Have you used a menu planning service

[springandmac]

I'm the world's most disorganized person when it comes to meal planning. I used to be organized and cooked at home but that all changed at some point. Now we just eat out and even the decision of what/where to eat is becoming a burden. DH read off his debit card transactions and all of them were for restaurants, I decided I need to get some help.


I saw the "eat at home" thread but I was wondering has anyone used a online menu planning service and if so, what was your experience? I feel like I just need some help to get started

 

[Tosie]

We were in the same boat most of last year. It is sickening to think of all the money we wasted.

That being said there are a bunch of sites out there, both free and subscription.

One resource I found to be very helpful is the book Saving Dinner by Leanne Ely (got it at the library.) She also has a website where you can purchase some of her collections. She has freezer recipes, crockpot recipes, etc.

I was recently introduced to this site http://www.momswhothink.com/easy-recipes/easy-dinner-recipes.html and have found a few recipes that I will be trying. This is a meal planning website.

Do you have a crockpot? That can make life much easier. (The Fix It and Forget It books are great). I can make something in there that can be a meal and then a lunch for another couple of days.

Things like spaghetti sauce (simple and cheapto make and much better than the jar crap) can be used for more than one meal - I make a pot that I use for 2 dinners of pasta and the rest goes into a crockpot meatloaf.

I started slow - I chose a handful of meals my family likes and made those in a week. Things like pasta, pork roast, meatloaf, turkey tacos, round steaks, chicken fajitas.

I also buy what's on sale and if I don't know what to do with it I just look for ideas on line. We've been able to try some new recipes that way.

Sorry to get a little off topic but instead of paying for a service you can probably get started on your own and if you still need help you always have that option.

Good luck!

 

[Mom2SamandJames]

I used e-mealz for a good while until I got into the habit of doing it for myself. It was $5 a month, and you choose the grocery store you shop at. It was great for our family. It included crock pot meals, some quick fix meals, and some meals that used leftovers from a previous day's meal. It was terrific! The total of my grocery bill was less than $100 if I cooked all 7 of the meals it proposed so that was GREAT!

 

[MariDisney]

I use e-mealz. You pick the plan you want (low-carb, regular, low-fat, etc.). They have some that are store specific (Wal-Mart, Krogers, etc.). You can also choose for 2 people or for a family. Each week you get a menu including side dishes and condiments and a shopping list broken up by section of grocery store. Not having to do the planning saves me a ton of time and keeps me really organized. I never have to figure out in the morning what the heck to cook for dinner. It is $15 for 3 months. There are sample menus on the website.

 

[TiffanyK]

I offer free menus with complete grocery lists and printable recipes on my site. I have over a year's worth. You can find the first 52 listed here. The first 15 of the second year can be found here.

There are a couple of "fill your freezer" menus and at least one "low cost meals" menu.

 

[ccgirl]

I just can't see paying money for menu planning when I can spend that money on groceries. What I have been doing is ordering my groceries with delivery every two weeks from PeaPod by Stop & Shop. 90% of what I purchase is sale items. I then make my menu on a blank calendar from Microsoft Outlook using what I just purchased. It has been working out great. I have been using the crockpot more than I used to. I work FT and that way the meal is ready when I get home at night. Good luck!

 

[vicki_c]

I didn't like emealz and dumped that quickly. But we like the recipes a lot on Relish (relishrelish.com). My only concern is that while we have liked almost everything we tried, most things seem quite unhealthy (and the shopping lists have been kind of expensive too). I'm not so good at modifying things and I don't think they have enough healthy meals. But if it's a trade-off between fast food and takeout, you would still be better off with their recipes.

 

[CajunDixie]

I offer free menus with complete grocery lists and printable recipes on my site. I have over a year's worth. You can find the first 52 listed here. The first 15 of the second year can be found here.

There are a couple of "fill your freezer" menus and at least one "low cost meals" menu.

Great site Tiffany!!!!!!!

 

[ilovejack02]

Great site Tiffany!!!!!!!

I love Tiffany's site. I am on her facebook and can easily see what she is cooking up when I check F.B.


I don't really use a site for meal planning, but use allrecipes.com alot. I find things I like and add to my recipe box. I check it often and make a grocery list from there. Easy peasy.

 

[Pastamom]

I offer free menus with complete grocery lists and printable recipes on my site. I have over a year's worth. You can find the first 52 listed here. The first 15 of the second year can be found here.

There are a couple of "fill your freezer" menus and at least one "low cost meals" menu.

I've used this - It's great!!!!

Having your chicken enchiladas tonight!

Love the stuffed shells too!

I use an extra calendar for the month/year to help plan my meals. I put our nightly schedule in it and go from there. It helps me visualize what I'm making and helps me give the family variety...

 

[MistressMerryweather]

We have used "Saving Dinner" Menu Mailer lots and love it.

 

[msmama]

What I did (at the end of December) was sit down and write down ALL of the meals I could think of to cook.

Then I got a blank calendar (printed it online) and started filling in the blanks. I did it for all of January.

1. I only do 5 days a week. So that leaves 1 day for eating out (if we so chose)/leftovers/easy meals (like a can of soup).

Then, I made the shopping list for the ENTIRE month. I did one HUGE shop at the beginning of the month, and obviously I've had to go back for fresh items/milk, etc.

It's actually WAAAAY easier than I thought it'd be. It took me maybe an hour or two to sit down and do it all. Just a bit shorter than a dinner at a restaurant.

I'm working on Feb now and I'm lucky that I have a lot of meals frozen in the freezer already, too! (Every Sunday is "soup Sunday" and I make 2 pots - one for that night and another to freeze).

