*E* Meals

[liverandonions]

Has anyone tried this service? Weekly meal planning that connects to grocery list or pickup? 

It's like $4.99 a month and of course the longer you pay for the cheaper it goes. They offer 2 weeks free. I know I could plan for free, but I'm in a rut. They have different plan types too - low calorie, 30min meals, kid friendly etc. So I'm looking for feedback to see if it's worth it or if you can really try out the 2 weeks free without any pain to cancel if you don't like it. 

[glitzy07]

I did this several years ago, but at the time they weren't connected to any kind of grocery pick up (though they did give you the list). I still have all the recipes we got from that time and some were good. I switched between a few of the different plans to try them.

My one complaint was that it seemed like there would always be extras of stuff. So unlike something like Hello Fresh where you get just as much as you need to make the meal, I'd find that we'd have extra of certain ingredients and sometimes they were perishable ones that I would then need to find a way to use up.

[sonrisa]

Do you like following recipes? I tend to substitute or change things up so this doesn’t appeal to me. I made a fresh direct recipe last night at least that’s how I think of it. But in reality only two of the dozen ingredients were the same as the fresh direct recipe and I used it for cooking times / temp. And changed al the sides. I’d I subscribed to one of those services, I’d likely cook maybe one or two of the weekscdishes and not as desxribwd. So the grocery list part would be a loss.

[sproctopus]

Yes, my sister used it and we kind of shared it. I really loved the variety in the vegetarian options. Nearly everything was great and it was so nice to not think of meals.

[liverandonions]

Sept 3, 2021 9:11:38 GMT -5 sonrisa said:

Do you like following recipes? I tend to substitute or change things up so this doesn’t appeal to me. I made a fresh direct recipe last night at least that’s how I think of it. But in reality only two of the dozen ingredients were the same as the fresh direct recipe and I used it for cooking times / temp. And changed al the sides. I’d I subscribed to one of those services, I’d likely cook maybe one or two of the weekscdishes and not as desxribwd. So the grocery list part would be a loss.

I assume you can just not buy those items or reduce the quantity. Like for me I can’t eat bell peppers so i always omit or sub those.

[liverandonions]

Sept 3, 2021 9:07:31 GMT -5 glitzy07 said:

I did this several years ago, but at the time they weren't connected to any kind of grocery pick up (though they did give you the list). I still have all the recipes we got from that time and some were good. I switched between a few of the different plans to try them.

My one complaint was that it seemed like there would always be extras of stuff. So unlike something like Hello Fresh where you get just as much as you need to make the meal, I'd find that we'd have extra of certain ingredients and sometimes they were perishable ones that I would then need to find a way to use up.

Are you referring to a sort of unique ingredient that wouldn’t be easy to use in another meal?

[3dogdays]

I just started using it to help me get out of my meal planning rut. I do like that it connects to a grocery pickup so it’s easy to get everything. I only pick 2-3 meals a week to help with leftovers. It’s really easy to tailor the receipes to your tastes. And you can take off things from the list you already have or don’t want.

I’m only a month in but I like it so far. It’s really helps me have a plan for each night and not have to eat the same food every week.

[sonrisa]

Sept 3, 2021 10:13:50 GMT -5 3dogdays said:

I just started using it to help me get out of my meal planning rut. I do like that it connects to a grocery pickup so it’s easy to get everything. I only pick 2-3 meals a week to help with leftovers. It’s really easy to tailor the receipes to your tastes. And you can take off things from the list you already have or don’t want.

I’m only a month in but I like it so far. It’s really helps me have a plan for each night and not have to eat the same food every week.

But if you are only using 2 recipes a week and spending the time to tailor everything to your preferences, is there much value to it? That sounds like more work than just planning meals. 

[3dogdays]

Sept 3, 2021 10:22:26 GMT -5 sonrisa said:

Sept 3, 2021 10:13:50 GMT -5 3dogdays said:

I just started using it to help me get out of my meal planning rut. I do like that it connects to a grocery pickup so it’s easy to get everything. I only pick 2-3 meals a week to help with leftovers. It’s really easy to tailor the receipes to your tastes. And you can take off things from the list you already have or don’t want.

