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Monday, November 9, 2009

Relish!

One of hardest things in life for me to do is menu planning because it involves so much, well, planning. First, I scour the grocery store ads to see what's on sale. Then I try to come up with meal ideas from there. The grocery list comes next, then the actual schlepping to the store with a hyper toddler, and then I have to come home and actually cook the food. Not to mention that my son hardly ever naps anymore so making a meal with him tired and cranky is a challenge in itself...if I even get that far. Sometimes the whole process is way too exhausting and we end up going out for fast food. You know what I need? Something to help me with the initial planning and meal ideas so that all I have to do is worry about the cooking. I need Relish!

Relish! is a genius meal planning system. Seven dollars a month will get you access to weekly menus where you can pick and choose which meals you want to make. Once you've chosen five meals, an organized grocery store list is automatically prepared for you - just print it out and off you go to the store. For me, this is truly the amazing part of the service. Between various chores and a toddler constantly tugging at me, I can spend hours working on a grocery list only to discover that I've forgotten a key ingredient upon arriving home from the store.

In addition, the meals actually sound appetizing. I've gone to other recipe sites before where they tell you something to the effect of "Quesadilla - put shredded cheese in a tortilla, fold in half and microwave." Sure, it's quick and easy but not exactly the well rounded meal I was hoping for. With Relish!, I'm looking forward to making meals like Spaghetti with Roasted Squash or Cumin Pork Chops with Avocado Salsa. These take less than an hour to prepare and easy to understand directions are provided. There's also a section for freezer meals - recipes are provided once a month and are a great way to save time. Every recipe on the website is archived as well, so if you make one that you really like you'll still have access to it later on. There's so much going on here to simplify the process of menu planning. Relish makes it easy to focus on cooking and enjoying eating a great meal... which is exactly how it should be - go Relish!

WANT TO WIN? One winner will receive a one year subscription to Relish! To enter, leave a comment on this post prior to Monday, November 16th at Midnight and tell me either how you go about meal planning, or your favorite easy dish to make. Please include your email address with your comment. Contest open to residents of the US and Canada.

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14 comments:

  1. I am not sure what I do is considered meal planning. I typically cook some kind of meat on the weekend to last me the week, then I eat that with diffrent veggies. Of course by friday I am sick of the food and splurge on processed food!

    My current plan (if I ever get around to implementing) us to marinate small quantites then then do quick stir frys or something...but it's the cooking part that evening that stumps me a bit! Maybe this site will help!

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  2. I generally make up a menu, make my grocery list and then check to see what's on sale where. I always shop 3 different grocery stores LOL! My favorite quick and easy meal is definitely hamburger casserole!

    Cennet@triad.rr.com

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  3. I could certainly use some help planning meals before I go shopping! My favorite easy meal is chuck roast in the crockpot with a can of cream of mushroom soup and 1/2 package of onion soup mix. Serve over egg noodles and with a favorite veggie - easy and the kids eat it!
    greenlancer at comcast dot net

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  4. I usually plan my menu around the store fliers.

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  5. I see what's on sale and then plan a week's worth of dinners around it and what we have in the freezer.

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  6. My favorite easy dish to make is a pasta bake. Layer cooked noodles with mozzarella, cottage cheese, and homemade tomato sauce. Bake for 30 minutes. Freezes well too.

    Thank you for the chance to win!
    ssovrnej (at) gmail.com

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  7. Anything I can throw in the crock-pot :)

    ktgonyea at gmail.com

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  8. Well I start off with good intentions. Iusually have one or two things that I am planning on making. But it seems that I need to run to the store half the time - with a very active toddler. So I try to make do with what is in the fridge and pantry. The other issue is if I try to cook while he naps he seems to know what I am doing - and the nap only lasts for 30 minutes. I know the little sweetie just wants to help, but still ...

    My easy meal is pasta and sauce or to put a pan of soup on the stove. I never think about the slow cooker until it's too late.

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  9. My favorite easy dish to make is Taco Salad

    Its inexpensive and everyone loves it.

    Recipe can be doubled, tripled etc.

    I use 1 lb of lean ground beef, brown it in frying pan, then add 3-4 roma tomatoes, 1 pkg of taco seasoning mix and 1 large bottle of Kraft Catalina dressing.

    In the meantime, I shred a head of lettuce, about a 1/2 of brick of medium cheddar cheese, large bag of crumbled cheesy tostitoes or you can use your choice. Mix all together, then add mixture from frying pan. Yum Yum Yum

    Please enter me. Thanks

    cherdon@sympatico.ca

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  10. I meal plan. Every week we make a weekly plan and go shopping for the needed ingredients. It works out most of the time.

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  11. I meal plan every week. We "eat clean" so it is required. It is a pain sometimes and I just want to go get a burger but it is worth it.
    martinez.tonya at gmail dot com

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  12. Pasta with ham, peas and parmesan :)

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  13. My favorite easy meal: Roasted chicken with plenty of cajun spice, some mashed cauliflower and a big side salad complete with grape tomatoes, a bit of avocado and some onion slices. This sounds like a fab website!

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  14. My husband is the planner and preparer! Quesadillas are a quick dinner or snack

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