Bored In The Kitchen? Try These Meal Kit Delivery Services
Times are hectic so making the best of the time we have is essential. Who would have ever thought we would have to teach our kids from home while also working a full-time job? On top of that, we are now preparing more meals than ever before. Some of us have become better chefs, forcing ourselves to cook more and some of us have opted for UberEats. No judgement either way but we have a solution to spice up your chef life. We believe meal kit delivery services will make your life easier. Best of all, you can skip or cancel at any time as you learn some new, fun recipes.
*This list is specially curated by the xoNecole team and some links are affiliate links. If you purchase an item from an affiliate link, xoNecole might earn a small commission.
Freshly
Convenient, delicious and nutritious – this is what you can expect from Freshly. The website states, "Our easy meals are made with only thoughtful ingredients like lean proteins, seasonal veggies, and whole-grain starches. Plus, we're certified gluten free." Freshly also strives to be sustainable with its recyclable boxes and low food waste with the perfect portions.
HelloFresh
HelloFresh customers love the simplicity and flexibility of this service. Whether you have a picky appetite or dietary restrictions, HelloFresh has step-by-step recipes dedicated to making your life easier and your tummy full. The ingredients are locally sourced to ensure fresh and delicious servings. I've heard nothing but rave reviews about the Mahi Mahi Piccata and the Garlic Butter Shrimp. HelloFresh has also started selling the meal kits in grocery stores so you can do a taste test before committing to weekly meals.
Home Chef
Are you a planner? Home Chef is perfect for you because you can view the menu five weeks before you place your order and curate your very own meal prep plan. Word on the street is that it is #1 in customer satisfaction. First, you pick meals that are most appetizing to you. Then, customize your plate. And finally, cook your effortless meal and enjoy. Even these Chinese Pork Lettuce Wraps look fire! I want to eat them at this very moment.
Blue Apron
Blue Apron was the first meal kit delivery service so now that there's more competition they have added a cutting edge pairing: wine. They pair the perfect wine with your meals so it's almost as if you have your own personal sommelier. We also love how Blue Apron's vision includes better standards for higher quality ingredients. They recognize that it can be hard to tell whether food is high quality and sustainably grown so they are partnering with the foremost sustainability experts to create better standards for growing food and raising animals. From veggie pad thai to hot honey crispy chicken, your palette will thank you for choosing Blue Apron.
Gobble
Gobble may just be your new best friend. This service preps the food for you so you don't have to be bothered. You won't need to peel or chop anything because the goal is to go from one pan to your plate in 15 minutes or less. Sample meals include Black Pepper Beef with Stir-Fry Vegetables and Jasmine Rice, Fettuccine Pasta Primavera with Basil Pesto Cream Sauce and Soft Poached Egg and Mexican Squash Flatbread With Cotija Cheese.
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Joce Blake is a womanist who loves fashion, Beyonce and Hot Cheetos. The sophistiratchet enthusiast is based in Brooklyn, NY but has southern belle roots as she was born and raised in Memphis, TN. Keep up with her on Instagram @joce_blake and on Twitter @SaraJessicaBee.
Jada Pinkett Smith On How Psychedelics Saved Her Life & The Status Of Her Marriage To Will Smith
Jada Pinkett Smith is speaking her piece on the status of her marriage with longtime love Will Smith. On the heels of releasing her highly anticipated memoir, Worthy, Jada is gracing the cover of PEOPLE and sharing the truth about her mental health struggles throughout the years, the infamous Oscars slap, and her marriage.
According to the 52-year-old author, though she seemed to "have it all" in life - the riches, the fame, the love, the family, there was a part of her that couldn't escape her past traumas and depression that plagued her early on in her career. "While I was really living the dream, I hit a huge wall — a massive amount of depression. I think that I looked at having outside sources to supplement for the voids that I was feeling inside," she told PEOPLE.
By the time she turned 40, she had encountered her breaking point and spiraled so deeply that she saw no way out for herself aside from death. She went on to say that she heard voices in her head telling her to end her life and that told her of her unworthiness, pulling her deeper into her depression. "I started looking for places, cliffs where I could have an accident because I didn't want my kids to think that their mother had committed suicide.”
Jada credited friends of her son Jaden for putting her on to ayahuasca, a powerful and traditional plant-based brew used for shamanic and healing rituals known for its psychoactive properties. She said partaking in ayahuasca changed her profoundly and "the suicidal thoughts completely went away."
"Ayahuasca helped me, it gave me a new intimate relationship with myself that I had never had before," she told the outlet about her first time taking the psychedelic. Keep reading for more key takeaways from Jada's PEOPLE exclusive.
Jada Pinkett Smith on the status of her marriage to Will Smith:
In what might have been a shocking revelation to most, Jada revealed to the world that she and Will have actually been separated for the past six years, going on seven years. She explained the status of their 26-year marriage to PEOPLE:
“We’re still figuring it out. We’ve been doing some really heavy-duty work together. We just got deep love for each other and we are going to figure out what that looks like for us.”
