Taking advantage of a discount offer, we got a meal kit subscription for a few weeks recently. It was delicious, convenient, and a whole lot of fun. It also gave me a few little tweaks that will make a big difference as I make future meals on my own. Here they are (so I can remember and you can possibly benefit…):

• Jazz things up with a new vegetable. I have now tried shallots and poblano pepper for the first time. They were delicious! I’m going to keep my eyes open for unfamiliar produce when I’m shopping (especially at the farmer’s market) now. If it’s a good week for creativity, I’ll get it and research what to do with it. I might like it…
• Branch out with meat toppings. We eat a good amount of meat that is simply roasted with seasoning or a simple topping (like mayo and grated parmesan — the favorite). One meal had Swiss cheese and bacon on top of chicken. I’ve used cheddar and bacon often, but this combo was another kind of tasty. It will definitely be served again soon.
• Roasted vegetables + dressing > Roasted vegetables. We love roasted veggies, but we LOVED roasted veggies tossed with a simple dressing of rice wine vinegar, honey, and olive oil just before serving. I do not care for, to put it politely, cooked carrots — but I kept and ate every last scrap of these. The steak was an also-ran.
• You can do it. Most of the meals were quite simple with just a few ingredients. Now that I’ve done it once, it’s easy to get the stuff myself (or assemble what I usually have on hand) and make it again. Most meals will have an adjustment or two for our taste, but now I have more recipes in my rotation.

Bonus: Not related to the meal kits but something else I learned recently: Sour cream brings the flavor level of chicken soup up a notch or two. So yummy stirred into the bowl before eating!