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I’m Kiran and I’ve known Lisa for years…I’ve watched her start this blog from Day 1 and have been thrilled to see her success – not only for her, but for others as well. I don’t have to tell you what a great resource it is!
Unlike Lisa, I’ve been reading food labels for almost 20 years. Hopefully that won’t date me too much! All kidding aside, eating “healthy” has been a longtime goal of mine; eating “real” has come in more recently.
I have a family that includes four kids under the age of 8. Getting a healthy meal on the table is always a goal, albeit not always an easy one. So after seeing so many meal planning services, I decided to try out a few. I’ve checked out and tried five of the big ones that appeal to me.
If you’ve ever been curious about meal plans or wondered which one may work for you, I’m hopeful that this can help. I’ll start with a summary chart, but be sure to read on for the details of each plan!
| Meal Planning Service | Customizable | Ease of Preparation (5 is easiest) |
“Real” Food Rules Changes Required | Regular Price |
No More ‘To Go’ |
no | 4 out of 5 | Few | $6/mo. (for 3 mos.*) |
Deliciously Organic |
no | 4 out of 5 | Very few | $9.99/mo.* |
Plan to Eat |
yes | Depends (you choose your own recipes) | Depends (you choose your own recipes) | $4.95/mo.* |
The Six O’Clock Scramble |
yes | 5 out of 5 | Moderate | $7/mo. (for 3 mos.*) |
The Fresh 20 |
no | 3 out of 5 | Very few | $5/mo. (for 3 mos.*) |
–*Additional options available (i.e. 6 months, 1 year, etc.)
| Meal Planning Service | Shopping List Included | Shopping List Cost/Week (5 is easiest) |
Free Trial | Number of Meals Provided | Available Meal Plan Tracks |
No More ‘To Go’ |
yes | $100-$125 | Free week sample | 5 plus snack | Classic |
Deliciously Organic |
yes | N/A | Free sample plans available | 5 plus desserts and snack | Classic, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free (paleo) |
Plan to Eat |
yes | Depends (you choose your own recipes) | 1 month free trial | Unlimited | N/A (choose your own recipes) |
The Six O’Clock Scramble |
yes | $70-$80 | 2 weeks free trial | 5 | Classic, Customizable (to special dietary needs) |
The Fresh 20 |
yes | $75 | Free sample plans available | 5 | Classic, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian |
No More ‘To Go’
History:
Though this service may be the newest player on the block (on my list), meal planner Stacey Stabenow has been planning meals for years. Friends of the Texan mom of three were always amazed at her meal organization that included a whiteboard in her kitchen with the week’s meals planned out. After being urged by others to offer up her service, her business was up and running with quick success. Stabenow tries all of the recipes ahead of time to make sure they work and admits that she doesn’t do casseroles. “I don’t do canned or boxed,” she also says.
My take:
No More ‘To Go’ is a great happy medium of the plans, if you will. Though it errs on the healthier/ “real” side, it’s still a great realistic plan. Weekly meals within the plan include one pasta dish for the week and one ethnic (think Tex-Mex/Italian or Chinese) dish as well. Each meal has photos (a fave of mine) and each also has a Kid Note (great for us moms – includes suggestions on spices/etc.), a Vegetarian Tip (how to make it vegetarian) and Gluten Modifications for those who are gluten-sensitive.
Personal likes:
- Great “clean” feel.
- Love that she tries each meal with her kids first.
- Enjoy the photos.
- Each recipe has a meat, starch and fresh vegetable.
Would like to see:
- One of the weekly recipes with fewer ingredients for the super busy nights.
- A few less “real food” substitutions needed.
The real deal (my meal):
It didn’t take long for me to choose my meal; one look at the Crispy Fish Flatbreads with Spicy Tarter Sauce with a Spinach and Bacon Sauté and I was sold. Per Lisa’s suggestion, I substituted whole-wheat panko breadcrumbs and used ghee instead of canola oil. I was actually able to find some whole-wheat flatbreads at my grocery store, which I incorporated. Relish (in the homemade tartar sauce) needs to be without high fructose corn syrup or artificial dyes, and I used a local egg in preparing my fish and local spinach in the salad. The preparation was straightforward and while my husband and I enjoyed the sandwiches, my kids were actually more fond of the spinach sauté!
