Review: Home Chef Meal Delivery Service

GUYS. This is serious. You KNOW how I feel about food. I love food. I worship food. I fall asleep thinking about food, wake up thinking about food, and think about food all day.

But though I love food, free time is not something I have much of. With 2 kiddos, a husband, a full-time job, friends that are so pretty I want to see them all the time, and a 5 day a week exercise routine, I feel like I’ve got about 17 minutes a day to myself. This is one of the MANY reasons why I am categorically obsessed with HomeChef.

As per their website, they are on a mission is to make cooking fresh food at home as easy as possible. “Our chefs shop for you and plan your meals, allowing you to choose from a new menu every week. We offer a meal delivery service that includes all of the fresh ingredients and instructions needed to cook restaurant quality meals for 2, 4 or 6 people in the comfort of your own kitchen. We eliminate recipe and food hunting by sending you a flavor packed kit along with easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions, turning you into a top chef.” 

Top Chef? Where's Tom Colicchio? I'd love to meet him ;-)


Anyway, I first dabbled in the meal delivery service industry after seeing Blue Apron promoted on a few blogs I follow. A sweet friend of mine sent me a referral link, and we tried it for 2 weeks. I thought the food was good, but my husband is a bit of a picky eater. (A bit being an understatement, but let’s not throw shade at the father of my children). One complaint that he had, which I did agree with, was that Blue Apron’s ingredients were just too exotic. He’s open to trying new foods, but every ingredient seemed to be new to him, and the food just wasn’t appealing.

However, I LOVED the premise of meal delivery. I didn’t have to think about what I was making for dinner 3x a week, and most importantly I didn’t have to go through every aisle at Kroger to get what I needed. So I set out on a mission to find a happy medium. The meal delivery service at a reasonable cost, but foods that were “normal” enough that Jon would like them yet were different than the same old foods that are on our typical monthly rotation.

AND THEN I FOUND HOMECHEF. (Thank you Google). I just cannot stress my love and affection for this company (they did not pay me to say that, I swear). The meals are soooo good. They taste like restaurant-quality meals, but without the price tag, and as a bonus unlike at restaurants I can wear sweatpants and I don’t have to tip.

Check out a few of my meals from this past week. These are meals I wouldn't have thought up on my own, but were so good I nearly shed tears. Actually I may have.

Pan-Seared Chicken Bruschetta

Sherry Wine Demi-Glace Flat-Iron Steak

They also provide the calorie count and suggested wine pairings on each recipe card, and I can confirm that their wine suggestions are on point ;-)

I feel like HomeChef and other meal delivery services are perfect for working professionals and parents because it takes the guesswork out of meal planning. 3 nights a week, I know we’ll get to have a healthy home cooked meal, but it still leaves a few nights for wiggle room (like if Jon has a late night meeting, we had big lunches so don't need a big dinner, we go out to eat with friends, or I just need to slam a box of Mac and Cheese).
So if any of that sounds appealing, try it. Just try it! The nice thing is you can cancel at any time without a cancellation fee, you can skip as many weeks as you want, and you get to choose from 11 delicious options every week so there’s always enough options for everyone in the house. If you’re nervous about the $9.95 per serving price tag, a) Keep in mind that often by the time you buy every ingredient for a dinner dish, it’s usually way more than that and b) Follow this link and you’ll get $30 off your first order, so you’re only looking at $5.00 per serving, which is even better.

If you DO try it, which you should, come back and let me know what you think! You won't regret it! :)

March-ing Into Spring

Hi blog friends!

I know it’s been awhile, but I have great excuses:

1) I started a new job
2) My entire household was affected with multiple illnesses per person
3) The weather has been amazing, which means we’ve been spending more time outside, and less time on the computer.

But because a sweet friend reminded me that Sponge Bob frightened them every time they came to check in (from this post), I decided it was time to clear him out of the way ;-)

Latest Updates:

Job: LOVE it! Though making the switch from higher education to corporate America was an adjustment, the culture and environment here are incredibly positive. People love working here, they love what they do, and that feeling permeates throughout the organization. Now granted, I’m only on week 3, but so far, I’m settling in quite nicely.

Fitness: I had to take a 2-week break from Kayla Itsines due to illness. I was going to keep going through to week 8 (this happened at the end of week 7) but I felt too weak, so I went back to Week 5, and now I’m back on Week 6. You follow? Probably not, but it’s okay. I barely do either. Still loving the progress so far and how much better my pants fit.

Girls: The best things ever. Both are going through phases right now, which are mostly fun. Emerson loves SINGING. It’s all day, every day. Singing, singing, singing. She turns everything she sees into a song. Anna-Boo is into dare-deviling. She’s climbing, running , and throwing herself into anything and everything, taking my breath with her.

