Blue Apron

I started seeing Blue Apron being mentioned in various blogs that I read, and it had an occasional appearance in my Facebook newsfeed when someone 'liked' it. Because I spend what feels like 80% of my weeks meal planning, grocery shopping and cooking, I figured I'd check them out. 

I read through their website and decided to give them a shot - I am all for simplifying my life on the weekdays. This is how it works: you sign up for how many meals you'd like to receive each week (minimum is 3) and for how many people (minimum is 2). You can add your dietary restrictions here as well, so the meals will work around these. You choose what day of the week you'd like to receive your shipment, and that's about it. The shipment arrives with all the ingredients and recipes for all your meals. Caveat: you can't really be a picky eater because you don't choose your meals, each week is already pre-determined. 

I started off with 3x a week, for 2 people. Looking ahead at the types of meals they have, some were kid-friendly and some were not. Since this was a trial run, I figured I could make separate meals for the boys if necessary. Otherwise, I was going to try and just tweak what I got so they could eat it too.

My first shipment arrived in this large, refrigerated box.

I opened it up and saw everything neatly packaged and labeled.

This part I absolutely love about Blue Apron: everything you need for a recipe is already pre-portioned, and measured out specifically in the amounts you need. So when it's time to cook, you can just throw the ingredients in without measuring. That's one of their selling points - you reduce the amount of food and money wasted because you are only getting what you need.

One blogger wrote that the 2-person option was enough for 2 adults and 2 small kids, but I disagree. Here is the protein we received, and it's literally just for two people. For example, we received 2 chicken thighs for one dish, 4 small pork cutlets for another and 2 pieces of fish for the third. I think a 3-person option would be ideal for our family, but the only other option for us would be 4 people. That would be too much food and also quite pricey.

Good variety of protein for the week

These are the awesome recipe cards that come in your shipment. There are clear, easy to follow instructions, and lots of photographs to illustrate each step. 

The three meals we had were really delicious and each took only about 30-35 minutes to cook, which even included some minimal prep (washing and slicing veggies). The meals are definitely healthier than getting take-out because you control the amount of oil and salt. I also like that there is a vegetable component to every dish so you feel like you are getting a balanced meal. The kids did eat 2 out of the 3 dishes we made, but the pork was a little too spicy for them. 

Chicken thighs with roasted eggplant and heirloom tomato salad

Seared cod with roasted parmesan squash and potatoes

Spiced pork medallions, peach salsa, green bean rice

3 meals for 2 people costs $60/week, so $10 per person each meal. Excluding fast food meals, that is cheaper and far healthier than getting take-out. However, for someone like me, who lives in the suburbs (land of chain restaurants) and cooks regularly, I know I can cook meals for the entire family for less (most of the time). I won't be using Blue Apron every week, however I do plan to utilize them when I have those crazy busy weeks when I don't have time to grocery shop, let alone come up with a meal plan. Blue Apron will be my go-to when I need a pseudo-break from the kitchen and want someone else to do all the thinking for me. Overall I think it's a great service that could be beneficial to lots of people. 

Screen Printing Saturday

As a full time working mom in corporate America, I don't always get a chance to learn new creative things; so when the opportunity presents itself, I'm all over it! Recently I took a craft night class at the Oh Happy Day studio and learned the basics of screen printing, and boy was it fun! I had zero experience with screen printing and only had a vague idea of what it even was, but I was eager to learn and the class was perfect for newbies. 

I've seen pictures of the studio's famous balloon window on their blog, but seeing it in person was even better. And the icing on the cake: a joyful PopNation cart welcoming students to the class. 

Such a happy little spot

Yummy options

I've been following the Oh Happy Day blog for a few years now so it was really nice to meet Jordan and visit their super cute studio.

Front door welcome

Words to live by

The class started with about 30 minutes of screen printing 101 and then we were off to get our hands dirty. I brought tons of kid shirts to print on and plan to give them as Christmas gifts (I know, I know, it's only August, but I'm neurotic like that).

One of the printing stations

Ready for printing

The actual technique was not terribly hard, but very nuanced. You had to master just the right amount of pressure to ensure even, rich, ink distribution. 

Lining up the shirt

Applying the ink

These are some of the adorable samples they had on display, simple but so cute!

As a craft night attendee, you even get some swag to take home. We got these chic little office supplies which will help glam up my cubicle life a little!

I took the class by myself which was another nice alternative to "me time". It also made me realize that I need to find more ways to stimulate the ol' right brain on a more regular basis. Let the creative juices flow!

