Are you in a cooking rut? Now that my husband and I are empty-nesters, I haven’t wanted to cook all that much. I know what you’re thinking….we used to be a family of three, how could one less person make a difference? Well, maybe it shouldn’t have but it did. Before I wanted to prepare healthy-ish dinners to enjoy together as a family. Now it just seems more of a chore. What should I make? Will I be eating alone tonight and, if so, why cook at all? Enter the meal delivery kit.
Please Note: This post may contain some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link, I will earn a small commission). This helps keep my blog up and running at no additional cost to you.
There are so many options to choose from – Hello Fresh, Blue Apron, Home Chef to name a few. Although I did consider these, I ended up choosing Martha & Marley Spoon. Why? Well, anyone who knows me knows how much I admire Martha Stewart. The woman is synonymous with quality and good taste. She is beautiful, strong, true to herself, and America’s first self-made female billionaire. So how can I possibly try any other dinner kit service?
Ordering
The well-designed website offers 20 recipes each week. The recipes are categorized as either Health & Diet, Vegetarian & Vegan, Meat & Fish, Under 30 Minutes or Family-Friendly. You also choose your taste profile, such as vegetarian and whether or not you like pork, beef, poultry, lamb, shellfish, or fish as well as your tolerance for spicy food. You may change these preferences whenever you wish and your choices drive their weekly recommended dishes.
After that, you simply schedule delivery for your desired day and time. I chose Mondays with a window of 8 am – 9 pm. You can pause or skip your subscription by toggling the dates on or off (with a 5-day lead time to skip and a 6-day lead to pause a subscription).
Pricing
For 2 people (perfect for couples and empty-nesters like me), pricing is set as follows:
- $41.00 for 2 meals/week
- $53.94 for 3 meals/week
- $67.92 for 4 meals/week
For 4 people:
- $67.92 for 2 meals/week
- $89.88 for 3 meals/week
- $111.84 for 4 meals/week
I chose the 2 meals/week option and was lucky enough to score a discount of $80 as a new customer.
Packaging
My box was delivered as promised and arrived mid-morning at my front door. All perishables like meat and fish were kept cold and fresh with ice packs. The other ingredients were individually packed and pre-portioned into brown paper bags and labeled by meal. Everything you need is included except for some staples like salt, pepper, olive oil, butter, and vinegar. Most of the packaging can be recycled but you may need to research specifics for your city or town.
Cooking
Each meal includes a full-color recipe card complete with step-by-step photos and nutritional information. All recipes consist of 6 steps and should not take more than 40 minutes.
I chose two meals for my first week: Nicoise-Style Roasted Cod & Garlic Bread and Butter-Basted Steak & Fries.
Nicoise-Style Roasted Cod & Garlic Bread
I am not a fan of seafood and rarely cook any. One of the reasons I wanted to try a meal kit is to introduce myself to more fish dishes. Well, this meal did not disappoint!
The sauce was very flavorful with tomatoes, roasted red pepper, garlic, and smoked paprika. I was impressed that a full head of garlic was included even though the recipe only called for a few cloves. The cod was fresh and had no fishy odor. We really enjoyed this dish!
Just keep in mind that there is some prep work involved that you may not expect such as roasting the red pepper on an open flame for later peeling and seeding. But I was happy to do so and it made me excited about cooking again.
Butter-Basted Steak & Fries
I chose meat and potatoes for our second meal of the week. Even though I have cooked steak countless times, this recipe had that little something extra to make it feel restaurant-quality.
We prefer filet mignon to the included sirloin steak but the thick-cut fries, shallot and thyme sauce, and freshly made garlic mayo made up for what we thought was lacking.
I even learned a new trick or two! Now I grate garlic with my microplane instead of a garlic press or mincing with a knife. It’s less messy, especially when you just need a little bit of garlic.
I would not say that the meals are low in calories or fat; however, all ingredients are fresh, unprocessed, and seasonal. I thought the portions were a little on the small side but they are probably the correct serving size!
Meal Delivery Kit Final Thoughts
The biggest cooking issue for me these days is deciding what to make and, when I do, making sure I have all the necessary ingredients on hand. The Martha & Marley Spoon meal delivery kit solved that problem for me and even made cooking fun again!
Pros
- well-written recipe cards
- high-quality recipes
- fresh ingredients
- easy ordering
- good packaging and delivery
Cons
- portions are on the smaller side
- if you have a special diet consideration you may want to compare this service to other meal kits
Martha & Marley Spoon…
“It’s a good thing”
Have you tried a meal delivery kit? Do you have any other questions about Martha & Markey Spoon? Please leave a comment below.
