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This is an NCR Post.
NCR=Not Cruise Related. But honestly, I can relate anything to a cruise. LOL
We usually try to take a quick trip somewhere for Mom’s birthday. We own a timeshare with Bluegreen and pretty much just fell in love with one of the properties in Myrtle Beach.
We are always super excited to go and this year, I have a semi-full itinerary planned. We like to get away, but as we have matured in our travels, we only go-go-go when we’ve never visited a place before. If we’ve been several times, we are just there to chillax (it’s a word. Check the Urban Dictionary. LOL) This is the case with Myrtle Beach. It’s only a 3-4 hour drive and who doesn’t like hanging out at the beach?!
Here’s the itinerary:
Pre-Birthday Celebration
- Dinner at McCormick & Schmick’s
- Alvin Ailey Dance Theater
While at the Beach
- Motor City Musical (Mom absolutely LOVES this!)
- Captain George’s Seafood Restaurant (a regular hangout for us)
- House of Blues Gospel Brunch (a new addition to the routine)
Based on the above, it looks like we like to eat, huh? Yeah, we do!
Because we’re at a timeshare with a fully equipped kitchen, we typically bring our breakfast and lunch with us. But on our last trip we decided to take Martha & Marley Spoon meals with us.
Think about it. When you go out of town, how much money are you spending just eating out? Quite a bit. Especially if you’re doing all 3 meals daily. As an avid cruiser, I’m used to having all of my meals included. But, if you are going somewhere with a fully-equipped kitchen, why not eat in a few nights?
That’s where Martha & Marley Spoon helped us out.
Martha & Marley Spoon sends the recipes of your choice and the fresh, pre-portioned ingredients you need to cook them directly to your door, so you can enjoy something new and delicious any night of the week. With over 18,000 recipes from the Martha Stewart archives to draw from, menus feature carefully tested dishes that range from classic to creative. Choose from 10 recipes every week, pick your preferred delivery day, and skip any weeks that don’t work for you. Whether it’s grass-fed beef, artisanal vinegars, or seasonal produce, Martha & Marley Spoon works directly with the finest purveyors to deliver the best to your door.
– Marley Spoon
Note: This is NOT a sponsored post. I purchased this box with my own funds and all opinions are my honest thoughts and feelings.
We got our first box with a $30 off coupon. So for about $35 we received 3 meals for 2 people. My mom has a very restrictive diet due to a medical condition and we had no problem finding dishes she could eat. We ordered:
- Spanish-Style Shrimp Sauté with Spinach and Garlicky Croutons
- Tunisian-Spiced Chicken with Buttery Polenta
- Seared Steak and Garlic Butter with Oven Fried Brussels Sprouts
The kit comes with everything you need except the cooking utensils, salt & pepper, and olive oil. I mean, it comes with pats of butter, spice mixes, cheese and even an egg if the recipe calls for it. We checked the recipe to see what items we needed and packed them up with the rest of our things. The timeshare had most things, even down to a cheese grater. We just brought things like a cast iron skillet that we knew would probably not be provided.
The directions are very detailed and easy to follow. They are listed in the order you need to do things so that the entire meal is ready at the same time. We’re not food designers, but I think our dishes came out very close.
Spanish-Style Shrimp Sauté
This was really delicious! The broth was seasoned perfectly. The croutons to sop up the broth gave the dish the crunchiness it needed while the shrimp and spinach brought the flavor. We gave this dish 5 stars.
Seared Steak and Garlic Butter with Oven Fried Brussels Sprouts
This dish was so good, we’ll make it again on our own. The steak was seasoned and cooked perfectly. And the brussels sprouts! They called them oven fried brussels sprouts, but they were parmesan Brussels sprouts. Cheese makes everything taste better! These were the best brussels sprouts I’d ever had in my life! We gave this 5 stars.
Tunisian-Spiced Chicken with Buttery Polenta
I was a little worried about this dish because it called for ras el hanout spice blend. I’d never had this before, but I was fully invested so I gave it a try. It turned out great! The tomato ragu was delicious. There was enough chicken for 4 servings, but only 2 servings of polenta. The next day, I had it over rice and it was just as good. And now I have a new spice blend to cook with! We gave this 5 stars as well.
Overall, we really liked this idea and the dishes. So much so that we’re taking Martha & Marley Spoon on our next beach trip!
And how is this cruise-related you ask? Every penny I save while I’m not cruising goes toward cruising. Okay, maybe not EVERY penny, but you get the gist! I’m a cruise-a-holic.
If you want to give Martha & Marley Spoon a try, go on and click below and get $30 off your first box. Come on back and let me know how you enjoyed your box!
Ola, I LOVE this post! I really love how you compared your meal to the super staged pinterest photos. The food looks amazing! I’ve been wanting to try a meal kit, but most of them don’t ship to Hawaii. Also, lived in SC for 2 years in the Charleston area and I completely agree with your feelings on Myrtle. It is the perfect get away!
That’s a bummer they won’t ship to Hawaii. ?
We absolutely love going to the beach and go twice a year now. The best staycation location in the south!
Great idea! I might use this for our vacation later this year 🙂 How was the Alvin Ailey Dance performance? If they ever travel to my city I plan to see them!
Alvin Ailey was absolutely fantastic! We’ll go see them every time they come to town!
That’s a fabulous idea! The meals look tasty and it gives you a chance to taste things that you might not make on your own. I also appreciate a coupon for $30 off, I’ll have to give this a try.