Kid friendly - Extra Helpings

Four-Ingredient Easy Apple Cider

We’re in the thick of apple picking season, and we can’t enough of the satisfying sound and feel of a plump apple being plucked from the tree. In fact, we may get just a bit over eager! Like many orchard-goers, sometimes we find ourselves bringing home a few too many apples. Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Crispin, McIntosh – whatever the variety, we have more apples than we know what to do with, and only one pie dish at home! Enter: this easy apple cider recipe.

So, this weekend when you’re rationing out your red, yellow, and green bounty, save some apples for snacking, some for baking, and some for Four-Ingredient Apple Cider, our new favorite recipe for making a serious dent in our post-apple-picking apple inventory! It is especially simple AND great for getting the kids involved. What are you waiting for? Make something delicious with the fruits of your labor!

Read on for the recipe!

Four Ingredient Easy Apple Cider Recipe

INGREDIENTS
3 Pounds Apples (We recommend a variety of types)
16 Cups Water
1 ½ to 2 Cups Light Brown Sugar
4 Cinnamon Sticks
1 Vanilla Bean (optional)

EQUIPMENT
Large Stockpot

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Wash and dry the apples. Cut into quarters (no need to core!) and add to a large stockpot. Add water, cinnamon and sugar (up to 2 cups, depending your desired level of sweetness). Heat to a simmer over high, stirring occasionally, then reduce to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 3 hours, or until the apples are very soft. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Once cool enough to handle, using a potato masher, large spoon or fork, mash the apples into the mixture. This step is great for kids!

Carefully pour the mixture through a strainer set over a large bowl. Using a ladle, push the mixture through the strainer; discard any pulp, seeds and cinnamon sticks.

Refrigerate, cover and use within 1 week.

One of our other favorite drinks for fall involves hot apple cider and a few other ingredients. Most notably, bourbon! Try this recipe for the perfect Hot Toddy when you’re looking to warm up.

For the rest of your apples, try Five-Ingredient Apple Turnovers, Five Ingredient Cider Caramels, or just add apples to your dinners!

Happy fall cooking!

Different Types of Potatoes: Your Guide to the Potato Rainbow

sweet, white, and purple potatoes — Sweet, white, and purple potatoes

When it comes to picking our carbs, we can never say no to a potato. Whether we’re feasting on tater tots at a diner, mashing up Russets at home, or adding potatoes to our sautés and salads, we’re truly potato people at heart. With so many types of potatoes to love, it’s impossible to get tired of eating them.

The potato doesn’t start at the French fry and end at the loaded baked potato. Check out a local farm stand and you’ll find dozens of types of potatoes in every color. Every time we visit a potato vendor, we’re struck again by the immense variety. The colors, shapes, sizes, and textures range from waxy little fingerlings to sweet orange yams that make us yearn for Thanksgiving.

List of Types of Potato Varieties

Multicolored Baby Potatoes

These tri-colored, tiny potatoes are both delicious and adorable. They have thin skins and a waxy interior. They’re well-suited for roasting or boiling, but their waxy flesh isn’t ideal for mashing. The thin skin doesn’t need to be peeled if you’re roasting or boiling, which makes preparation easy. We love using these tiny potatoes to make incredible salads. Simply boil them, toss with a tarragon and cornichon dressing, and eat warm with a dinner like our Chicken Paillard and Tomato Salad.

Purple Potatoes

Purple potatoes are a type of fingerling potato native to South America. Their flesh is fluffy, starchy, and moist, with a medium-thin skin. They’re rich in antioxidants, and have an earthy and slightly nutty flavor. We love them roasted or smashed. They’re the perfect side dish to serve them up with similarly earthy Brussels sprouts and crispy chicken legs in this fantastic fall chicken dish.

Yukon Gold Potatoes

Yukon Golds are known for their thin skin and golden interior. These popular potatoes can range in size from pretty teeny, to nearly baked-potato size. If you’re looking for bite-sized pieces, you can always cut down a large one. Yukon Gold potatoes work in a wide variety of recipes. They’re excellent roasted, smashed, or tossed with a creamy dressing in dishes like Trout with Creamy Potato Salad and Wilted Spinach.

