E-Mealz Meal Time Makeover-with Update!

So, this all began with my hubby and I lying in bed watching King of the Hill. Yep, I just admitted that for the world to see. Well, since I have no followers as of the time I'm typing this, it's a very small world! Anyways, Peggy puts a meal on the table, Hank takes a bite and says "Yep!  Tastes like Tuesday!"

That's pretty much how our dinners have become.  Being a vegetarian lady trying to please a "meat and taters" man is challenging and I actually love it.  However, Hank's comment got me thinking about the variety of our meal times, and in our house, variety has become non-existent.  This same thing has occurred to me before, and in the past I hop online and find some new and exciting recipes, make a list, and off to the store I go.  Problem is, this always left my pantry full of items I never found another use for (wasted money), and before long we were back to "Tastes like Tuesday".  This time I decided to find something realistic I could stick with.  So rather than searching for recipes, I decided to research this "meal planning" thing I've heard about.

My search found several hundred meal plan ideas, but I ended up choosing E Mealz. I just signed up for this today, and I'll update about how it's going soon.  Here's the deal...
For only $1.25 per week you get 5 meals, recipes, and my favorite, a grocery list to keep you on track at the store.  There are several plans to choose from based on number of people, store you prefer, special diets, etc.  Upon paying ($15 gets you 3 months, and then they auto bill every 3 months) you get 2 weeks worth of lists.  The corresponding grocery list is laid out so that if you wish to eliminate one of the meals, it's very easy to mark off the items you won't need.  The recipes seem easy and depending on the meal plan you choose the grocery bill totals about $30-$75/week.  There are sample plans to review before you buy as well.

I chose the "Any store meals for 2" plan, and my hope is that the plan will keep me organized and more importanly on track with my grocery budget.  My husband definitely eats enough meat for 2, and I will add a meat substitute to go along with the meals for myself.  I also love that I can print all of these plans and keep them in my binder (I'll talk more about the binder later, I'm sure).  This way I can comment on adaptations I made, and whether or not we liked it.  If there's ever a day that I don't like one of the meals on the planner I can fall back to one of the past meals we loved.

That's the plan.  Sounds great in theory!  Now to test it in real life.  If you'd like to check out the site for yourself, here's the link: E-MEALZ Easy Meals for Busy and Frugal Families

February 18, 2010 Update:

I'm officially a meal planner!  I am spending an average of $40/week so far on meals, which also includes staples (spices, milk, sugar, etc), and this is without coupons! I'm sure this would vary slightly depending on where you shop, but for the record, I am a very loyal Bi-Lo customer :-)  I have even had leftovers to freeze, which will be nice for lunches or weekend days that are not included in the plan.  Also, these meals are very easy and the recipes/instructions are extremely clear.

The most surprising thing for me is how much I enjoy simply not having to think about dinner time.  One shopping day, list already printed, check the list, and prepare.  The "What do you want for dinner?" conversation (which usually happens while I stare blankly into the fridge) is nonexistent!  Yep, I'm in love!