I have issues with menu planning. It’s kind of like a love-hate relationships. I looooove when I do it, it makes my week go easier. It makes me less stressed at dinner time. But I hate planning it. I hate trying to find the recipes and making the grocery list.
Which is why I have loved doing the once-a-month-cooking from Once a Month Mom. She picks out the meals and the gives you the grocery list. The only problem is that I usually need a partner (and a kid-free day) to do it! So, I usually stand staring into my pantry at 5:00pm wondering if having eggs for the 3rd day in a row is a problem.
At Blissdom I found out about emeals . Maybe you’ve heard of it? Well, Dave Ramsey is a fan. Yeah, like THE Dave Ramsey! It’s a simple idea–you pay $5 a month and pick a menu plan then print it along with complete recipes AND a shopping list. But wait! There’s more! The shopping list is based on the SALES of the store you shop at! You can pick from ALDI, Wal-Mart, Publix, Kroger or Ralphs (or “any store”). And if you are a coupon-er, you can do even better by adding your coupons to the mix!
I am shopping less and less at the grocery store so didn’t know if this would help me too much. I make all my own bread products (yeah, I do), I buy milk, meat and cheese from a farmer and am part of a vegetable share. Well, emealsthought of that, too. They have different menus to choose from–Regular Family Meals, Regular Meals for Two, Gluten Free, Low Carb, Portion Control and Vegetarian! I picked the Portion Control and most of the food comes from the perimeter of the grocery store–not many cans or boxes! {See some sample menus–and look! an Easter menu!}
I’ve used emeals for two weeks and I really like it. I love that the menu and recipes are all on one page…I just printed it and taped it inside my pantry door so I can look at it quickly. I love that the meals are diverse–a soup, a casserole, a chicken dish, seafood, pizza, beef and pork all seem to come up evenly. I love the shopping list is easy to read and is also on one page. You can see the adjustments I had to make on mine above—some food I bought from the farmer and other things I made from scratch. I love that the shopping list has prices on it–perfect for shopping on a budget.
So, this week, my emeals menu is:
Monday: Tandoori Chicken Strips with Corn on the Cob and a Green Salad
Tuesday: Mexican Pasta Skillet (which I’m gonna serve over baked potatoes instead of pasta) and a fruit salad
Wednesday: Grilled Tilapia and Mango Salsa with Grilled Sweet Potatoes {we don’t have a grill, so I’ll have to do this inside}
Thursday: Italian Chicken Wraps with Cranberry Slaw
Friday: Chicken Dijon with Wild Rice and Broccoli and Cheese
Saturday: Black Eyed Pea Soup, Cornbread Muffins and Sliced Strawberries
Sunday: I don’t cook on Sunday! (there was another meal, but I didn’t make it)
Now here’s the best part! Yesterday I cooked ALL OF THESE MEALS and put them in the freezer! All I have to do is pour stuff in the crockpot, throw it in the oven or piece it all together in a pan! I’m so excited! It was easy last week when I just followed the emeals menu plan every day, but now that I coupled it with freezer cooking? I am in LOVE!
Disclosure: I received a subscription to emeals to facilitate my review. I am also an affiliate for emeals. So, if you sign up via my links I will get a small percentage of the sale. And then YOU can be an affiliate, too. As usual, opinions and thoughts are my own.
why this post is awesome: homemaking is hard for me. this helps me be more awesome in that area.
Marci@OvercomingBusy says
Meal planning is essential to my mental well-being! There is nothing more stressful than having nothing planned for dinner at 6 o’clock with the family glaring and/or whining! I have been looking at emealz for a while. I would love the chance to try it for free! 🙂
Marci@OvercomingBusy says
I tweeted!!
Sarah M says
Oh it is definitely a love-hate relationship with meals!! I would cook all day everyday if I could sit down for long enough to come up with a meal plan. I take an evening class, work full time outside of the home, and now we are in full swing with baseball season! My meal planning usually consists of asking my son in the morning, what’s for dinner? he gives me a meat or veggie suggestion, I take it out of the freezer, and spend my work day subconsciously thinking of recipes!
Sarah M says
I tweeted!!!
Sarah M says
I posted on facebook . . .
Vicki says
I am a disaster when it comes to meal planning. I was so excited when, last Sunday, I sat down, pulled out my cookbooks and planned the whole week. Got myself to the grocery store and everything. Then, my hubby worked late EVERY NIGHT. I had a few good meals for myself and then a few nights of Ramen. I feel like I’m back in college. While it’s just the two of us, that’s okay, but when the kids start coming along, I’ll need to be better organized!
michelle says
I’ve been curious about emealz for a while. I’m not convinced it would work for me, but I’d love to give it a try! I’ve started menu planning again after a long baby-induced hiatus. It turns out I love blogging about my menu plans – such an unexpected surprise! I love to cook but don’t always feel creative on the spot. Blogging about it is just added incentive to plan ahead.
Thanks for the great explanation and chance to win!
oh amanda says
What do you think wouldn’t work? Maybe I can answer a question?
Jamie @ Six Bricks High says
I have that same love/hate relationship. I love it when I have my menu planned but sometimes I just can’t bring myself to plan it out.
Tricia says
ummm…I hate meal planning and cooking dinner…bad combo….thus dinner time is stressful. When my husband went to Haiti a few weeks ago….the super stay at home moms at my church brought us meals every other day…..now that’s a great meal plan!!! Got to send that hubby back to Haiti…… 🙂
Tricia says
liked on FB
Wendy says
I stink at meal planning. Last week I felt motivated, roasted a chicken, made broth to use later, and guess where it is? Still in my fridge and headed for the trash. Along with some asparagus I had good intentions for. So shamefully wasteful. Ugh.