Heirloom Fingerling Potatoes

Some of our favorite heirloom fingerling potatoes have whimisical names like “Russian banana potatoes,” or “red thumbs,” but that’s not the only reason we like them. Because of the thin skin, you can peel heirloom fingerlings easily after boiling. That’s how we prepare them for our Potato-Pepper Hash.

Baby Red Potatoes

These little red cuties are white as snow in the inside with a beautiful bright red skin that doesn’t need to be peeled off in most preparations. Like Yukon Golds, these are really versatile. We especially love them crisped up, as in our Flat Iron Steaks with Artichoke and Potato Hash.

Russet Potato

Russet potatoes, the hero of the potato family, are widely known. If you close your eyes and picture a potato, we bet you’re seeing a Russet. They’re popular for a reason. Nothing replaces their fluffy, starchy interiors when you’re making mashed potatoes or potato wedges to go with one of our homemade burgers. For creamy mashed potatoes, we recommend peeling your russets, but if you crisp it in the oven, the skin can be delicious.

Types of Sweet Potatoes

Garnet sweet potatoes

There are actually several varieties of the classic sweet potato—sometimes conversationally referred to as yams. Garnet sweet potatoes are one of our favorite types of potatoes. Garnets are hearty and full of vitamins, and contain a good bit of protein. When roasted, they cook up sweet and fluffy. We like to peel and chop them, then sauté with other ingredients like onions and orzo in Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potato Orzo Risotto.

Japanese Sweet Potato

Japanese sweet potatoes have a dark reddish purple skin and bright white flesh. They’re sweeter and starchier than orange sweet potatoes, and just as delicious when roasted, steamed, or baked. We love slicing them into wedges or rounds and roasting in s very hot oven with just a little salt and olive oil. The edges with caramelize, creating the perfect sweet and savory snack or side dish.

Jewel Sweet Potato

Jewel sweet potatoes are widely available in supermarkets. They have orange/brown skin and bright orange flesh. They’re well-suited for both boiling and baking, and they’re the variety we reach for when we’re roasting up sweet potato fries.

Purple Sweet Potato

This purple sweet potato, also known as Okinawan sweet potato, isn’t even a member of the potato family—it’s part of the same family as morning glory, or water spinach. The plant is native to the Americas and landed in Japan sometime in the 1500s. It grew so well there that it became popular in many Japanese dishes and now can be found throughout Asia and the Pacific. We pair it with Five-Spice Pork Chops in this popular recent dinner.

Find all of these potato recipes, and more!, in the Blue Apron cookbook.

How to Make Cooking More Relaxing

Cooking doesn’t need to be all about a frantic rush to get dinner on the table. We believe that things will taste a little better if you let yourself unwind and enjoy the process. That means turning off the little voice in your head that’s telling you to hurry up and get things done, and finding a way to be present. If nightly dinners stress you out, try a few of our favorite ways to make cooking more relaxing.

Turn on some music

Sometimes all it takes to unwind is a song that you can sing along to. Pop on your favorite playlist or tune into the radio and let someone else pick the tunes.

Lose yourself in little tasks

Preparation steps like trimming beans, shelling peas, and picking herbs don’t require much conscious mental effort. Use these moments as a time to relax your mind, and let the repetitive nature of this process soothe you.

Shaping dumplings is a perfect soothing task

Have a glass of wine

This is all about enjoying the process, right? Pour a glass of your favorite wine and enjoy a few little sips during those slow moments.

Ask for a hand

If you’re making dinner, you’re already amazing. There’s no need to be a hero, so don’t be afraid to ask for help. Enlisting someone else can help things run smoothly, and it can be a lovely time to catch up on your lives. Friends, partners, and kids can all be excellent sous chefs.

Read the whole recipe first

This is always good advice. Reading the entire recipe before you dive into cooking can prevent stressful surprises. You don’t want to get halfway through the recipe and realize that you were supposed to preheat the oven, or that you’re missing an essential pantry item. Of course, with a Blue Apron box, you’ll always have exactly the ingredients you need on hand.

How Blue Apron Helps KathEats Cook Balanced Meals Full of Love

Welcome to On the Table, Blue Apron’s spotlight on home cooks. This column is all about the challenges and joys of cooking. We’re exploring how busy, food-loving families get dinner on the table every day. This month we’re talking with Kath from KathEats. Kath is a registered dietician, a blogger, and a mother of two young boys. Here’s how she uses Blue Apron as part of her healthful and balanced lifestyle.

