’re looking to take a holistic approach to your health this year, look no further—here are three ways that Blue Apron has helped me lean into a balanced lifestyle where I’ve found that veggies aren’t so bad after all.

1. It’s introduced me to tons of new recipes and ingredients

When I tell you that my idea of cooking pre-Blue Apron was boiling some noodles, adding some store-bought Ragu sauce, and loading on far too much parmesan, I wholeheartedly mean it. No slight to a good ole basic pasta dish—I love your work! But when it’s the only thing that you know how to make, it can get old—fast.

When I first laid eyes on the recipe options that Blue Apron had to offer, I had two thoughts, the first being: “Damn, everything looks so good!” And quite quickly after, the second: “There’s absolutely no way that I can pull that off on my own.” I took the leap of faith, and after my first box, I was hooked. I made a broccoli-filled pesto pasta and—wait for it—I absolutely loved it (plus I didn’t burn my apartment complex down). Progress. It was one of the first meals I tried that made me realize I wasn’t bad at cooking or being mindful about the foods I was using to fuel my body—I just needed a little help.

With over 50 chef-designed recipe options per week (including vegetarian, Weight Watchers-approved, and low cal), the ability to customize recipes, and more weekly wellness meals than ever before, Blue Apron has made finding balance with my meals (without sacrificing flavor or creativity in the kitchen) easier than ever before.

2. It makes meal planning and prepping a breeze

While meal planning and prepping might come naturally to some, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m just never going to be one of those people. The idea of planning my meals before a trip to the grocery store sounds good in theory, but it hasn’t ever been something I’ve been able to stick to. I’ve made enough grocery trips where I forgot one crucial recipe item to know that it’s just not in my genes. And that’s OK.

Because I’m not a pro in the kitchen and grocery shopping for one recipe can get expensive, ordering my meals through Blue Apron has been such a game-changer. When I grocery shop, I just focus on getting breakfast foods and snacks to keep things simple, and then I rely on Blue Apron to take care of the dinner portion of my meal planning. And despite my affinity for setting off the fire alarm when I cook, I have time and time again proven to myself that I can successfully whip up Blue Apron meals with ease, which has totally skyrocketed my confidence in the kitchen.

3. It’s saved me a ton of money in the long run

I can’t lie, when I first heard of meal delivery, the first question that popped into my head was, “is it worth it?” I’d never given much thought to how I had spent money on food prior to Blue Apron, and when I took a closer look at my finances, I audibly gasped at how much of my budget was going to DoorDash, eating out, and huge grocery trips that resulted in a lot of wasted food because I didn’t get to produce or meat in time.

Now that I’ve worked Blue Apron into my budget, I’ve saved so much money in comparison to my previous non-system system. I eat out a lot less because I actually look forward to cooking (mostly because I know it’ll be a success as opposed to before when there was truly a 50/50 shot of absolutely destroying whatever I was attempting to whip up), and I always have leftovers that I usually eat for lunch or dinner the next day. Now, when I eat out, it’s a treat that I intentionally enjoy rather than it being the only option because I didn’t know anything else.

Whether it’s your physical, mental, relational, or financial health, Blue Apron can help you meet your unique goals and find balance within your life. Sign up for Blue Apron to get $110 off across 5 boxes plus free shipping on your first box!