I’m a
lucky guy. Not only do I have a wonderful traveling partner in Janet, but she
also LOVES to cook and, most importantly, she cooks well. Of course she’ll be
self-deprecating and tell you anyone can cook if you can read a recipe.
For
Janet cooking is a hobby. She enjoys scouring the internet and cook books for
unique recipes. Sometimes we cook together, but mostly she enjoys doing it all
by herself. While eating we’ll critique the meals, i.e. is it a keeper, and what
would we like to change if anything.
MEALS AS EVENTS
Yes, if
you’re going to be cheap and a homebody that travels sporadically, like Team
VFH, it’s best to make your meals an interactive event, rather than simply one
for subsistence. If you need food, that’s why God created peanut butter. Or, you
can go to the Wawa for a sub and some chips…Oops, showing my NJ roots. SUBS are
called HOAGIES around here.
But, if
you slow down and enjoy the whole process of deciding on recipes and shopping
for ingredients and preparing and cooking you can have a great meal AND you
call yourself a gourmand. You’ve instantly elevated yourself into foodie
stratum!. Though you may be cheap and the whole thing may be time-consuming, you’ll not only impress friends, but you’ll have fun too. Janet impresses me
every day and I count my blessings by the forkful.
FUNKY BUT CHIC
The latest
trend in our household is the use of meal kits. The industry has exploded
recently and there’s much competition for your dollars Meal
kit services deliver pre-portioned meals with all the ingredients and cooking instructions, taking roughly 30 minutes of prep and cooking for meals that we
perhaps would not readily consider. Three meals are delivered to our doorstop
which cost around $10 per person. Janet works her magic with the savings coupons
offered by the various companies and suspends subscriptions when necessary so
unwanted meals are not sent to the house. If you subscribe to a service and do
not make a selection they have preordained menus that they feel will suit your
tastes, so it’s important to monitor. Yeah, Janet is on top of this completely.
Readers of this humble travel blog know that Janet is the true captain of the
ship.
The
savings also comes from not having to go to the market for that odd spice, all are
provided in the kits and so there’s a time savings as well. What’s nice is that
from the lists Janet can also select meals low in carbs or calories. At first I
had thought this was just a fad but have come to appreciate the quality of the
food and the choices of meals available to us.
Though
this is a rather new cottage industry, in the early 2000s I received a similar kit for a
Christmas present that also included a dessert. Though I don't remember the company now, and I was skeptical when it
arrived, I remember being rather impressed with the result. This service really
got started in the past few years with Blue Apron and now several companies offer the meal kit for delivery. All are good. Janet has said she prefers Home
Chef because of the selections available.
Here
are the three that we have selected from over the past number of months but there are many others.
Here's a history of this tasty industry.
Bon appetit!
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