Blue Apron: What does a typical weeknight dinner look like for you?

KathEats: I have two kids ages 2 and 8, a husband, and a dog who is always in the kitchen. Dinnertime can be quite chaotic, which is why I try to do as much prep as I can during school and nap time. My husband and I both cook, and we often divide up the prep and active cooking steps so we split up the meal. Luckily we make a great team.

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A post shared by Kath Younger, RD (@katheats)

BA: How did you end up working in the world of health and wellness?

When I graduated from college I started shopping and cooking for myself, and I started losing the college weight I had put on. Through cooking for myself, I started to learn more about nutrition, and decided to go back to school to become a registered dietician. Meanwhile, I had started my blog in Sept of 2007 as a hobby. Before I knew it, it started bringing in ad revenue! When I graduated from RD school, it made more sense for me to focus on my blog full-time than to go get a job in dietetics.

I always wanted to help others realize how fun and delicious healthy eating can be. Now, I feel like I’m doing it in a unique way—through blogging.

BA: What does being healthy mean to you?

KathEats: My blog title began as “Kath Eats Real Food.” The book Superfoods HealthStyle was a big lightbulb moment for me. It helped me realize that nutrition wasn’t about deprivation, but it was about nourishing your body with healthy food. I have no food rules except to focus on real food and how you feel.

BA: What is your strategy for eating to support health?

KathEats: I don’t believe in diet restriction, or eliminating food groups unless you have a medical reason to do so. I eat everything. I think diversity is super important in a diet, so I like to think about eating a rainbow of foods. Often this means fruit, protein, and grains at breakfast, salad or leftovers for lunch, and lots of different dinners. I try to choose humanely raised meats and veggies at each dinner.

BA: Aside from healthful eating, what are some things you do to support your health?

KathEats: For me, it’s essential to get enough sleep and exercise. I exercise every day. I also try to make time to read, relax, and connect with family and friends. Those things really help my brain reset. I’ve started trying to mediate with my kids. It’s not something we do every night, but when we remember we’ll go do a meditation together. There’s one that we do on YouTube that’s designed for kids, and it’s like, “Now you’re walking in your tree house, and you feel so warm, and safe, and happy, and you have no worries in the world. And what are you going to put on your tree house wall?” It’s a perfect kid one. We did another one, and they didn’t respond as well to it. I think they really liked the tree house.

BA: How often do you cook with Blue Apron?

KathEats: I’ve been using it on and off since 2014. I’ve learned so many good techniques from Blue Apron recipes, and I’ve really enjoyed trying new spices. I love that I don’t end up with any food waste, or extra jars of spices that don’t get used.

During quarantine we haven’t been going out to dinner, so much so our Blue Apron meals are our special ones.

BA: On the nights you’re not cooking with Blue Apron, how does your cooking routine change?

KathEats: Our meals are definitely not as delicious! When we’re left to our own devices I think we tend to take more shortcuts.

My kids love all the classic kid foods: Pizza, mac and cheese, quesadillas. I think my best tip for kids is to deconstruct the meals. A couple of weeks ago we had steak with a mushroom herb sauce on top. For my son, I cut his up into little pieces with no mushroom sauce, and then the grown-up version had all the sauce and everything. So I can get them to eat deconstructed noodles here and steak here, pull the chicken out, that kind of thing. Overall, if we had pizza every single night, they would be super happy.

BA: What would you make on a night when you felt too tired to cook, but needed to get something on the table?

KathEats: If we’re in a hurry, sometimes I’ll just make a big dinner salad with a protein from the freezer. It’s easy and healthy. Sometimes we’ll turn to spaghetti. We always have ground beef in the freezer and noodles and sauce in the pantry. We’ll usually add baby spinach or frozen mushrooms to the sauce to get a vegetable in there.

BA: How does cooking with Blue Apron make you feel?KathEats: Blue Apron makes me feel like someone else is cooking for me. I’ve always said that I think food made by other people tastes better than my food, because I really do believe in that sprinkle of love, the magic. When I’m making a Blue Apron recipe, because I’m following someone else’s steps to a T, when the meal is ready, it really does kind of feel like someone else made it for me. And I think it tastes better because of that.

