In my household, I’ve always done the menu planning, grocery shopping, and cooking. This has worked for us because, as a stay-at-home mom, I have time to do these things. I also have more knowledge of nutrition and a wider variety of cooking skills than my husband.
You can imagine my surprise when I stepped into the living room a couple of months ago and found my husband looking at recipes on Pinterest! I’m not sure what initially motivated him to set up a Pinterest account, but I know he uses it primarily to pin ideas for our house. Apparently he discovered that recipe ideas are abundant on Pinterest and he started pinning those that sounded good to him.
Once I got over my initial shock, I realized that this was brilliant! When I plan menus, I always ask him if there is anything in particular he would like included. He usually can’t think of anything off the top of his head or he suggests one of the six or so meals that he really likes. Now that he has a board of “Recipes To Try,” I can turn there for inspiration.
In addition to being a convenient way for me to find out meals that sound good to him, I’ve found that this process has helped him expand his horizons a bit in regards to what he is willing to try. Up until this point, my husband had a pretty narrow range of foods that he liked. After seeing images and reading descriptions of very diverse dishes, he’s become somewhat adventurous! He’s pinning recipes that include ingredients like cottage cheese, cream cheese, and sour cream—three foods he has shied away from previously.
Though we haven’t tried this yet, I’ve considered making a collaborative board where we could both save recipe pins. This would allow him to see and provide feedback on meals that I’m considering for an upcoming menu.
Do you like input from your spouse when you meal plan? If so, how do you usually get this input? Would using Pinterest work for you both?
Shared at the following:
The Art of Home-Making, Tuesday Talk, Monday’s Musings, and Tuesdays with a Twist.
This is a super interesting thought. I have been considering incorporating more meal planning into my regular routine. This sounds like a great technique to implement. Thanks for sharing!
God bless,
Patty
Hi Patty,
I’m so glad I could provide you with a helpful idea. It may not work for everyone, but it sure has been a help for me!
That’s awesome! My husband doesn’t do social media, but I’ve often thought it would really help out our communication. This is a great example of how it can be useful.
Hi Heather,
I’m not sure if all social media would have this effect, but using Pinterest in this way certainly has.