Wednesday, September 7, 2016
For many people, part of eating healthy means doing a lot of planning, which can seem daunting. Luckily, many apps on the market can help. Here are a few.
Pepperplate
Free: iOS, Android
For meal planning, Pepperplate gives you a kind of freedom. While the app doesn't have any recipes already in it, you can import them from the web and cookbooks or index cards. So along with helping you out with life, it also helps you organize your favorite recipes. You can even share the recipes, meal plans and shopping lists with other people.
Mealime
Free: iOS, Android
This app lets you pick from built-in recipes. You personalize the plan based on how many people it's for (or how far you want to stretch it if you're a single person). You can even customize the menu based on your preferences, such as taking out nuts if you have allergies or doing a low-carb menu if that's what you want. Then you just cook and go. It doesn't allow you to add your own recipes, but for people who don't want to scour through cookbooks or the Internet, it might be a blessing. And it might make some people be less afraid of the kitchen.
Paprika
$4.99: iOS, Android
The cool part of Paprika is it's both an app and a website, which means it works on multiple platforms. You can get recipes from anywhere and add them to your list. The app also has grocery list capability, meal planning in advance, and you can also adjust the recipes.
MealBoard
$3.99, iOS
MealBoard combines managing recipes, meal planning and grocery management. People can import and manage recipes, ingredients, food categories, meal types, grocery items and more. You can create meal plans based on the day and type of meal, create meal-plan templates, make sure you buy the grocery quantities you need, and you can even specify things such as expiration dates and add items with barcodes, and so much more.
Avocado
Free-$2.99 for premium, iOS
Avocados are healthy, so why not try an app named after the superfood? The Avocado meal planner helps users save time and money when planning meals. It's a space where you can collect your recipes in the same place and make a meal plan for up to a month in advance, and like most of these apps, it sorts the recipes into a tangible grocery list. Avocado even has a couple of recipes already on the app, and the developers are working to add more. Keep in mind that the free version only allows you to upload a few recipes, but premium is only $2.99.