I’ve been working on my books, preparing to file taxes, and after analyzing all the expenses… I joked with my daughter that the best way for us to save money is to just stop eating. 😛 lol…
I’m terrible at keeping up with coupons & sales, or even creating a grocery budget. I also find that without strategic meal planning, a lot of food goes to waste if you’re not careful.
At least when I’m eating out a lot, I only order what I want when I want it. No planning, no waste, no fuss. But yeah – that gets old. 😉
I’ve been looking around at options to help me become more organized & efficient – from sites, to apps to meal planning software. I finally found the perfect solution! It’s a website called Food on the Table, which also has mobile phone apps. It’s free to try out, and then $5/month.
I just signed up today, and I REALLY like it. You’ll get to choose your favorite local grocery store. They keep up with the specials and savings at your store, so you don’t have to (yay! lol). Next you get to choose your food & dish preferences – as well as your dietary restrictions. I chose Low Carb of course. Here’s a screen shot that shows you the different options:
Next you get to choose actual meals & dishes. Which is GREAT because I’ve really gotten bored with my “usual meals” (and as you know by now, I’m pretty limited on cooking experience!). And I’m really anxious to try out my grill – which I’ve had for two years and still don’t know how to use – lol.
The cool thing about this site is that it includes recipes & directions! So not only am I finding tons of NEW low carb meal options… but they tell me how to make them. 😀
Each meal includes nutrition facts and prep time, allows you to choose the number of servings, and of course adds all of the ingredients to your shopping list. And you can choose from items that are on sale, making it both easy AND economical. Here are the low carb meals/recipes I am trying from the Food on the Table site:
- Grilled Chicken Breast
- Grilled Chicken Skewers with Veggies
- Zesty Filet Mignon
- Codfish with Cheddar and Tomatoes
- Broiled Garlic Chicken
- Baked Mahi Mahi With Raspberries
- Creamy Pork Tenderloin
Once I went through the options (quick & easy!), it let me print both my grocery list AND the recipes – which also included all the nutrition info. And the grocery list included tips for which brands to look for that are currently on sale at my store. Wow!
Meal Planning simply could not be made any easier!!
Two of my recipes are for the grill, which I’m really excited about. 🙂
This is by far the easiest, most efficient, and BEST meal planning software (website & app) that I have found. It combines sales & savings with your specific diet plan, and includes recipes and detailed nutrition facts. It truly doesn’t get any better than that! If you don’t have a smart phone, or prefer not to use it for keeping track, you can just print out your list & recipes.
I decided to print mine out (too), and I was really impressed with the formatting – easy to read, and each recipe is on it’s own page. Very nice for those of us that like to save our favorite recipes, or share them with friends!
I am so happy I found an ideal Healthy Meal Planning solution. Definitely check it out. I was skeptical going in (after looking at several others) but this is hands-down the best meal planning software / website available in my opinion!
David says
Hi there,
Awesome Blog.
Quick question, about your food on a table post.
When I click on the links “FOOD ON A TABLE” it takes me to this address http://strk.enlnks.com/aff_c?offer_id=502&aff_id=3259&file_id=3668
Which ends up here http://surveyfindtraffic.com/d/r1e9d85642 and has nothing to do with food.
Can you please investigate as I would like to give you credit when I click through to food on a table which is also a great site and worth investigating.
Regards
David Schoeman
Lynn Terry says
Thank you David! All the links are working fine for me, including the referral link above in your comment (first link). I’m not sure why it’s sending you to that other page – I don’t recognize that. π You might try using a different browser (or computer, even) and see if you have the same issue… I’m honestly not sure if it’s something with the link or perhaps something on your end – but you’ll want to rule that out for sure.
David says
It seems to be based on a per country thing.
I have tried it with multiple browsers, various computers and from various locations in the country and the destination site that is the second link changes based on the location that the website is accessed from.
Other than that, thanks again for a great blog
Lynn Terry says
Ahh, that makes sense. Sorry about that. And thank you. π Glad you stopped by. I look forward to hearing more from you & getting to know you!
Scott Carney says
That does seem like a really cool app. To be able to see what your local store has on special. Even it giving you what and how to cook what you are getting it totally awesome. I know what you mean that sometimes cooking the same thing over and over again or eating the same thing over and over can get boring, I look forward to trying out that app.
Lynn Terry says
I am really loving it so far! You can even add personal shopping items to your list, so everything is all one place. I’m using the app, which means it’s with me all the time – no having to remember the list, and convenient if I’m already out and about!
The savings/specials part is REALLY cool. I love that integration! Especially since I’m terrible at keeping up with specials & coupons and such on my own. π
Angie says
OK way awesome! I just signed up and have been finding some cool recipes. Uhh mushroom vegetarian burger and vegetarian sloppy joes? yes please. Thanks so much for this great resource, Lynn!
Lynn Terry says
I knew you’d love it when I saw the vegetarian option π I was tickled they had Low Carb! I am really enjoying this one!!
Shannon Smith says
I’m already a free member and there doesn’t appear to be a way to enter the coupon code to do it as an upgrade. Any chance you know if we can upgrade using the free code?
Lynn Terry says
I’m not sure Shannon. Good question! I would ask on the forum or by email and see.
Shannon Smith says
I notice that my meal plan saved on the computer for the week isn’t syncing to the app. Is yours like that too? Maybe it’s one or the other in that case. Hmmm…I’ll have to test them both and see which I like best. I also noticed that although I picked always on Low-Carb, it’s still showing me what seems to be higher carb recipes. One even said “because of the high sugar content.” LOL
Lynn Terry says
I’m still playing with it, so I haven’t noticed any higher carb recipes yet. But my site choices automatically loaded in the app when I installed it and logged in…
Debra Lloyd says
Thanks for sharing this – signed up and this is a great App. I’m ‘coming to the table’ a few days late here, but am having a ‘feel fat day’ so thought I’d look to see if I could find any wisdom and of course I did! Having meals planned out ahead of time makes it so much easier to stay on track and the shopping list is a great way to be sure I only pick up what I need – saves money, saves wasted food and hopefully will save my waist too!
Lynn Terry says
I hear you Debra, on ALL those points. π I love the tab for “what’s on sale this week” too. It helps with picking up other items we need in the house, and getting the best deal. Without having to *think* – which I love. LOL.