–
Deliciously Organic
History:
It all began with a 25-year-old mother of two who was suffering from debilitating migraines. After beginning to slowly change her foods to organic, she noticed immediate changes. But switching to all organic food wasn’t that delicious to begin with. Over time, Carrie Vitt adapted recipes to make them tastier and more desirable … this turned into a blog, which she began in 2009, and then a cookbook, which she released in January 2011. Vitt shares her successes of her family overcoming severe asthma, eczema, IBS and migraines in her blog, where she also offers meal plans.
My take:
If you’re looking for “real food,” Deliciously Organic fits the bill. While going through recipes, many sounded appealing to me. Three meal plan tracks are available: Classic, Grain-free and Gluten Free. I went with the Classic route and was pleased to see a variety throughout the weeks that I viewed. One of the five meals was a vegetarian meal (think Penne with Spinach, Peas, Goat Cheese and Walnuts), and I was pleased to see a fish dish or perhaps one incorporating pork chops or something out of the “norm” that we (ok, I) generally get stuck in. Chicken breasts can only get so exciting after a while!
What I loved about Vitt’s recipes was that she spiced up something that could be basic with a few key ingredients to give it a fresh, new twist. To change things up around the house, I opted for Baby Greens with Avocado, Oranges and Red Onion and Baked Sourdough Bread with Olive Pesto.
Personal likes:
- Beautiful photography.
- All meals sound appealing.
- Follows real food rules – not many substitutions needed.
- Dessert and snack recipes included are a great bonus.
Would love to see:
- Search function.
- While I love the variety of ingredients used, costs can add up.
The real deal (my meal):
I was pleasantly surprised with the ease of preparation of this meal. Most of the ingredients I already had on hand, aside from Pecorino Romano cheese and black olives. While Lisa would surely suggest using whole-wheat sourdough bread, I could only find white sourdough from my grocer’s bakery. Unfortunately my kids were not crazy about the pesto – I think I have the only kids in the world who are not a fan of cheese. But my husband loved it and I was overjoyed to have a solid salad recipe that my kids enjoyed. The dressing made the difference, no doubt.
Plan to Eat
If you’re anything like me, you have a plethora of recipes that you like to make. Sure, you add some to your collection – but you have those that stay in the rotation, and some that you’re really fond of but you somehow forget. Enter Plan to Eat, a website that lets you store them all, import new ones, and plan your monthly meals. It’s a disorganized head-of-the-kitchen’s dream-come-true, a service I can’t believe I only recently found out about.
History:
Developed by a husband and wife team, Plan to Eat has been noted as a site that has revolutionized meal planning. As opposed to sending you meal plans each week, this is an organizer that lets you organize and plan your own meals.
My take:
Personally, I love this service. I became a member of a CSA (a.k.a. Community Supported Agriculture) program this summer at a local farm and therefore have seasonal vegetables to work with each week. Though some of the other meal plan services utilize seasonal fruits and veggies, searching for and uploading recipes that can incorporate my weekly selection is a necessity for me. I also have finally found a place to store all of my recipes that I’ve been making for years. Oftentimes my husband will comment on a dish that I made at some point, which of course I have completely forgotten about. The various cookbooks, cutout recipes, and printed papers now have a place where I can store them and find them – and not forget them.
Recipes can be added from over 100 websites and blogs. A brand new component allows you to add recipes from any site/blog with a bookmarklet. You can share recipes with friends on the site and see their recipes as well.
One of my girlfriends and I always discuss cooking and meals. We “friended” each other on Plan to Eat and now I can see the meal that she referenced earlier in our conversation, and she can see mine. Once you have recipes added, you can easily drag and drop them into a calendar to make your monthly meal plan. From your calendar, an automatic shopping list is made.
The real deal (my meal):
I received a large head of cabbage in addition to kale from Poplar Ridge Farm and was in search of a meal where I could utilize both. I remembered a meal that I had made with chicken and cabbage a few months back but was unsuccessful in finding it again. Determined to not let this happen again, I uploaded this new recipe that I found into “My Plan” and put it on the schedule.
The Six O’Clock Scramble
History:
Aviva Goldfarb started The Six O’Clock Scramble back in 2003 after struggling to put a nutritious dinner on the table for her own family. A mother of two, she created the site to provide easy recipes that can be made in 30 minutes or less.
My take:
The site is great for anyone who needs to get dinner on the table in a hurry and also those who may not wish to have to buy 15 new ingredients for one meal. Let’s be honest: some of us are more excited about cooking than others. If you’re not in love with it or you don’t have the time you’d like to devote to it, this is a great meal planning service for you. It’s the most comprehensive of the bunch, offering search functions, reader ratings, and such.
