Let me start off by saying that I don’t consider myself a chef, nor do I know anything about photographing food. But the plan is intended for regular families like mine and yours, so that covers cooks of varying skill and the fact that the meals look almost as good in pictues as they tasted speaks well for how easy they were to prepare. I’d also like to point out that three out of the five meals I made were dashed off in the scant moments I had between getting home from work and picking the girls up from daycare and dinner time.
First off, the coolest thing about the site is that you can customize your meal plan in so many ways. My husband is vegetarian so I used that menu, but there are also plans for 400 calorie dinners, and a wide variety matching to your local supermarket so you’re not searching the aisles looking for an ingredient that isn’t carried at your store. I can’t tell you how many times my Mom has shared a fabulous recipe with me and then I can’t find the specific vegetable blend it calls for because it’s only at her local market.
So I said my husband is vegetarian. I’m not. I also have Arden who’s three and Hadley who’s 10 months old to feed. So here are a few of our meals:
Caprese Salad with breadsticks and peaches. Yum! Who doesn’t like fresh mozzarella and ripe tomatoes? Arden helped make the breadsticks, and she ate those and some of the mozzarella and peaches. Hadley even got in on the action and gummed part of the breadstick and had some pieces of peach.
Baked Tortellini, Walnut Broccoli, Tossed Salad. The tortellini was made with a quick Mornay sauce and I used frozen tortellini. Pretty easy! I’ve been avoiding broccoli since I’m still breastfeeding, but Dave said it was very good. Arden liked the tortellini and had a few broccoli “trees”.
Refiried Black Bean Tostada, Spanish Rice. This was a different meal for us – I’ve made mexican meals without meat, but the crisp tortillas and homemade Spanish rice went together quickly. Arden mostly ate the olives off the tostada I made for her.
Creamy Avocado & White Bean Wrap, Kale Chips, Cantaloupe. I’ve never tried kale chips before and I have to say they’re pretty tasty, and quick to put together. Arden helped me to tear the leaves off the stem, but wouldn’t try the chips. She did eat one of the wraps very well, but without the “purple stuff” which was a purple cabbage slaw with a light vinegar dressing. Dave really liked it and it was very easy to prepare. If you could find shredded purple cabbage it would be even faster.
My take on the website is that it is definitely something you should check out. Plans begin at $1.25/week for the longer subscriptions, or you can go week by week for $5.00. Once you’ve purchased your menu, you can choose which meals you want to keep – say you’re having dinner with friends one day and won’t be making a meal at home on Friday – just uncheck that meal and it won’t be included in the shopping list. You also get to decide how many people you’re feeding when you print the recipes and the shopping list. I wasn’t sure for each of the meals if I wanted to try to feed Arden, so I printed for two people and for four and just prepared each meal accordingly.
I received a free trial subscription to Meals By The Week to give my opinion and feedback. This review is my honest opinion of the service offered.
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