If you’re craving homemade meals created with balance in mind, explore Blue Apron’s new signature wellness menu here.

5 Easy Swaps that Make Family Dinner Healthier

Ingredient swaps are a creative way to tailor your family’s favorite dinners to suit your lifestyle. Whether you’re hoping to watch fat intake, cut carbs, or keep an eye on sodium, these tricks will help create a nourishing dinner that everyone will love.

Wrap it in lettuce

Cut carbs, eat vegetables, and play with your food at the same time. Swapping lettuce cups for tortillas creates a fresh and light dinner that is fun to eat like these Cool Cajun Chicken Lettuce Cups with Pickled Pepper Yogurt & Peanuts.

Add a dollop of yogurt

Enchiladas aren’t the same without a tangy topping. Cut fat without sacrificing satisfaction by swapping Greek yogurt in for sour cream. Yogurt can also be stirred into rice dishes and plopped on top of curries for a creamy dinner that you can feel good about.

Try an alternative pasta

If carbs are a concern, try an alternative pasta. Banza pasta is a low-carb, gluten-free pasta that will pair perfectly with your favorite sauces.

Add a squeeze of lemon instead of an extra pinch of salt

Watching sodium? Finishing your dish with a squeeze of lemon instead of a dash of salt will brighten up the flavors.

Try a lighter protein

Substituting ground turkey or boneless skinless chicken breast in for a heavier protein like beef will cut down on saturated fat. In a flavorful meal like chili, or these Tempo Turkey Sloppy Joes, we bet you won’t miss the beef at all.

Click here to try recipes like these created to celebrate Disney and Pixar’s “Soul,” now streaming on Disney+.

5 Reasons to Love Barbecue Sauce, and How to Make Your Own

bbq sauce salmon dinner — Make your own barbecue sauce and enjoy this delicious salmon

It’s a symphony of flavor

Barbecue sauce is a perfect balance of sweet, salty, and spicy. The flavor is both complex and accessible.

It goes well with all sorts of protein

Chicken, shrimp, fish, and beef can all pair perfectly with a tangy dollop of barbecue sauce.

It makes dinner fast and easy

Want to add a whole lot of flavor in just a few minutes? Just brush whatever you’re making with barbecue sauce. After a few minutes in the oven or on the grill, you’ll have a main dish with as much flavor as if it had cooked all day.

Kids love it

Barbecue sauce is something that the whole family can easily agree on. What’s not to love about super flavorful protein?

It’s easy to make at home

Store-bought barbecue can be delicious. Sometimes Blue Apron works with True Made foods for delicious, plant-based barbecue sauce, but sometimes we like to make our own. If you put the sauce together yourself, you’ll know exactly what you’re eating. No need to worry about added sugars or unwanted ingredients.

In this recipe for Salmon with Roasted Vegetable, Romaine & Kale Salad, you’ll create your own barbecue sauce by whisking date syrup, tomato paste, worcestershire sauce, mustard, and our signature barbecue spice blend together in a bowl with a little lemon juice.

Click here to try this and other recipes created to celebrate Disney and Pixar’s Soul, now streaming on Disney+.

5 Foods Kids Can Eat with Their Hands

Eating with your hands is inherently playful. For kids, it provides a sense of fun and control. It may even encourage them to try new things. If your family loves an interactive dinner experience, then grab a bottle of soap, wash those mitts, and try these five ideas for dinners and sides that it’s totally appropriate to eat with your hands.

Lettuce Cups

This light and fresh dinner is fun for kids to assemble and eat. Everyone at the table can control how much filling and sauce they want in their lettuce cup. It turns dinner into a hands-on affair. These Cool Cajun Chicken Lettuce Cups were designed by Blue Apron with families in mind to celebrate the launch of Disney and Pixar’s Soul, streaming on Disney+ starting December 25th.

Corn on the cob

This bright vegetable is 100% finger-food-friendly. Kids can grab the whole cob and eat as they please. It would be hard to find a kid that doesn’t love the typewriter method for eating corn on the cob.

