Only 24% of dinners are made from scratch, although cooking shows are more popular than ever (!!!), according to the Hartman Group, a market research firm that focuses on the food and beverage industry.
The steady decline of family meals is not revelatory, but it is alarming.
With over 50% of meals planned within an hour of eating, I would guess that a lot of those meals are comprised of frozen and convenience foods. There is no shame in reaching into the freezer for a quick option when the masses are starving, but the problem is when this turns into a usual routine.
We know that…
Whole foods = better health and longevity
Processed foods = greater risk for disease
Family meals = improved self-esteem, commitment to learning and grade point average for our kids
There are 3 keys to getting a healthy dinner on the table for your family:
- Planning
- Buying
- Cooking
All 3 of these parts need to happen synergistically in order for family dinner to happen. For some, you made excel in 1 or even 2 of these steps, but if you are missing the third, you could have a disaster, or at least, no dinner.
Finding the right option for your family to plan, buy and cook dinner is essential. There are dozens of meal planning apps, programs, software, and services, but which one is the right one for your family?
This year, I am on the hunt to find the best solutions to share with you. All families are unique. Your cooking know-how, skills, and desire are your own. Your schedule is unlike anyone else. To think that you can follow someone else’s plan is a misconception. BUT, you do need a plan.
YOU JUST NEED ONE THAT WORKS FOR YOU.
PlateJoy recently gave me the opportunity to try out their meal planning service for 2 weeks. The founder created this program after “losing 50# and keeping it off for 5 years, and wanting to help people do the same.” This program is simple to use and allows for a variety of meal options, food preferences, and dietary plans.
If you are looking for a tool to help you take the guesswork and decision making out of planning meals, making a grocery list and knowing what you are going to eat each day, then you don’t want to miss my completely honest review. I will walk you through the steps how to use this program and how PlateJoy did at solving our family dinner dilemmas. Allow me to point out all that it can do for you and what it can’t.
Then, you can determine if this might be a solution for your family. AND, don’t miss the discount code at the bottom of the post, if you want to try it out!
Step 1: Fill out the Personalization Quiz
Upon setting up the online service, you will be asked to fill out a 3-minute Personalization Quiz. The purpose is for PlateJoy to fully understand your nutrition and weight goals, food preferences, family composition and home-meal frequency. This is the primary way it selects recipes and customizes your meal plan to help you eat the way you want to eat. Your preferences get saved, but you can come back and change them at any time. And, because your goals may differ from your spouse’s goals, the quiz asks some individual and group questions.
Some of the questions include…
Are you (or your partner) trying to lose weight?
Are you limiting carbohydrates?
How often do you eat meat?
Are there any ingredients you prefer to avoid?
This form allows you to get very specific about how low you want to keep your carbohydrate per meal, what ingredients you DO NOT want in your meals, whether you prefer batch meals that provide multiple meals and how long you want to spend cooking.
You can also designate Clean Eating, Paleo, Whole 30, Kosher, Dairy Free, Pregnant/Nursing.
PlateJoy doesn’t assume that you have a chef-inspired kitchen. Make sure you designate the equipment you do and do not have so that it doesn’t suggest recipes or meal plans that are not feasible for you to make. If you don’t have a food processor, let them know!
MY EXPERIENCE
Neither my husband or I am trying to lose weight but because I did not provide any weight or carb limitations, the recipes that were initially recommended had a hugely varied carb and calorie count. Some meals provided over 100 grams carbohydrate for my husband’s portion (completely excessive) and up to 800-1000 calories at a few of the dinner meals. While this was not true for all the meals suggested, I found that by editing my personalization form to “50 grams carb/meal or less” provided meals that I felt were more nutritionally appropriate for our family.
Step 2: Review the Meal Queue
Next, you need to review the Meal Queue, where PlateJoy lists recipes that fit your criteria. This allows you to keep any recipes that look amazing and remove any recipes that don’t appeal to you or your family.
Make sure to review each tab:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Batch
- Snacks
By taking just a few minutes to remove any meals you wouldn’t want to make, you will ensure that the menus it creates for you are filled with foods you love and want to eat.
Simply click on the recipe picture to find the preparation/cooking time, ingredients, and nutrition for each family member. Photos are available for almost all of the recipes and give a really accurate picture of what the completed meal will look like.
MY EXPERIENCE
I did not review the queue thoroughly and the first few menus created included several meals that did not appeal to my husband. However, after I went back and reviewed each section, deleting recipes that were not family friendly, the menus created were much more in line with our dietary preferences.
This is your opportunity to do more customization. If you want more meals with a certain ingredient or theme, simply search in the top right corner. I did a search for tempeh in the lunch tab because I like to eat vegetarian during lunch. You could also search for specific meals or ingredients like “chili” OR “chicken” OR “spaghetti squash”. Think about what your family really enjoys and search these types of recipes to fill the Queue with recipes that will be appealing to everyone.
