Guys, our cooking game has been totally thrown off. For the last 8 months, we’ve been lucky enough to share the house with my Mom (and brother and sister-in-law) and therefore we’ve eaten well thanks to the culinary prowess of my mother. However, in just a few short weeks we will have the house to ourselves, and thus, the kitchen. Thankfully, we are easing back into our date nights “in” and were ecstatic to have the chance to try Martha & Marley Spoon, a delivery service that landed right on our doorstep just in time for Cinco de Mayo.

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We have tried several other meal delivery services in the past (something we miss dearly about DC, boxes in abundance!) but something about the prepared meals, no matter how many ingredients were “fresh” always tasted like warmed leftovers. The lovely thing about Martha & Marley Spoon is that the ingredients arrive in portions, but the meal has not been put together, allowing for perfect “just-made” flavor.

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The meals arrive in beautiful packaging, and completely cold with fantastic freezer packs, which was good news for us as we had a huge craving for shrimp. We ordered the Shrimp & Tomato Pan Roast as well as the Tamale Pie, and over the course of 2 nights we were completely satiated. And you know Scott – he had to put together a few complementary cocktails for atmosphere….

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What everyone wants to know: how expensive is the delivery service? First of all, shipping is FREE. You choose between a meal for 2 people or a family of 4, and then how many nights per week you’d like dinner. For the two of us, dinner plans sent to our door 4 nights per week would cost ONLY 9.50 PER SERVING! In total, $76 for us to have fresh, healthy ingredients (and recipe cards to keep to make again!) without ever going to the grocery store. Honestly, we have never seen anything so affordable for a busy and active lifestyle.

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And the result? Ridiculously good. We turned the tables and cooked for my Mom, who adores a great Mexican dish. Though the dinner serving was for 2, it more than adequately served all 3 of us, a feat in and of itself.

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Tamale Pie

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Shrimp and Tomato Pan Roast – Image courtesy of Linda Pugliese/Martha & Marley Spoon

Date Night used to be pretty convenient with the DC restaurant scene at our doorstep, but we are finding a new appreciation for Date Night “in”. Looking forward to getting back into the kitchen and trying more great recipes from Martha & Marley Spoon!