The Gift Every New Mom REALLY Wants!

[su_note note_color=”#FFFFFF”]// this post contains affiliate links which cost you nothing but allow me to help support my family + all product was courtesy of Blue Apron for the purpose of this post //[/su_note]

I recently had my second child and this time, I tried to be more prepared then I was the first go around. I pre-washed all the baby's clothes, read the instructions for my new breast pump, and (most importantly) this time – I had most of my postpartum meals preplanned. And one of those meals was getting a delivery from Blue Apron. I really didn't know what to expect but ended up LOVING it. I also decided that THIS is that gift that I'm giving at every baby shower from here on out. Because, honestly, this is the gift every new mom REALLY wants!

In a nutshell, Blue Apron is a meal delivery service where boxes of fresh food are delivered right to your door with the step-by-step instructions to cook them into delicious meals. The instructions are simple to follow and include lots of pictures (which is a plus for me since I'm so visual). All you need is some salt, pepper, and few basic kitchen tools to cook tasty gourmet meals right in your kitchen! The instructions also include the exact measurements needed to recreate the meals again on your own later. The food comes labeled and, in many cases, pre-measured so it's really easy to grab what you need and start cooking. Here's a breakdown of the meals I got and how I liked them:

Meal #1: Seared Salmon and Sauce Gribiche

This meal of seared salmon and sauce gribiche with mashed potatoes, summer beans, and cherry tomatoes was HANDS DOWN our favorite one in the delivery. It was savory but with a smooth texture and delicious brine-y kick. This was definitely the most involved recipe, with lots of steps, but it was totally worth it in the end. I've already made this twice more since the initial delivery!

Meal #2: Chicken and Fresh Basil Fettuccine

This meal of chicken and fresh basil fettuccine with creamy tomato sauce was yummy. Manually pulling the pasta apart by hand was kind of a pain in my ass but the meal itself was easy to cook and assemble. This was Melanie's favorite meal of all the deliveries – she loved the pasta noodles! We really like pasta so this definitely will be made again for dinner.

Meal #3: Porchetta-Style Sandwiches

This meal of porchetta-style sandwiches with baby kale pesto and marinated cucumber salad was another favorite of ours from the delivery. We had this for lunch one day and it was perfect (plus, super tasty when paired with salt and pepper kettle-style chips). I ended up coring my cucumbers for the salad since my husband hates cucumber seeds and I loved the vinegar-y bite that the salad had. My husband loved the kale pesto on the sandwiches!

One thing I liked about Blue Apron was how simple everything was. All the cooking skills were super basic and completely explained in the instructions. I only needed a few kitchen tools to cook the meals: a medium size saucepan with a lid, a 12″ skillet with lid, a good knife, a colander, a spoon, a spatula, and a zester. Would you like to try out Blue Apron, too? Right now, you can get an additional three meals for FREE with your first order. It's an awesome deal since you can schedule your deliveries or cancel at any time. Give Blue Apron a try today or gift it to a new mom in your life!