Fresh against the Apron

I HATE grocery shopping.  In my working life, stressful shopping after work followed by cooking got crossed off my list many years ago. Unfortunately for my family I relied on a rotation of one dish meals and decent take out.  That is why the "Everything except the Chef"  concept of cooking seemed like a dream come true.  Hello Fresh and Blue Apron both offer Top Chef worthy meals without planning or shopping.

I like the idea of trying new recipes and different ingredients.  The magical boxes arrive at your door with perfect portions and exotic recipes.

First I tried Blue Apron.  My daughters and niece were visiting when the box arrived.  As we unpacked the box, my middle daughter Kate commented "That looks like a lot of packaging."  When my niece was helping me peel and chop the produce she quipped "it's a lot of prep work".

Everyone has different ideas about what they expect from meal delivery companies.  Does the company care about it's enviromental footprint and do they support local farmers?  Are the ingredients fresh and seasonal?  My sister asked about calorie counts and getting special diets and my husband said he would be the judge of KP duty, since if I cook he cleans.  So I decided to compare Fresh verses Apron and report the results.

Hello Fresh Recipe Booklet

Both companies have similarities.   They are web-based subscription type services where you can skip weekly orders and select recipes.  Both offer three meals for two people per week for about $60.00.  Hello Fresh does a better job in technology.  Blue Apron has their own merchandising and sell pots, pans and kitchen wares.  I found it pushy and annoying.   When it comes to choosing meals, Fresh and Apron both have a varied selection of entrees that are appealing and it is easy to choose three menus per week from the options.

Blue Apron Recipe Cards

Both had pictures and step-by-step instructions but the recipe styles were different.  Blue Apron has 8" X 11" recipe cards with six steps each meal, while Hello Fresh uses a booklet and the typical recipe format.  I found Hello Fresh was easier for me to follow as an "Intermediate Cook".  

Hello Fresh's Seared Steak

I loved Blue's exotic ingredients like dried currants and lobster demi-glaze and edgy cooking techniques of Roasting Pepitas and frying shallots, however my "Summer Corn & Vegetable Chowder" flopped and was inedible.  Hello Fresh was the winner overall in the category of "Recipe and Instructions were clear and easy to follow".  Hello Fresh also allows users to download and print recipes (even those you haven't bought) and save on their mobile application which is great for those recipes you would like to repeat with your own ingredients.

As far as the best taste and flavor, Hello Fresh won with most of the recipes tried we strongly agree that the meals were excellent.  This is a subjective vote, but I also asked my other tasters (spouse, children, sister, niece).  It was hard to choose my favorite, but the Seared Steak and Creamy Chipotle Pan Sauce was perfect.  The cooking directions and quality of the beef contributed to the fantastic flavor.  Also, the added ingredient of Chipotle Sauce which would have been hard to purchase or make.  Their Lemony Shrimp Linguine came in a close second with a fresh simple recipe and farm raised shrimp.

Blue Apron's Rice & Beef-Stuffed Pablano Peppers

My favorite from Blue Apron was the first I created -Rice and Beef-Stuffed Pabloano Peppers. I liked it so much, I made it from my own ingredients, but could not find the Poblano peppers, zante currants or pepitas at my local grocery store.  This would be a recipe I would definitely order from Blue Apron again, because of the exotic and fresh ingredients.

The acid test of the quality of each meal delivery service is "Would you order this meal again" Hello Fresh was the winner with four out of five recipes.  I would order only two out of the five recipes from Blue Apron.

Next, I will reveal the results regarding other important questions such as nutritional values, environmental friendliness and kitchen clean up!

F**k "Type A"

I took the tests in Cosmo and Working Woman - "16 Signs You Might Be Type A".  My score always rocked the charts.  Are you driven? Impatient? High Stress? Yes, yes, yes. Do you get things done?   Yes!   I wore my scarlet Type A like a badge of honor.

Writing speeches on  luncheon napkins minutes before I was to address the audience.  I never met a crisis I couldn't handle.  All that stress was 99.9% self inflicted.  There was no boss or  company requiring long hours or demanding performance, only me.  My best New Year's Resolution one year was a new mantra - "My resolution this year is to not take on any more projects".  I used that line well into December.

My family tried interventions.  My father-in-law gently broached the subject, "Sometimes, you only need what makes you happy." and my own dad saying "You don't have to be a millionaire to live like a millionaire."  Both are true.  It's not a sellout to  s l o w   d o w n.  But why does it feel like a "sell out"?

Lately, I have been practicing Bikrim Yoga.  Twenty-six poses at 104 degrees while focusing on little more than your breath.  Meditation has always been a challenge for my racing mind.  Now, I have the time to  s l o w  down and only push myself to meditate, stretch and breath for 90 minutes.  How things have changed in this encore phase of life.  And how liberating, fuck Type A!

A change of clothes

It only took about a week for me to begin post retirement nesting and tackle cleaning my closet - a chore I never had time for before.  I started by clearing out the many colored shirts embroidered with my (former) business logo, no need to ever wear those again.  Then continued to ditch anything resembling work clothes or business attire.  When the purging was finished, I packed away two full boxes of  logo shirts and t-shirts from company picnics and corporate runs.  And I was more than happy to donate all my black slacks, sensible skirts and business suits to someone- anyone.

A friend of ours was telling the story about his son who will be starting his first year at the Citadel.  Cadets are issued eight uniforms and they are told what to wear when and given painstakingly detailed instructions on how to wear them.  After their initial eye-opening visit to the strict South Carolina military academy,  he asked his son what he thought.  "Awesome!" was his reply.  He is proud to wear the uniform from the service cap to the shined black shoes.

Strict uniform codes remove the stress of "what to wear" and like the military I am true believer that it makes a difference in people management.   This had been drilled into me during 12 years of Catholic school.  Uniformity creates a memorable first impression and breaks down barriers.   I amassed thirty years worth of logo polo shirts from my former professional life.  But, with the team spirit of the business gone, the embroidered logos were just a bitter sweet reminder of what used to be.

For John and I our uniforms are changing.  Evidenced by the extra space on the shelves and racks of our closet.   Then I noticed my email junk mail changing from Ann Taylor to Athletica.  Today, I live in yoga pants, sandals and the occasional casual dress.  John opts for the Tommy Bahama shirt and khaki shorts.  In addition to needing the space, I have no desire to ever put on a pair of Banana Republic black pants, a button down shirt and pumps to walk out the door again.

"I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date."

Last week I came to a brilliant post-retirement breakthrough, "I'm not late anymore" I told John.  He quickly retorted, "That's because you have no place to go".   That's kind of sad, but the freeing feeling and lack of anxiety is exhilarating.  Like a deep yoga breath, followed by as many more as you want to inhale. 

The last time I experienced the calmness of unstructured time was after our youngest son, Jack was born in Tallahassee.  I was a "stay at home" mom.  It didn't last long, and as soon as our family moved back to Miami I went into full speed ahead "working mom" mode.  I recall one hectic afternoon when Jack was about 5 years old and he asked me from his carseat in the back of my minivan, "Mom, what does it mean when you are late all the time?".  Almost twenty years later, I vividly remember how I advised him,  "Then, you get the reputation for always being late and nobody can rely on you".   Jack's innocent response made me swallow hard, "So, how does that feel?".  

My entire life I have always been late, or at least as far back as high school tardy slips can document.  Overextended, over scheduled, over committed trying to do it all and dropping balls left and right.  After it all came to a stop, it took me a month to realize that I hadn't missed one appointment or been late to anything.  I have decided that "having no place to go" is one of the best things about retirement.