Personal likes:
- I love the search function. For example – I had two large zucchini’s that I needed to cook up. I did a search of “zucchini” and came up with numerous options.
- I personally really like the rating system. Why is it that seeing 4 or 5 stars somehow makes a recipe more appealing?
- It caters to many different diets – Vegetarian, Food Allergies, Gluten Free, Kosher, Dairy-Free, Low Sodium, and Weight Loss plans available.
- Nutrition information. While Lisa doesn’t talk a lot about this, I liked finding this information.
- The recipe box is great for saving recipes.
Would love to see:
- In terms of eating “real food,” I found myself having to make a number of substitutions. Maybe a “real food” track?
- With so many extra features/choices being offered, options abound. If straightforward simplicity is your thing then this service may not be for you.
The real deal (my meal):
With a busy week up ahead, the Turkey and Spinach Enchiladas seemed the perfect fit for our family. My family is a huge fan of anything Mexican, and I loved the fact that it incorporates spinach within. With just 7 ingredients, all which I had on hand, it was simple to throw together.
To follow the “real food” rules, I made a few substitutions: I used whole-wheat tortillas, local ground beef (in lieu of ground turkey), my own recipe for homemade salsa (what a great way to get some seasonal, fresh tomatoes incorporated) and fresh tomatoes as a side and topping.
The consensus was unanimous: the meal was a hit. So much so, that my husband made sure to tell me to keep the recipe and to make it again.
–
The Fresh 20
History:
The Fresh 20 was created in 2009 when Melissa Lanz quit her day job to promote good eating habits for her family. The former Internet marketing exec was tired of takeout and thus created a solution for her family, which in turn has been eaten up by tens of thousands of others.
My take:
There’s something about The Fresh 20 that just appeals to me. The branding is spot on, in my opinion. It’s clean; it’s simple – just like the recipes it offers. The claim to fame for this meal plan service is that you use only 20 ingredients to create 5 healthy meals each week – no preservatives, processed food, or frozen ingredients. The estimated cost of each meal is $15.
Each week you get a pdf file that includes 5 meals, your “make aheads,” a shopping list, and your recipes. There are three options available – Classic, Vegetarian and Gluten Free. I chose the Classic plan and from that I chose Oven Roasted Salmon with Rosemary Canneli Beans with Kale and Tomatoes, though I was very tempted to try the Fried Farro with Crispy Fried Egg and Kale.
Personal likes:
- Almost all of the meals sound appealing.
- I love that they use seasonal foods.
- I already have most of the ingredients on hand.
- It’s just enough ingredients where I’m not psyched out.
- The archives are available for members.
Would love to see:
- Photos of the meals. Not necessary, I know, but I find them appealing.
- A search function.
The real deal (my meal):
The meal I prepared actually looked nice enough for me to serve to company, so I prepared it for 6 adults and 5 kids. With that being said, I was very impressed with the turnout …and perhaps I’m slow in the kitchen, but it took me a while to prep and cook. I’m not sure I could personally spend that much time on a regular weeknight every day of the week. In terms of “real food” rules, I only substituted olive oil for grapeseed oil.
Well there you have it! Providing real food for your family can definitely be easier with a little help from a meal planning service or pre-planning of your own. I’d love to hear from you in the comments below … are there any meal planning services you personally love? What meal plan features are most important to you?
I tried PrepDish for 4 months but it was not a good fit for us. If you are thinking about it, make sure you love it before you subscribe for a year! I was naive enough to take the recommendation of a friend who loves it and sign up for their annual plan. The way I read the refund policy it seemed to me that a full refund was offered in the first 14 days but you could still request a refund after that time frame. I wrote to PrepDIsh and explained this but they were not willing to refund any of my money even though I had been in communication with them along the way that it really was not working for us. Our family had never tried Paleo before but we gave it a try. It just was not the right fit for our family and if I have to come up with grains and dairy to add to the meal, I might as well plan the whole thing. The inability to swap out meals is also big. There are lots of meal planning services out there so make sure you research them well before you make a commitment. I also found some of the other services much more Customer Service friendly than PrepDish.
