{I received a free subscription through Markerly.com to facilitate my review of eMeals services. However, all opinions expressed regarding the program are 100% my own and based on my experience with the service.}
One of my goals for 2014 is to be better organized and one of the ways I plan to do that is to plan things out in advance. This includes family activity planning, blog planning, and of course, meal planning. One of my biggest challenges week after week is deciding what to fix for dinner. I try to make meal plans, but ultimately I always end up waiting until the last minute and finally, when everyone is frustrated and starving, grab whatever is available, easy, and probably not too healthy. Unfortunately this is usually the same four or five “staples” on rotation (mac & cheese, spaghetti, tuna casserole, etc.). I know, boring right? I totally agree. How do I change this vicious cycle though? By planning meals and my shopping lists out ahead of time and eMeals is going to help me with that!
What is eMeals you ask? Good question. I wasn’t sure when I first heard about them either. Well, come to find out, it’s the market leader in online meal planning solutions for busy families like yours and mine. Who knew right? The super cool thing about the eMeals service is that it’s really all about your family’s needs. You can customize your plan by food style, family size, and even by your preferred grocery store. Do you shop at Wal-Mart and strive for a paleo diet? There’s a plan for that. Want gluten free options from Safeway? eMeals has you covered. In addition to providing over 50 different weekly plans and the corresponding shopping list for your family, eMeals is designed to minimize wasted food, wasted time, and wasted money.
Even I can follow the meal plans and recipes. Check out the Spicy Mexican Chicken I made last night! It was super easy and a big hit. Hubby was so impressed that he was actually asking what was next on the menu!
By reducing waste and planning ahead, eMeals can save families on average, $1,000 a year. I don’t know about you, but I could do a lot with an extra $1,000. Especially once the holidays are over, I’ll be wanting to save a few dollars any way I can. With the help of eMeals, one of my biggest daily challenges is about to become as easy as pie! If you would like to try eMeals (and I suggest you do), sign up here and enter the code Cyber35 for 35% off your subscription.
Taryn says
November 24, 2013 at 10:12 pmWow! What a great idea! I’ve been struggling with the same thing lately. With the holiday season just starting, the planning process is the hardest to keep up with. I’m all for making things easy and saving money!
Alison says
November 24, 2013 at 10:52 pmI agree! So far I’ve been using the service a couple weeks and while there is a small subscription fee, the variety of recipes (that are quick and easy might I add) and knowing exactly what I’m getting at the market have been totally worth it. I actually look forward to the new weeks meal plan and preparing dinner in the evening now where before it was just another chore.
Terin Garrett says
November 25, 2013 at 3:51 amI have tried making meal plans before, but I am horrible at it! Possibly because my hubby ends up doing most of the cooking, lol!
Alison says
November 25, 2013 at 7:36 amThat’s okay though! My hubby does about 1/2 of the cooking in our house and even with eMeals, as long as I have the ingredients in the house, he can totally follow these recipes. Or I just include hubby in the meal planning and on the nights we know he will be cooking, he chooses what he wants to make and that’s what we plan for.
AdamB says
November 25, 2013 at 5:01 amWe just recently decided to switch to a one week meal plan. We had been planning out two weeks at a time and it is just too hard to keep good fresh foods in the house for that long!
Alison says
November 25, 2013 at 7:38 amI agree, two weeks is too for out for me as well. Freshness of produce and finances to buy that far out are two big factors there. The cool thing is that’s how eMeals works. The new meal plan & shopping list for 1 week at at time are available each Wednesday so you’re not planning too far in advance.
Karen @ Baking In A Tornado says
November 26, 2013 at 9:38 amPerfect idea. Now I’m sitting here wondering why I didn’t come up with this concept.
Alison says
November 26, 2013 at 12:48 pmI know right! Such a simple yet mind blowing concept!