The meal kit industry makes up $2 billion out of the 800 billion dollar grocery industry. This over saturated market is expected to grow five times that by 2020. Why? Because as consumers we are naturally drawn to anything that is convenient, and it is even better if it helps you save money versus eating out. Living in New York City has made me even more appreciative of every hour in my day. As a New Yorker we do things like schedule our errands around the train line we take home, utilize wash n ' fold services for laundry, or even getting that bottle of wine delivered home after a long day in the office. Honestly, this list could go on and on about New Yorkers and our exceptional time management skills. Without time management skills this city will eat you alive. That sounds dramatic but so is trying to hit up three stores and getting home in under an hour but these are daily real-life situations. So the day I got a Blue Apron $30 off coupon in my mailbox I decided to hunker down and give the meal kit idea a try.

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Blue Apron is one of the most well-known names in the meal kit industry and has been in business since 2012. They have expanded into the world of wine to accompany their pre-planned meals, sell cookbooks, and cooking utensils. I consider myself an informed consumer and I typically conduct further research before making a purchase, but Blue Apron is a trusted name. I have had their app downloaded on my phone for months before receiving the coupon (#RetentionMarketingWorks) and occasionally glanced at their visually appealing menus. Blue Apron has a choice of 2 people or Family plan, and you able to select 2 or 3 meals per week. I picked a two-person plan with the three meal option which cost $59.94. With the $30 coupon, it brought the total to $29.94 and made each serving about $5. I selected Fontina Cheeseburgers, Seared Chicken & Creamy Eggplant, and Salmon & Udon Noodle Stir-fry. After ordering through the app, it took about a week for the box to be delivered. I had opted to have the box delivered to my office because they ship via UPS and you do not have a window of time when it will be delivered.

Upon opening the box I noticed how jumbled together the ingredients were. I was forewarned by one of my colleagues who has ordered Hello Fresh and Blue Apron. After about 10 minutes of going through the box, I was able to figure out what items went with what dinner based on the large recipe cards they provide you with. All of the meals I had selected for the week took about 30 minutes to make and tasted great. I never got around to making the third meal which was the Seared Chicken due to my household's busy schedule. The next time that I order from Blue Apron I will just pick the two meal option to prevent from wasting a meal. Overall, it was a great experience, and it is something I could see myself doing maybe once a month. I wish there were some type of shameless plug I could do at this time with a referral code - but there are none. Instead what Blue Apron allows you to do is reward a friend or family member with a free box after you have placed multiple orders.

Below I featured my outcome of the two dinners I made and following are the images from Blue Apron. I feel as if my burger looks a tad bit sad, but I think my Udon dish seems pretty spot on.