{Holiday Gift Giveaway #9} Relish Meal Planning Service (One Full Year!)

When Relish contacted me about reviewing their online meal planning service, I was hesitant about trying it out. I've never been good at meal planning, but having someone else planning my meals for me seemed a little bit lazy to me. And what if I didn't like the recipes they provided? Would there be a lot of repetition? Was it worth paying someone money to plan my meals for me?

Well, there's no better way to answer those questions than to try it myself, so I did. And boy was I pleasantly surprised to find that it is for me!

I decided that the best way to show you how cool Relish really is is to actually show you, so here we go!

(Video embedded in post)

Here's how it works:

• Every Thursday you receive an email with the featured article of the week (this week it's tips on freezing your meals ahead) and a link to go to Relish and see the week's new menu.


• You are able to choose from about 15-20 new recipes each week (or pick from old favorites).

• Plan to cook for 2, 4, 6, or 8 people - the list and recipes automatically scale up for you!
  


• You choose up to 5 entrees and one dessert for the week's menu.


• Submit your meal plan and print your shopping list and recipes (all one PDF file - easy!).

What I love:

• You can customize your menus any way you want each week, choosing from your "favorites" or new recipes added that week.


• There are "legends" distinguishing certain recipes as kid-friendly (KD), Vegetarian (V), lower calorie (LC) and more, making it easy to find just what you want.
  


• The shopping list is categorized by grocery section. For example, all of the items you need to find in the meat section are in one category, all of the dairy in another, etc. Quick grocery shopping trips, yay! This is a total must when you have a fussy toddler in the cart...

Sample Grocery List

• The subscription to Relish is only $7/month, and even less if you order six or twelve months at a time!

What I don't love:

I don't really have anything I don't love about this service! Would you hate someone who helped you save time and money every week? I think not! You'd be grateful, as I am. However, I do have a suggestion: I think that it would be awesome if you could uncheck and therefore not print items that you don't want or need on the printable shopping list. It's not a problem crossing those items out, but I would love to have that option.

Will this work with my budget?

Relish's weekly meals don't cost more than $85 a week, but that was still a bit steep for me. I'm happy to be able to tell you that you can customize your menus and only shop for the meals that you can afford that week. There are some weeks that I can only shop for two or three bigger meals. I check those two or three meals and print a shopping list and recipes for that. I just make more, we eat leftovers, and sometimes we end up having a macaroni and cheese night now and then. I do think, though, that making a list and keeping to it will save you money as it has for me.

To Recommend, or Not To Recommend?

This service does indeed save me time and money. I love it and recommend it to anyone who, like me, hates meal planning or wants to get more organized. It's actually fun now! I find $7 a month very worth paying for this service. The peace of mind it gives me makes me very happy!

Cool Fact: Relish is a company that guarantees you'll love them! "We guarantee that you and your family will enjoy our service. If you are unhappy with your subscription, please email us and we will refund your membership cost at any time."

Relish is generously giving away a one-year subscription to Relish to one lucky winner! This would make a great gift subscription for yourself or a loved one!

How To Enter (mandatory): Visit Relish's How it Works or FAQ page and tell me what you learn and like about the service! Please leave your email address in your comment so I can let you know if you win!

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  #Giveaway - Need some help with meal planning? Relish is giving away a free one-year online subscription! (Review, too) http://kindredspiritreviews.blogspot.com @kindred_spirit

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Giveaway will be closed on November 28 at midnight and winner notified by email - good luck, everyone!

Disclaimer: This service subscription was provided free of charge to me by the company or manufacturer in exchange for an honest review. This review is 100% my own content and my own opinion, and I was not reimbursed in any other way for this post.