What if there were a site that helps you to combine your meal planning with your shopping in one location and suggests suitable recipes into the bargain?
FoodZube is a very clever site that allows you to plan your meals according to your taste, budget and the time you have available. (I'm guessing limited if you're a parent).
FoodZube helps you to organise your favourite recipes in one place, create meal plans and do your weekly shopping in one go, either on your PC or your mobile.
If you would like to try the service, FoodZube offers a free one month trial which doesn't require a credit card sign-up.
Once you have filled in your basic personal information, you will be asked about your preferences - the food you like, dietary requirements (e.g. gluten-free), any nutritional limits (for example protein or carb limits), the time you have and the number you are cooking for,
There is also an option to choose low budget recipes and a very handy 'up to 30 minutes' flag for when there's little time to cook.
You then have the option to add your own recipes, together with the date you intend to cook them so that you create a meal planner.
You can also import recipes from other websites to keep them in one handy location.
Or simply click on "Instant Organizer" which gives you a great list of recipes to choose from based on the requirements you have input on the preferences page.
For someone like me whose repertoire tends to revolve around a combination of pizza, spaghetti bolognese and fish fingers, this is a fabulous tool.
I actually find thinking what to have for tea more stressful than having to cook it.
Once you are happy with the recipes suggested, simply click on "Weekly Shopping" and FoodZube will create a shopping list for you.
It's easy to edit the ingredients you would like and you can also add other non food items to complete your weekly shop in one go.
Click "Buy Online" and you'll be asked to confirm which recipe ingredients you would like FoodZube to add to your shopping list.
Then, very cleverly, FoodZube does your shopping by filling your virtual basket for you to sort through, adding and removing items as necessary.
Currently the supermarket used is Tesco but I imagine there will be a wider choice in the near future.
From this point, all you have to do is check out in the usual way and wait for your shopping to be delivered.
You'll find you've saved quite a bit of time on your shop because you don't have to look for all the ingredients - and you might even save some money since I find when I'm searching it's very easy to add one or two extra treats to the virtual trolley!
You can even start your own food blog on FoodZube's site and connect with other FoodZube bloggers. This is a service I have never seen offered by any other food-based website.
There are over 50 specialised designs from which to choose and dozens of recipe templates to give your blog a professional edge.
The FoodZube team will even set up your blog's Pinterest account and help you launch it!
FoodZube is free for the first month and costs £7.99 per month thereafter, which I think is incredibly good value.
And I have a fabulous giveaway of £45 off your first FoodZube shop at Tesco.com.
Please note that the winner must sign up to FoodZube in order to receive the prize. This is free and you can cancel after one month. No credit card details are required to sign up with FoodZube. The prize will be delivered from Tesco.com which will require an online account with them. Again, there is no charge to do this.
There is no cash prize. The winner will be required to send an email with their home address to FoodZube who will sort out their delivery for them.
Entrants must be over 18 and able to receive deliveries from Tesco.com.
Entry is via the Rafflecopter. Terms and conditions apply. UK entrants only. The giveaway ends at 11:59 pm on Saturday 30th January 2016.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Further information about FoodZube is available at www.FoodZube.co.uk, on Twitter or Facebook.