I get why you like Plan to Eat, but it’s worth mentioning that the Paprika app does the same thing and you only have to pay once ($4.99 for phone, $14.99 for tablet, and $49.99 for desktop). I have all 3 and they’re well worth it! In my opinion, it’s way better than paying $4.95/mo indefinitely. I just started the scramble also. So far, I really like it! (Plus, I can import everything into paprika). It’s similar to another service I had called cooksmarts. I liked them also, but their recipes were a bit more complicated. What’s great about Cooksmarts is that they have little instructional videos on almost everything (how to chop an onion, julienne a carrot, etc.)
Hi. I use 6 o’clock Scramble and like it a lot. I have also used emeals, but it’s a bit pricy compared to others, but there are even lunch options available. Thank you for the article. I’m going to check out some of the others mentioned here.
LOVE Plan To Eat. I have been using them for over a year now. Easy to download new recipes and easy to tweak recipes. Has allowed us to go from weekly shopping to bi-weekly shopping and we are now looking at doing bulk shopping for a month at a time to save time and money. Plus we never fall into mealtime ruts where we are eating the same thing over and over again. It was a real game changer for us.
Wow ! Thank you for sharing these. I had no idea this typenof help existed! I love like the whole concept of Plan to Eat and think I am going to subscribe. So many recipes I want to try, yet continue to use the same 15 family favs over and over. We have one vegetarian child, 2 vegans , and two adults who are now eating 100 Days of Real food. This information was perfect.
Love Plan to Eat!!! Have used it for a little over a year now. For the past two years, they have had a half price Black Friday special which also applies for renewals. :)
We have used Weelicious Menus, Super Healthy Kids, and The 6 o clock scramble. Weelicious does a great job, it’s the most simple and wholesome.
In comparing Weelicious Menus, Super Healthy Kids, and The 6 O’Clock Scramble, I have some questions for you:
Which service do you feel is best for the mom that isn’t a good cook or feels lost in the kitchen? Which service will provide the most affordable shopping list? Most importantly, which service will provide weekly menus that the pickiest of eaters is most likely to eat? Overall, which service did you use most?
Thank you for your help.
I’m sorry. I apparently am still tired. It seems as though you are saying that you used Weelicious overall. Again sorry for the “Mommy’s still tired from getting woke up a couple of times at night and from getting up at 4:30 AM to spend time with Daddy before he heads to work brain.” Thank you.
Ha! You poor thing, I hope life has slowed down a little for you. My mantra with little ones is “It won’t be like this forever, if you can just get through today”. I alternate between Weelicious and 6’o clock scramble. Weelicious is very simple and the recipes have a lot of instruction on how to cook, so I think in your situation it might be best. There are a couple of staples you get used to in her menus and as long as you have those on hand the shopping lists aren’t terribly expensive overall. I do the custom menus at 6’o clock scramble at times so I can taylor the recipes to what I have in the pantry on slim months. Good luck!!
Do you have a review of e-meals? It sounds appealing with mulitple meal “tracks” to choose from one of which is clean eating.
So sorry – eMeals is not included in this review. But lots of our readers use them and love them!
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Grape seed oil is actually healthier to cook with because it has a higher flash point than olive oil. Olive oil should not be used to cook with, as at higher temperatures it turns carcinogenic. Both grape seed oil and coconut oil are safe to cook with.
So….is there a “final verdict” here? If you had to pick one, what would you pick?
Don’t forget about emeals.com. They have lots of variety: clean eating, whole foods, gluten free, etc. The list goes on and on.
I have a general meal planning question. Isn’t one of the big perks to planning that you have no wasted food? Say, one recipe calls for half and onion then one of the other recipes that week should use up the rest of it so you don’t have half an onion going bad in the fridge? Do these services do that for you? Because I’ve been picking out 3-5 recipes and shopping once a week for years but I’m terrible at using everything and sick of wasted food and money.
I’ve been curious as I pour over these meal-planning services, do families really regularly prepare five meals a week? We are a family of two children (another on the way) and two adults. I find that when I make more than three recipes per week, we end up throwing food away.
Hi Aleksandra,
You can tailor them to however they best fit for you. Perhaps you just want to choose 3-4 of the meals that sound best to you and make those? HTH!
Kiran
I enjoyed reading your review of meal plans …a friend of mind introduced me to Fresh 20 so I was considering it.
Although, after reading the ‘Wheat Belly’ book by William Davis, I wondered if there was a meal plan for this ‘diet'(may be very similar to the Paleo diet).
Thanks for all the effort you put into researching various food plans.