I looked into menu planning, but I really didn't have much confidence that I'd stick with it. Since I had to do all of this myself, I'm more likely to be in it for the long haul.

Good luck!

 

[TiffanyK]

Great site Tiffany!!!!!!!

I love Tiffany's site. I am on her facebook and can easily see what she is cooking up when I check F.B.


I don't really use a site for meal planning, but use allrecipes.com alot. I find things I like and add to my recipe box. I check it often and make a grocery list from there. Easy peasy.

I've used this - It's great!!!!

Having your chicken enchiladas tonight!

Love the stuffed shells too!

I use an extra calendar for the month/year to help plan my meals. I put our nightly schedule in it and go from there. It helps me visualize what I'm making and helps me give the family variety...

I'm glad you all like my site

Ilovejack - if you're on my Facebook, you probably saw that I'll be cooking up some freezer meals soon. Boy, there was a big response to that!

 

[MistressMerryweather]

I really like the Eat at Home site. I love how it's so simple and is laid out so well. I love the pictures. I have a hard time though, because most of the recipes use at least one or more processed foods. I've really been trying to steer away from that. I love that is free and the recipes look so tasty. I wish they had other options for subbing out the processed ingredients.

 

[mom4graceandlogan]

I love eatathomecooks making Tiffany's crockpotbbq chicken tomorrow. I don't use all the recipes but work them into my menu plans. If you need someone to do it all for you it is all right there. I have done Saving Dinner also several years ago. Recipes are good, love her philosophy etc. but too many menu items that were unfamiliar to my one picky eater. I could never use the whole menu. I think you will save the most money doing your families own menu and shopping sale items on meats etc. and incorporating and stocking them. Follow the eat at home thread for lots of new ideas. Once you get some basic family favorites going it becomes really easy to get basic menus going. It really does not take long. Flylady.net has some good advice on the subject too. couponmom.com can tell you what is on sell at your grocery store.

 

[TiffanyK]

I really like the Eat at Home site. I love how it's so simple and is laid out so well. I love the pictures. I have a hard time though, because most of the recipes use at least one or more processed foods. I've really been trying to steer away from that. I love that is free and the recipes look so tasty. I wish they had other options for subbing out the processed ingredients.

MistressMerryweather, thanks for you comments on my site. That's helpful to hear. I do use some processed ingredients in some of my recipes. I like cake mixes (alot ) and I occasionally use things like Velveeta and cream soups and canned broth etc. But I also have recipes that don't use processed ingredients.

Have you ever checked out Kitchen Stewardship? I think her recipes are more all natural, with no processed ingredients.

 

[MistressMerryweather]

MistressMerryweather, thanks for you comments on my site. That's helpful to hear. I do use some processed ingredients in some of my recipes. I like cake mixes (alot ) and I occasionally use things like Velveeta and cream soups and canned broth etc. But I also have recipes that don't use processed ingredients.

Have you ever checked out Kitchen Stewardship? I think her recipes are more all natural, with no processed ingredients.

All of those things I love. I could eat a small box of velveeta myself plain and I have been know to eat cream of mushroom soup straight from the can. Darn it! LOL Just trying to stay away. Your recipes look so yummy. This one is killing me. I can't wait to try it.
Rustic Italian Sausage Pasta with Roasted Red Peppers and Two Cheese Sauce
I've been copying down a bunch of your recipes. I snuck in a couple, too.

Thanks for the link. I hadn't heard of that before.

 

[wide awake]

You want to stay away from processed foods, gross ! Here are some main dishes, along w/ sides which you can mix/match.
1. meatloaf
2. roasted chicken
3. chuck roast
4. tri-tip
5. pork loin
6. hamburgers
7. pasta w/ sauce
All of the above are easy, I am guessing you know how to cook them, if not pm me. For sides...baked potatoes, smashed potatoes, baked sweet potatoes, rice, rice and orzo, pasta, oven fries. For veg...salads, roasted veg, raw veg, veg puree. A loaf of rustic french bread, a main dish, and a veg is all anyone needs and it is so simple. For extra easy and quick....scrambled eggs or quesadillas. Fresh fruit for dessert. Roast chicken doesn't have to be a whole chicken, it can be 5-6 thighs or whatever you like. Thighs have the most flavor and are the most forgiving to cook. Soups are no work, big payback. I did a split pea today w/ about 60 seconds of work. I wouldn't get too stressed about sides. A green salad, w/ olive oil and vinegar...pour some of each on the salad, salt and pepper, toss...totally simple, no time, healthy, and good. I wouldn't get too hung up on predone menus if I were you. Just remember...protein, starch, veg....different colors...different textures (in other words something soft like mashed potatoes goes w/ something crisp like a salad)...you're good to go ! Finally, don't repeat in the same meal...if you're having cheesy potatoes don't coat your meat w/ cheese crumbs or have cheese in the salad. Lots of people do this, so icky.

 

[TiffanyK]

Here's another menu planning service. She will tailor the plan to your family size, food preferences, shopping habits, preferred cooking methods etc. I haven't tried it, but if you want menu planning that's tailored to you, it looks like a good service.

 

[springandmac]

Once again, ya'll have given me a good place to start. I work a full time job all year round and a part time job during the tax season, plus tax training classes in the fall. And to be honest, I'm just lazy when it comes to cooking. It's easier to let someone else prepare and bring me my food than it is for me to be bothered with the shopping and the the preparing and plus I'm tired!

I think that Tiffany's site will help get me back on the horse so to speak and then once I start getting some ideas then I can go back to preparing my own menus. I guess the key to it all is to be organized and right now I'm just a disorganized hot mess!