Everyone cooks & dines differently, whether they are preparing food for a large family or just themselves. They may also be on the verge of veganism or prefer meat & potatoes, regardless we all have unique needs & food desires. At Lilly’s Table, we believe no matter your needs, cooking seasonally is always possible and ideal for the health of your body and the planet. This week, we are starting a new series about how subscribers to Lilly’s Table use the service.
Our first guest who spent a week dining and dishing about her experience is Melissa Godar. I asked her a few questions about how she planned for the week and then afterwards how everything went. Let’s start with a quick introduction all about Melissa:
M: I’m 26, living in Tucson, AZ, working full time as a Program Coordinator for a children’s literacy organization during the day and taking classes at the local community college in the evenings in preparation for graduate school. My goal is to graduate with a Master’s in Public Health-Health Behavior and Education. Before then, however, I am working toward my own health behavior changes. My challenges with cooking and eating are time, money, and cooking for one.
L: What do you typically eat?
M: I’ve been a vegetarian for eight years now. I’ve experimented with veganism, but I absolutely love dairy. I try to limit my dairy intake though. I have been making slight changes in my diet for at least the past eight years. I now eat mostly organic, but have yet to fully rid myself of processed and out-of-season food.
L: What attracted you to the recipes on Lilly’s Table?
M: I was attracted to Lilly’s Table because I am not a great cook of fresh food anyway. I can cook anything that comes in a box with instructions. Because I have never been taught how to cook fresh, healthy, delicious food, I get frustrated easily when I do try. I don’t mind trying new things, but I don’t have the time or money to cook all kinds of crazy stuff that I usually end up throwing away. Lilly’s Table’s flexibility with the shopping list makes my life so much easier. Being healthy has been an interest of mind for as long as I can remember, so I feel that Lilly’s Table aligns with my beliefs about food. It is something that should be enjoyed without too much worry. Eating locally, seasonally, and organically allows me to do that.
L: How do you typically select what to eat from Lilly’s Table?
M: Every week or two I browse through recipes and save a bunch to my recipe book. Then before I go shopping I filter out the recipes that are not in season and try to decide what I want to eat that week. I add those to my shopping list. I also look at the weekly meal plans each week and save some of the recipes to my recipe book or put them directly on my shopping list.
L: Which recipes are you planning to make this week?
M: I plan to make the Sesame Tofu because I have had it before, and it is delicious! I am also going to make the Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti with Marinara sauce because it’s easy, and I already had pasta. I usually might choose one more recipe for the week, but I still have quite a bit left of the Mushroom Barley Risotto from last week.
After a week of cooking, dining and eating I asked Melissa a few more questions about her experience:
L: What did you actually end up making?
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L: What was your favorite dish of the week?
M: I think my favorite dish was the Coconut Creamed Sweet Potatoes. Sweet potatoes have always been something I looked forward to every Thanksgiving. We used a large amount of butter, brown sugar, and marshmallows to make them super sweet. When I first tried the Coconut Creamed Sweet Potatoes from Lilly’s Table, I thought it wasn’t sweet enough compared to what I was used to, but as I continued to eat them without adding any more syrup, I started to appreciate the simple sweetness and the coconut flavor.
L: Were any recipes different than you expected?
M: The Coconut Creamed Sweet Potatoes were easier than I expected. I thought it would take a lot longer for them to get soft than it did.
L: Did you have leftovers? What did you do with them?
M: I had leftovers of everything because I made more than the recipe called for. I ate the Sesame Tofu with frozen veggies, and I mix up the sweet potatoes-eating them for breakfast, lunch, or dessert.
L: Did you make any changes? Will you make any again?
M: I followed the recipes except for the whipped cream for the Coconut Sweet Potatoes. I wanted to make it, but I wasn’t able to separate the coconut milk as it specified, so I just poured the whole can in when simmering the sweet potatoes. I will definitely make all three recipes again.
Thank you Melissa for your incites and sharing your experience with Lilly’s Table. We love having you as part of the meal planning experience! We opened up Melissa’s favorite the Creamed Coconut Sweet Potatoes this week on Lilly’s Table. Be sure to cook it up before next week!
How do you use Lilly’s Table? Comment below about your favorite features whether it is the Recipe Book, Shopping List or more. If you would like to be a featured guest just contact me at lilly@lillystable.com. We would love to hear about how you dine & dish.