The Gift of Food

I feed people, it’s what I love to do!  Several of my friends are the same way!

In December I made food for a group of people at my church who were performing on a worship team.  A friend pulled me aside and said that she really wanted to learn to do that- make food and deliver it to people. Well, I thought through the process and wanted to share it with you all!!

I think the problem with most people hesitating to make food for people is that they think it has to be perfect or find the perfect recipe. Wrong.  You don’t.  Making food for people is easier than you think if you start by knowing that you are blessing them with food to eat, and they will be so grateful. It’s true!!

Step 1: Decide to take food to a friend. 

Offer to take a meal and ask about allergies, food preferences, and settle on a drop-off time.

Step 2: Plan a menu

When planning, I like to make a Main Dish, Side dish & Dessert.

Work around the food preferences & allergies to find a recipe that your family likes and take that. For instance, if I’m taking a meal to a new Mom, I will avoid taking a meal like a lasagna because the red sauce, garlic & onions might affect the baby if the mom is nursing. Here are some of my favorites to take: Tacos, Shepherd’s pie, Chicken fajitas, baked sandwiches and grilled meat.  These are all family-friendly foods.

If you want to make it super simple, you can just leave out the dessert. If you’re on a meal train or a list of people they may already have too many people ahead of you that have brought sweet treats.

Step 3: Give yourself GRACE.

Keep it simple and know that whatever you bring is going to be a huge blessing!  Last week I took a meal to a friend who was moving and I made baked sandwiches, chips, and cookie bars. I left the sandwiches in the oven a little too long and they burned a little bit on the tops of the buns.  I freaked out for about 15 seconds, thinking I should start all over, but then I realized that it was fine that it wasn’t perfect. Changing my thoughts really helped me to give myself grace.

Step 4: Use disposable pans to take the meal and label each food.

Try to find disposable pans to use so that the family doesn’t have to worry about getting pans back to you.  Get creative or buy some aluminum pans next time you’re out and about.

Step 5: Deliver the food

I try to make only one trip up to the door to deliver the food. What I’ve found works the best is to save one of those shallow, long boxes from Costco and use it as a tray.  Try to fit all of the food like a Tetris game in the box.  =)  When entering the house, I try to slip my shoes off and carry it to the kitchen or a table in the kitchen. Plan to chat for a minute or two, but keep the conversation short, grab your box and go.

Also, just know if this is too much for you to cook, then a gift card, Door Dash card or picking up food at a restaurant can be a huge blessing too!! I sure hope this helps and that you choose to bless someone with your cooking or just some food in general- it’s so appreciated!!