There was a time when I enjoyed planning menus, shopping like clockwork every Friday morning at 7:00 am, and preparing meals for my little family of 5. In fact I wrote THIS POST sharing what I did to give menu planning a little creative flair when I had a young family to care for.
But as our nest became empty this past year, meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking have all been a challenge . At the outset my intentions were good, but somewhere along the way I got into a menu rut and began to dread spending time in the kitchen.
I either quickly prepared something and "slapped it on the table" or we ate out.
I was unhappy!
I believe it is because my greatest sense of fulfillment comes from serving my family, how many or however few they may be... makes sense, doesn't it? After all, it's a part of what I was created to do!
A few months ago a young mom introduced me to RELISH, an online menu and recipe subscription.
Here's how it works. For just about $7.00 a month, I can choose weekly recipes from a list that is offered, along with a shopping list based on my menu choices.
All I have to do is choose my menu, print out the recipes and shopping list, make a trip to the grocery store, and I am set for 5 days of cooking.
Relish provides a variety of menus from which to pick and codes them according to the categories they fit into.
You can even plug in the number of people you will be serving and the recipe is tweaked accordingly.
I must say, the recipes I have tried have all been very tasty....different enough to be interesting, and several have made it to my "Favorites" list, which is another feature offered.
An additional perk is receiving a newsletter with kitchen tips.
Extras include healthy lunch ideas, a guide to having a fondue dinner, monthly freezer ideas, holiday ideas, etc. You can also flip back through the recipe archives to find things you haven't tried yet.
Subscriptions to Relish are offered in 3 month, 6 month, or 1 year time periods.
Now, I am not getting paid to tell you this; I just found it to be a great solution for young and older moms and wives who need a little help.
But when I emailed the folks at RELISH to ask permission to post their logo on my blog, they OFFERED TO GIVE AWAY A 6 MONTH SUBSCRIPTION TO ONE OF YOU!!!
Tell you what, check it out for yourself; click on the Relish picture above and it will take you to their site.
BUT DON'T FORGET TO COME BACK HERE TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!!
So, if you want to try RELISH for 6 MONTHS just leave a comment below and I will have a drawing on January 30th to see who wins.
Here are the rules:
~Must have a valid e-mail address. If you don't have a blog you still may enter...just leave an email address in your comment.
~Only one entry per person.
~This contest will run for 1 week, ending on January 30th, 2009 at 6:00PM(EST).
~To be eligible the comment must be on this original post, not on reminder posts.
~Winner will be chosen by a drawing.
And however you do you choose to accomplish it....
Happy Cooking :)
