Marley Spoon offered me complimentary meals from their service to explore some easy weeknight dinner solutions. All content and opinions are my own. To learn more about my posts regarding sponsored content please visit my policies page.
I love cooking and I love putting a homemade meal on the table. However, I spend a huge chunk of time each week with meal planning, shopping, prepping, and cooking. (Note: All of this time is in addition to the time my wonderful mother-in-law puts in to prepare and cook meals throughout the week as well.) I currently work full-time and then part-time on my blog. I don’t have a ton of free time throughout the week. Which means, every moment I’m working on a meal plan or shopping for ingredients I am also not spending quality time with my kiddos or working on other necessary projects.
When Martha + Marley Spoon asked me if I’d like to try their meal service I jumped at the chance for three reasons:
- I love Martha Stewart. Martha + Marley Spoon is a collection of Martha’s recipes delivered to your door with all the ingredients and six simple steps to getting dinner on the table. I often peruse Martha Stewart’s website while looking for meals for the week. Might as well have them delivered to my door.
- While I enjoy planning meals for the week, I don’t really have the time every week to do 7 dinners and plan for breakfasts and lunches. Having a few of the meals off of my plate while still knowing that I will not only have all the ingredients in my house, but that it will be delicious. WIN.WIN.
- I work a lot. When I get home from work I don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. I’m very fortunate right now to have my mother-in-law—who is a good cook in her own right— staying with us and helping with dinners most night. Even then though, I’d love for dinner prep to be as simple as possible. Having a recipe and ingredients all delivered to my door make for an easy weeknight dinner.
My Experience Creating an Easy Weeknight Dinner with Martha + Marley Spoon
I chose two family sized meals that are meant to feed two adults and two kids. The meal photographed is the chicken, rice and tomatoes meal which is no longer an option because meals change weekly, but I’m sure it’ll come back on the menu because it was super tasty!
The service offers both meals for two adults as well as a meal solution for two adults and two children. The pricing, compared to my grocery bill, makes sense for the number of meals you receive and the added bonus of not needing to do the grocery shopping or meal prep. While it won’t be a budget solution for those who are using meal planning to stretch their dollar, it is an option for someone who is time strapped.
Ingredients:
This meal came with everything needed—including coconut oil—other than salt and pepper. It also came with a whole head of garlic even though it only needed a few cloves. Nothing came prepped in the box, which while it adds a little time, preserves the overall flavor of the dish. A lot of vegetables tend to lose flavor and freshness once cut and left open to air.
Directions:
The directions were simple to follow. This dish was created in two pans, one for the rice and another for the chicken and tomatoes mixture. The whole meal, with prep, probably took around 35-40 minutes.
Size of Meal:
I was pleasantly surprised with the size of this meal. My husband, son and I enjoyed large portions and still had a little bit leftover for lunch the next day. We did add a green salad on the side because while the dish included garlic, ginger, tomatoes and cilantro there wasn’t a full on green vegetable side. I’m a bit of a stickler about having a green vegetable at every meal.
Taste:
I don’t know if there is anything better than chicken thighs that have been cooked well. Combine them with the tomatoes, ginger, garlic and rice. Well, it was one I’d happily put in my meal rotation. Kiddo finished his plate too!
Have you ever tried a meal delivery service? If so, what did you think?
Thank you Martha and Marley Spoon for sharing your services with me and A Well Crafted Party readers!
