A few weeks ago, you all may have noticed that I mentioned Instacart a few times on my Twitter and Instagram — it's basically the service that I have been waiting to come along. It perfectly takes advantage of our smart phone technology to make meal planning and grocery shopping easier than ever.
We all have busy lives, it seems. Everyone has something going on. I love grocery shopping, but for me, it can be a little cumbersome considering I sort of live in a little grocery-store-dead-zone. For about the past year, I've been using Zipcar to do my shopping.
Consider this: I pay $15 per month for Zipcar plus an additional $9 per hour to rent a car. This puts my one-time-per-month grocery shopping at an additional thirty-three dollars. Keep that in mind for a moment, as well as the idea that since it's now warm outside, I typically only use Zipcar for grocery shopping.
So if you're working all day, you can order groceries on your commute home via the Instacart iOS app. If you're finishing up your work day, you can place an order via your desktop. If you know how you're planning out your meals, you can make an order in advance and have it delivered to you at a future time of choosing. Instacart really has your bases covered. Beyond that, you have a choice from where you want to get groceries. In Chicago we have Mariano's, Whole Foods, Jewel, and a few others (if Trader Joes ever makes it on that list, I will be as happy as a clam). Other cities have other applicable store options.
Today I'm going to share with you how I made a meal using Instacart. If you're like me, you're busy (I know you are!). Sometimes you just want to come home, make something that's delicious, but easy.
Introducing Hummus-Crusted chicken with veggies and a Mini Penny twist on a classic summer drink. (This is the my first time making this dish, for the record. I changed it a bit, bit overall... Thanks, Pinterest!)
How to Order
First, I'm using the iPad app, but you can also use the iPhone app or the desktop version to add items to your cart. There are a few ways to do this — you can either search for a specific item (as I'm doing here for the zucchini), or you can browse categories. From there, you can see it broken down by fresh, frozen, or any other form like juices, etc. You can select the quantity and see prices by tapping on the item, and then add it to your cart. (I decided to do quite a bit of grocery shopping this time around)
From here, you're able to select the delivery address, your payment method (stay tuned — at the end of this post I'll tell you how you can get free groceries and free delivery from Instacart!) and when you would like the delivery. Bam.
What happens if your personal shopper is at the grocery store and they happen to be out of bananas? Well, thankfully, Instacart thought about this. Before your order in placed, you'll have a screen where you get to pick alternates of each of the items in your cart. If they don't have the regular zucchini I selected, for example, I can give them instructions to pick me up the organic zucchini. The personal shoppers are also really awesome at calling mid-shop to make sure their replacement items are okay — that way you don't get charged for something you don't want!
If you don't want a replacement, you can select that as an option. If they happen to be out of the zucchini I want, I simply won't be charged for zucchini in the end.
Now what? Once your order is placed and confirmed, you'll get a confirmation email. For this order, I selected the two hour time window. So now you can prepare for your dinner party, get started on your commute home, shower, or do whatever it is that you need to do in the meantime.
Delivery
I selected the two hour time frame and my items where here right on time! My shopper verified my ID for the alcohol purchase, I tipped him, and the transaction was complete. Easy!
Cooking
Hummus-Crusted Chicken (makes four servings)
This chicken recipe is so easy and delicious, and that's why it's perfect for spring and summery evenings when you just want to relax.
Here's what you need:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and Pepper
1 zucchini, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped (I used half of an onion
1 bunch of asparagus, chopped
1/2 pound of brussel sprouts, quartered
1 cup hummus
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lemon
Old Bay Seasoning
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Prepare a 13x9 cooking dish with cooking spray.
In a bowl, toss the veggies with olive oil until coated. Season it with salt and pepper. Spread the veggies in the bottom of your baking dish in an even layer.
Season your chicken breasts with salt and pepper, spritz with the juice from half of your lemon, and lay the breasts overtop of the veggies. Cover each chicken breast with hummus and then sprinkle the pan with Old Bay. Slice the remainder of the lemon and place it in the pan.
It will look like this as you're about to put it in the oven! Bake 30 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked and the veggies are tender.
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Mini Penny Shandy
I used to love making these with Yuengling in Philly. Unfortunately, there's no Yuengling here. But grab another lager (confession: I love cheap lagers. I'm not a beer person at all, but enjoy something light in the summer!) and try this twist on a classic.
Lager (I went with Tecate this time)
Limeade (I used Simply Limeade)
Lime
Salt and cajun spice to garnish
Garnish the rim of the glass with squeezed lime and mixture of salt and cajun spice. Fill each glass halfway with Tecate, then fill the rest of the way with limeade and ice. Stir. Garnish with a slice of lime and enjoy!
Enjoy
And that's it! Easy, right? So convenient! Next time I make it, I'm definitely going to cook my vegetables stove top (sort of like stir-fry), as this recipe made them a little too soft for my liking. I think it would be a great alternative to cook the chicken on its own with the lemon and the vegetabes can change depending on what is in season!
Consider what I said earlier about the price of my Zipcar membership. Well, Instacart's delivery fee is less than that. At the end of the day, I'm actually saving myself buy using this app!
And you can, too! I'm so stoked about Instacart, that I want you all to give it a try. You can get $10 off your first order and get free delivery when you use the code "MINIPENNY". To apply the code, visit the 'My Account' section on the desktop version and enter it as a coupon code, or navigate to the account section on the iOS app. Instacart is available in San Francisco, New York, Philly, LA, Chicago, DC and Boston!
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