Too busy to cook? Check out these 4 meal planning services.

When it comes to meal planning, I’ve had a lot of starts and stops. I put a calendar on my fridge with the idea that I would fill it with dinner ideas every week. I stopped updating it in February. I also worked on compiling favorite recipes into a DIY cookbook only to have it sit on the shelf collecting dust. Nothing has managed to stick.

Then, I recently stumbled across several websites that offer meal-planning services for rates I could actually work with. Problem solved.

Here are a few I found particularly intriguing.

Relish
How it works:
Every Thursday you are prompted through email to visit the site and peruse the newly posted recipes in order to build your menu plan for the week. Don’t like what you see? You can also opt to search the database for what interests you.

Once you’ve compiled your list, you can scale the recipes for the number of people you are cooking for, and you’ll be given a grocery list to shop with.

Pros:
– Recipes come with nutritional information.
– Special requests (vegetarian, kid-friendly) are available and coded for easy searching.
– You can pare down your menu if your week includes dinners out, or choose one of their party recipes if you’re having people over.

Cons:
– More choices in recipes means more effort in building a plan each week.
– The number of dietary restrictions you can choose from appear to be limited.

Cost:
6 months: $35.70
12 months: $58.80

Emeals
How it works:
On a designated day of the week, you’ll receive seven recipes and a grocery list for the upcoming week. The menu is based on your choice of meal plans as well as your preferred grocery store. Meal plans are created with cost saving in mind – they take grocery store sales into consideration and bundle recipes to allow for ingredient sharing.

Pros:
– The sheer number of meal plan types is impressive – everything from Paleo to slow cooker to low carb.
– Cost-saving strategies are already built into the plan.
– A completed meal plan is emailed directly to you – no extra steps involved.

Cons:
– If you aren’t one to cook at home every night, it could be challenging to pare down the grocery list for the recipes you want to make.
– Some grocery stores (like Trader Joe’s) aren’t included on the list.
– Combing recipes from different plans doesn’t appear to be an option.

Cost:
6 months: $48
12 months: $58

The Six O’ Clock Scramble
How it works: Geared towards busy families who like to cook and eat together, this site will deliver weekly meal plans to you based on what’s in season, as well as a customizable grocery list. Recipes can be thrown together in 30 minutes and include a weekly slow cooker option as well.

In addition, they offer up tips and tricks when it comes to getting kids involved in the cooking process.

Pros:
– Using seasonal ingredients means a lower grocery bill.
– They offer plenty of dietary restrictions: vegetarian, gluten-free, nut-free, etc.
– Recipes appear to be simple and easy to understand.

Cons:
– You can’t see many example recipes until you sign up for the free trial or get a paid membership.
– Some complain that searching for recipes and customizing plans is not as easy as other sites.

Cost:
6 months: $49
2 years (no 1 year option): $97

Cook Smarts
How it works: Cook Smarts isn’t just about getting the meal planning over with each week, it’s about becoming more comfortable in the kitchen. For this reason they offer educational cooking tools in addition to a weekly meal plan equipped with four complete dinners and sides.

Each of the meals comes with a gluten-free, Paleo, and vegetarian version, and the grocery list is customized accordingly.

Pros:
– This site is brimming with awesome information in addition to the meal plans – everything from how to chop veggies to how to make the perfect vinaigrette.
– The recipes are robust and out of the ordinary.
– Access to the blog and newsletter are free – and include more tips and recipes.

Cons:
– Many recipes don’t seem to be mindful of cost.
– Recipes may be slightly complicated for the crunched-for-time crowd.

Cost:
6 months: $42
1 Year: $72

SOURCE: ReadyForZero Blog – Read entire story here.