E-Mealz Product Review & Giveaway
This post may contain affiliate links and I may be compensated for this post. Please read our disclosure policy here.
Meal planning is always recommended to help save money on your grocery bill, however, coming up with new, healthy meals can be a challenge. I had the opportunity to try a great meal planning site that can help you solve those problems.
About E-Mealz:
For $5.00 per month, subscribers download a recipe plan for the week with a matching aisle-by-aisle grocery list. The easy-to-follow recipes usually contain fewer than seven ingredients to allow for prep times of less than 30 minutes. The E-Mealz program provides a consistent and reliable approach to food budgeting by factoring the weekly cost of ingredients into each menu plan. Menus are created around a budget of $75 per week for families and $35 per week for couples.
To get recipes, tips on how to simplify your life, organize your days and plan family fun, be sure to check out the E-Mealz Blog.
My Experience with E-Mealz:
The Meal Plan Options:
I was very excited to see the variety of meal plans offered on E-Mealz. There are plans for families and for singles/couples. There are also a variety of specialty plans available from Vegetarian to Gluten Free to Low Fat. It was great to see the specialty plans available (even though the regular plans are also healthy). You can really tailor the plans to your family’s specific dietary needs.
The E-Mealz plans are also broken out for specific stores as well. If your store is not listed, you can choose the generic “any store” menu plan. The specialty plans are more limited in store options. My only complaint about the store options is that options are limited for the Pacific Northwest. Your options are pretty much any store or Wal-Mart.
The Weekly Meal Plan:
I love the format of the weekly mean plans. The plans are very easy to read and they fit nicely on the page. The weekly meal plan shows the meal with side dishes, ingredients for the entire meal and the cooking instructions. It is great!
The Grocery List:
I also love the format of the grocery list on E-Mealz. It shows you very clearly what you need broken out by category and shows you what meal you need each ingredient for. So if you are only needing six meals one week due to a special occasion, you can very easily locate the ingredients for the omitted meal and take them off your list.
The other thing I love about the grocery list is that you can very easily identify the “staples” needed for the week so you can check quickly to make sure you have them all in your pantry and fridge. I always have to go to the store for butter or eggs or something else because I assumed that I had them but I didn’t
Overall Impressions:
E-mealz a great site and definitely offers value to the consumer. The meals were a hit in my house and it made meal planning very easy. My family and I decided to commit to the program and we pulled up the meal plan and used that for the week. It was awesome! I had so much more time for my family because I wasn’t trying to figure out what we were having for dinner this week.
I also appreciated the ease in cooking the meals. They were quick and easy! I also had more than enough leftovers using the family plan for my husband to have leftovers the next day for lunch. We even had my mom over a few nights for dinner and still had plenty to feed us all.
The big question….did I save money? I think actually using this plan I spent a little more money than I usually do on my weekly shopping but I am a very frugal shopper. However, to me my time is worth money! I am willing to pay a little more to have more time with my family and with this plan, I definitely had that!
Giveaway: E-Mealz 3-Month Subscription – 4 Winners
Four lucky Thrifty NW Mom readers will win a three-month E-Mealz Subscription ($15.00 value).
This giveaway will end on Wednesday, November 2nd at 9pm PST.
The winners will be drawn using “And the Winner Is” plug-in and announced on the blog. We will also email the winners. The winners will have 48 hours to contact me. Otherwise a new winner will be drawn. US residents only & you must be 18 yrs or older to enter the giveaway.
Here’s how to enter this giveaway:
1st Entry (required entry): Tell us why you would like an E-Mealz subscription and which subscription you would like
Extra Entries: (make sure these are all separate comments, with a comment for each entry)
2) Subscribe to the Thrifty NW Mom feed via a reader of your choice or email (must be verified) or become a Google follower
3) Leave a comment here saying you “like” the E-Mealz Facebook page.
4) Leave a comment here saying you follow E-Mealz on Twitter.
Disclosure: I was given a E-Mealz subscription to facilitate my review of this product. E-Mealz subscriptions will also be given to 4 winners randomly chosen. All opinions are 100% mine. See our disclosure statement for more details.
I would love to try the portion control for two. With an infant and working full time, I rarely have time to make meals for my husband and I. This would definitely help!
Follow Thrifty NW Mom in google reader.
