What do I get with my full subscription?
How do the Menus Work?
How does the Shopping List work?
And the Recipes?
What is the Menu Mailer ' Main Course' option?
How does Thyme for Cooking compare to other Menu Planners?
With your subscription you receive:
> 7 dinner menus - one for each day of the week
> Recipes and cooking instructions for each dish, including side dishes
> A shopping list for all of the ingredients you will need for each menu
> Access to the Menu Archives (52 weeks), Daily Recipe archives (365 days) and Recipe Archives (over 1200)We eat a wide variety of foods each week. I use foods from my own garden or the local markets with an emphasis on what is in season at the moment.
How it works:
> New menus are posted by Thursday morning to start on Friday
> The menu, each day's recipes and complete shopping list is available on the web site for easy printing - or work directly from your computer
> If you don't like the current week's menu there is an archive of the past 52 weeks for you to choose from, with daily recipes and shopping list
> All recipes that have been used in the past 4 years are available in the Recipe Archives, currently over 1200
> There are photos of each dishThere are also tips on stocking a pantry, equipping your kitchen and cooking techniques.
The Shopping List:
> The Menu for the Week in the upper right quarter
> Items for the current Weekly Menu are grouped by category for easy shopping
> Staples, or Pantry Items are grouped so that you can easily check what's on hand cross off the items you won't need to buy this week
> There are numbers next to each item (1=Friday, 2=Saturday...7= Thursday) so you can tell at a glance what day it's for
> Blank lines for you to add your own itemsFor those lucky enough to have a grocery service you can fax this off and have everything delivered ...wouldn't that be wonderful!
The Recipes:
> Daily menus can be prepared with less than 30 minutes 'hands-on' time; Friday and Saturday under 60 - less if you have a partner
> Recipes are 'healthy gourmet' using fresh, seasonal ingredients (no convenience foods) and a variety of grains
> Instructions are designed for the novice cook. Results will please the expert.
> Weekly menus are designed to use all of the ingredients purchased for the week (not pantry staples) There will be no green pepper halves, or part of a container of cottage cheese left in the fridge
> Quantities: The recipes are for 2 servings - or 2 servings for 2 meals. It's simply a matter of increasing the ingredients to account for how many you want to serve.I've cooked for 9, for 3 and now I cook for two. I've catered dinner parties for 4 and for 30. In any given cook book or magazine the recipes are for 4 or 6 or 8. I decided, when I started this service, that increasing is easier than decreasing.
You will see recipes that use 1/4 cup of polenta, or 1/3 cup of rice. I plan carefully to not make too much food.
I have many families that easily use this service. If you would like more information, please contact me.
Menu Mailer 'Main Course' option:
> 6 Main Course recipes with Shopping List, plus suggestions for side dishes, will arrive in your In-Box each Thursday morning
> Includes access to over 1200 Recipes, including all suggested side dishes
> Includes access to Kitchen Knowledge: Stocking the Pantry, Equipping the Kitchen, Cooking Tips and Instructions; Tips on Gardening and Preserving
Why choose Thyme for Cooking over all the rest?
Thyme for Cooking (full subscription) |
Other Weekly Menu Planners / Menu Mailers |
| Menus are for 7 dinners | Varies from 5, 6 to 7 dinners |
| Menus include recipes for side dishes, which are included in the shopping list | Most include suggestions for side dishes but not recipes; not included in shopping list |
| Daily Recipes include 'Master Plan' for preparing the entire meal - so everything is ready | 2 other services include limited Master Plan
|
Recipes do not use 'prepared food' other than condiments (ketchup, mustard), cannellini beans, roasted peppers and the like |
Some are similar to me but many use lots of prepared foods - cream soups, packaged seasoning mixes, frozen foods, etc. |
| Recipes use seasonal produce (typical of 3 or 4 season climate). There will be beans and zucchini in summer, none in winter | Most are not seasonal. In my research I saw butternut squash (fall) and asparagus (spring) in the same week |
Recipes are for 2 servings, easily increased to 3, 4, 6, etc. |
Some services offer choices of 2, 4 or 6, many have recipes that vary during the week - one day serving 4, the next serving 6 |
| Each weekly menu plans to use all the food. If half of a pepper is used on Tuesday, it's finished on Thursday. | I noted 1 recipe calling for 2 tbs green pepper - and that was how it was listed on the shopping list. 1 other site plans and uses leftovers. |
| 52 weeks of menus and over 1200 recipes are available in the archives | Very few offer menu archives and fewer offer recipes. |
All of the recipes have photos |
Of the sites that offer access to recipes a few have photos |
| Cost of my service starts at 7.50 per month and goes down with longer term subscriptions | Costs vary from 5.00 to 9.95 per month, almost all going down with longer terms. |
| Access to the menus, recipes and shopping list is via the web site | 1 other has web site access; the rest send the menus and shopping list via email |
| Thyme for Cooking Main Course Menu Mailer After doing all this research it occurred to me that, just perhaps, all some people need or want is 6 main courses, suggestions for side dishes and access to a large database of recipes. The Thyme for Cooking Main Course Menu Mailer was born. | |
Would you like help planning dinner?
Our Weekly Menu Planning Service (Menu Mailer) gives you healthy, gourmet dinners, carefully planned to
reduce waste
and insure a wide variety of seasonal, wholesome foods each week.
All text and images are copyright © 2005 - 2010 Thyme for Cooking, K. L. Zeller.
All rights reserved unless otherwise indicated
