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Just read through all the comments and you guys might've sold me!!
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Another question-
We don't want to eat meat everyday.
Would it be easier to get the Classic and modify/substitute for the meat, or get the vegetarian and add meat occasionally?
My concern with the vegetarian is that some veggie meal plans are super heavy on soy protein/ meat substitutes and loads of cheese, which isn't our cup of tea. -
@lizzywiz: They aren't big proponents of processed foods, so I can't imagine it recommending prepared meat substitutes. My friend has the vegetarian meal plan and I haven't seen soy pop up a lot, but I have noticed a lot of beans and quinoa!
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@lizzywiz: I have the same issue. I really don't like that you can't switch between plans -- I'd have jumped on the bandwagon a lot sooner if we could do that. Now that I've got DH to agree, I think we'll do classic. For things like steak fajitas, we might sub in portobella mushrooms, etc. We'll see how it goes.
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Thanks- and one more question:
Can anybody speak to the difference between this one and CookSmarts?
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@lizzywiz: From what I've seen of reviews, it seems that it'd be easier to buy vegetarian and add meat. I don't know that I've seen soy products even mentioned when other people are talking about the vegetarian meals.
@PurplePeony: I agree - I think it's a little disappointing you can't see all the plans. I can see keeping the lunch and the single plans separate from the full-family plans, but each different plan is similar enough each week that it wouldn't really hurt them to give access to every member!
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@lizzywiz: We do the classic and there is always at one vegetarian meal per week. The meal plan has five meals per week, so if you plan to eat meat 4 times per week, then you should go with the classic, I think. Some meals would be really easy to leave out meat: there was a substantial salad last week with leftover meat, It would be really easy to leave it out and make it vegetarian. But there are other nights where it is the focus - like Tuesday is seafood night, and usually it is a fish and one side. It would be harder to beef up the side to make it a full meal.
If you plan to eat less meat, I think I would go with the veggie plan and add meat to it but I've never used the veggie plan.
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@swurlygurl: @PurplePeony: I totally agree! Or add like $1 a month to get access to all of them.
@lizzywiz: Just looked at CookSmarts, which looks really nice too. I got the sample plan to check it out. The differences I see are
- CookSmarts has a lot more customization. You can choose to make a meal "original", veggie, etc. And then it populates a custom grocery list. Fresh 20 is set and you get a PDF for the week.
- Fresh 20 is cheaper.
- The Fresh 20 limits your grocery list to 20 fresh items per week. The sample week listed a lot more.
- Looks like CookSmarts has a community aspect where you can rate a recipe and make comments. Fresh 20 doesn't really do this, but they do have blog.It seems like Fresh 20 is a bit simpler and more straightforward, and CookSmarts is better for customization. They both look like they have healthy meals with whole foods.
If anyone tries it, I'd love to hear what they think!
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@TemperanceBrennan: I am actually on Cook Smarts and I like it but was drawn to the simplicity and cheapness of Fresh 20. Also, Cook Smarts meals seem to take me longer than the estimated time, but that could just be because I am not efficient.
The customizing is a great tool, but because they plan meals around each other, if you decide not to make something that can impact the whole rest of the week's menu/prep. Not a big deal and they tell you the Dependencies beforehand, but good to know.
It does cost more but I might stick with it one more month. I really do like CookSmarts but you guys were talking up Fresh 20 so much I couldn't help myself from checking it out!Maybe I'll do a post on CookSmarts so people know what else is out there.
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I wish Fresh 20 would do a deluxe subscription where you could look at all the meal plans and choose one. I would pay extra for that.
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I just read through all of these comments and I am intrigued! Can anyone tell me, though, if this saves money and time if you are already a fairly decent meal planner and shop with a list made in advance?
I already shop with lists for specific meals each week and then general grocery staples, but I am trying to find ways to cut down our grocery bill ... we typically spend around $150-$180/week for me, DH and two toddlers.
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@sunshineandsushi: For me, it was more about the time saving of not having to do all the work of deciding what meals to eat and then compiling the lists.
I would estimate your costs for food to be about the same as what you are spending now. The cost estimate is $75-$85 per week for the dinners. My DH and I spend around $120 when we go the store (including breakfast things, pantry stuff, drinks, etc). The 20 fresh ingredients per week helps limit the costs. It also depends if you buy organic/conventional, sub more expensive cuts of meat and seafood with cheaper types.
It sounds like you might save a little bit of time and maybe a little bit of money. I don't think that alone would be enough to switch. When I meal planned, it rotated between a handful of recipes (we got bored easily) and they weren't the healthiest (lots of cheese, bread, and dairy). If you are looking to cook healthy meals (that may or may not be healthier than what you are cooking now) that are diverse week-to-week then I think you should consider it.