I have been wanting to try one of these meal planning sites for a while. Even though there are only 3 of us, I think I would want the larger meal plans so I could cook 2 meals at once (eat half and freeze half).
I subscribe to Thrifty NW Mom via Google Reader.
I would love to win because I love the grocery lists, this is what takes me forever and that would be so handy!
I subscribe to your blog through Bloglines.
I would love to try the lowfat for 2 subscription. No kids for us, yet, and we eat very poorly sometimes! I could use ideas and planning help!
I’d love the any store subscription. I like the easiness of the format.
I subscribe via email.
I “like” e-mealz on facebook.
Liked the e-mealz facebook
I follow e-mealz on twitter.
I subscribe via email.
follow emealz on twitter.
I love the idea of the shopping list divided by grocery store section. I always mean to do that with my own shopping lists, but manage to fail tremendously, which means plenty of looping-back around the store as I come across items I forgot to pick up!
I would love the Specialty Family Meal Plan > low fat any store. My husband works the swing shift and I am on my own with 2 kiddos under 3. ANYTHING that would help me shop smarter, cook faster, and eat better would be a godsend!!
I just “liked” the E-Mealz on FB!
I subscribe to Thrifty Mom via Email
This sounds so awesome! I love the idea of having meals set ahead of time and saving time in the planning process, although I’m a little unsure as to how this will work into my food budget (since I tend to plan around what I have on hand or what’s on sale…). Seems like it might lead to a little more expense, but I’d love to give it a try and see.
I subscribe to Thrifty NW Mom via Google Reader!
I am so excited to look more into these plans, I have such a hard time figuring out meals to please everyone all the time. I would pick the regular family plan.
I like E=Mealz on FB
I follow E-Mealz on twitter.
I think I would like the Low-Fat option for families, or maybe the Kroger one for families. I am a busy working mom, and want to desperately save us money. We have been trying to eat at home more often, but when things get busy it is just about getting dinner on the table so we eat out, do soup and sandwiches, or run to the grocery store and buy what ever is easy. I think the help in planning meals will be invaluable.
I would like an E-Z Meals subscription because I have been trying forever to find a way to make it easier to plan meals. I struggle with home-making and this would be a great tool for me to utlize for planning my family meals.
I subscribe to Thrifty NW via email.
I like E-Z Meals on FB
I am following EZMeals on Twitter
I like EZ meals on Facebook
I am signed up for ThriftyNWMom’s emails!
I don’t enjoy cooking and I hate meal planning. My husband cooks as often as he can when he’s home, which isn’t enough since he’s in the Army and isn’t home for dinner most of the time. With 5 kids, it’s always cheaper to eat at home! I’d love to try this because I know it would make life easier for me.
We r a family of 8 and I struggle w planning different nutritious meals. to have emeals would mean a good planned meal ahead of time which would be so helpful!
I like e-mealz on facebook.
I liked the emealz fb page!
I subscribe via Google Reader.
The family plan is right up our alley!
I would like it for new meal ideas
This is just what I’ve been looking for! I am a mother of a 2 year-old, wife of a busy engineer, a student in a Master’s program, and am 18 weeks pregnant! Yikes! This seems like something that would help me out time- and money-wise! Thank you for the opportunity!
I am a subscriber of the Thrifty NW Mom feed on email!!
I would love the portion control menu for 4-6 I’ll have a newborn turkey babyin a couple of weeks and 2 elementary school kids 5 and 7. I follow on twitter and liked it on Facebook. thank you!!
I “like” e-mealz on facebook.
I “liked” e-mealz on facebook.
I would LOVE <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 a subscription E-Mealz, because I just recently started homeschooling my two children. I am usually so organized and on top of things, but I really feel like since I have made this change, my love for cooking has gone out the window. We are eating out more…not good stuff…FAST FOOD….YUCK!! I need this to help get my life back in order and ORGANIZED!! HELP ME! :-)
I would love and need something like this. We are a busy family with kids in boys scouts, soccer and basketball. We are almost always grabbing food out. I call it — grab & go. We usually only eat at the table together a few times a week. Something like this could help me get or organized. The meals look yummy. I would want the Regular Family Plan Meals since we are a family of 5. Thanks for the awesome giveaway.
I just became a subscriber via email.
