May 7, 2017
Have you ever cooked with your boo and discovered that it’s a really sweet time together? Or maybe you opt not to, because you have different ways of getting tasks done? Either way, I completely think that looking into something like Blue Apron or Hello Fresh is an excellent way to make time together. Jordan and I got the free week trial of Blue Apron and cooked the meals together, and it was honestly enriching to try new ways of cooking and prepping meals. Plus, we got to reap the benefits afterward with a yummy meal. It saves you the task of shopping and decision-making and allows you some some together feeling productive.
Jordan and I relearned (and laughed at) how differently we tackle tasks: I just get ‘r done, and he’s precise and perfect. So naturally, I tackle the bigger (less important) tasks while he minces, dices and chpps the others. But once we completed the meals, we realized the time we spent together was a sweet shared experience learning something new. I mean, who knew how to prepare freekeh!? When I posted about this on my Instagram Story, Janelle commented saying how much of a positive effect Blue Apron had on her and Rory’s marriage and communication skills. When she reached out, I asked if she could share more about how it’s benefitted them and their marriage, and I’m grateful that she did!
You’ll enjoy one Las Vegas couple’s journey to a fun, intentional marriage through cooking in the kitchen! It might be something sweet for you and your boo to try here and there when you have time during the week. OR make it a daily “date” together during your weekly grind. Whatever!
Get a week’s free for you and your boo–you may enjoy it!
Boil Meets Grill (because who doesn’t love a good pun)
My husband Rory and I have been married for nearly a year. Living in the entertainment capital of the world, good food is not hard to come by. As self-proclaimed foodies, we love exploring the world plate by plate and have been able to do so within this culturally diverse and highly competitive Las Vegas scene. Discovering eats such as the most delicious pork belly bao in the middle of a smoky run down casino or the most delectable but near microscopic bacon wrapped dates at an upscale Spanish tapas restaurant remains one of our favorite activities. But as you can imagine, it’s an expensive hobby. We wanted to buckle down on our spending, but at the same time did not want to give up our foodterest (See what I did there?) Because cooking at home typically meant just that… I cooked what I knew, what my mom had taught me. The same #whitegirl dishes (i.e., chicken, casserole, did I mention chicken?) with my fabulous sous chef, ‘the crockpot’, while Rory, in all his manliness, would throw meat on the grill.
We didn’t know anyone that had used Blue Apron before. We were curious about it, but not quite curious enough to sign up on our own. My mom surprised us with two weeks of Blue Apron meals for my birthday last June. We tried it and totally loved it. It met all the desires of our little foodie hearts and we had no other expectations.
We both work full time. When we first started sharing the cooking duties we did so for the purpose of speeding up the process, however, we soon realized how valuable that time was for our marriage. I quickly realized how much I needed to relinquish control, EVEN if Rory was dicing the garlic when he needed to be mincing it. We learned to effectively divvy up tasks and sequence our steps. It was not always pretty, but we learned something constructive about ourselves each time.
Essentially, don’t we do this at work? We have to. We often have to work as a team in order to accomplish a task/goal/mission. We work better when we communicate effectively, utilize other’s strengths, and allot plenty of grace to others and ourselves. There are, of course, different consequences in the kitchen (i.e. a burnt meal) than in the office, but the general idea is the same, right?
Ten months in, we are not entirely a well-oiled machine, but that’s quite alright with us as we have seen the value in working to smooth out each other’s rough edges. Of all the things we do for our marriage, cooking together is the most enriching. We have encouraged other couples to give meal subscription services a try and they have all had positive experiences as well. The kitchen is now our marriage workshop and we wouldn’t have it any other way!
-Janelle Lozano
Get to cookin’ friends! Have any of you had the same experience in the kitchen with your significant others?
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