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I’m very excited about a new product I received, yesterday. Ruth at Menu In A Box offered me a copy of the Menu In A Box - 100 Day Meal Planning Kit in exchange for a review. I like free stuff, and I love giving my opinion, so I was on it.

I was intrigued by the concept: a .pdf download of recipes, shopping lists, meal plans and tips on becoming more organized and saving money while feeding your family nutritious dinners. Good idea, right? I had some concerns, though:

  • Will these be recipes that The Boyfriend and I will like? He can be picky.
  • There are only two of us, will these be recipes that can feed a small army? I don’t like to waste food.
  • How family-ey is this? I’m not in for tips on how to make children eat peas or what goes best with dino-shaped nuggets (smiley fries, I’m told).

I was pleased with what I found, though.

The menu plan is a 61 page file - definitely printable (but only once!). I plan to print mine and organize it in a binder. I’m not as lucky/organized as some people (Janey!) and have a computer in the kitchen.

The first thing I noticed was the layout. It’s aesthetically pleasing. I really like the presentation, and that’s half the battle for my finicky tastes! If it’s something I like the looks of, I tend to get excited about it. The reason I’m only a Tentative Chef is that I was never really very excited about cooking, growing up. I think this plan will keep my interest with it’s bright colors and interesting layout.

The plan has you follow four steps:

  1. Organizing your pantry
  2. Printing the weekly menu of your choice and the associated shopping list
  3. Shopping both in your pantry and refrigerator and at the store
  4. Cooking and enjoying your meals

I can do all those things. Easy peasy. Well, maybe not the first one, right away. One day, though!

The pantry/fridge setup section has a good, if a bit odd, list of staples. There are lots of these lists out there, and I am intimidated by them. This one isn’t different. There are some items I can’t imagine ever using, like, dessicated coconut (I have no idea what that even is), baby beets, marinated capsicums (again, what’s that? ha! I just wikipediad and it’s plain ol’ bell pepper!), much less that I’d consider staples of my pantry. I will concede that I buy to recipes, so, as I make more recipes, my pantry gets filled with more things. However, I’m thinking that sauces like oyster sauce and garam masala are things I can manage without until I have a recipe that needs them. However, I am rather competent at thinking for myself and can adapt my pantry staples list to meet my needs.

I was super happy to find a complete list of all 20 weeks’ menu plans on one sheet. Sweet! I don’t have to flip back and forth through my binder to find a week I like. I love handy, quick references and this is that.

The setup of the weekly menus had me concerned, at first glance. How will I cook with all these bullet points and columns? This doesn’t look like a regular recipe! I’m quick to make rash judgments, though. After actually reading them (a novel idea, huh?), I found that the menus are concise and to the point. My kind of thing! Hold on, though. Will I be able to cook these things or are they complicated and over my Tentative head? No fear, grasshopper! The recipes I looked through were pretty straightforward. My absolute favorite thing about the plan, though? A “Serve With” column. I never know what sides to serve with a meal. This will help, greatly, I think!

 

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One thing I noticed about each night’s meal plan is that I’ll really have to read through the whole meal in order to get my ingredients ready. That’s something I should learn to do, anyway. Sometimes, a side dish will include a dressing with ingredients not listed in the first, main dish, column. It makes sense, it’s just something to adapt to.

Now, on to the shopping list. I freaking love it. I’m not sure why, it’s just a list, but I love lists and this one is pretty! And functional! I like that the items are categorized by type, because I hate walking all over the store and doubling back to find something that was farther down the list. I also really like that there are quantities beside most of the items. It never fails that I bring home only two onions when I really need 3 because I was an idiot who didn’t list her quantities. I also like it because many of the “canned” lists assume you have certain staples. Not this one. It’s all there; I’ll just make a quick run through the pantry/refrigerator and check off the things I already have.

Ruth throws some extras in the box, too, with this kit. There are five party menus that include a whole food setup and a timeline for preparation. I hate not knowing which dish to make first for a dinner party. Also included is a child’s grocery store game - sort of a scavenger hunt. It’s adorable. Finally, there is a blank list for those times when you want to think outside the box.

All in all, I’m very interested in this meal planning kit. Even though it’s really geared toward families, I think it will work for my household of just two. The recipes claim to serve 4, generously. If you saw how The Boyfriend eats, you’d realize that this is about right for us. I plan and measure out a serving for myself, and he eats the rest. If I want some for lunch, the next day, I have to put it away before he serves himself! I’d rather have a “Romantic Dinner” celebration menu (I’m sure I would if I actually HAD kids) instead of the “Kid’s Birthday Party Menu,” but maybe I’ll have one of the kid relatives over for a party.

It lists at $19.95 (USD) for one download of the .pdf file. I’m not sure I’d buy it, just because I’m cheap and have a whole lot of cookbooks. However, I don’t ever use those cookbooks and struggle each week to pull together a meal plan. It would probably be worth it to me to buy and download. Between trying to get The Boyfriend to give me ideas and finding the time to sit down and do it, meal planning doesn’t always happen. However, I think it would make a great gift for new parents, a newly married couple, or anyone who works and wants to eat meals! That narrows it down, right?

I look forward to making this week’s menu and will report back on it’s success or failure. Stay tuned!