Pick me, random number generator, that no more chickens shall die in vain!
shelly walker says
I have a hate/hate relationship with menu planning. 🙂 It generally does not mesh well with my perfectionistic ways…..so I just don’t do it. But I SOOOOO want to start trying.
shelly walker says
I shared on Facebook too!
Tara Cherry says
My relationship with meal planning is that I know I need to do it, but I find it hard to make the time to do it. It would help our little family so much if I did.
Thanks for the chance to try! If I don’t win, I may just sign up 😉
Stacia says
I try to meal-plan each week using the local store ads but it takes time that I don’t have with being a Children’s Pastor, Home Childcare Provider, Pampered Chef Consultant, mom of 2 teenage boys and a wife!! I’ve thought about E-Mealz but decided to go with another ‘meal planning’ site and I’ll just say that I’m not please at all with it. Would love to check out E-Mealz!!
Stacia says
I tweeted this giveaway @stacia527
Stacia says
I ‘liked’ this giveaway on FB
Meredith says
Meal planning and I are strangers. I have often wanted to become better acquainted, but in the end was too busy trying to keep my 4 year olds picky eating habits healthy.
Meredith says
Tweeted it!
Tracey says
I am fairly diligent about meal planning, though I do take a week off every now and then! It just helps my week – as well as my grocery shopping – go much more smoothly if I at least have a plan, even if it changes as the days go by.
Tracey says
I tweeted – http://twitter.com/#!/GirlstoGrow/status/60015859489456128
Lesley says
The only thing I love about it is that it’s great when done correctly. However, I usually get around to doing it every other month. I have been thinking of trying EMealz so I’m glad to see another recommendations!
Lesley says
It’s on my twitter 🙂
Anne says
I love meal planning. I’m a convert–it is NOT something that came naturally to me at all! I am always looking for new ideas, though….and I’ve had friends rave about emealz.
Catie says
I’m like you, I love it when I do it, but I’ve probably only planned our meals about 3 times!! Thanks for the chance to win this! 🙂
Caroline says
I could relate to your feelings on meal planning. I do like how much it helps… I just need to keep up with it! Something that helps sometimes is that I’ve made a list of about 15 dinners we like. I pick from those dinners, which gives us about 3 weeks of meals. It’s not a whole lot of variety, but it helps!
Thanks for this opportunity!
Carrie Duvall says
I do try to plan out my meals a week at a time, but I find that after a week or two, I usually repeat at least one of those meals. Would love to win this, but I’m seriously considering purchasing it as well ; )
Carrie Duvall says
I shared this on Facebook
Carrie Duvall says
I tweeted about this! 🙂
Beth says
My menu planning is erratic–I will be in a great groove for several weeks, and then all of a sudden…I couldn’t think of what to cook for dinner if my life depended on it! E-mealz sounds great, and I loved the dinner options you posted.
Chelsey says
I have a love/hate relationship with meal planning. I love it when it happens, but most of the time it doesn’t so I hate it! This sounds exactly like what I need! 🙂
Chelsey says
I shared on facebook!!
Chelsey says
I tweeted! 🙂
Rebecca says
I have a spreadsheet…..that I reuse….actually 3 of them. This helps me rotate and maintain some type of sanity. I have most of my food delivered, but do have to go to the store once/month! This would be awesome!
Thanks for dropping by and saying hello!!!
Desiree says
I TRY and menu plan every week. But, we always get off track. I think it’s because I need new dinner recipes and am tired of eating the same ones 🙂
Desiree says
like on FB as Desiree Glaze
Desiree says
http://twitter.com/#!/WeeShare/status/60110450595078144
Patty says
I would love to try ezmealz! I am so tired of trying to figure out what to eat and my husband is tired of the same old thing! Wait I am too!
marissa says
I LOVE menu planning!!! This week we are eating JUST pantry/freezer stockpile. I’m not a great cook {yet} so researching doesn’t bother me since I am learning as I go 🙂
Ginny says
Oooh I have never heard of this and saw it on a friend’s Facebook comment. My relationship with meal planning? I’m a meal planning failure. I try and last 2 days and then the other food I have goes bad because I’ll realize mid week that I forgot to buy some of the main ingredients. This looks like a much easier idea!
Betsy (Eco-novice) says
You are such an eco-conscious eater. Love that. I don’t think one of these services could work for me, but, heck, it’s worth a try.
Tracie Snipes says
Relationship with meal planning:
We’re on a break!
Seriously, my excuse is that it’s hard to cook for one or I’m never home. But I end up spending a fortune on eating out and then it’s never healthy food.
Tracie Snipes says
Aaannddd just shared it on FB 🙂
Tracie Snipes says
Just tweeted about it!
Laura C. says
I love to menu plan but with a little one it is hard to find the time. That’s why I love emealz and would love to win the free membership!
Sarah says
I love to plan and make lists….but somehow this characteristic does not carry over to meal planning. I end up going to the store 4 or 5 times a week to pick up things I need. I know I could save money by making one big trip, paying attention to sales, and couponing, so EMEALZ would really help me out!
Sarah says
I tweeted 🙂 http://twitter.com/#!/sarah_christine
Meredith says
I have a hit or miss approach to meal planning
Andrea says
I bookmark menus, and, well, that’s as far as I get. I need help!
oh amanda says
Exactly! I subscribe to TONS of recipe blogs. And then…NOTHING.
Laura says
I am a huge fan of meal planning but it’s not something I do regularly anymore. I need to start again. This E-Mealz looks great!