Synopsis of the App: Real Plans is customizable meal planning that provides healthy and seasonal recipes.
Price and Platform: Free. Apple and Android.
RDN Score: 5/5
Pros
Includes more than 2,000 seasonal recipes with options for traditional meals and those following vegetarian, pescatarian, paleo, autoimmune and other diets.
Include or exclude specific food groups or ingredients and set your hemisphere to determine ingredient seasonality in search function.
Includes a meal planner with shopping list that updates as you make selections.
Select which meal(s) you want to plan each day to customize your schedule, including allowances for eating out and planning for leftovers.
Includes a weekly timeline that tells you what to do when, such as defrost the chicken the night before based on what’s on the menu.
Completely customizable list, timeline and plan.
Easily adjust serving sizes or measures to metric units.
Use the recipe importer to add your own recipes or print the meal plans for hardcopies.
Each recipe includes the cooking and prep time and nutrition information, and recipes include ratings from the Real Plans community.
Select a recipe to easily add to the timeline for a week or month at a time.
Include personal options like recipe measures, time zone and email frequency and even the stores you typically shop for food.
Access your account via mobile or desktop for easy set up and reference anytime.
24/7 chat support with a real person.
Cons
Food photography styles vary with each recipe.
Cannot preview the app without a recurring subscription, unlike many meal-planning apps that allow at least a 7-day trial. (Real Meals includes a 30-day money back guarantee.)
Cost may be a deterrent for some with plans at $69.99 per year or $13.99 per month.
Includes recipes from popular food bloggers, so some may be easily available online without the subscription.
Bottom Line: Real Plans may be most useful for those people starting a new diet regimen seeking new recipe ideas and structure.
Marisa Moore, MBA, RDN, LD, is based in Atlanta and specializes in culinary nutrition, communications and consulting. She blogs at marisamoore.com. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
Synopsis of the App: Real Plans is customizable meal planning that provides healthy and seasonal recipes.