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DH and I aren't big fish people. Do all the fish meals come with an option to sub in chicken or other meat?
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@TemperanceBrennan: thanks! I just downloaded the sample meal plan and I think I will give it a try next week. Variety of meals is definitely something I am interested in, since I often get tired of looking and trying out new recipes by myself. We eat pretty healthy, so it won't be much of a switch there. I just get stuck in these cooking ruts.
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@LindsayInNY: Tuesday is seafood, so sometimes it's shrimp or crab (not sure if you stay away from that too), it was even lobster tail one week, but most often it is fish fillets. I would say you could almost always sub with chicken (most of the time it gives you cooking times for chicken as well), and there are some meals - like pasta or soups - where you could leave it out completely.
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@TemperanceBrennan: Awesome, thanks!!
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After reading about it here on HB, DH and I signed up for a three month membership. We love it! Some of the best cooking we have done has been through this site. I love how it is much less wasteful. I was tired of throwing away half bags of spinach, herbs, etc.
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@LindsayInNY: this week's Tuesday meal is scallops, with the suggestion to sub chicken tenders if you want
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We bought the stuff for our trial week! Sunday is our prep night. I'm excited to see how it goes.
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@Danizaur: Are you using the free week trial menu?
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@Danizaur: We loved the sample week!
The best thing we've gotten out of our subscription so far is that DH has loved the salads. He used to HATE them with a passion, but he is gobbling them up and raving about them. Makes me so happy that we won't be stuck eating stew in summer anymore
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@travelgirl1: We love the salads too! Very hearty.
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@LindsayInNY: Yup!
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After reading everyone's comments about it I decided to try the sample fresh 20 last week...... You guys got me sold I just signed up for the one year! Shopping has been so quick and cooking has taken under a half hour each night. Thanks everyone, I had never heard of this program until reading about it on here!
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I am sold after reading this thread! Did my shopping and prep work yesterday for the free trial. Still need ground lamb and wonton wrappers though, since our Trader Joe's did not have either.
I think we are going to love this! HB for the win once again!
Does anyone know how often they run a sale? I don't want to pay full price when it seems like you can get it cheaper!
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@bisous: They JUST had a sale a couple weeks ago, and I read on their FB wall that they're not planning any promotions (Groupon, etc) soon
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@swurlygurl: Ugh, really?! I was hoping to find a deal online before buying it
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@swurlygurl: Eh. That stinks but thanks for the info!
It is still probably worth it-I am just worried I will find out I can't make it work with work crazy work schedules. I will have to see how it goes this week!
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@bisous: I solo parent 6 days on, 3 days off so I usually cook the dinners on my own when I get home at 6. I've found that if I follow their prep-ahead recommendations it's no problem!
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@grizz: How long does prep-ahead stuff take usually?
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@LindsayInNY: I usually spend like an hour on Sunday nights, and then like 15 minutes on some nights after dinner or in the morning.
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@grizz: Sounds do-able!
We enjoyed our first meal tonight! Looking forward to the leftovers!
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We just had our first meal from the sample week. It was soooo good! Even for me, and I'm incredibly picky. I'm feeling really confident about it!
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@Danizaur: Scallion meatballs?
I imagine you and I will be doing the same prep and cooking every night this week! Lol
I was looking at tomorrow's meal and I am excited! -
@bisous: Yes!! It's also tomorrow's lunch. I can't wait. Haha Let me know how you like tomorrow's meal!
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@bisous: @Danizaur: Those meatballs are soooo good! DH was literally salivating over them. The Asian Nachos in the sample week are really yummy too.
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@Danizaur: @bisous: the leftovers for lunch are my fav part! I really look forward to eating something that isn't a sandwich.
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hmmmm. You guys might have me sold on this. I'm really worried I won't have the energy to make it after work... I'm so terrible at falling off bandwagons (re: summer fitness thread).
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I signed up last night, after doing a full week last week, thanks to a friend.
I love it! There was one meal last week that wasn't good at all, and needed a TON of seasoning to even be worth eating. But the other four were good-to-great! I really love how the weekly menu uses a lot of the same ingredients throughout the meals, so you don't waste things that come in larger amounts, like celery and carrots. We were so bad about using 2 carrots out of a bag for one recipe, then letting the rest go bad in the fridge.
I also really like the prep-ahead plan. It's a pain in the ass to do, initially, but it makes trying to prepare a meal with a toddler underfoot each night actually doable.
It's making us branch out and try new things, like salads for meals. Which, I will admit, I'm not usually a fan of. We had been in a recipe rut, too, and were having trouble meal planning each week, so this makes that SO much easier.
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@allison: this exactly! Except instead of a toddler underfoot I have a fussy 5 month old. lol!
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