Life is crazy busy around here, and the last thing I want to spend time thinking about is something I have to do everyday… decide what is for dinner. Ugh. Seriously. A few months ago, I decided to start using eMeals.com to make this task a little less laborious.
I use the Aldi eMeals Plan because I do the bulk of my grocery shopping at Aldi and Sam’s club. I don’t use every meal listed in the plan. I average using 5 or 6 of the 7 recipes each week. We eat dinner at church on Wednesdays, so I only need to plan for 6 nights a week. Occasionally, there is a recipe that I know my family wouldn’t eat, so I sub in a family favorite.
I also don’t follow every recipe to the tee. I nearly always substitute venison for beef, in the recipes that call for beef. With the exception of the occasional burger, we don’t really eat beef. I also try to limit how much tomato I use because Mister and I both have issues with reflux.
That being said, using eMeals has really helped me with the dinner doldrums. I recently made the Chicken and Rice Taco Fiesta recipe from the Aldi meal plan.
I was a bit nervous about it, because Mister typically doesn’t eat anything with rice in it. I was pleasantly surprised when he requested thirds. LOL. I’m making another new recipe for us tonight, a Corn and Sausage Bisque. It will be interesting to see how that goes over.
Recognizing that I don’t have to follow it to a tee, but that have a plan is better than no plan has really helped me out.
Do you ever find yourself in a dinner rut?
Do you follow a meal plan? How do you make it work?
Right now you can use code OCTOBER for 10% off at eMeals.com
Janet W. says
Yes, I find myself in a dinner rut all the time! That looks like a delicious recipe!
Wendy says
I always mean to plan meals, but I usually don’t get to it, and then I find myself stuck for ideas at the last minute. When I do plan ahead, I always feel like my own best friend! I can’t wait until I have more time to find new recipes, too. That’s my fave way to relax: in the kitchen!
Francine says
I always to to plan my meals but it never seems to work out for me!
Jill says
Had no idea Aldi had a meal planner. Cool, we do a LOT of shopping there, although we typically get meat from a butcher (except the chicken, we do buy that from aldi). Most of the time I use a family cookbook and a monthly calendar, and then purchase meat off of that (although we bought a 1/4 beef so now we can go off of what we HAVE!) and then add in the items we need to buy from aldi and grocery to make up the rest of the meals.
Lindsey Silvestrini says
Meal Planning – what’s that? HA HA! That was my first thought! I would love to have my meals planned for me. I can follow directions! It’s coming up with the meals themselves that’s the challenge. That’s for the info!
Marika says
Great idea, especially considering that making a dinner meal every day gets at some point not only boring but also overwhelming, at least for me.
Giveaways 4 Mom says
I try to meal plan but I always find myself getting thrown off track because of our schedules.
Pam says
I love Aldi’s but didn’t realize they had a meal planner. Thanks for sharing! I will check it out.
Trice says
I love meal planning… makes my life so much easier. This looks really yummy too, I will have to try it out.
Helene Cohen Bludman says
It’s so great to have a plan and stick to it! Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen too often in my house. 🙂
Jennifer B says
I shop at Aldi every week because I love the good foods and prices and had no idea they had a planner! I will check this out!
Ave says
I’m really bad at meal planning, but I would like to get it working. Saves so much time and money too.
Milena says
I fantasize about meal planning- LOL! I start and maybe it works for a week then I’m a mess again. I do have good intentions. They just opened a new Aldi here, but it’s still 30 minutes from my house. I’m dying to try shopping there.
Malia says
I always have a hard time thinking of what to make for dinner! I’ll have to check out eMeals
Amy Desrosiers says
I love taco salad & emeals!
Dawn Lopez says
I love eMeals, they are so awesome for unique meal ideas and also to save time and.. headaches I might add! I wish I could stick to a plan consistently.. eMeals is probably the closest I’ve gotten to planning consistently..but I’ve been slacking! Thanks for the reminder!
Cynthia L says
I have always planned meals. I used to plan two weeks at a time, but now I just work on one week at a time. It is so nice to wake up and not have to worry about what to eat for the day. I have never heard of this plan but will check it out. It would be nice for someone else to plan a few meals also!
Katherine Bartlett says
I’m always in a dinner rut! I need this so bad!
Mariana says
This sounds like a great service! I’m terrible at meal planning, so I could really use something like this!
Liz says
I don’t follow a meal plan because so much of what I do revolves around the blog. It kinda dictates my life! However, I always change up recipes, even my own!
Janeane Davis says
I like the idea of a meal planner. I would like to do more meal planning for my family instead of meals just happening.
Stacie says
I have been thinking about trying to do meal planning every single week. I just need to get my husband on board.
Dawn says
I am sorry to hear that you guys can’t have tomatoes {or that many}. I love tomatoes!
fancygrlnancy (Nancy Partin) says
I really need to learn how to menu plan. I am known to say what’s for dinner at 6:00 at night.. its bad.
Maria Iemma says
I have been thinking about using e-meals…I am so tired of always having the same thing because I am always scrambling for what to make that day…I need to get more organized.