A huge thank you to PlateJoy for sponsoring today’s post! They are also offering my readers $10 off, so don’t miss the link and promo code below.
There's this saying. It goes something like this…
“A failure to plan is a plan to fail.”
Sounds ominous, right? Let me flip the script a little and put this into meal planning context for you…
“A failure to meal plan equals either a bowl of cereal or a McDonald's Happy Meal delivered via UberEats for Tuesday's dinner.” – Laurie of Work Play and Chardonnay
The above statement is sad and oh so very, very real. You can check my Uber Eats account in all of its embarrassing glory. It's the picture of (un)health and unnecessary delivery fees.
However, most of the time I take advantage of my #SundayFunday to meal plan and head to my local Public, Whole Foods or Fresh Market. I love curating recipes and developing my grocery list. But a menu service came a knocking on my door (or via email) to give them a try. I'm all for creating efficiencies while exercising my foodie muscle (a.k.a. “my stomach.”)
Getting to Know You PlateJoy-style
PlateJoy is a personalized meal planning service available via desktop and as an app that saves users time and money, with healthy recipes and shopping lists made to fit today's busy lifestyle. To start, you take a quiz so the system can understand your dietary needs, likes, and dislikes. So in our household, PlateJoy knows we need gluten-free recipes for Jared and that I have a side-eye inducing disdain for eggplant.
Isn't it Queue-t?
Once PlateJoy has sussed out your foodie sensibilities, you are taken to your meal queue – a bevy of photos for breakfast, lunch, batch meals, dinner, and snacks/dessert. And if a recipe doesn't strike your fancy – kick it from the queue. No one's feelings will get hurt. It's PlateJoy…not PlateSad.
Tell It What You Want, What You Really, Really Want
Once you have perused your queue, you will start the process of determining your menu by letting PlateJoy know what you want and how much of it. You aren't a breakfast person? Don't select it. A batch meal strikes your fancy? Select one or two or three. You're a snack attacker? It's yours. Once you are done, the magic makers at PlateJoy will conjure up your weekly meal plan.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner. Or Dinner & Snacks. The Choice is Yours.
A series of recipes are generated to maximize the use of similar ingredients. I've been a horrible offender when it comes to food waste. This is such a smart way to combat the issue. But don't worry, if you aren't overly jazzed by one or any of the recipes you can make select an alternative. NBD.
Let Me Introduce You to the Digital Pantry. DP, Meet My Friends…
Once you have selected all of your recipes for the week, the service asks you if you want to check out your Digital Pantry. You should always answer this with a resounding “YESSSS!!!!” It's by far one of the best functionalities of PlateJoy. You simply click “need” or “have” in the DP before it generates your grocery list. How cool is THAT????
This Little Blogger Went to the Market…
My grocery lists have a tendency to not be the most organized. Cereal might be listed right after milk, the bread after deli meat. PlateJoy curates your needs into a list by sections of the grocery store. You can either print your list or use the app on your phone to tick off the items while shopping.
The Proof is in the Salad
We've been using the service for a few weeks now, and we are (plate)joyful. The recipes have been light, easy to make, and oh so delicious. A bulk of the ingredients are from the “outside perimeter” of the grocery store. Freshness is the foundation without sacrificing flavor. All without the dastardly glutens (for Jared) and my vegetable nemesis, eggplant (fried eggplant is acceptable).
If you’d like to try PlateJoy for yourself, they have offered my readers a $10 off discount code. Simply click here to sign up and use promo code WORKPLAYANDCHARDONNAY1 to get your discount! I hope you try it and experience the joy and ease that PlateJoy has brought into my life.
Do you menu plan or do you wing it? Have you tried any of the meal subscription services? What do you do to make your “food life” a bit easier? Let me know in the comments below!
Work Hard. Play Hard. Drink Chard.
Laurie
Disclaimer: I was provided with a free subscription, as well as compensation for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and not influenced by the company.
Platejoy, not platesad. I love it. This sounds like something that really appeals to my zeal for organization.
It has definitely helped me stay organized but without being overly rigid. I like that I can kick a recipe to the curb if I am just not feeling it. And the Digital Pantry…
What a wonderful thing! I am sure it’s very helpful to organize your life. I will definitely give it a try!
It’s been really, really helpful…and healthful! If you give it a try, please let me know. I would love to see what you think of the service!
