Greetings one and all! I am so incredibly thrilled to begin this post by saying “Happy end of August! We are now in the final third of 2020!” It has been rough. Realistically, a lot of what has been tough about this year isn’t the kind of thing that will just disappear, so remember to keep posting, protesting, and writing your representatives to create the change 2020 has taught us we need. AND PLEASE VOTE!
I’m just pausing an extra second to give you time to click the link I provided above. You can check your voter registration, register to vote, vote by mail, and also find your polling place options! Super helpful, right?
Cool! Now that we’ve done that bit, I’ll continue with what you came here for. It’s been my observation that certain meal delivery services have truly skyrocketed since the start of quarantine this spring. Unfortunately, having someone else prepare your meals might be more of a risk than you want to take. I’m sure many programs have allergy friendly options, but I also know many parents would rather prepare meals themselves for extra security.
With that in mind, I present Mealime. Mealime is an allergy friendly, diet friendly meal planning app that will change the way you think about your week.
A Quick Note
Okay, so before I get too much further into this post I need to cover a quick point. I am a member of the Mealime affiliate program which means if you sign up for Pro with this link I get a percentage of the proceeds. Now, as all of you are well aware, I would never put my name on something I didn’t actually use and completely love. I specifically reached out to Mealime because of how easy and approachable they make allergy friendly meal planning.
It’s also worth noting that clicking the link above unlocks 4 free months of Pro when you sign up for a year. That means you get access to all of their recipes for a year for 33% less than you would.
Enough business talk. Let me tell you what I love about Mealime!
Meal Planning
Life is a hectic mess. Balancing any combination of work, home, and family can be difficult but add on the political and pandemical (I think I just created a word) and everything just starts to feel out of control. Even when I was home alone all day the world felt too big and too wild for me to keep it together. It was then that I decided to, one piece at a time, take ahold of the parts of my life that I could.
Quarantine did absolutely nothing to help me eat healthy, so that’s where I started. I’d tried other meal planning apps before, but that was pre-allergy. I had no clue what I would find or how much it would cost.
One of the first results in the App Store was Mealime. It was free (as the base level is for everyone) so I figured it was worth a try. When I opened the app it asked me two questions: one about my diet (paleo, pescatarian, vegan, etc. …) and one about any food allergies.
Mind. Blown.
From the start with Mealime, I was only ever seeing recipes that fit our pescatarian household AND my egg free needs. My boyfriend and I sit down every Sunday and build a plan from hundreds of options. Each option is pre-approved as 100% safe for us. And that’s not all!
Grocery Shopping
Here’s the thing: pre-covid I absolutely loved going to the grocery store. It was just a nice time to either spend with my boyfriend or alone with my thoughts. Regardless, it was something I looked forward to.
Fast forward to the present day and I’m still really anxious about being in the store. Even though the panic buying seems to have finally stopped, there’s still a lot for my to worry about. I truly believe that doing what is good for your mental and physical health is the right choice. So if you want/need to still do your own shopping I support your right to do that. That being said, Mealime changed the game for me when it meant I could do grocery pick up.
Mealime takes the ingredients needed for my weekly meal plan and builds a grocery list. I know there are other apps that do that too. However, Mealime then syncs up with my local grocery store app and sends that list directly into my shopping cart. The best part? I instantly get a warning sign if an ingredient on the list could potentially contain eggs. That’s right, Mealime alerts you to potential allergens in your grocery cart which provides the ever important double-check.
After that, I just place an order for pick up and get it after work in the evening. A quick thirty to forty minutes in front of the computer gets not only the meal planning done, but also the grocery shopping. This app has truly changed the way I look at my week.
The Recipes
You might be saying to yourself, “Sure, this sounds really easy and super convenient, but nothing that easy could also be delicious… could it?”. Allow me to assure you dear readers that Mealime delivers on that too. With dishes that span numerous categories, I always feel like my week’s meals carry variety as well as flavor.
Mealime also has me buying and trying ingredients I never would have reached for on my own. I’ve used mangos more ways than I thought possible, and probably would’ve never learned how to cook with leeks. It’s an adventure to figure out what to cook, but not without the assistance of clear, specific guidelines. Each recipe breaks down your ingredients and tools needed to complete it, along with comprehensive, step-by-step instruction.
So there you have it! An allergy friendly meal planning app that also does your grocery shopping for you. And, if you sign up for Pro, which gets you all of their recipes including breakfast, using my link you get 33% off! I can’t think of a reason you wouldn’t want to sign up today!
As always, if you have any questions or suggestions for what I should review next, please reach out! I love hearing from you all!
Until next time friends, happy eating and stay safe!