I don't know how many times I have heard a Mom (myself included) say, "I have no idea what I am going to cook tonight." You want to cook something creative, healthy, AND yummy, but there are those nights when you are just out of ideas or just plain out of time.
Chicken again?!
Spaghetti, really?
Or better yet...
You pull out the peanut butter and jelly, slap it on some wheat bread, and throw in the towel.
Last year I came across a great meal planning service called The Fresh 20. I had tried Emeals, before they had the clean eating meal plans, and I liked it. However, many of the ingredients were processed and this time around that is not what I was looking for. Now, Emeals apparently offers more plans that offer healthier eating options, but I haven't tried it again, especially after being introduced to The Fresh 20.
The following is from the Fresh 20 website:
"Everyone wants a quick solution, but I just was not willing to serve mushroom soup casseroles or refrigerator dough to my growing family. I wasn't looking for fast and simple. I was looking for FRESH and simple. The Fresh 20 is an alternative to food as products. It's about buying less and making more. It's about loading your dinner with delicious, preservative free food. It's about saving that takeout money for something more rewarding than takeout!"
Each week I am given a new menu for the following week, complete with a grocery list, including estimated cost and nutrition facts (believe me, it's all healthy stuff!). The list consists of 20 fresh, seasonal ingredients per week. Absolutely nothing on your list will be frozen or processed. I love how all of the menu items work together. I am the QUEEN of getting carried away at the grocery store, buying too much of something, and it going bad before I ever get around to throwing it in the oven. I hate wasting food and with this plan it ALL goes to use. I also love how it gives you a prep guide. You do the prep for each meal when you have an hour or so free. I usually will do this after church on a Sunday afternoon. You chop up your veggies, cook your pasta (depending on the recipe), and make the marinades. Then, when the night comes to make your meal you pretty much just throw it all together and toss it in the oven or in the skillet. BAM! Now you have a home-cooked meal at just a fraction of the cost you would have spent eating out and more than likely much healthier as well! Not to mention all of the stress of planning and worrying what to cook is now a problem of the past.
Here's a sample of what's cooking in our kitchen this week thanks to the The Fresh 20.
Monday: Orange Pork Tenderloin w'/ Mashed Chipotle Sweet Potatoes & Grilled Zucchini
Tuesday: Macadamia Mahi Mahi with Garlic Tomato Orzo
Wednesday: Apricot Chipotle Chicken Drumsticks with Spinach Stuffed Portobellos
Thursday: Rosemary Pork Panini
Friday: Sweet Potato Cakes and Endive Salad
Most of the time I flip some of these meals to the weekend, or even to the next week, depending on what we have going on. Some nights we just eat the leftovers!
Oh, and I forgot to mention, they have many different meal plans depending on your diet or family size.
Options include: Classic, Vegetarian, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Kosher, For One, and Lunch.
Membership is $6 a month for most plans, unless you sign up for a year in which you receive a discount.
Planning ahead, when it comes to cooking, has helped our family to eat healthier (making us feel better), stress less, and even save a little money in the process.
Eating healthy doesn't have to break the bank.
Just a little food for thought :)
That is awesome! I will have to look into it. I NEVER know what to cook, and I am terrible at meal planning, which results in me going to the store just about everyday.
ReplyDeleteI completely understand! It has helped a lot and it's all healthy :)
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