I’ve already sung my praises for Jordan Page’s Productivity Bootcamp (you can see the full review here). It has been several years since I first signed up for the program, and I still use the principles taught. It has been exciting to see the company expand to include many more products that make it easier to balance the work-at-home lifestyle. One product I was excited to try out was the Jordan Page Shelf Cooking Meal Plan, and I finally can share with you some thoughts.
What Is Shelf Cooking?
I have also been a fan of the Jordan Page shelf cooking lifestyle. It fits with my lazy approach to being productive. When you have to devote so many hours to build an at-home business, you want your extra time to be spent loving on your spouse and kids, not chopping onions.
Basically, shelf cooking works in the way that you meal plan around what you have in the pantry and freezer. Also, when you shop, you don’t just buy what you need for this week of meals, but maximize sales to ensure you always have a helpful stock of groceries on hand.
What Does Shelf Cooking Look for a Work at Home Mom?
I don’t love spending a lot of time in the kitchen. Perhaps it is just the constant cleaning of the kitchen that comes with making three meals and snacks daily.
In order to save time in the kitchen and grocery shopping, I do a combo of meal prepping, freezer cooking and shelf cooking. Simply put, this looks like this:
- Notice ground turkey is on sale at the grocery store and buy 6-10 pounds
- When I start cooking dinner that night, I’ll start the prep of the meat. It might look like this:
- One pound of turkey is made into a basic meatball and flash frozen
- The rest of the turkey is cooked and from this. I might make two pasta bakes, a big batch of lasagna soup, and a big batch of chili.
- One pasta bake, half of the soup and half of the chili all go in the freezer for a later time.
- Any leftover ground turkey is left plain and frozen in sandwich bags for quick tacos or spaghetti at a different time.
- This usually takes me about an hour (not including store time) and it gives me a jumpstart on the week and gives me a back stock for busier weeks.
Now, I don’t do this every week. These power sessions happen about once every other week, and they differ based on what’s on sale. Also, I should note that these recipes are generally ones I have made often with common ingredients I have on hand, so not a lot of mental energy is used.
Try a Week Free of the Shelf Cooking Meal Plan
The Page Company Meal Plan: Is It Worth the Cost?
Let’s dive into the pros and cons of the Jordan Page Shelf Cooking Meal Plan subscription.
The Good
The Cost: At $9.97 per month, this meal plan is a good deal. This is cheaper than 5 Dinners in 1 Hour! You can save even more by purchasing a yearly subscription for $99.70. That comes out to $8.31 per month and just under $2 per week. If you are new to meal planning, you will easily save that much just by shopping smarter and avoiding the drive-thru line.
Try a Week Free of the Shelf Cooking Meal Plan
Shelf Cooking Freezer Meals: Every week comes with 3-4 meals/sides/treats that can be doubled and frozen. This is a strategy I use often because it dirties the kitchen once and you have something easy to grab in a week or two.
View the Whole Shelf Cooking Recipe Collection: I don’t think they originally meant for new users to have access to all of the recipes, but that is how the site is right now. When you sign up for a month, you will also see the past month’s meal plans also.
Most of the Meals Are Quick: There are a few doozies that take 30 minutes of prep time, but most of the options are going to take you about 20 minutes of active prep in the kitchen. This doesn’t always include cook time, which takes about an additional 20-30 minutes for most of the meals.
Easy Substitutions: Another thing I love about this plan is the use of substitutions. For example, I don’t need to buy buttermilk for a muffin recipe, she shares how to make faux buttermilk with what you have on hand. This is great for saving money because let’s be honest, that buttermilk was just going to rot in the fridge after I made that recipe.
The Bad
Mixed Reviews on the Shelf Cooking Recipes: Some recipes are great, but others are not what my family would eat. Thankfully, they are easy to remove from your meal prep and shopping list. There is just never going to be a meal plan that will make everyone happy 100% of the time. It would be nice to be able to switch out some meals.
Who Is the Shelf Cooking Meal Plan Subscription Best For?
If you are new in the kitchen or are just burnt out from trying to figure out what to feed your family, I think you will enjoy having the work done for you. I would say try it for a month to see if this is a good fit for your family. Even if you don’t love the recipes, it will get you into that mindset of how to shelf cook.
If you still feel overwhelmed with cooking a whole week’s worth of food, just pick one meal. Pick one that you can double and freeze, and make that your goal for the week. Bam! One meal made and one in the freezer for next week. You are already on your way to being a cooking rock star.
As with most things in life, the more you do something, the faster and better you become at it. I am pretty fast in the kitchen without recipes and have about 30 recipes I can throw together without instruction. That came with many years of practice. It is always nice to get new ideas from done-for-you meal plans too. One week recommended cooking a chuck roast for French dip sandwiches and then using leftover beef for tacos another night.
Still unsure if the Jordan Page Shelf Cooking Meal Plan is right for you? Try a Week Free!