I’m only a month in but I like it so far. It’s really helps me have a plan for each night and not have to eat the same food every week.

But if you are only using 2 recipes a week and spending the time to tailor everything to your preferences, is there much value to it? That sounds like more work than just planning meals. 

For me it is. I only do 2-3 meals a week because my daughter it as her dads half the week and I eat left overs if anything on the other days. I would assume other people would do more.

I REALLY struggle with meal planning and I hate to cook so this helps keep me on track. It doesn’t take much time to look thru the recipe and adjust as needed.

[sonrisa]

Sept 3, 2021 11:59:52 GMT -5 3dogdays said:

Sept 3, 2021 10:22:26 GMT -5 sonrisa said:

But if you are only using 2 recipes a week and spending the time to tailor everything to your preferences, is there much value to it? That sounds like more work than just planning meals. 

For me it is. I only do 2-3 meals a week because my daughter it as her dads half the week and I eat left overs if anything on the other days. I would assume other people would do more.

I REALLY struggle with meal planning and I hate to cook so this helps keep me on track. It doesn’t take much time to look thru the recipe and adjust as needed.

Sounds like it works well, then  

(the only thing I like about having to feed everyone, every meal, everyday, is getting an oversized say in what we eat and when. For me, these plans take away the part of constant cooking that I like. lol.)

[statgirl]

I’ve done emeals twice (before pickup). One linked to Publix sales and the other was simple gourmet (which they don’t have anymore). I would choose clean eating or quick and healthy now.

It really worked to get me out of a rut of making the same thing all the time. I usually did 2-4 of the meals and cooked the two person variety because we didn’t have kids/kids were small. Now, I would do the family plan. What I found was that after a few months, I would have been fine just cycling back through the previous months’ plans. I had a year long deal. The publix linked one also was a lot of slow cooker stuff and I don’t slow cook many things. When we went for the second round, I researched and chose the plan that seemed to have the least slow cooker stuff.

I think about doing it again (I did get some keeper recipes that I still use) but we’ve settled on a theme rotation that I inject new recipes in each week (just one or two—the other nights are old favorites). I may do a month or two in the winter when I’m feeling blah. Or I may just get out my folder from a few years ago and pretend it is new.

[firedancer10288]

I’ve done it for about 4 months and not a fan. I meant to call and cancel this week and it kept slipping my mind. And I’m annoyed that I actually have to make a phone call and speak to someone to cancel, it can’t be done online. I feel like the recipes are very repetitive. So after a month, you’re back to the same choices again. There’s also not usually enough on my “chosen” plan (quick and healthy) that my family all likes, so then I’m spending a lot of time going through the other plans looking for more meals. It doesn’t seem like a time saver for me.

[liverandonions]

Thanks everyone for your feedback!

[chickadee77]

I did it years ago before it did the shopping for you (had the list, though). Gotta say, I wasn't a fan of the recipes. Do they have a sample week you can try? See if you like them first, and if you do, then go for it!

[liverandonions]

Sept 3, 2021 15:38:57 GMT -5 chickadee77 said:

I did it years ago before it did the shopping for you (had the list, though). Gotta say, I wasn't a fan of the recipes. Do they have a sample week you can try? See if you like them first, and if you do, then go for it!

Yes, you can try for two weeks for free, but you have to put in a CC and "sign up" for a plan, that you would roll in after the two weeks. I worry about the ease of cancelling, especially given PP info above. 

[chickadee77]

Sept 3, 2021 15:42:38 GMT -5 liverandonions said:

Sept 3, 2021 15:38:57 GMT -5 chickadee77 said:

I did it years ago before it did the shopping for you (had the list, though). Gotta say, I wasn't a fan of the recipes. Do they have a sample week you can try? See if you like them first, and if you do, then go for it!

Yes, you can try for two weeks for free, but you have to put in a CC and "sign up" for a plan, that you would roll in after the two weeks. I worry about the ease of cancelling, especially given PP info above. 

Again, it was years ago, but I didn't have any issues cancelling. I've done a lot of menu planning type things before creating my own rotation, and Fresh 20 was the only one I had difficulty cancelling, lol. I understand being cautious, though. If I still had sample menus, I'd send them your way, but I don't think I kept any since they weren't to our taste.