This post is in partnership with Kroger, but all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Lex Eats.
If y’all follow me on Instagram, you know that I eat out, like kinda a lot. I’m not complaining, I love to eat and I love trying out new places, but after a while, you start to feel gross. Not to mention, it gets expensive! My boyfriend and I end up going out or getting carryout at least twice a week, and that adds up quick. That’s why I was so excited when Kroger reached out to me to try their new Prep + Pared meal kits.
We always say we’re going to stay in one night and cook dinner, but when it comes down to it, we’re both crazy busy. By the time we get done with work, working out and other social activities, grabbing carryout seems so much more appealing than laboring in the kitchen for an hour for dinner.
Prep + Pared are fresh-made, chef-designed meals you can prepare at home. They include all the ingredients you need pre-prepped and measured (with the exception of salt, pepper and oil). Only 10-20 minutes from kit-to-eating with easy-to-follow instructions and simple, fewer steps. No knives or cutting boards necessary!
I thought the best way to put the Prep + Pared meal kits to the test would be to cook it at my boyfriend’s house. I’ve mentioned before, his pantry is lacking. As in he has salt, pepper and oil (canola oil, not even olive oil), but that’s about it. He has a few knives and a spatula, but you’re definitely not going to find a whisk! I don’t think he even has measuring spoons. Whenever I go over there to make dinner, I end up bringing over half my spice drawer. I realize I’m an abnormal 25 year old with a fully-stocked kitchen, but a girl needs her cooking utensils!
We tried the Vietnamese-Inspired Spicy Lemongrass Pork, which included coconut rice and a cabbage slaw. Everything was pre-prepped in individual bags and it seriously took under 20 minutes to make. I managed just fine with my boyfriend’s lack of utensils; we only needed a fork to mix the dressing and large spoon for the pork. I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I didn’t even read through the entire directions before cooking and had no problems following them on the fly.
The rice was already cooked, so all we had to do was heat that up in the microwave. The dressing for the cabbage came together in thirty seconds. The most labor intensive part of the meal was browning the pork, and that took not quite ten minutes! My boyfriend and I were very impressed with how tasty dinner was. The serving sizes were more than enough for two people and the dressing on the cabbage was actually similar to something I ate when I was in Vietnam.
We both agreed that we’ll be making a Prep + Pared meal kit for date night again soon! This particular kit cost $18, so at $9 a person we definitely beat our normal date cost for dinner out. I hope y’all will try one and let me know what you think! They’re exclusivley available at Kroger – check it out!
Biscuits & blessings,
Leels
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Okay this is my kind of cooking! I’m such a food snob haha but I hate the cleaning up and time that can go into cooking a homemade meal.
I’m a food snob too, and I’ll be honest was a little skeptical at first, but so impressed with the quality, ease and convenience!
This looks really convenient. I like to cook, but most nights the thought of dirtying my entire kitchen with prep dishes, different utensils, and multiple pots and pans – it’s too much! This seems like a great option between going out to eat and preparing a complicated meal.
I was so impressed with it! Takes about as much effort as carryout and cheaper!