Meal Sharing

While I love to cook, I also love not cooking a couple of days a week.  That is why I'm going back to doing something that I used to do many years ago and that is meal sharing with a friend.

Here's how that works...
You make a meal for your family but you make enough for your friend's family and she (or he) in turn does the same for you!

There are several benefits to doing this.

1. You get a night off!  
2. You save money.
3. You get to eat something you didn't prepare.
4. You are doing something fun and wonderful with a friend.

And, ask more friends to join your group and cook even less!  Then, maybe meet for coffee or a drink once a week to exchange meals.  Then, freeze the ones that freeze well and eat them later in the week.  Just think about the money and time you will save if you only had to cook one huge huge meal a week! 



There are a few things you must do though to make this work.  Considering family size is one.  Obviously, you don't want to trade a meal with your friend who has three picky kids if you have no kids!  And you also don't want to ask a friend who simply hates cooking, unless she is good at it whilst hating it.  Having a night off might just excite her about the whole idea and you may get her best offerings!

There are sacrifices involved but the payoff is worth it.  Helping your family see how they will get more of your time before starting will be helpful, should you want to give this a try.  Especially, if they love your cooking.  Ask them to give it a month to see how it works.  And enter it on a trial basis.  This way you can end it without insulting anyone.  Entering with a common agreement is wise.  Giving yourself exiting room is smart.

Some tips that can come in handy in planning...

1. Provide a list of foods to avoid for your family if you have them.
2. Choose friends who are easy to connect with during the week.
3. Agree on who will make what that week.  Unless you don't care if chicken is served back to back!
4. Agree on price spent.  (This can be worked out easily.  You might make boneless chicken at $1.99 a pound and your friend plans on sending shrimp at $9.99 a pound.  Either you can compensate her monetarily or you can make something pricier next week to even things out. 
5. Use disposable containers to avoid the hassle of returning each others dishes.  Or if that doesn't appeal to you, return your next meal in the friends dishes. 
6. Agree beforehand if you will include sides or not.  
7. Know the allergies and likes/dislikes of the other family, especially when it comes to spiciness  (Allie's input). 

If you are interested in doing this with your friends and have questions, please leave them in the comments and I will reply on the blog.  I'll ask Allie to field questions also, as she did this with a friend/neighbor. 

So, this week I received chicken parm with extra tomato sauce for my first meal.  We were thrilled as I hadn't made this in a few years.

I sent Thai Red Curry with Chicken, which they had never had but enjoyed.  My friend's family will need to get used to me cooking non typical food, I guess!  Or, I will have to adjust.  But, getting a night off is so worth it.