Amy Sussman/WireImage
Jada on how her relationship with Will Smith caused her to abandon her mental health:
As her star in Hollywood was rising thanks to starring roles in projects like A Different World, Jason's Lyric, and Set It Off, Jada revealed that she was taking Prozac and being treated for depression and suicidal ideation. Meeting Will would cause her to develop a false sense of not needing to take care of her mental health.
"Once I met Will, I completely abandoned my mental health. I was so intoxicated by him and our dynamic. I really felt like I'm cured," she said to PEOPLE. "He became the drug."
Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images
Jada Pinkett Smith on the self-acceptance her kids have taught her:
"My children, they’re little gurus," she told the mag of her kids, bonus son Trey, 30, Jaden, 25, and Willow, 22. "They’ve taught me a deep sense of self-acceptance.”
“They love every part of me. The level of love, unconditional love that they have for me and their dad. And it's one thing to want to be the person that gives that unconditional love. And then there's, to be the recipient of that.”
For the full cover story and photos, head over to PEOPLE here.
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'Ghostlighting' Is The Cruel New Dating Trend That Makes You Question What's Real
In 2023, the dating scene feels like an uphill battle.
Putting in too much effort can make you come off as desperate for love, and being nonchalant can make you appear cold and distant. And some could argue that the lines of communication between dating prospects aren’t just blurred, they’re obliterated by the fear of rejection and lack of clarity. Still, when things fizzle out, there tends to be a mutual understanding of providing the other party with at least the slightest bit of insight into why things won’t be moving forward.
But when that doesn’t occur, one behavior that’s easy to fall back into is that of ghosting.
As many of us have come to learn, ghosting has become a common communication default in modern dating. It’s that sudden and complete end to communication and contact with someone, typically in a romantic relationship, without any explanation or prior notice. To be “ghosted” is to be cut off from texts, calls, and FaceTime calls so abruptly that it’s as if the person pulled a full disappearing act on you.
And let’s be clear: no one likes the feeling.
Ghosting hurts. It’s disorienting and confusing, and it leaves the person who was ghosted with unanswered questions that can lead to feelings of rejection and frustration. And let’s not forget, it’s sort of an immature way of ending a relationship in an effort to avoid confrontation. But what’s worse is when the “ghoster” acts as if it never happened in the first place. And that’s when we have a ghostlighting situation on our hands.
What Is Ghostlighting?
The term “ghostlighting” is just as the name suggests, it’s the melding of ghosting and gaslighting — the act of making someone doubt their own reality — that could send even God’s strongest of soldiers into a mental tailspin. It’s when someone vanishes out of your life for an extended period of time, only to return as if it never happened; no explanation or apologies, just a casual, “Hey, how’s it going?”
You’re probably wondering how someone could even have the capacity to do both gaslighting and ghosting to a person, and well, the reasons can vary:
Communication Skills Are Lacking:
If you’re being ghostlighted, you’re dealing with someone who may be conflict-avoidant. When someone ghosts you, there’s a high chance that they’re avoiding a difficult or uncomfortable conversation, or they may find it challenging to express their feelings, so they choose to disappear instead.
Once their feelings have been processed, days or even weeks later, they could turn up and not think it’s worth rehashing.
They’re Spinning the Block:
Easily the worst reason of all is a ghostlighter could be trying to see if they can spin the block on you or give you another try. When someone ghostlights you and doesn’t care to mention the reason for their disappearance or apologize for the impact it may have caused, it’s a clear sign of emotional manipulation.
In this case, they could have ghosted you to focus on their “number one” choice, and after things didn’t work out, they’re coming back around to see if there’s still an opportunity to “retry” things with you. And if that happens to be the case: run.
Life Happened:
Sometimes life’s circumstances can truly get the best of us, and when that happens, we can either face it or run in the complete opposite direction.
Whether they were feeling the pressure from their job, family issues arose, or they hit a bout of depression and didn’t know how to share the news, the needs of their personal life might have taken precedence over that of their romantic responsibilities.
While it sucks to feel like an afterthought in someone’s list of priorities, try your best not to take it personally — after all, it wasn’t you, it was life.
How To Move Forward From Being Ghostlighted
Whatever the case and cause of your ghostlighing experience may be, it’s important to take time to reflect on how it made you feel without internalizing it as a character flaw on your end. Sometimes, a potential match may not work out, but no one deserves to be left wondering “why” or made to believe it never happened in the first place.
When you’ve been ghostlighted, and that person re-enters your life, pause and reflect about how you’d like to respond, stand in your truth, and don’t allow them to fuel any more new feelings of confusion. You know what’s real, and it’s up to you whether you cut them off completely or just need to set proper communication boundaries for what you will and won’t tolerate.
Whatever course of action you choose to take, just remember that no one gets to shape your reality but you.
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