Meal Planning: E-Mealz Feed your family for $75 a week?

Meal planning is one of the hardest aspects of running a household. This is why I created this site, because I am rarely prepared to answer the daily question, "What's for dinner?"

In my ongoing quest to find a system that works to keep my family well fed, our budget in check and keep myself ahead of the game someone recommended E-Mealz. E-Mealz is a website that does your meal planning for you. They have defined six goals:

• Spending time with your family
• Save time and money
• Serve delicious food
• Save yourself from multiple and last minute trips to the grocery store
• Stare at your children across from the dinner table rather than into the
• pantry looking for a dinner idea
• Lose weight without preparing separate meals for the family.

E-Mealz is a subscription-based website that creates a concise meal plan (with recipes for the week all on the same page) as well as a shopping list based on sales and organized by aisle. They have a variety of diet options including weight-watchers, vegetarian, and low-fat in addition to lists for typical American family-style dining. You can view samples of the menus here.

I decided to try out E-Mealz and see how it works for my family, but I didn't want to invest the money ($15 for 3 months of menus) to subscribe until I knew whether this would work for us. The website promises a dinner budget of $65-85 depending on which menu choice you make and what store you shop to feed 4-6 people per week.

I printed off a sample menu and went shopping. The sample menu I chose was based on sale prices for July 2006, and the estimated total was $68.90. Normally I keep my pantry well-stocked and I am working to grow a lot of my own produce so there were some menu items I did not need to purchase. I wondered how this list would hold up at today's grocery prices.

I came back from the store having spent $112, but my shopping included staples for my pantry that were unrelated to the dinner menus, such as breakfast and lunch items, strawberries for making jam, fresh produce & healthy snacks for the kids, and toothpaste. Sitting down with my calculator I can see that I spent a grand total of $61.25 for items on the dinner list, without shopping around for sale prices. I omitted from the list bagged salad, head lettuce (lots of lettuce in my garden), frozen biscuits (I can make biscuits from scratch for pennies from my food storage), green beans (already in my food storage), and ground chuck (in my freezer.).

So, I didn't do too bad, considering my shopping list was based on prices 3 years ago! But I still came in $12 over my normal weekly grocery budget of $100 when I included breakfast, lunch, and kitchen staples in my shopping.

The good news is I have fresh food for 7 days with no emergency trips to the store or last minute "let's just go out to eat, I can't think of what to make." I'll check back in a week or so to update you on whether my family liked the food.

Have you tried E-Mealz or a similar meal planning resource? How did it work for you?

Gooey Butter Cake

I found this recipe on cooks.com and its perfect for cooking with children. This cake is somewhere between a coffee cake and a bar cookie. It's fast, easy, and has lots of steps children can do to help out through the whole process. Older children could probably handle this recipe on their own. Best of all? Kids love to eat these yummy cookies!

Prep: 10 minutes
Yield: 24 servings

1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1/2 c. butter
1 egg

GOOEY BUTTER:

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 lb. box confectioners' sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix together cake mix (just the mix, not the other ingredients called for on the box) with butter and 1 egg. Pat into an ungreased 9 x 13 inch cake pan. Cream together cream cheese, 2 eggs, powdered sugar and vanilla. Pour over cake mixture. Spreading to the edges. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

How Kids Can Help:
Kids can unwrap butter & cream cheese, crack eggs, blend crust ingredients, and press dough into cake pan.

Tips & Tricks:
This recipe works equally well with softened as with melted butter.

Chicken Athena

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 4 hours
Yield: 6 servings

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (6 ounces each)
1/3 cup chopped sundried tomatoes, not packed in oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup Greek olives, chopped
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt to taste

Place all ingredients in a crockpot. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or until chicken is cooked through.

Tips and Tricks
I used scallions in place of the regular onion. This recipe can also be adapted for an oven.
Make It Healthier
Use organic chicken. Omit salt.
How Kids Can Help
Chop onion with food chopper, measure liquid ingredients.
Recipe Source
adapted from Healthy Cooking Magazine

One Pot Chicken Dinner

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

2 1/2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
3-4 medium to large potatoes, scrubbed and sliced into chunks
10-12 Campari tomatoes, sliced in half
2 Tbsp water
2-3 Tsp olive oil
1/2 cup prepared pesto
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a large roasting pan. Roast, uncovered, at 425 for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender.

