Cooking less and eating more ... an idea from Co-Op America

When the Betz-Essinger family sits down for dinner in Birmingham, AL, it doesn't take the children long to identify where their meal came from. "Is this a Caroline?" they ask, "or a Leigh Fran?"

Caroline and Leigh Fran are not brands of frozen dinners—they are the two friends with whom Ruthann has shared the preparation of weeknight meals for more than a decade. Through an arrangement known as "cooperative cooking," the friends each prepare a single, large meal that will feed all three families, and package it up. One share goes into their own refrigerators, and then the women meet to exchange the other two shares.

This cooking strategy brings you enormous benefits.  You only make one meal each week – and others cook for you the rest of the week.  You get more time with your family.  It builds and strengthens your community of friends.  And it saves time and money – making it easier and more affordable to buy local and organic.