Some of you are reading this and wondering why you would compare these two, right?! Some of you may even be thinking, how sacrilegious to compare food and the Bible? Some of you may be thinking, why should I even read this, lol. Some of you may even be thinking that I must work for Hello Fresh and be advertising…. hmm…. I guess I wouldn’t blame you for any of these thoughts. No, I don’t work for Hello Fresh or get any credit for this. Sometimes I get these pictures and think it might be fun to share them – something light for your day, no tears in this one, hahaha!
Lately I had been seeing these ads for these different food programs and thought, that’s crazy, why do people do that? Although, I did remember one of my niece’s telling me she tried it and loved the recipes. In any case, one day, our meal plan being ‘pretty boring’, the ‘price is right’ showed up, haha. What I really mean is, I got a great deal – $20.00 off a week for 4 weeks – woohoo!! For us being a family of four plus 2, that made trying something new pretty do-able. We like to go out about once a week just for a change of scenery (and a different menu, lol) so when this ad showed up, something in me said, why not? It is comparable to a meal out for the 4 of us and it would be two days worth of food.
My husband and I looked at the menu and picked out two different things that we had never made and figured why not try it. The 1st week it was delivered to my door we were excited. For those of you who may have no idea what these meal plans are, like myself, let me fill you in. The food you order comes prepackaged straight to your door. In the box are your meals with meal cards giving you step by step instructions (they even have a video if you are interested), there is a bag with refrigerated things – all fresh and, under a layer of ice are the frozen or colder items like your meat. We were so excited to try it, or maybe I should say ‘I’ was so excited to try it because I really am not the most creative cook! (wink) After 4 weeks of trying the meals, I’m still excited. Each meal is set up for you, the only thing you need is a few items, which they list like: a big pan, small pan, some oil, etc. Each meal has been such an adventure, the family was sold! There were some meals that blended different things that you might not think go together but was such a tasty blend. For example, there was one portion of a meal that blended mayonnaise with vinegar and then you mixed it with shredded carrots and apples. Now if any of you know my husband, he does not like mayo, so I was really apprehensive on serving this. I didn’t tell him ahead of time what was in it, I just encouraged him to try it. To all our amazement, he liked it! The rest of us did too and agreed it might be a new family picnic item!
After each meal, we would sit and share the things we like about it or what we weren’t so excited about it. The fact that everything was right there, fresh, and we didn’t have to do any shopping on the way home was a bonus for me but also, now we had the meal cards so down the road we could remake it, now that we had experienced it.
As I began to think of this meal plan, simultaneously working on the One Year Bible with the #2019INSPIRE group, I began to see some similarities. The One Year Bible is a bible for nonbelievers who have never read the bible, as well as older believers who have been in the Lord a long time; it’s great for anyone and everyone! Maybe you have never read through God’s word and never knew all the stories in this amazing book or maybe you’ve read it through. In any case, like Hello Fresh* (*H.F. going forward), this particular Bible gives you day by day all the ingredients you need for that day’s meal. Like H.F., you might need a couple additional tools like a journal or notebook, a pen, maybe a cup of tea or coffee and some quiet time but…that’s it… the rest is in the book! There’s the Old Testament, the New Testament, a Psalm and a Proverb set out for you every day. Some days you might glean some amazing tools for your toolbelt that you definitely will want to use at a later date; some things you might think, yup, I’ll never need that. Some things you might find go well together – like God’s grace and forgiveness, loving those who are your enemies? Really? Hmmm…. Might be like that apple/carrot salad…
There are days it may be hard to read (like cooking) and there are other days, it will be a breeze. The beautiful thing is, it might open your eyes to stories of hope for your life. For some of you, you might feel discouraged, like you don’t measure up…. Kind of felt like that on one of the recipes when I forgot some of the ingredients… but keep reading… God loves you and has amazing things in store for you, that recipe still came out good! The Old Testament is the law but in it are a lot of pictures of the ways of God, in the sense of providing when there was no way, opening seas when the enemy was on their tail, healing, pictures of Jesus through people like Abraham, Elisha/Elijah, etc… look for it, you’ll be surprised. The New Testament is full of promises and a picture of how Jesus responded to things, our greatest example, full of grace and mercy to those who least deserved it sometimes, bringing hope beyond measure. The psalms are full of real life emotions and encouragement and the proverbs are filled with wisdom to carry with us.
I am at a place with Hello Fresh where I am beginning to count the cost, as our discount is done and I am weighing if it is worth it or can I glean from the recipes I have and begin to put things together for myself? Hopefully after going through this whole year and gleaning tools to help us, I’m praying that those who have joined us along the way, whether for one meal or for 356, will have been nourished and will have recipes to sustain them. Recipes if you would, that will help quiet you in your fear; recipes that will help you when you feel all alone; recipes when there seems no hope; recipes when God has filled you to overflowing and you share them with others. There is no cost that Jesus hasn’t already paid for us when He gave his life on that cross for you and me. Looking forward to the fresh things Holy Spirit shows you as you eat at the table with Him! 🙂
BREAKING FREE 