#getorganized With eMeals
Yesterday I was lamenting to Essie that my meals are in a rut again. This is a very sad fact considering that I own close to a hundred cookbooks and read food blogs for hours on end.
The problem is not that I can’t cook. I can, and I do. I’m a pretty snazzy cook.
The problem is not that my family is full of picky eaters. These guys are gems. . .they eat whatever I cook. That is, unless it is Brussels sprouts, and apparently they don’t care for pot roast. Weirdos, I know!
The problem is, I stink at meal planning.
I love the thought of meal planning. I get out a stack of cookbooks or a new magazine and start going through choosing recipes. Then I get distracted. Or, I choose some $50 dish and blow our entire food budget by Monday.
Then, I give up. . .I decide we’ll just eat whatever I come up with on the fly. Which means we eat chicken breasts, or spaghetti, or chili, or cheesy potato soup. Over, and over, and over again.
Enter eMeals Meal Planning Made Simple
The truth is, I’m busy. I love lists and I prefer for someone to do the dirty work for me. Give me seven planned out dinners a week and an organized shopping list!
eMeals offers several different meal plans and they constantly add more. I chose the “classic” because, well, I’m a classic (that and I don’t want to shock my family’s taste buds!). There are also Paleo, organic, clean eating, gluten free, and diabetic meal plans. The meal plans also vary according to where you shop. If you shop at ALDI, Walmart, Target, Kroger, or Whole Foods, there are meal plans designed with you in mind. There are also plans for smaller and larger families.
I love that every week I can download a one page meal plan for the week which includes side dishes, and then a one page shopping list organized by store aisle! Dinner is covered, and I save time and money.
Our family eats more than just dinner though. We eat breakfast, lunch and snacks. eMeals does offer some breakfast and lunch plans (Which might be really nice for us in summer when everyone is home,) but during the school year we are a grab and go family.
I plan on posting this handy printable shopping list on our refrigerator so the kids (and Dakotapastor) can request what foods they want stocked at home.
This wish list “matches” my eMeals weekly shopping list, so I can easily use the two together. Click here to download your own printable PDF copy of the family wish list.
Save on eMeals this month!
New Year, New You Save 15% with code “NEWYEAR” on eMeals – Exp 2/10/13
Planning is definitely the hardest part! I actually do love the planning, but my method ends up on a slip of paper somewhere and then I can’t find it. I love the way this eMeals tool looks and one of my goals for the year is to take better advantage of tools like this that can help me be more focused, more organized, and have more time to spend with the people I love as a result.
Thanks for the tip!
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We actually have the same problem. I always find it hard to plan on our meals because all my member are really picky. Of course, you have to bare with the budget as well.
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Wow, you are so right! I feel the same way. I have a low tech solution that’s worked for me. I write out my clean eating recipes on those 5 x 7 index cards, for main meals, side dishes, etc. Then I put them into my recipe box. On Sunday night I mix and match to get the dinners I want for the week. I tack them up on a bulletin board in my kitchen. Somehow it takes the tedium out of menu planning for me. My husband even helps sometimes! Your shopping list would be a big help though.