Tips and Tricks
Try using whole new potatoes in place of sliced potatoes, or a whole pint of whole grape tomatoes in place of the larger tomatoes. Buy chicken with skin already removed to save time. I used Sun of Italy pesto.
Make It Healthier
Use red potatoes and leave the skin on. The skin of a potato is high in potassium, and the red potato has a thinner, and more palatable, skin. Omit salt. This recipe could also be made with white meat chicken, but you might need to add more water or oil to make up for the moisture difference.
How Kids Can Help
Mix ingredients in pan.
Recipe Source
adapted from Prevention.com

Greek-Style Quinoa Salad

Prep/Total Time: 30 minutes + chilling
Yield: 10 servings

1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1 cup chopped tomatoes
3/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber
1/2 cup sliced pepperoncinis
1/2 cup Greek olives, pitted and halved
3/4 cup reduced-fat Greek or Italian salad dressing, divided

In a small saucepan, bring quinoa and water to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Remove from the heat; fluff with a fork. Let stand for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, spinach, cheese, tomatoes, beans, cucumber, pepperoncinis and olives. Pour 1/2 cup dressing over quinoa mixture and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Just before serving, drizzle remaining dressing over salad; toss to coat.

Tips and Tricks
I took a lot of liberties with this recipe because I realized at the last minute I was missing some ingredients. I omitted the spinach and pepperoncini, and used garbanzo beans in place of black beans. Try this recipe for Italian dressing.
Make It Healthier
Reduce amount of cheese. Use trans-fat free salad dressing.
How Kids Can Help
Rinse quinoa. Measure ingredients. Mix to coat.
Recipe Source
adapted from Healthy Cooking magazine

Nutrition Facts
One serving (3/4 cup) equals
calories:
184
Fat:
8 g
Saturated Fat:
2 g
Cholesterol:
9 mg
Sodium:
472 mg
Carbohydrate:
19 g
Fiber:
4 g
Protein:
7 g

Diabetic Exchanges
1-1/2 fat, 1 starch, 1 lean meat.

Homemade Italian Salad Dressing

Total Prep Time: less than 5 minutes
Yield: 10 or more servings

3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp dried basil
1 Tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and shake to mix. Refrigerate.

Tips and Tricks
If you don't have red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar will work too. The oil may become solid in the refrigerator, so pull it out at room temperature before using.
Make It Healthier
Omit salt.
How Kids Can Help
Measure ingredients. Shake to mix. Older kids could probably make this entire recipe.

kids

Bulgur With Broccolini, Lentils And Feta

Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

1 cup bulgur
2 cups water
4 Tbsp lemon juice
4 oz feta cheese
8 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
4-5 cups broccolini, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp olive oil
3 cups cooked lentils (canned, drained, or precooked)

Boil water and add bulgur, simmering for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed.

Remove from heat and add lentils, dill, lemon juice and feta. Mix well.

In a pan, heat oil and add garlic. Saute until tender, then add broccolini and saute until tender. Serve over bulgur.

Tips and Tricks
Broccolini is a small green veggie that is a cross between regular broccoli and Chinese broccoli. I was unable to find it at my local grocery store, so I just used regular, finely chopped broccoli. Dried lentils are usually cheaper than canned, but will need to be precooked according to package directions.
Make It Healthier
Reduce oil.
How Kids Can Help
Measure ingredients, use food chopper to chop broccolini.
Recipe Source
Writing: My Life

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Prep/Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

one pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Place eggs in a shallow bowl and cheese in a second bowl. Dip chicken into egg, then roll in cheese. Place in a baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray and season with salt and pepper.

Bake, covered, at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove foil or lid for last ten minutes of baking.

Tips and Tricks
Line your baking pan with foil for easy clean up. Cut chicken into strips to reduce baking time.
Make It Healthier
Omit salt
How Kids Can Help
Older kids can shred cheese.

General Tso's Chicken

Prep: 2 hours, including marinating
Yield: 6 servings

1.5 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 eggs, beaten
5 teaspoons cornstarch, for sauce
1/2 cup cornstarch, for breading
5 tablespoons rice vinegar
6 1/2 tablespoons rice wine
1/2 cup sugar (I have used honey successfully)
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 cup oil (for frying)
red pepper flakes(to taste, approx 1-2 tsp)


Chop chicken into 1 inch cubes

Mix rice vinegar, rice wine, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, 2 Tbsp Sesame oil, and red pepper flakes to taste. Add to this the cubes of chicken, cover and let marinate in refrigerator 1 hour.

Remove chicken from the marinade. Set aside.

