********This giveaway is now closed********
And the winner is...
#5 Xenia!
Congrats!!
*********************************
It's no secret that I'm OCD. I confess it here on my blog regularly.
I like things to be organized, neat, planned....you know, as controlled as I can get them.
Ask Elaine and she'll tell you that at BlogHer '09, I came back to the room every night and sorted out my swag before neatly packing it in my suitcase.
Point is, I'm always interested in ways to save time, space...and money.
*********************
One of the more recent ways I've discovered to do this is through meal planning and careful shopping.
Some of you may know that I recently tried out Once A Month Cooking. That was a blast, but I will say very involved...and not for everyone.
So, when Relish! contacted me recently and said they'd would let me try their site free - for a whole month, I thought...why not?
I can always use more perspective in the menu planning world!
Relish! is an Online Menu Planning Membership Site (say that 5 times fast!). You can subscribe quarterly or annually. It's similar to other weekly menu planners online in that it offers up a new menu to you each week (and they email it to you if you like! :-) and then also has recipes and a printable shopping list included for a stress free trip to the grocery store.
But, it goes a little further than other planners in a few areas. First off, when you set out to prepare your menu...you are first asked how many people will be dining. This is a great option because you can change it from week to week depending on if you have house guests or if the kiddos will be gone on vacation.
Also, on the weekly meals list they have little coded icons to help you better understand each meal. For example: KF = Kid Friendly V= Vegetarian and SG= Simple Gourmet.
They even let you pick and choose 5 entrees and 1 dessert from a long list to plan your menu.
This was the first time I'd seen this option in the menu planning world...and I really liked it.
Choices are always nice in my book...because no one wants to be locked in to that one entree on the menu your kids/hubs/you won't eat.
In a hurry? Don't have picky eaters in the house? Want to save some money?
Then there's the Dime and Dash section for you!
With one click your menu, shopping list, and recipe cards are there for you.
Finally, the thing that stood out the most on Relish! for me was the fact that they offered little "extras" throughout the site.
For instance, this month they were featuring a full Thanksgiving menu plan, Tailgate Party Recipes, and an hors doeuvres recipe section in addition to the regular weekly menu plans.
To me, it was nice that they had additional recipes that related to the Holidays and the time of year.
****************
My final thoughts on Relish! are this.
I would recommend this site to anyone who loves to cook and eat fresh, unique meals but is busy and doesn't have time menu plan. This site really is a foodies dream.
I would not recommend it to someone who does not like to try new and different foods, is on a really tight budget (even the Dime and Dash section has some items on the menu that were still considered pricey by my standards), does not want to pay a fee for menu plans, or does not like cooking.
Thank you to Relish! for providing me with a free 1 month Membership to test out your site!
**********************
Want to try out Relish! yourself?
You can win a FREE 1 year membership to Relish! just by leaving a comment on this post.
Giveaway ends at Midnight CST on Nov. 26, 2009. The winner will be drawn randomly and announced shortly there after. Open to the U.S. and Canada. Only one entry per person please. Leave your email address in your comment so I'll have a way to contact you if you win. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours a new winner will be drawn.
Good luck!
And the winner is...
#5 Xenia!
Congrats!!
*********************************
It's no secret that I'm OCD. I confess it here on my blog regularly.
I like things to be organized, neat, planned....you know, as controlled as I can get them.
Ask Elaine and she'll tell you that at BlogHer '09, I came back to the room every night and sorted out my swag before neatly packing it in my suitcase.
Point is, I'm always interested in ways to save time, space...and money.
*********************
One of the more recent ways I've discovered to do this is through meal planning and careful shopping.
Some of you may know that I recently tried out Once A Month Cooking. That was a blast, but I will say very involved...and not for everyone.
So, when Relish! contacted me recently and said they'd would let me try their site free - for a whole month, I thought...why not?
I can always use more perspective in the menu planning world!
Relish! is an Online Menu Planning Membership Site (say that 5 times fast!). You can subscribe quarterly or annually. It's similar to other weekly menu planners online in that it offers up a new menu to you each week (and they email it to you if you like! :-) and then also has recipes and a printable shopping list included for a stress free trip to the grocery store.
But, it goes a little further than other planners in a few areas. First off, when you set out to prepare your menu...you are first asked how many people will be dining. This is a great option because you can change it from week to week depending on if you have house guests or if the kiddos will be gone on vacation.
Also, on the weekly meals list they have little coded icons to help you better understand each meal. For example: KF = Kid Friendly V= Vegetarian and SG= Simple Gourmet.
They even let you pick and choose 5 entrees and 1 dessert from a long list to plan your menu.
This was the first time I'd seen this option in the menu planning world...and I really liked it.
Choices are always nice in my book...because no one wants to be locked in to that one entree on the menu your kids/hubs/you won't eat.
In a hurry? Don't have picky eaters in the house? Want to save some money?
Then there's the Dime and Dash section for you!
With one click your menu, shopping list, and recipe cards are there for you.
Finally, the thing that stood out the most on Relish! for me was the fact that they offered little "extras" throughout the site.
For instance, this month they were featuring a full Thanksgiving menu plan, Tailgate Party Recipes, and an hors doeuvres recipe section in addition to the regular weekly menu plans.
To me, it was nice that they had additional recipes that related to the Holidays and the time of year.
****************
My final thoughts on Relish! are this.
I would recommend this site to anyone who loves to cook and eat fresh, unique meals but is busy and doesn't have time menu plan. This site really is a foodies dream.
I would not recommend it to someone who does not like to try new and different foods, is on a really tight budget (even the Dime and Dash section has some items on the menu that were still considered pricey by my standards), does not want to pay a fee for menu plans, or does not like cooking.
Thank you to Relish! for providing me with a free 1 month Membership to test out your site!
**********************
Want to try out Relish! yourself?
You can win a FREE 1 year membership to Relish! just by leaving a comment on this post.
Giveaway ends at Midnight CST on Nov. 26, 2009. The winner will be drawn randomly and announced shortly there after. Open to the U.S. and Canada. Only one entry per person please. Leave your email address in your comment so I'll have a way to contact you if you win. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours a new winner will be drawn.
Good luck!
Disclosure: Relish! provided me with a free 1 month subscription to their site in exchange for this review. These opinions are my own. I was not paid to write this review.
7 comments:
Thanks for sharing! I'm so glad you took the time to stop by today and leave your thoughts. I try to respond to everyone personally, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Haley