BIG NEWS Herbies!!
I’m excited to share with you that I’ve heard your requests, jumped into the future, grabbed technology by the touch screen, and created a….
MEAL MENTOR APP!!!
You read that right!
Today I’m announcing the launch of my new IOS and Android Meal Mentor app! (Available November 5th)
(and this is a REAL app, not some weird mobile-online-webpage thingy).
Have you ever wished you could swap recipes… mix and match… or build your own menu from a huge database of your favorite recipes? DONE.
On the app, you’ll get a menu of 7 new recipes each week, but instead of being limited to my picks for the week, you can remove whatever you’re not into and add a recipe you’re craving instead!
Even more awesome: You’ll be able to favorite recipes you really love!
This means you’ll always have instant inspiration, fallbacks, AND a REAL “repeats list” at your fingertips for easy swapping.
You won’t have to keep a list in your head or on paper, anything you want to make again is listed right there for you.
AND HERE’S THE EVEN BETTER PART:
The shopping list changes as you add or subtract recipes.
Yup! Total 100% dynamic shopping list on the app.
Only the ingredients for the recipes you select will be on there AND it’s a quick click to remove any item you don’t need to buy because you already have it. (This also makes shopping at the store ridiculous easy… click, click... bye bye paper and pen!)
This is another benefit I never considered: When you’re at the store, you can build your menu RIGHT THERE based on whatever is on sale too.
For example, if you see a gorgeous butternut squash for $0.39/lb, you can open the app, select a recipe that uses butternut squash and add all the ingredients to your shopping list with one click… right there… in the produce section! AMAZING right?
(You can also preview the recipe instantly to make sure it is something you would like).
This also means you don’t have to do any pre-planning or thinking (and you can change your mind as much as you want!)
Sometimes I roll up to the store, select a few pictures (or just select a favorite if I’m tired after work), buy the things, and go home.
Think about that…. With this new app, you COULD have your entire week ‘planned’ by the time you walk from your car to the store. 30-second planning is awesome.
It’s as easy as clicking on a few pictures!!
Now I know some of you are thinking:
Ugh, I hate change. I liked the PDFs.
I understand and hear you. (I also have good news!)
Admittedly, I’m not a phone or “app” person. I was totally resistant to an app (just ask anyone who ever asked me to offer one LOL) but after using this Meal Mentor app, and working with it the last few months, I am a believer.
It *IS* easier, and better, and makes my life a lil’ bit more manageable.
If I could sum it up into one word, that word would be FUNCTIONAL.
THAT SAID, you can still print the recipes and make the recipes off of a piece of paper if that's the way you prefer to do it and/or if you prefer storing the recipes (or meal plans) in a big ol’ binder. EVERYBODY WINS <3
Functional.
Having the meal plans in your pocket is going to be a great thing for a lot of people.
The biggest benefit is that the app gives you more options and requires less legwork.
If you have ever wanted to meal plan but felt overwhelmed, or you did it for a little bit, but got bogged down with life… this app will put be a soothing salve to all that friction.
I’ll be blunt: Cooking for yourself isn’t easy. It takes a lot of effort, but we all want to do it and our health is worth it.
This app helps you get closer to living the healthy lifestyle you deserve and want. It assists you and makes it less work. At least, that’s how it is working for me!
Lastly, in my commitment to total transparency, I also want to bring you into the conversation as to WHY I had this app created now.
Yes, you had asked for it. And yes, I love giving you what you want and need to succeed. That’s my job <3 buuut this was also about what I needed too.
I created and sold my first meal plan on October 12, 2011 (7 years ago!) and every Wednesday since I have delivered a PDF meal plan to you.
It’s been a fantastic ride.
In 2012, Scott left his job to help me grow the meal plan business. It’s been our family business ever since, and while we’ve had a lot of ups and downs, we both have been so grateful that our job and business is one that helps people.
With this app, my life (and his) is going to be a lot more manageable.
Now that we’re older (7 years!) we can’t do 60-hour weeks like we used to, and we don’t want to do that kind of life anymore either ;)
A friend of Scott’s remarked that our business was a lot like running a newspaper and I agree.
With the PDFs, there were a lot of editorial issues that need to be checked: Looking at details, triple-checking the shopping list to make sure nothing was missing or leftover, totaling up the ingredients, making sure directions made sense… on and on.
Creating the PDF every week took the bulk our time, energy, and resources. By giving you this app, we get our lives back AND it opens possibilities back up too.
With more time (and breathing room) I can go back to making cooking videos for you, return to my podcast for season 3, finally finish my weight-loss science book and MOST IMPORTANTLY: provide you with even more new recipes each week.
Plus I love putting the power back in your hands and cultivating the “you do you” attitude I preach. <3
I want to give you a reassuring hug...
You’ll still have me guiding you with my recipes, and a brand-new seasonal suggested menu will be created for you every week, but with this app you also have the option to ignore me and 100% “do you.”
You know best what you and your family likes, and with this app you can finally have a meal plan that is tailormade to your preferences! It’s the best of both worlds: Flavors and recipes you trust from me, meals that maximize your health, and all of it done your way.
Who says we can’t have it all?
This is just the beginning…
We know the Meal Mentor mobile app will help you manage your life and we do see more positive things on the horizon such as integrating grocery delivery!!
We’re not there yet, but you’ve got to start somewhere :)
Scott & I really (really!) appreciate the tens of thousands of people that have helped and been helped by using our meal plans and make this business our life.
This app is for you as much as it is for us. Thank you for letting us help you eat healthier. Thank you for bringing me (Lindsay) into your kitchen. Thank you for trusting my recipes to feed your family and above all, thank you for being our friends.
We are so fortunate to have you in our lives and we can’t wait to see you using the app.
The Meal Mentor App is scheduled to be available starting Monday November 5th.
(Hopefully, we won’t run into any major roadblocks getting the approved in the Google Play and Apple App Store).
I’ll be sending more details next week about the app, including pricing details and the full list of features.
To summarize the features I’ve already mentioned:
- Dynamic shopping list
- Searchable recipe database
- Pre-selected menu or create your own
- Mobile app for iOS and Android
- Printable (recipes and the meal plan) if that’s how you like it (may not be available at launch)
- Totally able to do EVERYTHING in the app (if that’s how you like it).
If you’re a long-time meal plan user, there are a few other benefits for you. #1 You won’t ever have to know the name or what week a recipe appeared ever again. You also won’t have to worry about saving or accidentally losing your meal plans anymore :)
Technical Note: Our app is still in development so we are hoping to make good our core set of features, but some features might not be available on the day of launch.