Much appreciated.
The fresh 20 has a gluten free option – that is what u would want if you are going wheat free
Just want to comment that I was looking for meal planning services last night so I googled “meal planning” and found my way here! Thank you for this article. I was still able to use the 100days code at the six o’clock scramble to take $5 off my 3 month subscription.
That is great, Shannon! You will love The Scramble! :)
I have been using fresh 20 for a little over a month. I like it okay. The prep can be time consuming. The only thing I’m not too happy about is that my grocery budget is $50 more a week now. Their price per meal is not very accurate.
Thank you thank you for all the research! I’m going with The Scramble!
i came across this post as i was eating my fresh20 salmon with canneli beans & kale left overs. i am on week 2 and love it so far. its has pushed me out of my comfort zone without being intimidating. i did not substitute the grapeseed oil because i didnt know it doesnt meet the “real food” requirements. oops, im still new to this.
Amy,
Your response made my day! I’m so happy that you’ve found success with the Fresh 20. I love her concept and it sounds like it’s made your transition into baby #2 somewhat easier. I have 4 kids 8 and under so I know how difficult it is to get organized, make your lists, shop, cook, etc.
KUDOS TO YOU for making the effort to still eat “real” with your new (and wonderful!) life change.
Cheers! :)
Kiran
Kiran, thank you for this wonderful information! I know it’s been awhile since this was posted, but I just wanted to say that we subscribed to the Fresh 20 just after you published this, and we LOVE it. It has made our eating life so much better. We have a new baby (our second!) and keep a very busy schedule, and I’d been thinking I had no idea how I was possibly going to keep up our good eating routines. I saw this article, looked at all the plans and decided to give the Fresh 20 a try, and I’m so pleased. If anyone else is considering the Fresh 20, I can say that for us, every meal has been a complete winner. We’ve made few “real food” substitutions (the main substitutions have been to use more of our CSA produce) and we’ve loved each and every recipe so far. With so much going on in our lives now, it’s a relief to have one less thing to think about. We’ve expanded our horizons between what we usually cook, and kept our fridge full of delicious leftovers and lunches (we have two adults, one toddler, and one new baby in our family). I never would have considered a meal-planning service before seeing this post, but it’s made all the difference for us. Thanks so much!
I have only tried saving dinner, her recipes are very tasty and the freezer meals quite handy, Some have stayed in my permanent rotation. She does try to accommodate different goals like lo carb, paleo, weight loss, etc. and you do get a lot of good recipes. But after using for a while became somewhat repetitive. She also has gotten quite commercialized but that is to be expected.
Liking the look of fresh20 because of simplicity, I can always use my paprika app to customize meal plans, but I like one that maximizes the use of select ingredients in a week and cuts back on waste. With saving dinner the weekly menus had variety but the grocery list could get quite long, this was solved if willing to do the freezer entrees which were a lot like Let’s Dish, etc, and that is real handy for sports practice nights with very limited cooking time.
Also looking for faster recipes for busy or late weeknights.
After reading this a few weeks ago I signed up for a free trial of Plan To Eat. I absolutely love it and have signed up for a full year. Thank you so much! It is just what I need to get back in the swing of meal planning.
Lee,
That is fantastic! I’m so glad it’s been a good fit for you. It’s just the thing to help get organized, I agree!
Emeals.com just started offering clean food menus. They have the first few weeks for free.
Would you suggest choosing only one? Or, if I sign up for more than one service, is there a way to pick and choose from them and save the unused suggestions for a later date?
Marty,
It’s completely up to you. Some people do a combination and some just do one. I do think that if you want to be ultra organized, you can definitely double up Plan to Eat with one of the other services so that you can import recipes into your calendar. Just a thought. Remember that the discounts are only good through tomorrow so if you want to try one (or more), be sure to get the savings!:)
Best of luck!
Great article, thank you! The hardest thing I find with the meal planning services is finding the right “track”. Seems a lot of sites have “gluten-free” and “vegan” tracks, but not a track that combines both. Perhaps the Plan to Eat option would be best as it is your own recipes, but would love to hear any feedback or suggestions…thanks!
Great review! I’ve been using Plan To Eat for awhile now and love it. Deliciously Organic is also great and the meals there have made it into the permanent rotation at our house. I like Plan To Eat’s ability to store recipes from various web sites and change the amount of servings for the recipe in the planner. It’s a great service. I just use occasional others to supplement my recipe collection.