TOS Review: E-Mealz

Everyone eats, right? Whether you're a homeschooling family or not; whether your a single income family, or double income family; or single-parent family....The family must be fed! ;) It seems in this day and age, life just gets busier and busier. So, having some help in meal planning and preparation is always a good thing, isn't it?

Don't we all get in to "meal preparation ruts"? Planning and preparing the same meals, over and over again? Because they are favorites, or familiar.

I'll admit, there are times when I just want to try something new! Most of my kids are rather adventurous that way, too! ;) Little Bit?--Not so much! ;)

I was very excited when I learned we'd get to review E-Mealz! Then I saw how many choices I'd have to make! Wow!

*Regular
*Gluten Free
*Low Carb
*Low Fat
*Portion Control
*Vegetarian

Then I had to choose a store!

*Kroger
*Publix
*WalMart
*Any Store

You also have the option to choose family size: either 4-6 servings, or 1-2 servings. The 4-6 serving plans provide you with 7 meal plans a week; the 1-2 serving plans provide 5 meal plans a week. It's as easy as--

In some ways, it was a bit challenging, trying to decide which meal plan to choose, because hubby has GERD (can't have anything acidic, like citrus, tomatoes, etc.); is lactose intolerant; pretty much is a meat and starch kinda guy! I'm vegetarian. Teen Girl has Type 1 Diabetes, so should eat fairly low carb. Hubby and I could both use a bit of "portion control"! ;) Also, the children eat only "Biblically clean" meats (no pork, no shellfish, etc.).

Because I was certain there would end up being some of the "Biblically unclean" meats on the regular meal plans, at least occasionally, I figured it'd be best to steer clear of all but the vegetarian meal plan choices. And since hubby is at work during the day, we had our meals at mid day, rather than evening.

I first signed up, using the Vegetarian--WalMart plan. So, come Tuesday (which is when the Vegetarian plan is published each week), I printed off the menu, and the shopping list! I love that shopping list! I crossed off the items I already had on hand, then went shopping on Thursday (which is therapy day), with all 4 kids in tow.... :P

On the meal plans for specific stores, they have an estimated price, both for individual items, as well as the total for the list. I know that the total cost ended up higher than their estimate, which was a little disappointing to me. And, frankly, I think I spent more on food just for the meals on that menu plan, than I normally do for all meals for a week.

Then again, when you consider the time it saves! ;) There is also space on the printed list, to write in items one would need for your breakfasts/lunches (or suppers, in our case).

After making our purchases, then came the fun part of preparing the meals each day. It is so handy to have the ingredients listed, and the preparation instructions, all on the same page! The instructions are simple enough to follow. It was easy for me to say to either of my oldest two, "Go prepare such-and-such for lunch today" and it was all laid out for them! Even my 11 year could prepare the meal for us with these simple instructions! A few weeks later, I switched to the Vegetarian--Any Store plan.

Most of the meals we tried received thumbs up from all of the kids, except for Little Bit. He did like many of them, but some of them....nope. He's always been some what "picky"....because of his sensory issues. Hey! I think it's great that he will finally eat green foods! For most of his younger years, if it was green, he wouldn't eat it! (Lettuce, spinach, peas, green beans, cabbage, broccoli...) Now one of his most favorite foods is broccoli! And he'll even eat green salads now! :) There are still certain textures he will not eat, though!

Here's a run-down of some of the meals available to us over the past few weeks:

Greek Style Pizza, Salad, Garlic Bread
Orange Tofu, Brown Rice, Fruit & Yogurt
Pasta, Fresh Bakery Rolls, Apple Cabbage Slaw
Tamale Pie, Salad
Spinach Flatbread, Nutty Carrot Salad
Bean & Rice Stuffed Peppers, Steamed Broccoli & Carrots
Almond Garlic Pasta, Spinach Salad, Garlic Bread
So-Good Enchiladas, Salad, Tortilla Chips
Three Bean Salad, Pita Wedges
Baked Spaghetti Pie, Salad
Red Beans & Rice, Salad
Pasta, Broccoli & Pine Nuts, Sliced Cucumbers
Greek Style Eggs, Couscous
Tortellini Stir-Fry, Rolls
Cabbage Home Fries, Apple Salad

I think the kids will emphatically admit, this has been a much funner review to do than any math review we've ever done! ;) Definitely tastier!

The subscription is only $5.00 a month. You'll automatically be billed $15.00 every 3 months to your credit or debit card, but you can cancel your renewal if you choose. I think the time-saving factor is well worth the price, frankly, and I am seriously planning to renew when my free trial for this review concludes!

*If you want to see more of my photos of the meals we prepared, I've posted some here.*

Contact Information:

E-Mealz

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As a review blogger, I am provided a free copy of the book, curriculum or product to test and use in order to write an honest review. I receive no other compensation and the opinions I share are my own and not influenced by the company in question. Pin It Now!