Menu Planning/ Shopping List Software?

[Athena]

Does anyone know of a software program that will help with the menu planning and shopping lists? The shopping lists at the Curves web site don't match my book and they don't include the optional recipes. I'm spening way too much time trying to get this organized each week.

Thanks.

[tracylee]

I know that MasterCook will build shopping lists from chosen recipes. It's usually pretty inexpensive, and you can import and enter your own recipes, as well as scale any recipes in it's database. It handles all of the nutritional information as well.

[Athena]

I've seen MasterCook recipes around for years but never tried it. Will it print the weekly menus too?

Also, do you know the difference between the regular version and the Low Carb version? Is it just that you get more recipes with the regular version?

[creepette]

I just ordered the Cook'n software. I've only been using the past couple days - mostly gettng my recipes into it and playing around to see how it works.

I love what I see so far. It works better than any other recipe organizer I've owned - both Mastercook and Microcookbook. You can print menus, shopping lists and will even figure nutritional information. (And why I got it - I can hot sync my shopping list to my palm... haven't figured out how to do that one yet though.)

And the neat thing is you can download recipes for free from their website, or buy complete cookbooks as well to add to your collection. They even have a low-carb cookbook. I ordered the lite and healthy one when I ordered the basic cookbook.

Here is the link to their website.... http://www.dvo.com/index.html There is even an online demo.

[Athena]

Originally Posted by creepette

I love what I see so far. It works better than any other recipe organizer I've owned - both Mastercook and Microcookbook. You can print menus, shopping lists and will even figure nutritional information.

What do you like better about it than MasterCook? I bought that yesterday and I have to admit, I'm rather disappointed. I loaded the recipes and meal plan for the week only to discover that I can't print the meal plan in anything approaching a usable format. I did manage to generate a good shopping list though.

I wish these programs had 30-day trial versions -- they aren't expensive but I really don't want to pay for 2 o4 3 more and still not get what I need. It would be nice if Curves were to strike a deal with one and offer an add-in with the menus and recipes already loaded.

[creepette]

The Cook'n program is much more user friendly. You can download free recipes from their website.

To create a menu for the week, you just drag and drop the recipes to the day you want to serve it, and them you can add it to a yearly menu, so come next year you don't have to rethink everything over and over again. Also, you can print the shopping list for that week's menu, or the month, but I haven't gotten that far yet.

I spent yesterday getting some of my much used recipes in - which is another feature that is easier that Mastercook. And I did create a menu for the week, but I didn't get a chance to see how it prints out (my ink cartridge is dead).

As I said, I've used Mastercook before, and it is a useable program, but since I stumbled onto Cook'n. I like it much better.

[tracylee]

Originally Posted by Athena

I've seen MasterCook recipes around for years but never tried it. Will it print the weekly menus too?

Also, do you know the difference between the regular version and the Low Carb version? Is it just that you get more recipes with the regular version?

Honestly, I bought it so long ago that there wasn't a low-carb version. I would imagine that it's a difference in recipes. Both versions should have the same nutritional information. Not sure about the weekly menus.