Food: I have about 3 hours of quality time with my girls every night. I try my hardest to use those hours wisely. One source of stress that I’ve been trying to eliminate is the time I spend grocery shopping. So, I dipped my toes into the water of a meal-delivery service. I swear these things were designed for people like me. I love cooking, I love trying new foods, I love showing my girls what fresh ingredients look like (even if they arguably will never eat what I cook). But I don’t want to have to think about it. I just want the food to appear on my doorstep. And, like magic…. It does. We tried Blue Apron based on a friend’s recommendation, and it was good, but the food was way too exotic for my picky husband. Recently, we started using Home Chef and I am IN LOVE!!!! L-O-V-E. Like big fat heart love. Full review with pictures coming soon (and no, they didn’t pay me to say that, though if you click this link we both get $30 off your first order… so.... you’re welcome ;-)

TV:  Fortunately or unfortunately, I don’t have many shows on TV that I actively watch. When my kiddos are awake, it's eitherDisney Junior or bust. Well, actually, Emerson likes watching basketball with Daddy, which I love.

I binge-watched the new season of House of Cards, and because that’s such an emotional roller-coaster, regular TV just can’t hold my attention anymore. Now that The Bachelor is over (which, btw, #TeamKaitlyn), and with Scandal wrapping up here soon, I guess I’ll just have to… work out? Watch more HGTV? Take up knitting?

Ummmm, that's about it I think? April and May are going to be crazy-busy, so I'm going to soak up the last few weekends of non-packed schedules.

I hope you're enjoying March as much as I am! :-)

A little bit of this, a little bit of that

Hey friends! It's been awhile, so I'm checking in on the good old blog here. January and February have been lovely. Here are some updates in Audra-world:

Fitness. I'm on Week 6 of the Kayla Itsines guides. I'm not quite ready to share my progress photos (maybe next week) but OH MY LAWD. It's really working! Kayla herself is a tall, thin young girl who hasn't been pregnant three times, but I swear she made these guides with a mother's body in mind. I'm noticing the biggest difference in my waist and stomach, which are huge problem areas for moms because, well, our stomachs have been stretched beyond comprehension. Dare I say you can actually see my abdominals now? Well, my obliques at least. I think the last time I saw mine were in 2009, and even then they weren't all that impressive. Seeing the progress is keeping me motivated, plus the workouts are so different every week that I can't get bored.

But seriously, I almost die every time. This about sums it up:

Health. Still loving zucchini pasta, and mixing in some stuffed peppers, chicken chilis and fish tacos to keep life interesting. I will never give up coffee so don't even ask.

Daughters. Oh my sweet, sweet daughters. I live for them. Is there something in the parenting handbook that says you're supposed to love everything they do and say? Because I feel like I do. And I'm obsessed with the way Anna always looks at Emerson. She waits for her big sis to make a move before she can make a move. I love that they are guaranteed BFFs.

Anna is talking SO much, and can count to 10! Emerson blows me away with her reasoning skills and vocabulary. They are going to be two chatty Cathys in a pod, that's for sure. Sorry Jon! ;-)

Stole Daddy's shirt, still pulls it off like a boss.

Emerson at COSI. Future mechanical engineer? Probably. She would have stayed here all day.

House Updates. Nothing major. We (Jon) need a breather after the basement renovations, but I have been doing a little redecorating. 

 Before:

Now:

Before

 Now: 

Life Events. 2015 is like the new 2009. 2009 was the year of weddings. We had 6 in 2009, including our own. This year we have 5, and since as of now I don't plan on getting remarried in 2015, so 2009 still wins. We have three in the month of May alone. But thankfully, I love weddings, so I'm pretty excited. It's Gonna Be May, man. Andplusalso, one of those May weddings takes place here, so, yeah...

Drinking. Lots of wine. Napa has ruined me in the best way. There is just nothing better than a bottle of wine on a Friday night. We finally got to open a bottle we brought home from our trip last Friday (from our friends at Twomey) because...

 

Career.  ...I got a new job. Ah! The whole process has been taking up much of my free time and space and energy, but it's official. I start on March 2nd. I am thrilled about this new opportunity, but scared because I love my current co-workers and work environment SO much, and I will miss them terribly. However, I know this is the best move for me, personally and professionally.

Welp, that about sums it up. What's new with you, internet?

Healthy things I'm currently loving

As I mentioned a few posts back, I'm using the New Year as an excuse to recalibrate my health and wellness goals. I know most resolutions don't stick, but if you don't have goals, what do you have? Or whatever.

So far, the no-sugar thing is going extremely well. I knew once I got over the hump, it would be so much easier. The first week was very hard, and I had headaches almost every day. But now, the cravings are gone, and I just don't need that sweetness at the end of every meal to feel like my life is complete. Honestly, I don't even think about it. I'm sure there will be lots of temptations, but so far, so good.

