Week 50: Leftovers
That time when Sarah and I made a meal out of what we could find in the fridge…
Each Sunday, my wife and I prepare, cook and eat a meal together — intentionally. Every Friday, I’ll be sharing our experience here in this space. I want to see the growth that will come in our marriage because of this. I hope you enjoy our story. You can find last week’s post here.
Where are all the married couples in their 20s? You out there? Ok, so hopefully you can relate to this. Actually that’s narrowing it too much. Anyone who’s ever felt the budget crunch, listen up.
We needed to make a grocery run. But our bank accounts had other plans.
Since it was a Sunday, we had to do something. So, we decided to see what we had in the fridge that could be of any use. There was some ground turkey that we had used for a taco salad. That meant we had some lettuce and salad dressing left over too. In the fridge were two half-used bags of frozen potatoes — one waffle fries, the other tater tots. We had some shredded cheddar cheese too. So, we figured we’d try to make a meal out of it all. What did we get?
Totchos.
A quick caveat that may seem a little heavy but that I feel is necessary. I talk about feeling the budget crunch and not having much money. In all reality, even at our tightest times financially, Sarah and I are incredibly blessed. We understand that having an apartment — no, even having clean clothes on our backs — instantly means we’re better off than so many in the world. Please do not take this post as any slight to the experiences of anyone else.
Having said that, sometimes the budget does get tight. Sometimes we have to make do with what we have. I think that’s a good thing. So that’s what this post is about.
To be quite honest, we weren’t sure how the meal would turn out. We put the totchos in the oven, and waited with anticipation. It was fun to let our creativity run wild a bit. I’ve always like exploring. Thankfully, I have an amazing wife who will explore things with me.
Another amazing thing about my wife (that’s a list that could literally go on forever) — even when the budget is tight, we work through it together. Sure, there are times where we’re strapped for cash and we take it out on each other. We’re only human.
But something I’ve noticed about married life — we seem to grow more when we experience the thin times together than when we feel like we have everything under control. The key is that we do it together. That’s good stuff, right there.
When they looked like they were ready, we pulled them out and topped them off with lettuce and ranch dressing. Again, I know, it sounds like a hodgepodge of food.
But then we ate it together.
It really tasted good! It actually worked. We both felt so good knowing that we had come up with the idea together. Cooked it together. Shared it together.
More than that, we experienced a thin time together. Whether it’s finances or emotional hardships, we all go through thin times. Sarah and I have seen a few of those thin times, ourselves. But we’re learning, with God’s help, how to navigate them.
For this meal, we made do with what we had. In all reality, what we had was worth so much.