Veggie Fries

Zucchini fries, carrot fries, and eggplant fries are all delicious fry alternatives that kids will love. The fun of eating with their hands might even make them forget that they’re chowing down on good old-fashioned vegetables.

Grilled cheese

What’s not to love about a sandwich? A grilled cheese and a salad is a dinner that’s easy to make, and easy to eat with your hands. This meal is perfect for those nights when everyone just needs to relax.

Tacos

Tacos are versatile and fun to eat. Kids and adults alike love grabbing tortillas and eating with their hands. Picky eaters can build their own tacos, and the sense of control will encourage them to eat.

Sign up here for meals like these delivered to your door.

Teaching Kids to Cook at Any Age

We love when our littlest sous chefs want to help out in the kitchen. Every dinner can be an opportunity to start teaching kids to cook, and to help them build skills that will last a lifetime. Of course, the kitchen can also be a dangerous place. If you’re wondering when to introduce a new kitchen skill to your kid, check out our guide to appropriate kitchen tasks for kids at every age.

How to cook with kids age 5-9

Rinse fruits and vegetables, by hand or in a colander
Tear lettuce or other greens for salads
Stir with a wooden spoon or whisk

How to cook with kids age 10-14

Make a salad dressing with a whisk
Crack eggs
Stretch dough by hand or with a rolling pin

How to cook with kids age 14-18

Use zesters, graters, or peelers
Read and follow recipes
Use tongs to flip meat or veggies on a pan or grill
Basic knife skills, based on your comfort level

One job is good for kids of every age

Cleaning up! It’s never too early for everyone to help out wiping counters, rising bowls, and taking linens to the wash. The whole family is in it together.

Try teaching kids to cook with a dish they’ll love. Here’s a step-by-step guide to how kids of any age could help prepare our Honey Mustard Baked Chicken with Smoky Sour Cream Smashed Potatoes & Collard Greens.

In step 1:

Kids ages 5-9 can help knead the honey, and mix the honey and mustard together.
Kids age 10-14 can help wash and dry the produce, separate the collard greens from the stems, and peel the shallot and grate the apple.
Kids ages 14-18 can help large dice the potatoes and slice the shallot.

teaching kids to cook by Mashing Mashed Potatoes

In step 2:

Kids of all ages can help smash the potatoes.

In step 3:

Kids ages 14-18 can help season the chicken with the spice blend and use tongs to flip it in the pan.

In step 4:

Kids ages 10-18 can help stir the collards in the pan, and can taste and season with salt and pepper if desired.

For more family dinner ideas, check out our collection of family-friendly recipes.

How One Family Replaced Meal Planning Stress with Good Food and Joy

Welcome to On the Table, Blue Apron’s spotlight on home cooks. This column is all about the challenges and joys of cooking. We’re exploring how busy, food-loving families get dinner on the table every day. This month we’re talking with Delia. Delia is a Vice President at a medical lab company processing Covid tests, a mother of two active boys, and a hater of grocery stores. These days, she’s never been busier. Here’s how she uses Blue Apron Customized to balance cooking, picky eaters, and the other demands of life.

Blue Apron: How long have you been cooking with Blue Apron?

Delia: I’ve been cooking with Blue Apron since October 2018. Other than vacation, I don’t think I’ve missed a week since I started!

BA: How has the Blue Apron experience changed since you started cooking?

The meals have always been wonderful, but I think recently there have been more and more options. Honesty, two or three years I have probably only repeated meals two or three times. We try new things all the time. That’s one of the things that I love, just how much variety there is and the seasonal aspect of the ingredients. In the fall and the winter we’ll get a lot of squash and kale, and in the summer we get a lot of corn and tomatoes. It’s just lovely to be able to eat seasonal fresh food and have such great options.

BA: How do you choose which Blue Apron meals to order?

I’ll typically set a reminder on my calendar to review recipes. I do it once a month, and I’ll go out as far as you have recipes. I love using the app; It’s so good and it’s fun. I’ll make some changes to our meals depending on how much time I have and the complexity of the food. I really just go with what I’m in the mood for, and I look to try new things.

I also keep an eye on what I think all of us will like. My youngest son is a picky eater. So sometimes I look for things that I can adapt at home. It works 90% of the time. Sometimes if there’s a chicken recipe I’ll just grill the chicken and serve the sauce on the side for him. That’s easier if it’s a recipe where the sauce isn’t mixed in. That’s one factor that influences the meals I choose.

