Blue Apron: Why I love it...and why it's not for me

     Recently, a sweet friend of mine, who has used Blue Apron meal services for awhile, asked if I would like to try it out for free. Apparently, after using their meal services for awhile, you can receive "free meals" to give to a friend.   Never being one to turn down good food, or the opportunity to cook something new, I was game! It was very easy to set up an account and schedule my first delivery. I did choose to do a 2 person menu, for the sake of keeping my trial run completely free.  (If I had chosen a 4 person family menu, then I would have had to pay extra.)

     In just over a week, this super fun box was delivered! When I opened it up, there were my three recipes for the week, along with some extra information on one of the ingredients, and prepackaged, well-labeled ingredients for each meal.  I have to admit, I was impressed with the packing, and for their system on keeping the food, which included uncooked meat, appropriately cold and fresh. 

     The first meal I cooked was this Roasted Chicken & Verjus Pan Sauce with Mashed Potatoes, Mushrooms, and Kale. I absolutely loved the full color recipes with a 'fun fact' about a component of the meal, plus step by step instructions on how to prepare the meal.  Even someone with a very limited knowledge on food prep could prepare a gourmet meal following these recipes!

     The finished product turned out much like the pictures on the recipe card, which is always fun! I do need to work on my food photography skills, though! The meal was tasty, with the exception that the potatoes were a bit dry and could have used some more butter or milk.  

     The second meal that I cooked was this Green Shakshuka with Eight Ball Squash and Spiced Pita Chips! I had been wanting to try a traditional shakshuka, which is usually based on a red sauce and served for breakfast. This recipe used tomatillos instead of regular tomatoes, which gave it the green color, and also a little extra zip. To say that I was excited to try this recipe out would be an understatement! Once again, the recipe was very easy to follow.  And though this one was a bit more involved, the end result was worth the effort! OH MY GOODNESS!! It was delicious!! 

     My picture isn't quite a pretty as the one on the recipe card, but don't let looks fool you.  This was amazing! We dipped the Spiced Pita Chips into the Shakshuka and ate it that way.  Yum! A side note about the Za'atar spice.  I've cooked with Za'atar before, but the mix that came with this recipe was so much better than what I had previously used.  I might just have to find something similar to it!! 

     I was out of town when my husband cooked the third meal, so I have no pictures and I did not personally try it.  He said that it was good, so I'll trust him on that one.  :)

     I love Blue Apron's mission, which is to make incredible home cooking available to everyone.  So many people have never really learned to cook.  This meal service makes it completely possible to learn how to cook, to experience new tastes, and to bring back something that I am passionate about, which is to sit down together as a family, or with friends, to share a meal at home.

      I personally love to cook and to try new recipes and cooking techniques.  And, as a family, we eat most of our meals at home.  So, I'm always looking for ways to incorporate different tastes and experiences into our eating habits.  I'm also up for trying new ways to plan our meals out for the week.  From this standpoint, Blue Apron did not disappoint.  Why, then, is it not for me? For no other reason than my food budget.  For the cost of three weekly meals through Blue Apron for my family of four, I can get a good portion of my groceries for the entire week.  

     That said, I can think of so many reasons why you should try out Blue Apron! If you are wanting to learn more about the basics of cooking, then this is definitely something that you need to try out. If you enjoy trying new foods, but don't want to pay to go out to eat, this could definitely be an option for you. I would even say that this would make a great gift for someone who loves to cook, or for newlyweds just starting out. If you are curious, it's worth a shot! Try something new today!!

Note: Blue Apron offers wine pairings with it's meals, which would be nice for learning more about wines and how to pair them well with meals.  They also have a marketplace, where you can buy the essentials for your kitchen.  

*I received no compensation of any kind for this review. It is my personal opinion. 

October Favorite Things: Ending and Beginning

It's hard for me to believe that it has already been 31 days, and that this series is done! It has been fun, but I'm ready to move on to other topics. I'll be announcing a new series on Monday!  And I'm taking tomorrow off!  For those of you who have joined me this month during my "Favorite Things" series, thank you!!! I hope you will stick around as some fun changes will be happening on my blog/website over the next few weeks. Have a great weekend! ~Kendra

October Favorite Things: Something New!!!

I have a NEW favorite...but you'll have to check back tomorrow to find out what it is!!  I can't wait!!!

"In the measurement world, you set a goal and strive for it.  In the universe of possibility, you set a context and let life unfold." -Benjamin Zander

October Favorite Things: Favorite Recipes - Fish With Preserved Lemon Couscous

**This post is dedicated to Sarah...who provided the most amazing Artisanal Afghan Saffron!

Saffron is one of my new favorite spices to cook with...and yes, I had to look it up to see if it was even considered a spice.  Ha.  There is a recipe in The Fast Diet Cookbook that I checked out from the library on mistake.  I thought I was getting a different book.  Regardless, it was a great find and had so many recipes we liked that I ended up buying the book for myself!  One of my favorite recipes in the book is Allegra McEvedy's Bake-In-The-Bag Fish With Preserved Lemon Couscous!  Oh my! (You can click on the link above to go to the recipe...fyi...fresh coriander is another way of saying cilantro. Also, the recipe in my book does not have the yogurt sauce, which sounds fantastic to me!)

The ingredients for the couscous, minus the fish and fennel. 

 I made my own quick preserved lemons, which turned out fairly well.

  Meyer Lemons would have worked better, but they were not available at the time. 

The Saffron, of course!

The Saffron threads soaking in water. Isn't it beautiful??!!  I hated to

 remove the threads, and tried to come up with something else to use them for. :)

The finished couscous, before being put into bags with the fish and fennel! 

