Does anyone use an online recipe organizer that they would recommend? I think it’s time I get one. I access all kinds of recipes across a few different platforms but I have trouble finding them when needed. This is my OG recipe organizer. It was given to me at a wedding shower thrown for me when in the early 90’s. In addition to recipes, I received advice on how to keep a happy home. Needless to say this shower was mostly older relatives I was inheriting. One of the *best* pieces of advice was to set the table before your husband gets home so it looks like dinner will be served soon. I am not joking. 

So the old recipe box is nostalgic for that reason, and I have another story. In 2008 my family was evacuated because of wildfires. We were so lucky to not have our house burn down as the fire ravaged the landscape near us. Two times during the evacuation we were let back in to gather personal items. The second time in I looked around, and thought “what is really important to me”? And it was my cookbooks. That was before online recipes (at least in my world). There are so many  treasured recipes in my collection that mean so much to me and those I care for. Cooking is my way of showing love and has always been important to me. Losing those recipes would have been such a bummer. These days I share the same disappointment when I have to toss or alter a recipe because I no longer feel good about serving those products to my family & friends. It is a grieving process that is coupled with anger most of the time. Why do we have to think so much about what we eat? It isn’t fair. It is so much work staying vigilant reading ingredients. When holidays come or I am feeding a crowd there is another layer of sadness letting some of those recipes go. 

I still think about food and recipes all of the time. And more times than not, cooking and eating is something I look forward to. I want to honor the real sense of loss though for the thread that has held many generations together. Is food and mealtime a large part of your family structure too? Do you want to learn how to incorporate more real food but feel overwhelmed? I would be honored to be there with you, helping you take one small step at a time that adds up to lasting change. ♡