Back to the kitchen in quarantine

I love to cook, I just don’t love to plan. One of the changes that the COVID life has given us is more time at home, which has provided time to cook much more frequently – particularly during the week. To make the planning side of this a little easier, I’ve started using the EveryPlate meal service subscription.

I’ve been looking into these types of meal service subscriptions for several years but have never found one where I thought I could justify the expense. While the per-meal cost of EveryPlate is still higher than the cost of a grocery meal, the convenience, paired with variety of new recipes, is a pretty decent trade off. We get three meals for two for $38.93. They advertise meals for under $5, but it is a little higher than that when considering the “all in price” with $8.99 shipping. But, this beats comparable meal service subscription plans that are $50-60 or more to get to your door.

The meals have been delicious. There’s only been one or two that we weren’t crazy about, but most of them have been tasty to the point that we’d have no problem having them again. I’ve made the Crispy Beef Bowl at least a half-dozen times, and recently made (to rave reviews) for company.

And, it is easy to make the recipes again because they come with recipe cards. I’ve now collected enough that it was worth ordering a small three ring binder with plastic sleeves to organize them in. Many of the recipes have unique spice blends – Tuscan Heat, Fry Seasoning, Southwest Spice Blend – but the combinations for these blends are available on the internet, so I’ve repurposed a few old spice containers to have my own supply at the ready.

One of the things I love about this meal service subscription is that it is very easy to skip weeks. There’s an app on my phone, and each week I browse the available meals. If there aren’t three I’d like to try, I skip. Or, if I know that based on what we have going on, I won’t use three meals, I skip. No penalty. No hassle.

If you’re interested in trying EveryPlate, you can use my link and get $20 off your first order and I’ll also get $20 off my next order. Otherwise, this post is an unsolicited and unpaid endorsement of EveryPlate as one tool that makes my life easier.