LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) -- Meal kits are a popular trend marketed as a way to make your life easier. Most of the kits even arrive at your doorstep as part of a weekly subscription. WHAS 11 Reporter Jonathan Wahl put four meal kits to the test to find out if they're really worth it for your family.
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Day 2: Blue Apron
The second meal kit I'm trying is Pan Seared Chicken from Blue Apron. With a Blue Apron subscription, you are required to buy 2 meals per week (HelloFresh required 3 per week). The website is user-friendly (www.blueapron.com) and allows you to pick out your meals and choose food preferences. You can choose the meats you like, if you're trying to avoid grains, or if you want vegetarian meals.
Cost
Per serving, Blue Apron will cost $12.98. That's two meals a week and the cost of shipping. You can decrease your per-serving price if you order more servings or more meals per week. It’s still a little pricier than some of the other meal kits we’re using so I'm giving it 3 out of 5 points for cost.
Time
The Blue Apron meal took me 44 minutes to complete, and the potatoes still weren't done. That seems like a long time for a meal kit meant to save time, so I gave it 3 out of 5 points for time.
Taste
When I tasted the potatoes, they really were not cooked through and didn't have a ton of flavor. I cooked them several minutes longer than the recipe called for, but it still wasn't enough. I got a bite of the chicken with a good amount of the sauce, but it was bland overall. This Blue Apron meal was by NO means gross, but it isn't one I'd want to cook again, so I gave it 3 out of 5 points for taste.
Health
I don't love the taste, but it is good for me? To find out, I enlisted the help of dietitian Chris Mohr.
"This one is 660 calories, 30 grams of fat, which is really high for one meal," explained Chris. "A little bit low in color. I like a little bit brighter, little more vibrant colors, but the real high-fat kinds of turns me off a little bit, and then the calories are a lot higher than some of the others we looked at."
Chris gave the Blue Apron meal 2 out of 5 points for health.
Overall
I loved the how easy it was to order from Blue Apron and must admit many of their options online look really tasty. Unfortunately, the Pan Chicken didn't rate well for me overall. There is definitely a chance that if I tried other meals from Blue Apron that I would like them more. In the end, though, we gave Blue Apron 11 out of 20 points.
Stay tuned through February 23 on GMK as we also rate Kroger Prep+Pared and Home Chef.
