There’s no doubt that our busy lifestyles have delivered the family dinner table a hefty blow. Moms who work outside the home, soccer games, piano lessons … they have all taken their toll on the family meal. With a little ingenuity and cooperation, however, we can reclaim dinner time with home-cooked meals. Starting a dinner co-op in your neighborhood may be just the way to get that done.
Who will be interested?
Moms who work outside the home – By the time they get home each evening it’s almost 6:00. By then, family activities are in full force, and stopping to cook a nutritious meal isn’t always an option. Work at home moms – They often miss the camaraderie with peers that comes with working in an office. Getting together with like-minded friends fulfills an important social need. No cook moms – Not everyone is a gourmet chef, but anyone can peel and chop. Dinner co-ops can be organized so that everyone has a job they’re comfortable with doing. Environmentally-minded moms – Shared resources are saved resources. Cooking five meatloafs at once in the same oven is 80 percent more efficient. It’s a great way to reduce our carbon footprint.
How does it work?
Decide on your menu and make a grocery list. At first, agreeing on a menu may be difficult. Those who want to participate will have to agree upfront that there will be some meals that are not their favorites. If you have a household full of picky eaters, the dinner co-op may not be for you.
Go shopping. Only buy the quantities you will need to make the necessary number of portions for your group. If there is an occasional odd item that has to be purchased in excess (like spices), check with the group to see if someone can just bring theirs from home rather than having to buy an entire bottle for one meal.
Rotate houses to cook. Take turns hosting the weekly cooking party, even if some kitchens are larger than others. This will contribute to the sense of community and spread around the cost of energy for the cooking itself. Be sure to make it clear upfront that the hosting kitchen has to be very clean, and all pets should be contained until the food is covered and stored.
Take home your share and freeze. Once the cooking of each item is complete, it should be portioned to each family depending on the number of people in the household. Each person is responsible for bringing their own freezer containers or appropriate storage supplies.
Reconcile expenses. All expenses should be broken up by number of portions. If there are five families in your co-op with a total of 20 people, then there are 20 portions. Costs should be divided by 20 and then multiplied by the number of people in each household to determine how much each family pays.
Regardless of your reasons, participating in a neighborhood dinner co-op is a great way to meet new people, learn new cooking skills, and feed your family nutritious, home-cooked meals.