What It’s Like to Use PlateJoy Custom Meal Plans

You know those nights when you stare hopelessly into the pantry and fridge trying to figure out what in the world to make for dinner? If you’re like me, that struggle occurs almost every night. Thankfully, PlateJoy custom meals plans make meal planning easy for busy families. It’s not a meal delivery service, rather PlateJoy is a website that provides customizable recipes and shopping lists to print or send to your phone. Discover nine reasons to give PlateJoy a try in my review below!

This story is brought to you in partnership with PlateJoy.

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1. PlateJoy is easier than using recipe sites or cookbooks.

Sure, you could flip through cookbooks or peruse Pinterest, looking for recipes for your family. Then, you could compile all of the meals you want to make for the week. Finally, you could create a shopping list on your own. But will you?

I love to cook but I detest meal planning. PlateJoy gives a plethora of meal choices and makes an easy-to-use shopping list to print or send directly to your smartphone. The site will even ask you which pantry items you already have so you don’t double up on things you already own. Then you just check off as you go!

2. Customize recipes to meet your family’s needs.

PlateJoy asks for your dietary restrictions and automatically customizes meals to meet your needs. Since I have gluten sensitivity, I love that PlateJoy adjusts meals to use almond flour instead of limiting me to all flourless options for my gluten-free diet.

This site also lets you choose how much meat your family prefers and if there are any specific ingredients you’d like to avoid. You can even choose how much time you want to spend cooking. What cookbook does all of that?

Choose from a variety of dietary restrictions and preferences, including:

• Low-carb
• Paleo
• Diabetic
• Gluten-free
• Kosher
• Dairy-free
• Clean eating
• Low sodium
• Pescatarian
• Vegetarian
• Vegan
• Food allergies and adversities
• Kid-friendly

3. Avoid wasting food and packaging.

I have tried meal kit delivery services — five of them, in fact. While I love the convenience of meal kit meals, I have to admit I feel guilty about the environmental impact of all of shipping boxes, ice packs, and individually wrapped ingredients.

With PlateJoy, however, there’s no bulky packing waste. Instead, you choose meals based on your family’s preferences. You can even enter Then you’re given a customized shopping list and recipes.

In some locations, you can have the ingredients for your PlateJoy meals delivered to your house via Instacart or Amazon Fresh. These services avoid all that extra packaging waste, though, by utilizing local personal shoppers who drop off fresh groceries at your home.

4. Use PlateJoy as much or as little as you want.

Sometimes my family is just too dang busy to make all of our meal kits for a week. PlateJoy, on the other hand, can be used as much or as little as you want.

When my family has a busy week filled with baseball practices, upcoming travel, and school events — I opt to make just one PlateJoy dinner and rely on takeout or sandwiches for our other evening meals. (Some PlateJoy meals, however, take as little as 10 minutes to make!)

I can always head to PlateJoy.com and search up another meal or two to make as needed. Additionally, PlateJoy is more affordable than meal kit services since you aren’t paying a premium for your groceries.

5. Adjust portions as needed for each meal.

With PlateJoy, you select how many people to feed for each meal, and designate whether you’re serving adults and/or children. You can even choose whether you like to have leftovers or just enough for one mealtime. Inviting company to dinner? Increase the number of eaters accordingly for that specific meal and choose smaller portions for your standard family dinners. Easy peasy!

6. Get kids involved in meal planning and cooking.

PlateJoy provides a fun way to get picky children interested in trying new foods. Encourage kids to select a meal or two each week from PlateJoy.com. Children like having choices, especially when it comes to food. Then, ask them to help you prepare the meals. Kids are more likely to taste something new if they make it themselves!

7. Easily track calories and nutritional information.

I love the nutritional information provided for each serving of food. If you’re trying to lose a few pounds (like I am), then this makes tracking calories so much easier. Serving sizes are adjusted according to age and gender, as well. They even tell you what percentage of each meal your family members should eat!

8. Choose breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and snacks.

PlateJoy isn’t just for dinner. You can choose recipes for whichever meals you like: breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and even snacks.

For breakfast, how about Guacamole Toast with Fried Egg? Lunches feature light fare like a Spinach Strawberry Salad with Walnuts and Goat Cheese, or Caprese Grilled Cheese with Basil Spread. Choose from such tempting dinner options as Seared Scallops with Mango Black Bean Salsa or Skillet Glazed Lemon Chicken and Broccoli.

Desserts and snacks tend to be light and easy to prepare, like the Chocolate Chip Banana Bread in a Mug, which my daughter, Karissa, demonstrates making in the video below.

9. You can Try PlateJoy for free!

Ready to give PlateJoy a try? Get 10 days of PlateJoy meal planning free when you sign up today!

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What do you think about PlateJoy’s custom meal plans? Let us know your thoughts and questions in the comments below!

A Note from The Travel Mama: I received compensation from PlateJoy related to this review. All opinions are mine, as always. All photos from PlateJoy.com unless otherwise indicated.

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