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| eMeals is offering 35% off Use code CYBER35 |
The best part of menu planning, my hubby (who has 2 culinary degrees) knows what to cook. Typically, the more involved cooking meals he is responsible for cooking, while I keep get the easy recipes (spaghetti, grilled cheese, mac-n-cheese). So, when I have a craving for something 'fancy', I can put it on our menu board and it will get prepared...most of the time.
The worst part about menu planning finding new recipes. There are many times I am uninspired, but I'm tired of the same ol' recipes. No matter how much I search Pinterest, I have a hard time committing to new recipes. Not to mention, preparing a grocery list for the new menu items can often take more time than I have or cost more than is budgeted.
eMeals - the market leader in menu planning
Then...I found eMeals. Ohmygoodness...this is exactly what I needed! eMeals arrived in my life when I had started to slack on my menu planning due to a lack of inspiration combined with the obligatory holiday meal prep. When they offered a free 1 year subscription for a review of their service, I held my expectations low. I had tried some of the free menu planning services and found their variety left a lot to be desired, or their organization made the process more confusing.eMeals is the leader in menu planning with over 50 weeks of menu plans designed to save families money and not waste ingredients. Financial expert Dave Ramsey even endorses the brand for their commitment to saving families $1,000/year with their menu planning options.
eMeals is super affordable for a year's worth of meals. A one year subscription is only $58 (My Mom Spark readers can save 35% with code below). Here is what you will get:
Easy Sign Up with Lots of Options
The sign-up process what simple. I got to choose from 13 different menu styles. Everything from classic to Mediterranean or Paleo to vegetarian, there is literally a menu for all lifestyles. I choose "Simple Gourmet". Then, I set our family size; they have servings for 1-2 or 3-6, which works for young couples or growing families.
7 Day Menu Plan Ready Immediately
BAM! My account was ready to go and my 1st week of meals was ready for download. Then each week the next 7 days of meals is emailed directly to me. Or, I can log in and download my weekly menus anytime. This is a great convenience for busy moms (like me).In my download, I got exactly what I asked for - simple recipes (nothing more than 1 hour prep time), great ingredients (feta, wild rice, etc), and fully laid out shopping list of ingredients.
Shopping Lists Included
The shopping list was probably my favorite feature. It organized the ingredients by departments (so easy to find while at the store) and it labeled the ingredients based on which meal (1-7) that the ingredient was used for. To top it off, on the sidebar of the shopping list was a meal outline of "Staple ingredients" you were bound to have in your cabinets already (salt, olive oil, etc). When went shopping for this 1st week, it was incredibly easy to get everything we needed.BONUS: Coupons to the Grocery Store
If you have a regular grocery store, you can also get coupons for menu items each week. This would be a nice feature, however we shop at Trader Joe's for 90% of our family groceries, and the Simple Gourmet option didn't let us choose a store for coupons (TJ's wasn't on the list). But, any of the other menu options allow you to get free coupons.So, what did we cook?
The real test: the recipes. We decided to try the Angel Hair Pasta with Roasted Peppers, Garlic, and Feta with Sourdough Crostini on the side. We added chicken to this delicious pasta meal. Total prep time was around 25 minutes (perfect for a school night).
- 3 large red bell peppers, halved and seeded
- 1 lb box angel hair pasta
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2.25 oz package pine nuts
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 6 oz container feta cheese crumbles
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ---------------------------------------------------------------
- 1 small loaf artisan sourdough bread 2 tablespoons olive oil
The Verdict: Amazingly Delicious. Easy. And the kids ate everything except the peppers...that's a WIN in our household.
Our eMeals menu plans will be emailed to me every Thursday. While we probably won't cook every meal every week, it will be nice to have new meals on the menu each week. Plus, once I get tired of the Simple Gourmet, I can change my menu preferences at any time.
BONUS SAVINGS FOR MY MOM SPARK READERS
For my readers, eMeals is offering 35% off an annual subscription. Use code CYBER35 when you check out.Until Next Time,
Katie
This post was sponsored through Markerly.com. All opinions and experiences are 100% mine.
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