My family is a mix of appetites. My husband eats 4,000 calories a day – thanks to a hearty workout routine. My boys have appetites that vary from meal to meal. Sometimes, they can eat only two slices of ham and an apple, while other times they come in at a close second to my husband.
Me, I’m the small eater. I’m under five feet tall and in order to stay in shape, I really have to watch what I eat.
A new Meal Planning Service
I did not think it was possible, but a friend told me about a meal planning service, that I can customize to meet all our family’s needs: PlateJoy. With it, I can design a menu plan that fits all of us. Me – loose wight, husband – maintain weight, boys – gain weight. Special thanks to PlateJoy for sponsoring this post and inspiring me to try their menu planning services. All opinions are entirely my own.
If you’d like to check out PlateJoy, they are offering a special coupon code to HappyandBlessedHome.com readers and subscribers. Use the code HAPPY to take 10% off your first menu plan.
Through PlateJoy’s menu planning service you can get a customized meal plan for not only varying appetites but for a variety of needs. In addition to helping families satisfy a blend of varying appetites, PlateJoy includes options for recipes that satisfy these special dietary needs:
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A Customizable Menu Plan for the Whole Family
I was able to customize the menu plan through the PlateJoy survey. It takes a few minutes to complete, but when you’re finished, PlateJoy assembles a menu plan designed to fit your preferred eating habits. Through the PlateJoy survey, you can indicate if different family members are trying to gain or lose weight. They also offer meal plans based upon seasonal selections.
As I worked my way through the survey, I made sure to indicate our unique family preferences. I also decided to elect for a “Clean Eating” menu, as I’d like to improve some of our family’s eating habits.
I let the PlateJoy digital menu planner know that I’m trying to lose weight, but that I needed family friendly recipes our entire family could eat and enjoy. As PlateJoy assembles a menu plan, it takes into consideration the grocery bill. PlateJoy’s menu planning service tries to make it so that the recipes included in your plan call upon the same types of ingredients. This will help you streamline your grocery shopping, and your grocery bill.
PlateJoy Offers New Recipes
I love trying new recipes because it gets me to add more variety to our family’s menu. My two top favorite recipes from the recipes provided by PlateJoy included a Crock Pot Beef Brisket recipe, and a recipe for Toast with Avocado and Black Beans on it. I love the idea of adding avocado to our family’s diet. And I love the ease of cooking a crockpot meal.
Crockpot Beef Brisket
So here, I’m going to share the easy recipe for the beef brisket and vegetables cooked in a crockpot. This meal was satisfying for everyone in our family. The recipe was simple and it made the kitchen smell delicious.
Ingredients for Crockpot Beef Brisket
- 4 lbs beef brisket
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 yellow onions
- 6 carrots
- 1 ½ lbs baby red potatoes
- ¼ cup minced garlic
- 4 cups diced tomatoes
- 2 cups beef broth (I used an entire carton of beef broth)
Directions for Crockpot Beef Brisket
Step 1: Pan sear the meat. The meat needs to be either fresh or completely defrosted before you start. Pour the oil into a frying pan with depth and heat it to a medium to medium high heat. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the beef brisket to match your taste prefernces. Add the brisket and sear all the edges by getting turning the meat in the pan. You’ll want to sear the top and bottom for 3-4 minutes on each side. To get the outer edges, I held the meat in place using a paid of cooking tongs for a minute or so.
Step 2: Place the meat in a crock pot with the beef broth. I poured an entire carton of beef broth into my crockpot and placed the beef brisket into the solution with half of the minced garlic.
The beef brisket will need to look on low for 6-8 hours (check item weight and package directions for certainty). I opted not to add the potatoes and carrots until there were only 2 hours left in the cook cycle. I like my vegetables a little firm. You can opt to add everything to the slow cooker at the same time if you would like to skip the extra step of cooking some of the vegetables separately.
In the last 20 minutes of the crockpot cook cycle you can start with step 3.
Step 3: Sauté the options and the tomatoes. I sliced the onions into long slices and sautéed them in the left over olive oil. I added a touch of salt and man seared the options until they were lightly brown on the edges. I chopped up the tomatoes and I sautéd them in a pan with a little bit of butter and the second half of the garlic.
Once all cooking is complete, remove the beef brisket from the crockpot and serve. You can either serve whole and let your guests opt for their serving size, or thinly slice the meat and garnish with vegetables, tomatoes, and onions as desired.
How did PlateJoy Rank?
Well, this Crockpot Beef Brisket recipe was a smash hit! Everyone enjoyed it, and I was able to measure portions appropriate for everyone in our family in a way that would meet all our preferences. I give the Crockpot Beef Brisket 10 STARS! Definitely a new dish on rotation for our family meals.
How do you plan your weekly menu?
Do you plan your weekly menu? Do you have special dietary challenges like my family? Have any tips or tricks to share? Do you think you’ll give PlateJoy a try? They are offering a special coupon code to HappyandBlessedHome.com readers and subscribers. Use the code HAPPY to take 10% off your first menu plan.
Please leave a comment or share a menu planning idea below. I love hearing from my readers.
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If you liked this recipe for Crockpot Beef Brisket, you may also like:
 Tequila Lime Chicken |
 Pulled Pork |
 Skinny Buffalo Chicken |
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