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This post is all about CookSmarts and why it is the best easy meal planning service.

Frustration with Meal Planning

Are you someone who is just done with trying to figure out what’s for dinner every night? Are you tired of the same old recipes, spending too much on groceries, and not having any idea about healthy eating ideas? Do you hate grocery shopping or don’t have the time to peruse each aisle, hoping for some menu inspiration?

If so, may I introduce you to one of my favorite sites, CookSmarts – an easy meal planning website & app that takes all your headaches away (where easy meal planning is concerned, at least).

Not only does CookSmarts provide delicious recipes (so no more guesswork!), but their weekly dinner menu plans make shopping super easy – the ingredients lists are organized by grocery store isle, which saves precious time not having to search for a particular product.

In addition, your personalized grocery list can be uploaded directly to Instacart, so you don’t even have to leave your house. (How cool is that?)

Plus, there are links to visual food prep instructions on their recipes. These are perfect for any seasoned cook or culinary rookie, and if I can prepare great meals with this website, anyone can.

Me and the Weekly Dinner Menu

So, if you ask my boys, they will tell you that I was an OK cook back in the day. Not great, but not terrible either.

Ok, confession time. I was not the best at menu planning. In fact, it was dismal. It was the same old story every week: hamburgers on Monday, tacos on Tuesday, chicken on Wednesday, roast in the crock pot on Thursday, or simply, easy-to-prepare foods like these.

I know, I know, not exactly a culinary adventure. But hey, these were reliable meals that only required a little thinking…or effort. I mean, what else could I do? Look up fancy recipes every week and try to recreate them. Yeah, right. Let’s just say that the weekly dinner menu was not my forte.

One day, I realized I couldn’t possibly make another boring recipe. I needed some weekly menu ideas, stat. So, I did what any other recipe-seeking individual would do; I googled it. The search turned up endless possibilities.

And amongst all those possibilities that google whipped up for me, one caught my attention. It included a different weekly menu with ordinary ingredients I could find at any supermarket. I could mix and match recipes, get preparation instructions, and much more.

They offered a free trial period, so I decided to try it immediately.

My Unique Experience with CookSmarts

My free trial period ended six years ago, and I have been using them since. Let me tell you, folks, it’s like having a personal sous chef in your pocket! With easy menu planning and prep instructions that even a kitchen blando like me can follow, I’ve been whipping up some seriously delicious dishes that even Gordon Ramsay would approve of.

I have made everything from Chicken Burrito Bowls (a huge family favorite), Big Mac Salad (quick and easy), Chinese Tofu Salad (it was delicious) to BBQ Rotisserie Chicken Pizza (kid’s choice). My favorite recipe to date is Egg Roll in a Bowl (LOOOVE the flavor, and I make it several times each month).

I Have found that the menus are varied from week to week. They have so many recipes for all kinds of dishes that if I don’t like one of the meals on a particular night, I simply swap it out for another by doing a search of all the recipes on their website. This has made weekly menu planning easy.

My family has really liked all the dishes I have made. No more bland, uninspired meals for us – we’ve now got restaurant-quality dinners right in our own kitchen.

Get a Free Guide for Delicious Burgers Here

Ok, You are on Board with this Easy Menu Planning Service, but How Does it Work Exactly?

Pros of the CookSmarts Meal Planning Service

How it works

Members receive a weekly menu optimized for food savings and minimizing food waste every Thursday. Every meal comes with a gluten-free, paleo, and vegetarian option.
Select the meals you want to make, diet options, and serving sizes, and get an automatically generated grocery list organized by store categories. You can also add meals from their Archives featuring over 1,000 members’ reviewed and rated recipes.
For those get-ahead warriors, there’s a weekend prep section to make the week even more efficient.
When you’re ready to cook, head to the meal page, follow the steps, mark “I made this,” and leave a rating and review!

Full List of Features

They create all of their recipes to ensure they’re all doable and accessible.
Every meal includes a gluten-free, paleo, or vegetarian option.
Customize serving sizes to fit your family’s needs for each meal.
Skip a meal or add any meal from their extensive archives. Meals have been tagged with categories like “Budget” for easy searching.
Your grocery list magically updates from your selections, and you can add other items you need so you don’t have to have multiple shopping lists.
Specify a list of weekly staples and easily add them to your grocery list in 1-click.
Send your grocery list directly to Instacart to save even more time (more grocery delivery services are to be added soon)
Improve your skills while you make dinner with integrated videos on meal preparations.
Leave a rating and a review to help them improve. They read all of the feedback!
Mark favorite meals for easy access in the future.
Send your meal to MyFitnessPal or get Weight Watchers Points.
Each meal has a smart nutritional label to help you dig into your macros.
Get ahead of your week with their optional weekend prep steps.
Their exclusive Facebook Group is like your own personal cooking hotline.
Not on the imperial system? Easily switch to metric.
They’re committed to improving and always adding more features.

Pricing

All subscriptions come with a free 14-day trial.

Monthly subscribers – $14.99 / month
Annual subscribers – $7.49 / month (pay $89.99 / year), a savings of 50% compared to our monthly plan.

Use this link to get your Free 2 Week Trial Membership.

Cons of the CookSmarts Meal Planning Service

Occasionally, there is an ingredient I can’t find for something I have tagged in the menu. I usually google a close substitute, and my recipe has always been fine.

Who Is This Easy Menu Planning Service Good For?

Anyone who enjoys cooking.
Folks that like to try new and interesting recipes.
Those that want to source their ingredients.
Individuals that cook for their families regularly.
Cooks that desire to save money and avoid food waste.

Is CookSmarts Worth It

If you’re looking for an easy meal planning tool that helps you menu plan effortlessly, CookSmarts is definitely worth it. The app consolidates everything you need, so you don’t have to go through different websites or cookbooks to get your recipes and shopping lists.

With CookSmarts, you’re in charge of what you bring to the table – from the quality of the ingredients to how you prep and cook them. The app will even prompt you to use specific ingredients for multiple recipes to minimize waste and reduce your grocery expenses.

Overall, CookSmarts is a game-changer when it comes to easy meal planning and prep. It saves you money and time by taking the guesswork out of cooking and allows you to enjoy the process.