So yummy! I can’t wait to give this recipe a try! I’ll have to try them!
So far I have really liked everything I have tried. Tonight I am making sheet pan lemon-roasted chicken with fingerling potatoes. Mmm…
Plate joy seems really awesome! I love anything that makes my meal prepping and planning easier! Plus that food looks really good.
The list of foods it has look so good, I would definitely be tempted to try it out anything that can make my meal times easy is a plus for me.
It’s by far the healthiest service I have encountered. And the smartest when it comes to curating a grocery list. 🙂
I’ll have to try this out for sure. I’m all about making it easier in the kitchen since I hate to cook.
Did you ever watch the Jetson’s? I imagining that the “insta food” from the cartoon would be totally up your alley! 🙂
PlateJoy does help streamline meal planning. Also, it gives the approximate time to complete the meal so you can kick a recipe to the curb if you think it will take too long.
Platejoy seems to be revolutionising the world of eating I guess…some lovely interface and options with packages to suit all kinds of food needs!
This sounds like a very useful website. I do cook at home quite a lot but sometimes I run out of ideas on what to make.
This sounds like such an amazing service! I meal plan, but lately my plans have gotten a little blah. Definitely going to check it out!
I didn’t know about Platejoy before reading your post. It seems a good personalized service. Worth to try.
I like that it asks you what’s in your fridge! Love it.
Cannot wait to give this a try. This is the first time I have heard about the Platejoy.
I am definitely going to try this one for sure this weekend.
I actually don’t plan on my food for the week, but my guide is always focus on vegetables and fish and seafood. If no choice then I can have a few meat. And more fruits!
Oh wow, I’ve never heard about Platejoy before. This platform is such a cool stuff! I will definitely check it out!
Yep! Plan to fail don’t fail to plan. Not in the aspect of eating of course. I don’t meal prep but I do meal plan. It does keep me from eating other less healthy options!
Wow, this is so nice. I would want to get this meal planning too. Definitely a great way to start having a good and healthy meals everyday.
I would love to try out platejoy. I need to get into meal planning more and this sounds like such a great way to be able to do that.
Just imagine…you could pack snacks for your Fantasy Fitness! (or get a churro) 🙂
I think that I have to give it a try. May my life get more organised
I love meal planning but am still on the lookout for an overall life coach! 🙂
Wow! Platejoy indeed brings joy into the kitchen. Sometimes I really forget ingredients I’m to shop for or even to use in a recipe but with such, meal planning is made easier! Wohoo!
I have definitely been there when it comes to forgetting ingredients. And there are times when I didn’t discover the missing ingredient until I was knee-deep in the recipe. Oops!!!!
Haha! I can definitely relate! 😂
This is actually amazing! I love cooking but sometimes planning is such a pain. Yes please if someone can do it for me! Take my money haha.
Sometimes the difficulty in planning is just having too many choices! The system definitely helps narrow down options.
And your “take my money” comment made me laugh! There are so many chores/tasks where I feel like I am willing to fling my wallet (softly) at someone in exchange for help.
I love this! It sounds like a great way to try new foods and maybe not have to throw away the forgotten bag of salad you have in the fridge. I think I will add this to my must try list.
I have to admit that I have had more than a few bagged salads turned into science experiments in my fridge!
I was just telling my friend I want to meal plan more. This looks like an amazing meal prep service.
I still like to go through all of my cookbooks to pick out items on occasion but for the work week I definitely find that PlateJoy streamlines my foodie life. Now if it could get me to move my arse… 🙂
I think this is a great meal planning option when you are looking for something different to make. We all tend to cook the same things over and over again.
Meal planning is my Achilles’ heel. I am going to give this a shot. It is really well thought out. I went ahead and put together a trial week plan. They think that I need 17 bananas. Not sure on that one. I also forgot to put the coupon code in (missed that during checkout), so I have a request in to support.
Oh no!!! That’s “BananaLand” – a colleague’s term for “crazy”. I hope they are responsive regarding the coupon code! And let me know what you are making with ALL THE BANANAS.
This is so super cool. I didn’t knpw about this service. Thanks for sharing.
Wow! I had no idea this was even a thing!
This looks like such a great programme! Sometimes it can be hard to eat vegan when I don’t have time to go grocery shopping, but this is a great solution for ideas!
Very Nice Post, I learned a lot through it. Thanks for posting.
Thank you, Scott! I appreciate the feedback! 🙂