Boy Meets 1st Grade

Another school year is upon us, and my big boy is now a "grader" as the former kindergartener would say. This year's first day of school picture was a lot of fun to do - thanks to Pinterest for the idea, and thanks to the hubby for executing (he did the drawing and writing!).

August 20, 2014

Randy took some test shots and here's one of the outtakes that I think is hilarious! Lucas never wants to be left out.

This melts my heart

Standing outside his new classroom

Lucas couldn't stop hugging his Kuya

Proud parents

Due to some last minute changes and an increase in first-graders throughout the school district, another 1st grade class was added just days before school started. Cruz was switched to the new class and ironically, his teacher is the same one he had in kindergarten! He was happy about that since that calmed some of his first-day-of-school butterflies.

Found his new desk, with Lucas sticking close

One more goodbye hug

At the end of the last school year, our school was evaluated for and subsequently awarded as a California Distinguished School. That is certainly a feather in the cap for the school and it's community, and we are proud to be a part of it. 

Before leaving campus, we took advantage of the free espresso bar and mini donuts cooked on the spot, hosted by the school's PTA. Who can say no to free java and donuts??

We can't wait to see what the new school year has in store for our little guy. Hope the first day of school was/is a smooth and happy one for all of you as well!

European Vacation travel blog

During my sabbatical we took a family vacation to and visited several cities in Europe: Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris and Geneva. Because I am a little paranoid I didn't want to advertise on social media that we were away from home, especially since we were gone for several weeks; but I still wanted to share our trip with close friends and family. My neighbor shared the perfect solution - Travelpod! It's a free travel-blogging site that allows you to write blog entries and upload photos easily from your smartphone using an app, and your friends and family can check in and see how your trip is going. The best part is that at the end of your trip, Travelpod can turn your blog into a book - it's so cool! I blogged almost every day while we were gone and uploaded lots of photos, so to see them now in book form is awesome. It was so easy and inexpensive, I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a personalized keepsake to remember a vacation or trip.

Here's the link to our travel blog - La Vida Villanueva, European Edition!

The Turtle Moves Up

Cruz began swimming lessons last summer, and in true Cruz fashion, was a very cautious swimmer. While people think kids in general are fearless daredevils, who leap before they look, my firstborn is quite the opposite. Even as a toddler, Cruz was more of the pensive observer, who seemed to take stock of situations and places before engaging with them. He didn't climb on furniture, run away from us in public, or jump haphazardly off of things at the playground. So when he began swimming lessons, we were not surprised to see that he was very cautious and a little afraid of the water. He took lessons for about 2 months and took baby steps in doing even basic things such as dunking his head under water. He struggled to master the skills and had a hard time getting comfortable in the water; any time the instructor let go of him, he would tense up and immediately reach for someone or a nearby wall. Despite his slow progress, he kept at it and returned to class diligently every afternoon. At the end of the summer, he was still in the Level 1, "Turtles" class.

This summer rolled around and we enrolled him into Level 1 again. The first session (2 weeks long) showed definite improvement and we could see that he was more confident and comfortable in the water. He was taking more risks and holding his front and back floats for a second longer than he used to, but still not long enough to pass his test to move to the next level. His teacher told him that he was so close and just needed to hold his floats for a little longer and he'd be ready to advance. So we enrolled him into Level 1 for another 2-week session.

Somehow, something inside of him clicked. The weather heated up and we began going to the pool 30 minutes before his class began,  for some extra free swim time. Without any prompting from us, Cruz would use that time instead to practice the drills he learned in class, all by himself. Randy and I would sit on the bleachers and watch as he practiced holding his breath under water, the arm strokes and kicks. Then he'd move to the baby wading pool, and practice his front and back floats, asking us to time him. In just a couple of days, he was going through his class exercises effortlessly. His instructor began teaching him more advanced techniques and he caught onto them quickly. After the first week, Cruz was able to push himself off of the wall and swim unassisted to his teacher who stood several feet away. He held his floats for twice as long as he was required. It was amazing to see him blossom before our very eyes. He passed his test with flying colors and was promoted to Level 2.

Just after finishing his test - thumbs up indeed!

No longer a Level 1 Turtle!

We were reminded how Cruz has always done things in his own time. It was he who decided at 3 1/2 years old that he was ready to sleep alone in his own room and never returned to our bed. It was he who decided that he was ready to stop using diapers, and once we took them off, he skipped the Pull-Up transition phase and just began using the toilet. We were reminded that if we just give him time and are patient, he will always flourish beautifully. We are so proud of his perseverance and hard work.