Take the marinade and add to it the 5 tsp Cornstarch and 1/2 cup sugar. Then whisk it together.

In a large sauce pan bring the marinade (now General Tso's Sauce) to boiling over medium low heat. It should be thick when done. Then remove from heat.

Beat two eggs, and toss chicken cubes in the beaten egg, covering all sides with egg. Then toss the chicken in the 1/2 cup cornstarch to lightly cover. Shake off the excess. (I usually do the corn starch in a large ziploc bag)

Heat 1/2 cup oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add chicken and brown on all sides.

When all sides are browned, place the chicken into the sauce and heat over low for 3-5 minutes until everything is heated through. (I usually add some fresh broccoli florets when I add the chicken to the sauce...the broccoli cooks while the rest heats up.

Polenta Flowers

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Yield: 24 flowers

6-inch log refrigerated cooked polenta
olive oil
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
tomato sauce for dipping

Cut polenta into 24 slices and use cookie cutters to cut flower shapes from slices. Arrange on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes. Cool slightly and serve with tomato sauce.

Tips and Tricks
Rather than buying premade polenta, I bought a bag of dry polenta and followed the directions on the bag. This option takes longer, but is cheaper.
Make It Healthier
Use natural tomato sauce.
How Kids Can Help
Kids can cut the flower shapes out and sprinkle cheese.
Recipe Source
Parents magazine

Crunchy Fish Triangles

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 8-10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

1/2 pound tilapia fillets, cut into 12 triangles
2 Tbsp milk
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1 Tbsp dry ranch salad dressing mix
olive oil

Mix bread crumbs with salad dressing mix. Pour milk into a separate bowl. Dip fish into milk, then into bread crumb mixture. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 450 for 8-10 minutes or until fish flakes easily.

Tips and Tricks
Use any white fleshed fish. 450 always seems to hot for my oven, so I reduce the temperature and increase the cooking time. I also used Italian seasoned bread crumbs.
Make It Healthier
Use fat-free milk and trans-fat free bread crumbs.
How Kids Can Help
Mix bread crumbs and salad dressing mix. Older kids can coat fish.
Recipe Source
Parents magazine

Cheesy Drop Biscuits

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10-12 minutes
Yield: 6-8 biscuits

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Mix all dry ingredients together. Add wet ingredients and mix to combine. Dough will be slightly dry.

Form into biscuits and bake at 450 on a baking sheet coated with nonstick cooking spray for 10-12 minutes or until browned.

Tips and Tricks
I use powdered buttermilk because it lasts longer. Follow the directions on the label for reconstitution. Don't make the biscuits too large, or they will take longer to bake.
Make It Healthier
Substitute one cup of whole wheat flour in place of all-purpose flour.
How Kids Can Help
Older kids can probably make this entire recipe. Younger kids can measure ingredients and help mix dough.

Bean Soup with Ham

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 2-3 hours
Yield: 8 cups

1 ham bone
2 cans beans (pinto, garbanzo, great northern or navy), rinsed and drained
8 ounce can tomato sauce
3 oz can tomato paste
4 cups chicken broth
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic
salt and pepper
1 large handful fresh parsley, chopped, or 1 Tbsp dried parsley


Place ham bone in a large stock pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until reduced by half and meat is falling off bone. Remove from heat. When cook enough to touch, remove bone from pot and pull meat from bones. Reserve cooking liquid and discard bones and fat.

Add meat back to reserved liquid. Add beans, broth, tomato sauce, paste and salt and pepper. Stir to combine and heat over low.

In a small saucepan coated with cooking spray, saute onions, carrots and garlic until crisp tender. Add to soup.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until beans and veggies are tender.

Tips and Tricks
Using canned beans makes this soup prep faster, but you can use dried beans to save money. Follow the soaking directions on the package. You will also need to increase the water and cooking time.
Make It Healthier
Use low-sodium broth and omit additional salt.
How Kids Can Help
Older kids can open cans. Measure ingredients.

Fresh Guacamole

Prep/Total Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 4 cups

4 Haas avocados, peeled and cubed
1 Tbsp lime juice
2 cups finely chopped Vidalia onion
1 large handful fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tsp hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Mash with a fork to desired consistency. Serve with tortilla chips.

Tips and Tricks
Cover with saran wrap tightly over the guacamole to prevent browning. If serving after refrigeration, stir before serving.
Make It Healthier
Omit salt.
How Kids Can Help
Older kids can peel and pit the avocados. Measure ingredients and mix.