BA: How has customization changed your Blue Apron experience?

Customization is so helpful! As I mentioned, my youngest son can be picky, but he’ll always eat the protein. Sometimes I’ll make the protein, set it aside for him, and then make some plain pasta for him to have with it. Having the extra protein has been helpful for him. It’s also been great to have more leftovers that I can take for lunch. Customization has given us a bit more flexibility in the meals that will work for us.

BA: What does a typical weeknight dinner look like for you?

My family is very busy. We are a working couple, my husband and I. We also have two boys, ages 11 and 14. They’re in middle school, and they’re both active in sports. On a typical evening during the week someone is running to go get a kid from hockey practice while somebody is preparing dinner. I’m usually on point to get dinner on the table, while my husband is on point to get kids.

We try to eat together most of the week, but that’s not always what happens. Probably about half the time two of us will eat together, and then the other two of us will eat together. We usually pick the nights that we’re going to be together to cook our Blue Apron dinners, and on the ther nights we’ll do something easier. I usually put out the recipe card in the morning, and then the kids can see it and know what we’re having for dinner.

BA: What are your go-to dinners on nights when you’re not eating Blue Apron?

I only cook Blue Apron, and it has completely changed my life. It used to be a huge source of stress for me to have to do the meal planning, find the recipes, do the grocery shopping, and then worry about the food waste. It was honestly a big source of stress that has been removed and replaced with amazing food and joy. The food is so good. We usually rate the recipes, just internally, my husband and I, on a scale of 1-10. It’s almost always a 9 or a 10. I think it’s been a 5 once or twice in two years, and a 5 is still pretty good.

On nights that we don’t have Blue Apron, we’ll do something quick and easy. A few of our favorites are pasta and butter with feta cheese for the kids, and sandwiches. Maybe I’ll put some broccoli in the oven. If it’s just me, I’ll have a salad. Sometimes we’ll pick up prepared food from Whole Foods. We’re just looking for something quick that can be eaten on the go. That’s what we do!

BA: Do you have any favorite Blue Apron meals or ingredients?

This one is top of mind because I had it recently, we loved the za’atar chicken with roasted squash. It was just a perfect medley of savory and spiced. The sauce was amazing.

I was never familiar with za’atar before cooking with Blue Apron, but I always like anything with that spice blend, as well as the Weeknight Hero spice blend, my kids love that. Before working with Blue Apron I had never cooked with bok choy, or with Calabrian chile paste, and it’s such a great compliment to any dish. I’ve loved trying so many new ingredients.

Celebrate Disney and Pixar’s Soul with These Family-friendly Recipes

Blue Apron is celebrating Disney and Pixar’s new film, Soul, streaming on Disney+ starting December 25th.

Blue Apron is debuting four limited-time recipes designed that make dinner a true family affair by bringing everyone together in the kitchen. These kid-friendly meals are nutritious, easy to make, and sure to get rave reviews from the whole family.

These dinners were created with health in mind. Each recipe was designed by a certified nutritionist. With these recipes, your littlest cooks are welcome in the kitchen. Blue Apron will provide step-by-step guidance to help teach kids about wholesome ingredients, help you discover new flavors together, and build skills that will serve them for years to come.

Be sure to follow along on Instagram and Extra Helpings, the Blue Apron Blog. Blue Apron will be offering additional tips and tricks that will help you feed your family and your soul.

Harmonic Pan-Roasted Chicken & Honey Mustard with Buttermilk Smashed Potatoes & Collard Greens

This comforting dish combines sweet and smoky flavors. If you’re cooking with kids, they can help out by kneading the honey and smashing the potatoes.

Tempo Turkey Sloppy Joes with Shishito Peppers & Carrot Fries

This recipe is inspired by a classic childhood favorite. The carrot fries are a healthy alternative to french fries for families. Teach your kids about seasoning by asking them to help prepare the carrot fries for the oven.

Cool Cajun Chicken Lettuce Cups with Pickled Pepper Yogurt & Peanuts

This fun family recipe draws inspiration from zesty Cajun flavors. Kids will love assembling and decorating their own cups to try out different combinations. This meal gives families a delicious and playful way to incorporate vegetables into dinner.