My husband went down to 60% time and is now in charge of both meals and childcare and he could really use some help in the meal department as he gets up and running in the household stuff.
We also need to expose our 6 year old to a greater variety of food!
Id love to win! My husband and I are needing to start eating healthier so that we can get in shape to Run after our 7 month old son. Please pick us! The subscription won’t go to waste!
I’ve been looking at the E-Mealz plans for a long time and would love to give it a try. Glad to see they have special diet menus.
I subscribe to Thrifty NW Mom.
I like E-Mealz Facebook page.
I would reallyyyyy love an E~Mealz subscription because I am a Mom of 2 small beautiful girls and a wonderful husband. I work a full time job, graveyard hours. Therefore it is difficult for me to get meals planned, cooked and still allow time for my family and of course sleep. I work until 5am and then need to get my girls up, ready and off to school. Most days I don’t get to sleep until 10:30am and then back up again to get the kids from school at 3:45. I would not change my life other than possibly addinng a few more hours to my day for planning and down time with my family. Thank you from the most grateful mother of 2
I subscribe to Thrifty NW Mom via email
I would love the family low fat plan for any store because my family is getting tired of eating the same meals, we need some variety!!! It would also be awesome to have the shopping lists all done for me!
I liked E mealz on facebook
We were wanting to try E-meals, so this would be a great time to try!
I liked the E-Meals FB page :)
I think this is such a neat idea! The reason it would be awesome for me is, I work 50 plus hours a week and I have NO time for meal planning (I barely have time for grocery shopping)!! I would love to have the walmart for 2 subscription!
I love finding new ways to save money for my family of 4. I work full-time. We are saving for our kid’s education. It’s difficult coming up with creative meals on a budget. I would enjoy having the tools E-mealz offers. Our family would be blessed to have the regular-family any store meal plan.
I also “Like” E-mealz facebook page.
With four kiddos we are busy – this would help us avoid the “what can we throw together” dinners we have too often.
I subscribe via google reader.
I would love to have some quick & easy meal ideas. I work evenings, so it would be great to be able to have dinners pulled together before I leave
I subscribe via email
I “like” e-mealz on FB
I’ve been looking at this program! I’d love to try the low-carb plan. Thank you!
I subscribe via Google Reader. Thanks!
I like E-mealz on FB, too!
I would love a subscription because it would simplify things! I have run out of steam for making menus and grocery lists and would love a break. I would like the vegetarian-Walmart subscription.
I would love the subscription for the regular family meals. I am in a cooking rut right now and would love some new ideas and not have to think much about it.
I subscribe via RSS feed
I subscribe to TNM via Google Reader (albeit using my personal address, not this one). Totally verifiable.
I had heard about E-Mealz through a friend – so, already highly-recommended. I am most interested in the vegetarian menus; I hate fresh produce going to waste, and having things planned ahead of time would likely eliminate that.
Great giveaway! I would love to win a subscription for the regular family meals. I have become a terrible meal planner as my family has become very busy with work, school, activities etc. It would be nice to be able to be more in control and have some variety – my family would appreciate it as well ;-)
I am an email subscriber to Thrifty NW Mom.
I “like” the E-Mealz facebook website. I’m a busy mom with 3 kids and work nights. This would make my life a lot easier!
I would like an eMealz subscription because I’m a first-time mom with a three-month old, and the time and money savings would be great.
I would LUV to try E mealz. I have 3 small kids and work full time. Anything to make life E Zer would be great. I would like low fat family PLEASE.
This would be wonderful as I’m due to deliver baby #4 any day. It would be nice to have meals planned as I try adjusting to life as a mother of 4.
I would love to try this! I love to cook…but sometimes run out of ideas..and this would really come in handy. I would like the Portion Control for 2.
Thanks,
Debby
I work full time and since n having a baby and a toddler, dinners are do hard to plan! This would be prefect rather than eating the same things each week.
I like the e-mealz facebook page and follow e-mealz on twitter!
I follow Thrifty NW Mom.
I have like e-mealz on facebook.
I follow e-mealz on twitter.
I would love to have a subscription to e-mealz because I am not very good at looking at my pantry and finding something to make with what I have. I would also like to expand my recipe repertoire because I feel like I make the same 5 meals over and over again.