Step 3: Create a New Menu
Before it creates your menu, PlateJoy wants you to identify 2 items:
- How many meals will you be shopping for this week? Include the number of breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks.
- What ingredients do you want to use up? You can include up to 3 ingredients on this list so that the recipes pulled for your weekly menu can use up these items.
Then, click “Create Menu” to see what yummy meals you will be creating this week!
Review the menu. IF there are any recipes that populate your menu that just don’t look appetizing or are not what you are in the mood for this week, you can “swap” the recipe for a different one.
Step #4: Populate Your Shopping List
PlateJoy wants to know what you have in your pantry and fridge so that it can create a list of what you actually need to buy. This is an awesome feature! It includes every ingredient, even spices, so that you can make sure you don’t end up running back to the store in a rush later in the week.
This is also the opportunity to decide if you want to use a substitution. For example, if a salad uses pecans, but you have walnuts on hand, you could decide to use what you have to keep your grocery bill down and avoid food waste. You can also ADD an ingredient if you want to buy an ingredient that is not on your meal plan- this means you don’t end up sorting through 2 grocery lists while you are grocery shopping.
Now, your list is ready to print!
MY EXPERIENCE
My husband thought that this was the BEST feature of PlateJoy. It made grocery shopping so very easy and the ingredients were categorized similarly to a typical grocery store.
Step 5: Rate the Recipes
After you make the meal, PlateJoy wants you to rate the meal (1 to 5 stars) and add any comments you have. When you give a recipe 5 stars, it turns into a “Favorite” and you can add favorites to menus in the future if you wish.
Your PlateJoy Questions Answered
What did our family like most about the PlateJoy service and recipes?
There were some VERY simple 10-20 minute recipes that were delicious.
The grocery list made shopping a breeze!
The personalization quiz could be edited.
The recipes included real, unprocessed foods, even for snacks!
Did we like the recipes?
Yes and No. There were a few that were duds. We made 2 batch meals, one that lacked flavor (Slow Cooker Chicken Bacon and Potato Stew) and another where the vegetable simply didn’t cook as the recipe said (Slow Cooker Balsamic Pork with Carrots and Green Beans- the green beans were incredibly uncooked after following the directions).
However, we did make some amazing recipes! Our favorites:
Greek-Style Pita Tacos with Tzatziki and Cucumber Salsa
Chocolate Quinoa Breakfast Porridge
BBQ Chicken Salad with Avocado and Lime
The key to using PlateJoy is to make sure you rate the recipes, or at least the ones you love, so that they populate your menus frequently.
Can I make non-PlateJoy recipes too?
You cannot insert your recipes into PlateJoy, however, you can add ingredients to the grocery list so that you can shop from one list.
Will PlateJoy save me money?
It can save you money on groceries by creating a menu that uses the same ingredients in multiple recipes during the week, however, from our experience, it did include several “pricey” ingredients.
To keep your costs down,
- Make sure you review your pantry before you create your grocery list; b) determine if you can substitute an ingredient you already have or a lower priced ingredient for a
- Determine if you can substitute an ingredient you already have or a lower priced ingredient for a pricey one.
Of course, if PlateJoy suggests a recipe that you feel doesn’t fit your family’s budget, simply remove it from the Queue- it is that simple!
Are there any things PlateJoy won’t do for me?
- grocery shop
- prep food
- cook the meals
Those tasks are still your responsibility. But, it will help you get organized, avoid food waste, and create a plan for each day. AND, if you want short cooking recipes, just mark that box in the Personalization Quiz.
How much does a PlateJoy subscription cost?
6-month: $69 USD
12-month: $99 USD
*This comes out to around $8-12 / month and will be billed in one installment.
**The cost of PlateJoy does not include food.
Is PlateJoy a good tool for my family?
Are you interested in adding variety to your current menus?
Do you have some basic cooking skills?
Does having all of your meals planned out (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks) sound like a dream come true?
Do you mind grocery shopping for ingredients?
Are you desperate for a tool to do the thinking and planning for you?
Will the Hunt family continue to use PlateJoy?
I have not continued my subscription for PlateJoy simply because I intend to try out several different meal planning services this year to give you the best reviews and feedback. BUT, we really did like the service. It took a few “practice menus” to figure out exactly how to customize it so that my husband (my “selective eater”) would eat the meals it populated. But, it really did simplify the planning process and make grocery shopping a cinch.
If you want to give PlateJoy a try, you can get $10 OFF your membership by using the code: JENNH10
Have you tried PlateJoy? What did you think?
DISCLOSURE
Healthy Inspiration makes every effort to test and review products/services fairly and transparently. The views expressed in this review are my personal views and have not been influenced by a brand, product or service. This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase a product through this link, your cost will be the same but Healthy Inspiration will receive a small commission to help with the operating costs of this blog. Thank you for your support!