Online Meal-Planners Tool

What are we having for dinner?

Thanks to several online meal-planning services, the answer to this monotonous yet necessary question may be as near as your inbox.

From the web sites of iconic brands like Betty Crocker to random blogs and niche clubs, online meal-planning tools are meant to help women and men whose workday often leaves them without the creativity or time to conjure up a meal.

Here is a look at some popular online meal-planning services:

* ChefMama.The work of two entrepreneur-minded mom friends, this service e-mails subscribers a week's worth of family-friendly recipes and a corresponding grocery shopping list each week. All meals take 20 to 30 minutes to prepare — consider it a welcome break from your home office duties.

"We know full well that you are on the move constantly and you need simple, quick meals," says Shelleen McHale, who founded ChefMama with girlfriend Jill Martens.

The working moms have five children between them and strive to find a balance between the family dinner and a revolving door of sports, playdates and homework. Their own children attest to the family-friendliness of their featured meals.

The service is free.

* Dinner Made Easy. This weekly newsletter from the Betty Crocker web site features seasonal meals that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less.

Each week features a theme — pizza or soup recipes, for example — and allows subscribers to download favorite recipes into a virtual "recipe box" to print and save.

The free newsletter also contains links to coupons, often corresponding with grocery items needed for the meals.

* Food & Family. The Kraft Foods menu e-newsletter is similar to that of Betty Crocker, but Kraft will also e-mail you a PDF copy of its Food & Family magazine each month.

* Menu Plan Monday (from the "I'm an Organizing Junkie" blog). Blogger Laura posts her weekly menu, including recipes, every Monday. She invites others to do the same, and so far hundreds have signed up for the task. Find links to specific menus, such as gluten-free, vegetarian and kid-friendly.

* E-Mealz. For $5 a month, subscribers receive a weekly meal-planner with a twist: this one vows to save you money. Choose your grocery store and receive a menu built from items on sale there that week (options include Kroger and Wal-Mart, among others).

Sisters Jane DeLaney and Jenny Cochran say they created E-Mealz after losing too many scribbled grocery lists at the bottom of their purses.

* The Virtual Vocations "Cooking Recipes" forum. We can't neglect to mention this popular posting spot. You might find just what you have been craving among the many recipes posted.

Posted:Wednesday, March 18, 2009