I am a planner. I love having an organized plan of action for the day, week, even month! I have been known to share that When you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. That holds true for so many areas of my life.
I have a set fitness training plan that I have pre-written in my planner. It might not always go according to what is written, but I am more likely to do it because there is a plan set in place.
I have a few great Bible devotional plans that I have ping me on my phone as a reminder to read, study, and get in the Word.
Having a plan with food is key for success on this whole weight loss journey as well as during the crazy witching hour. When there is a dinner plan in place, I am less likely to: snap, go crazy, yell, run through the drive through, or frantically throw something together.
I love meal planning. I have found that when I plan my meals a week in advance, I am less stressed and more prepared to tackle the dreaded witching hour and meal prep with three hungry kids (and one hungry daddy) in tow.
I was given the opportunity to review the meal planning website e-mealz this past month. I have heard many things from my friends who have experience with this company. I was curious how it all worked and was eager to try it out.
Upon signing up for e-mealz, you choose a plan that works for you and your family. You choose the grocery store you frequent, any dietary restrictions or goals (portion control, low fat, etc), and serving size (large family, small family).
Once you have chosen your plan, e-Mealz provides a week’s worth of dinner menu ideas for you which includes a printed grocery shopping list.
I chose the regular family meal (3-6 servings) option while shopping at the store WalMart. I was happy to explore, try, and introduce new dinner options and recipes that I would not usually prepare for myself or my family. We were not bored with the same (comfortable) dishes that I usually prepare.
However, the meals suggested and its prep were not always the healthiest options available. I was able to tweak a few of the recipes suggested for healthier versions that work for me and my family.
e-Mealz boasts that Dave Ramsey recommends this program. I can see how meal planning as a whole can save families money. Using e-mealz does break up the monotony of eating the same cheap meals each night (spaghetti, beans and rice, etc). However, the average cost for just dinner was around $90 a week. This did not include any other meals (breakfast, lunch, snacks).
My children eat SO MUCH from 6AM to 4PM, and very little after that. This was not a huge money saving scenario for me and my family.
However, using e-mealz this past month was fun exploring, trying, and tasting new recipes!
If you are in a meal planning frump or find yourself frazzled during the witching hour because you didn’t have a meal plan in place… you should try out e-mealz! Partnering with e-mealz I am offering ONE lucky reader/commenter a free 3 month membership!
Would YOU like to try out e-mealz!?
Leave me a comment telling me why you would like to try e-emealz.
Really, REALLY want to win?
You can earn extra entries below (please make sure you add a separate comment for each entry!)
Follow: @RunningRachel and e-mealz on twitter (1 entry)
Tweet: “I would love to have the ____ meal plan from @e-mealz ! #Giveaway http://bit.ly/yRgEqi (1 entry)
Like: RunningRachel on facebook and write “I need meal planning help” (or something similar) on the wall.
Disclosure: I received e-mealz meal planning service for free. Opinions are my own. No compensation was exchanged. Giveaway winner chosen via and the winner is plug-in on February 5th.
Corrina says
I agree…my kids eat way more during the day than for dinner. Maybe as they get older that will change but sometimes getting them to even eat a decent amount is a pain. And then they ask for food at 7pm before bed half the time. LOL. Usually my answer is no! Or they get fruit.
Robin says
I would love to win this I love cooking for my family but there are some weeks when meal planning drives me crazy!
Robin says
I followed you on Twitter and left a message on your wall.
Robin says
I already follow you on Twitter. My last message meant to say I followed you on Facebook.