I had heard of E-mealz before, but I didn’t know much about it. However, anything that saves me time in the kitchen and in the grocery store is something that I wanted to try. The principle of E-mealz is very simple,
but, unfortunately, it didn’t end up being as simple as I had hoped.
I am a life-long lacto-ovo vegetarian, so I quickly picked out the Vegetarian (Walmart) version, printed out the menu with grocery shopping list, and headed to our local Walmart Super Center. While shopping from the list, I found that there were several items that I couldn’t find. Knowing that our Walmart Super Center is one of the smallest in existence, I decided to switch to the Vegetarian (Any Store) plan.
I waited a week to print out my Vegetarian (Any Store) menu with shopping list, and with family in tow, we headed to our local Safeway grocery store. Here again, there were a few things that we could not find. We found as much as we could and then, headed to the checkout. This particular plan is not tied to any sales, so I actually saw my grocery bill rise.
Problems I Had:
- There were things on the menu/shopping list that I couldn’t find at our local grocery store, and I don’t have time to go to multiple grocery stores every week.
- The shopping list was confusing. There were actually 3 lists within 1: Grocery List, Staples Needed for Each Meal #, and Things to Have on Hand. It seemed that things were different each week. For example, one week, onions were on the Grocery List, and another week, onions were on the Staples Needed for Each Meal.
- There’s no nutritional information included, and that is a real problem on a vegetarian plan. I try to keep a fairly even level of protein from day-to-day, and there seemed to be a wide variety of protein amounts. A few of the meals were not much more than a lot of carbohydrates and some veggies.
For the record, I SO wanted to like this program, but it just didn’t work with our dietary style. It was also surprising that I couldn’t find several of the items because we live in a highly health-conscious area.
I know that many other people recommend this program, and if I utilized a different menu style, I might, too. I just don’t feel that I can recommend the vegetarian meal options on E-mealz as they are. If nutritional information were included, I might feel differently.
Pertinent Information:
- Product name: E-mealz
- Price: E-mealz is a subscription-based charge (3 months for $15 with auto renewal).
- Read other reviews on this product on the Crew Blog Page.
FTC Disclosure: I was given a 3 month subscription of E-mealz for review purposes as a part of the TOS Crew. Although I was given this product free of charge, my opinions stated above are my own and not influenced by anyone.
Dawn @ The Momma Knows says
What a bummer! I have heard that a lot of people like EMealz but I hesitate to pay for menus. I am still thinking about trying it out, but we don’t have the dietary restrictions that you do. Hopefully they will take your review to heart and make a few changes to their vegetarian options!
Naomi says
I think that E-mealz has a lot of potential, especially for people who don’t eat an alternate diet. I just think that nutitional information is an important part of any recipe program.
Wendy R says
I tried the Vegetarian-WalMart plan first, then switched to the Vegetarian-Any Store plan, as well. I agree! Some of the items were hard/impossible to find! Some of them contained other items that I, or various other family members, couldn’t eat, as well. (Mushrooms! I’m allergic to mushrooms!) I like the simplicity and ease of the program. The nutritional values of the meals WOULD definitely be a plus!
Naomi says
Yes, the plan is simple….only if I can find the items. That one dish sure had a LOT of those mushrooms, too!
Lisa says
Very well written review.Those that may be looking at that menu plan would definitely benefit by hearing about your experience.
Naomi says
Thank you! I’m seeing that it seems that whether people liked E-mealz or not is tied to the plan that was tried.
Martha says
Thank you for your comment on my review of e-Mealz. I too had hoped to really like this plan, but it just wasn’t something my family really enjoyed.
Following you now.
Naomi says
Following you, too.