Two weekends ago, I was out for coffee (and sugar) with my roommate and our neighbour-friend. As we walked back to our building, I lamented my lack of groceries and how I tend to get meal-fatigue despite my love of cooking/baking/eating well.
I asked her if she ever experiences this, and how she combats it. "Pinterest." She confidently replied, "And I meal-plan. I have to, now that we have a kid." She lamented that it is tricky as a solo-person. You have to do all the work, all the time. You end up eating leftovers for DAYS. You get away with things like dry cereal and half an apple...
We talked a bit more, and she went up the last flight of stairs, and I sat down and still had to think of what to make for food that week (despite the half-dozen cookbooks I own, I frequently come up empty). And then she emailed. A link to Pinterest. Another link to Pinterest. A third Pinterest idea. AND.
Also: we could maybe plot meals to share?! Like a mini pot luck!
This simple email.
Life-changing.
A bunch more emails, a Google spreadsheet, and our weekly meal-exchange was officially underway. All it took is a little organization, a conversation about allergies & food preferences, and three willing cooks. It will be glorious.
Each week, I cook, she cooks & Karen cooks one meal to serve four (lucky neighbour-husband). At 6:30 on our respective evenings, we deliver 2 servings up/down the flight of stairs.
HOW STELLAR IS THIS.
Last night, I knocked on her door with a dish full of soup and hot biscuits, and she opened it wide and grinned, and so did her toddler, and she exclaimed, "Meals on feet! It was so nice to know I would have dinner coming and could spend more time with Fi this afternoon."
And I thought, Yes. This. Neighbours and friends and sharing to make our lives simpler.
I asked her if she ever experiences this, and how she combats it. "Pinterest." She confidently replied, "And I meal-plan. I have to, now that we have a kid." She lamented that it is tricky as a solo-person. You have to do all the work, all the time. You end up eating leftovers for DAYS. You get away with things like dry cereal and half an apple...
We talked a bit more, and she went up the last flight of stairs, and I sat down and still had to think of what to make for food that week (despite the half-dozen cookbooks I own, I frequently come up empty). And then she emailed. A link to Pinterest. Another link to Pinterest. A third Pinterest idea. AND.
Also: we could maybe plot meals to share?! Like a mini pot luck!
This simple email.
Life-changing.
A bunch more emails, a Google spreadsheet, and our weekly meal-exchange was officially underway. All it took is a little organization, a conversation about allergies & food preferences, and three willing cooks. It will be glorious.
Each week, I cook, she cooks & Karen cooks one meal to serve four (lucky neighbour-husband). At 6:30 on our respective evenings, we deliver 2 servings up/down the flight of stairs.
HOW STELLAR IS THIS.
Last night, I knocked on her door with a dish full of soup and hot biscuits, and she opened it wide and grinned, and so did her toddler, and she exclaimed, "Meals on feet! It was so nice to know I would have dinner coming and could spend more time with Fi this afternoon."
And I thought, Yes. This. Neighbours and friends and sharing to make our lives simpler.
LOVE this!
ReplyDeleteWonderful!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant idea!! My roommates and I did something similar in undergrad and I miss it on a regular basis. Enjoy your meals!
ReplyDeleteLadies! If only you lived in my neighbourhood, YOU TOO could be a part of this awesomeness! (or maybe you could start some meal-sharing-awesomeness near you?)
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this Beth! It pretty well ranks up there with the most awesome four months of cooking bliss at Fun City! I miss meal sharing with you:)
ReplyDeleteI love this for so many reasons.
ReplyDeleteThis is so beautiful. WINNING!!
ReplyDeleteI WANT ALL YOU LADIES TO HAVE THIS!
ReplyDeleteThe anticipation I feel for tonight's chicken enchiladas that I AM NOT MAKING is very high.
Lyns - those were the glory days!
Vaness - you will just have to move into my neighbourhood this summer.
Afro-chick - YOU are so beautiful. YOU are WINNING.
Love this post. Now I need to think if this is something I can set up with someone. No ideas come quickly but maybe .... . It sure sounds like it will be a win, win, win situation for all involved.
ReplyDeleteThis is a fantastic idea. Of course it would look slightly different for me because I pretty much cook everything on sunday and eat it all week so I've virtually eliminated real cooking from my M-F. The endless leftovers can be a joy of one....
ReplyDelete