I am proud to have increased my cooking skills over the past year. This pride comes from a girl who tried to cook chicken noodle soup in a crockpot while she was at work a little over a year ago. I wanted to have dinner ready for a boy I had newly started dating, and wouldn't it look so effortless if I had packed in a full day of classes and work, and then had dinner waiting for the two of us promptly after I got home? Well... apparently you can't put noodles in a crock pot for six hours, and me and the boy I was trying to impress discovered a cauldron of chicken noodle snot.

The chicken noodle snot didn't end that relationship. Now, my partner, Brian stuck with me for over a year as I learned to cook. I'm proud to have acquired some experience the difficult way, but folks let me tell you...

I should have tried Blue Apron much sooner.

As a former subscriber to Ipsy and Stitchfix, and a current happy customer with Rocksbox, I'm no stranger to subscription delivery services. I love the joyful anxious feeling I get while tracking a package I'm waiting for on Fedex.com. Subscriptions don't always save you money, but they often come with incentives, and the hassle free system is a gift in itself. I had experienced all of these positives, yet I was still slow to sign up for even a trial with a grocery delivery subscription like Blue Apron or Hello Fresh.

What finally pushed me over the edge and into the world of delivered groceries, was my consistent struggle with budgeting. As a recent college grad, budgeting has taken on a new meaning for me. I've learned so much, but I'll admit that naturally, I'm just not good with money. When I walk into a grocery store, even with a detailed list, something comes over me and I will find some bizarre knick-knack that isn't on the list but I just know it would enhance my life in some way.... and so these knick-knacks rob my wallet of a few dollars, and I leave the grocery store feeling defeated that I have no self-discipline. I had done the math, and per unit price you can buy Blue Apron's ingredients for a bit cheaper if you do the shopping yourself. The ingredients aren't too overpriced, but due to the cost of shipping, ingredients often get rounded to the next whole dollar. I knew this, and I thought I could save money by opting out of grocery delivery services, yet I'd come home from the store with a jar of $11.00 honey and two different kinds of chia seeds, all in the name of "responsible" shopping.

Like every shopaholic, I hit a breaking point. I was spending entirely too much on ingredients and I still didn't have the well-stocked kitchen that I needed to make great recipes. I shopped around and most grocery delivery companies could outfit my needs for about $60 bucks a week. My system wasn't working, so it was time to try something different.

Fast forward to this week, I received my first box from Blue Apron!

I chose Blue Apron because it was $59 a week for 6 meals (3 dinners=6 portions/meals), and my first box was TOTALLY free because a friend had a referral code! I filled out the survey specifying my dietary needs and preferences and chose to have a menu that could feed 1-2 people, had a low sugar content, and excluded shellfish.

5 days later, it was delivery day! My box arrived with no hassle, and fine cuisine awaited me!

Before trying Blue Apron, I had considered how can they possibly keep the food fresh. But this is how! The box is insulated, and two frozen solid ice packs line the top and bottom of the box.

Lots of ingredients rested inside. The box is very deep!

Leaving everything else in the box, I took out the ingredients I'd need for my first dinner. I already knew what was on the menu for the week, because it shows you your box in the Blue Apron app. You can switch delivery dates, opt out of a week, and change your preferences on the app too. Shown are all the ingredients I'd need to make Blackened Catfish, with Vera Cruz style potatoes, topped with chives.

The instructions were very detailed, and at first, I was intimidated. It seemed like a lot to juggle all at once. But I was in too deep, and starving at that point, so I pressed on.

Even for this ADD suffering girl, the instructions made multitasking easy, and rest assured nothing was burned in the frying process. While my vegetables were cooking, I prepped the catfish, and then cooked the filets in the same pan I used to fry the potatoes.

Finally dinner was ready! What you see is blackened spicy catfish, resting on a bed of Vera Cruz style potatoes, and topped with chives (obviously, I am all about the chives). I was so hungry, and when I took that first bite....ya'll...it was so flavorful! Some of the ingredients used to prep the potatoes I wasn't sure about when I was cooking. I definitely did not trust that apricot raisins had any place when it comes to cooking potatoes, but man I was wrong. Each bite had intense complimentary flavors, and I would never have combined these ingredients on my own.

This meal would have cost me way more if I had gone rogue and bought all of the ingredients (I definitely don't keep a stock of apricot raisins in my pantry). I also don't think I would have taken the time and hunted down recipes for flavorful blackened catfish had it not been for Blue Apron.

Brian (that saint boyfriend of mine who survived terrible past recipes) wasn't with me last night, so the second portion is packed away, prepped and ready for eating in my fridge (leftovers deluxe!).

This meal was deliciously low calorie for a dinner entree, and it also packed in a lot of protein. (540 calories, 32 g protein, per portion)

I still have many meals to cook with Blue Apron before I can call myself a seasoned grocery delivery subscriber...

But my former grocery buying system was broken, and I'm happy to have found a fix that works better for my life and budget. Having to only spend $59 per week on food without even going to the grocery store has me resting easy about saving money and being well fed before taking some time off for Christmas. If you're thinking about giving Blue Apron (or any grocery delivery subscription) a try, then reach out to your friends on Facebook! Most of these services have promo codes, which is how my first box with Blue Apron cost me zero dollars.

Bon appétit!