Smooth Salmon & Homemade BBQ Sauce with Roasted Vegetables, Romaine & Kale Salad

Make your own sweet and smoky barbecue sauce for this vegetable-packed dinner. Lean salmon and roasted vegetables make a flavor-packed good for you dinner.

Ready for dinner? Sign up here.

On the Table: Dinner with a Family of Four in California

Welcome to On the Table, Blue Apron’s spotlight on home cooks. This column is all about the challenges and joys of cooking. We’re exploring how busy, food-loving families get dinner on the table every day. This month Ryan, a Blue Apron employee, tells us about balancing being a dad, cooking, volunteer duties, and having fun.

Family ice cream — Ryan, Raegan, and Sienna getting ice cream

Blue Apron: What does a typical weeknight dinner look like for you?

Ryan: The majority of our meals are Blue Apron-related. My wife does most of our grocery shopping outside of that. The Grocery Outlet is her favorite place to go. We live in California, and we also grow some vegetables in our backyard.

We probably make dinner five times a week. My wife is a really good cook, so she does the majority of the cooking. I am a really good sous chef! I would say my wife probably cooks three times a week and I do two, or she’ll do four and I’ll do one. At a typical meal it’s me, my wife, and our two daughters. Sometimes we set up a system where whoever isn’t cooking plays with the kids, and sometimes we all get in the kitchen together. My youngest can be a little too helpful at times (she’s only one) but they love to help.

Blue Apron: How often do you cook with Blue Apron?

Ryan: We get three Blue Apron meals a week every week, unless we forget, and we haven’t forgotten in awhile! Last week we got the Calabrian chile butter steaks and the hoisin turkey steam buns, and the miso salmon. They were all good, but we really loved the steak.

I really love Blue Apron because from where I stand, I need to follow directions, but I can follow them really well. My wife, on the other hand, doesn’t need recipes as much. She can look in a cupboard and make a delicious meal when, to me, it looks like we don’t have any food.

Blue Apron: How does cooking differ when you’re not eating a Blue Apron dinner?

Ryan: It really varies! We do like takeout. Sometimes we’ll get food from a local sushi place we love, but sometimes we’ll take on cooking projects. On weekends, my mother-in-law comes over, and we’ll do big family dinners. My mom grew up in the restaurant business and is also a great cook so we love to go to her house for whatever she’s making. On weeknights, sometimes we’ll make simple pastas with basil and artichokes from the yard. My kids are four and one, so buttered noodles are their favorite thing.

Blue Apron: What would you make on a night when you felt too tired to cook, but needed to get something on the table?

Ryan: On really busy nights, we’ll order take out. On Wednesdays, I volunteer at the local parks department, and we often end up doing something quick that night. Frozen chicken wings are a big savior for us. We always have chicken wings in the freezer, we’ll cook them in the air fryer with a little salt and pepper and hot sauce. The kids love them, and it’s easy to do quickly.

Blue Apron: How has working from home changed your cooking routine?

Ryan: Working from home has actually given us more time to cook. If my wife is cooking lasagna, that’s another one of our go-tos, she’ll start the sauce in a few minutes during the day. The other day I prepped a Blue Apron meal before going to pick my daughter up at school. I love the extra time we’ve found to be together as a family.

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A post shared by Be Ice Cream Or Be Nothing (@beicecreamorbenothing) on Jul 13, 2020 at 3:38pm PDT

Blue Apron: What do you want to teach your kids about food?

Ryan: My daughters are a big part of my motivation for cooking. So many of my own childhood memories tie back to food, and I really wanted to create that for my family. My daughter and I started a YouTube channel where we make ice cream. We both love ice cream, but a big reason that I wanted to start the channel together was to share that experience in the kitchen. Food is a huge part of who we are as a family. I love to think about the time that we cook together as creating memories for my girls.

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5 Family Dinners for Weeknights

Family dinner. Just because it happens all the time, doesn’t mean it’s not challenging. There are multiple mouths to feed, a range of tastes to account for, and all too often, there’s a time crunch. However, that doesn’t mean an easy family dinner is impossible. These Blue Apron recipes are surefire crowd-pleasers that everyone will love.