This is a lovely, light, and refreshing meal that I really enjoyed! I hope that you will check it out!  If you want to learn more about Saffron, click here! 

**Disclaimer: I am not familiar with The Fast Diet. I just really enjoyed some of the recipes in their cookbook. :)

Take a Step

I'm not a writer.  I'm not eloquent with words. Often, I say the wrong thing, or the right thing in the wrong way.  I don't have a huge following on my blog.  I don't exactly know what I want to be when I grow up.

But, there are few things that I do know.  I am passionate about people.  I long to see people walk in freedom.  Especially women.  We are so bound up and tangled up with the past, with fear, with feelings of inadequacy,  that sometimes it's hard to move forward.  I know this because I've been there.

This past weekend, I sat in a room with about 20 other women, along with thousands of other women across the screen and around the world, and watched freedom come, chains be broken, and hearts be encouraged.  The IF:Gathering wasn't and isn't about a specific speaker, agenda, or religion.  It's about women around the world gathering together, being equipped, and then being unleashed to live fully their purposes...purposes that God has set on our hearts. It was beautiful.  It IS beautiful.

I am choosing to take a step in faith toward what I feel God has put on my heart.  And I challenge you to do the same.  "Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified: do not be discouraged, for the LORD you God will be with you wherever you go." -Joshua 1:9

If you want to find out more about IF:Gathering, click here.

I will announce soon what one of my next steps is, as you'll see it on the blog!

**A new study of Hebrews starts Monday (2/16) through IF:Equip and I would love for all of the women in my life to be a part of it!  Let me know if you have questions! :)

What the IF:Gathering Means to Me

It's funny.  Actually it's ridiculous.  I have sat down to write this post more times than I can count.  But the words haven't come.  And it has been very frustrating.  Because the IF:Gathering means so much to me.  It was almost a year ago, at the first IF:Gathering, that I really started to dream again about where my life was headed, to remember what Jesus really means to me, to think that the impossible really can happen.

I was newer to the area and had been following the beginnings of the IF:Gathering through Jennie Allen and Jen Hatmaker.  What they were pursuing was a refreshing, pure, simple desire to seek God and to ask tough questions.  What would it look like to live life IF I truly believed God for his promises, for who He is. I wanted to host an IF:Local in my home, or at the church I was attending, but I was scared.  I had fear.  That no one would see what I saw.  That no one would join with me. So I didn't do what I felt called to do.  To put myself out there, trust God, and see what happened.

Fortunately, my story doesn't end there.  I did seek out another church in the area hosting an IF:Local. And I was immensely blessed by my time there.  I did not know a soul and they welcomed me in like I had already been a part of their group for a long time.  I had rich conversation with women of all ages and left the weekend as encouraged by the women I had spent time with as with the Gathering itself.  What a blessing it was!

This year I am very excited to help host an IF:Local!  I am excited to finally be doing what I should have done a year ago. I'm so thankful for the opportunity and I can't wait to see how God is going to show up and move in the lives and hearts of women in our area.

In just over two weeks, on February 6-7, 2015, women from across the nation and around the globe will come together to worship, learn, be encouraged, and equipped to live more fully for God where they are.  I want to encourage every woman I know to come!  Find an IF:Local near you!  Join us here in South Tulsa.  Or host your own!  It's not too late!! There is a powerful movement for Jesus billowing under this.  It is Spirit filled and prayer covered.  It is not perfect, but there is love.  Much love.  And Grace.  And Freedom.

Click here for more information about the IF:Gathering.

To find an IF:Local near you or to host an IF:Local, click here.

And to join us for IF:South Tulsa, please click here!

A New Chapter

It's hard to sit down and write when it's been almost a year since my last post.  It's humbling to know that I've been ignoring the desire to blog for a WHOLE YEAR.  It's amazing how procrastination, resistance, or whatever you want to call it, can keep me from something that I truly enjoy doing.

Where do I start?  I can't really relive the past, or go back and share about all of the things that I wanted to at the time.  All I can do is start where I'm at.

So, Where am I?

I'm in a new chapter of my life.  Some not so small changes have happened. The transition from homeschool to public school is one of them. All summer I wrestled with what I already knew the answer was regarding our boys schooling.  After 4+ years of homeschooling, I felt like God was gently nudging me to let go of homeschooling, along with the control I desperately sought to maintain, and the irrational fears that I had. Whether it's just for this year, or for longer, I don't know.  It's an interesting position to be in, though.  I still firmly support the right to homeschool and I still fully believe in the reasons that we homeschooled for 4 years.  I loved the time we had as a family to explore, the freedom to travel when we wanted to, the ability to dive into subjects that we found interesting. But it was time for a change of perspective.  Although we aren't even a month into public school yet, I've found that we still have time to explore, it just looks a little different.  We don't have as much freedom to travel, but I think that we have already become more intentional with the time that we do have.  And I don't think that our boys will ever not dive deeper into subjects that interest them.  It's just a part of who they are.

What are some good things that have come from taking this step?  I appreciate on a deeper level what I have now.  I'm more intentional about being fully present when I'm with my boys. I am more diligent in prayer for them. We still  have our friendships from our other circles and activities.  But we've added a whole new set of friends, acquaintances, and connections to our life.  I feel more engaged in my neighborhood and community.

It doesn't mean that it will be all rosy and perfect.  Because it won't, and already isn't.  But I have peace about being in a position that I didn't expect myself to be in. And I'm so thankful for the One that my peace comes from!

Here are my guys on their first day of public school.