Here are a few other health-related things that are changing my life as of late.

Kayla Itsines

My co-worker introduced me to this lovely and terribly mean woman. Check out her blog and follow her on Instagram, and you'll see why I'm doing her 12-week Bikini Body Guide. The transformations are incredible, and the workouts are SO FUN! I mean, they're actually terrible because they're hard, but it's exactly the type of workout I love. It's efficient, you change your routine every day, and you sweat like you've never sweat before. I love how I feel after each workout, and I think this routine is very sustainable, even for a working mother of two.

I agree with her entire approach to health and fitness. I love that she doesn't even try to act like there's some secret to looking and feeling good. You work hard and you eat clean. It's that's simple. Love her.

Raw Apple Cider Vinegar

Have you ever read about the health benefits of this stuff? I add a teaspoon of it to hot water 3x a day, and I'm addicted. You have to buy the raw organic kind (they sell Bragg's on Amazon), and for $6 and no negative side effects (because it's made from apples, not chemicals), how could you not give it a try? The reviews had me convinced.

Polar FT4 Heart Rate Monitor

 Foam Roller

How have I gone this long without using one of these? This weird little cylinder is amazing. It really helps stretch out my muscles and it kinda feels like I'm giving myself a massage.



Clinique Age Defense BB Cream



No, this isn't going to make me skinny, but in thinking about overall health and wellness, I have to remember that I'm 30 now.I need to be using sunscreen every single day (I really should have been all along, but it's never too late to start) and I love the way this stuff makes my skin look and feel.

What healthy things are you doing this year?

We finished finishing our basement!!!

We're done!

What started as a wild idea to finish an "unfinishable" basement turned into an amazing space for our whole family to hang out. 

Here is a little glimpse into what it looked like before. Dark, junk-filled, maybe even a little creepy?

The house was built in 1987, and though people learned by then to make the ceiling height higher than 6 feet (unlike our old house), basements weren't really designed to be finished. They're designed to hold all of the mechanicals of your home, hide all of the pipes, and serve as a place to store your crap.

But not anymore!

Here it is today!

The most incredible part about this transformation is that my husband did it completely on his own. Well, obviously the carpet folks installed the carpet, and the countertop man installed the countertop, and I painted, but seriously. The framing, the drywall, the electrical, the plumbing, the trim, the baseboards, the railing, the insets, the wood wall, the cabinets, the door - I mean, honestly??? Who can do all that (and do it REALLY well) unless they actually work as a general contractor? Well, apparently Jon can, and I can't stop telling him how amazed I am. He's done some pretty incredible things to the houses we've owned, but this is the most extensive project we've taken on from start to finish, and I can't get over how gorgeous it turned out.


A place for all of the toys! This has been life changing. 

Jon's new office space. Yep, I've relegated him to the basement. Sorry honey!

I cannot get over how well this wet bar turned out. This spot was where our washer & dryer and utility sink were when we moved in. And now it's a gorgeous place to store all of our glasses, and it helps separate the adult space from the kid space. 

I am obsessed with this backsplash. I now want to re-tile our kitchen backsplash, but I'm going to give Jon a break... for now ;-)

It was Jon's idea to build these inset things. It was alot of extra work and effort, but I love the character it brings to the basement. We stained the back walls to match the beam that runs through the middle of the room.

For Jon's birthday, I found a giant (but sadly empty) bottle of Silver Oak (one of our favorite wineries in Napa) and it came in this awesome case.

Back in March, this area:

Looked like this:

Big upgrade. Big. Huge.

My favorite! A wine crate coffee table (DIY instructions found here) that costs less than $50? Sold!

I want to fill this handy little cubby with corks from every time we drink a bottle of wine together. Every cork a memory, right? Looks like we have some work to do! ;-)

I love this little TV nook for the girls. They sit/lay down next to each other and cuddle up watching movies, and my heart melts.

Every day when we get home, Anna wants to immediately "Go Dow Sares" to have her "Cup" at the table. <3

Ruler: Hobby Lobby; Kid's Table: Amazon

I half-joked with Holly that I should start renting Jon out for side projects. As I mentioned in my 2014 recap post, I am amazed that Jon was able to do all of this with the schedules that we have. Sure, it may have taken us 11 months (a lifetime according to HGTV standards), but we got the basement finished for a fraction of what a contractor would have charged. Plus, we got to design everything, and make our own choices. 

I know it was incredibly difficult for Jon to get home from a long day of work and go down to the basement to work on this project, but it was so worth it. I couldn't be more grateful for his expertise, and now that it's all said and done, I keep telling him it was kind of fun. Right??? RIGHT??

Now, on to the next project! ;-)