Foodie Vows and Parenting

Matt and I love food. We love to try new recipes, enhance old ones, and sometimes we like to play the critic and say how our own new recipes could have gone better. It’s something we’ve always loved to do, it’s actually something we VOWED to do. That’s right, cooking together was a promise we made standing in front of all our friends and family. These days, in the midst of this “3 boys 5 and under” season, a deliciously planned meal where we get to talk between each bite and sip our favorite wine just isn’t a realistic expectation. Instead most meals consist of us blowing raspberries to get Maddux to eat his food, holding broccoli above Jackson’s head so he can eat like a dinosaur and convincing Hudson he’s eating chicken and not fish. It’s a wild time and highly entertaining to outsiders looking in.

In an effort to find some time for us, we try to have lunch dates in the middle of our workday. Some end up being really thought out meals we’ve developed from start to finish, other days we just take left overs and dress them up. Either way, we take the time to enjoy each other’s company and prioritize something we both love – food. This Valentine’s Day was no different. We ordered a charcuterie board from a friend of ours and enjoyed a quiet lunch with a Valentine’s day love playlist softly humming in the background.

Charcuterie boards are a foodie’s canvas to create the perfect bite and experiment with flavors. Matt and I have found that some of our best meals and most life-giving conversations are over a charcuterie board and a glass of wine. Each time we start out taste testing the new items on the board. If it’s cheesy, I’ll try a bite first to see if he would like it. If it’s spicy, he tries it to see if I can handle the heat. Usually regardless of what we say, we are willing to try whatever the other has tested first because it is all part of the experience.

These moments rejuvenate us when we are feeling overwhelmed or stretched too thin as working parents and spouses. Our lunches give us an hour to reconnect with one another and use our love of food to transport us on a tiny adventure of indulgence. I’d say we are doing our best to keep our promise and intertwine cooking adventures into our current season of life.

So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no man separate.

Matthew 19:6

Matthew 19:6 comes to mind as I reflect on our recent lunch. No man, no earthly frustration, no rough day, no small blessings from above in the form of offspring (I love them so much), should come between me and Matt. We vowed to spend our lives together and promised that we would cook and enjoy our love of food together. Charcuterie boards, new recipes, even our failed recipes are just our unique way of keeping our promise to one another and honoring God.

This week, I pray you and your spouse find ways to reconnect and focus on one another. To honor the God who brought you two together by doing something you both enjoy together. I know I’m already looking forward to our next lunch date!