My husband has a plan to retire in four years. The first step of that is to learn how to cook, so he can prepare meals while I’m still working. He recently subscribed to a service called Blue Apron that delivers fresh ingredients and recipe cards to the home. Following the instructions and using the items in the stay-fresh box, he creates two dinners a week of four adult servings that allows leftovers for lunch 
for our family of three. So far, he has prepared Baked Empanadas de Picadillo with Arugula, Queso Fesco & Pickled Onion Salad and Spiced Checken Souvlaki with Tahini-Yogurt Sauce & Roasted Potato Wedges. Next week, he’ll be cooking sirloin steak and turkey burgers. While the meals require a bit of preparation, my husband is enjoying the experience. Even better, he is cleaning up.
Since I’m still on Jenny Craig food trying to lose a few more pounds, I was told I can eat some of the Blue Apron meals as long as I watch the calories. This isn’t hard because the recipe cards include calorie counts and portion sizes.
I was also curious about HelloFresh, a similar meal preparation company, but my husband opted to try Blue Apron first. We use Peapod for our grocery deliveries, and they have started to feature recipes on their website, although it’s not quite the same as having pre-packaged meal kits.
In an attempt to also involve our 11-year old daughter in learning to cook, I gave her a Kidstir breakfast kit for Christmas. She has yet to try it. The kit didn’t include any food but had complete recipes for four dishes with simple instructions for children. It also featured some games and a kid-sized kitchen utensil. Subscriptions for monthly kits are available. I guess Holly considers herself too old for these, although they would make a fun activity for mothers with younger kids.
I’m sure there are more meal kit services, so if other husbands, wives, single people, or teens are interested in trying these all-in-one cooking packages, they can shop around and compare prices, menus, and other options.
Next on Anthony’s agenda is a trip to Arizona or another warm-weather state where we can afford to retire. Like any goal, There are many steps to take before reaching it. For now, I can spend more time writing, reading, or with my cats while my husband, Chef Anthony, takes care of dinner twice a week.
Since writing this article, I’ve discovered two more meal preparation companies: HomeChef and DinnerThyme. I offer no recommendations, but here is the complete list with links of the companies I’ve found so far:
Ruff Drafts 