My Relish! Menu Planning Review
A few weeks ago we gave away a one year subscription to Relish!, the online menu planning website.
I was introduced to it by a friend who kept talking about these amazing meals she was cooking every night. She has used Relish! for a few months and loves the service for her family. She follows it faithfully and loves going to the grocery only once a week with her organized grocery list.
I, on the other hand, was not as succesful with my venture into menu planning with Relish! The concept is really good and it helped me to realize how important it is to meal plan, something that I've always wanted to do, but never got around to doing. The Relish! website is also very organized and actually encourages you to choose new recipes for your family which is great. I just think I need to stick with more recipes I know. I've realized that I'm not that adventurous when it comes to new recipes and foods and my husband isn't either. We won't even get started on our VERY picky three-year-old.
My first mistake was taking my three year old to the grocery with me for my first shopping trip. For the first trip, it took more thought than my usual grocery trip, because I was buying things I don't normally buy. Throwing an impatient three-year-old into the mix didn't help.
On the way home, I realized how great it was to know that I had all the ingredients I needed for five meals! Sometimes I come home from the grocery and still think, what did I buy that I can throw together for a meal? I LOVED having all the ingredients for the meals I selected, but I also wondered each day if that night's meal would be a success or a failure and we'd have to order pizza.
I am still considering using Relish! for a meal or two a week in conjunction with some of my other standard recipes. I hope to get better at meal planning. In the next few days, I'll be posting a meal planning spreadsheet here on BBA that I found recently while blog hopping.
I'd still suggest checking Relish! out for yourself, because I think it can be great for some families. Let us know if there are any menu planning methods or services that work for you.
4 comments:
Oh... I love going to the grocery store with my kids... when it's one on one, not both. Make it a game. I tell my daughter to look for an item or a color or a letter. She likes to help pick out the fruit. With my son, I sing songs about colors or food or show him produce. he tries to repeat the word... although most everything ends up being "apple" or "nana". Costco is handy with the two b/c they have the extra large carts so both can sit and snacks. snacks keep them occupied nicely. ; )
I like the idea of relish.... but don't want to spend the money on it. I just need to cook the meals I plan... that's my big problem. Not following through. No website is gonna help with that.
what a great idea. We are so short on time work nights that my poor kids end up eating alot of PB & J
There is a free menu planning website that I use every once in a while...it is www.menusformoms.com
It uses quick and easy recipes, helps you allow for leftovers for subsequent dinners, gives you a grocery list, and helps you stock your pantry and freezer with the basic items that you will use often. Most of the recipes are very kid-friendly.
I highly recommend this site!
Oh, you also have the option of paying for upgraded menu options if you don't like the free basic menus.
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