Plated Deal

I've noticed quite a few people trying meal delivery plans like Blue Apron and Plated recently.  For those of you who have tried it, what are your thoughts?

The benefit of these types of services is that it will deliver pre-portioned ingredients for 3 gourmet meals right to your doorstep.  You can choose from 5-6 options for your meal, which includes seafood, meat, and vegetarian varieties.

I've been sort of wary, largely because I already like to cook and come up with my own dinner ideas, but when I saw a deal this week on Rue La La* to try Plated for $24, it seemed too good to pass up.  The standard fee is $72, so for 3 meals for 2, you really can't beat the Rue La La price (looks like it's for new subscribers only, so the code won't work if you're already signed up with Plated).

The only downside I've noticed so far is that after I chose my meals and cashed in my voucher, the site automatically enrolled me in a weekly subscription, and it WILL charge your card the full $72.  You can opt to skip a week, but if you forget to, they will choose three meals for you (no thanks!). As soon as I purchased the deal, I chose my meals (which will be delivered in a few weeks), then cancelled the auto-enroll subscription, which was pretty easy to do.

I'm excited to give it a try, largely because the recipes and ingredients are all very creative and things I wouldn't necessarily come up with on my own.  For my delivery, I chose Indonesian Beef Rendang with Coconut and Lime, Wild Mushroom Pappardelle with Mascarpone, and Quinoa Stir-fry with Ginger, Soy, and Sriracha. 

I'll keep you posted on the results!

*Rue La La is a daily deal site, which you have to sign up for. There is no fee for the signup.