This review is authored by regular contributor Jennifer Donovan, book lover and mother of two of book lovers, who blogs at Snapshot.
The Great American Supper Swap
The Great American Supper Swap by Trish Berg sets out to “solve the busy woman’s family dinnertime dilemma.” We all face different challenges in getting dinner on the table, be it a dislike of cooking, being away from home during the dinner-making hour, little ones underfoot or some combination of these factors.
There are many statistics about why eating dinner as a family is critical. Ms. Berg devotes two chapters to what has happened to the family mealtime of late and why it is important to make it a priority. Since it is difficult to get a good dinner on the table night after night, but the act of eating together as a family is something that most of us value, swapping suppers is one way to accomplish this goal. Ms. Berg explains the hows as well as the whys quite thoroughly in other chapters:
- The Great Adventure: How Supper Swapping Works
- From Frazzled to Dazzled: My Supper-Swapping Story
- How to Start Your Own Supper-Swapping Group
- How Supper-Swapping Saves You Money
- What Dads and Kids Say about Supper-Swapping
The final chapters include a general Q&A and proven family-pleasing recipes. Many of these are suitable to make ahead or freeze. Even if you are unsure about the process of supper-swapping, the encouragement about the importance of making an effort to serve your family a home-cooked meal, along with the recipes, is valuable.
The book also has fun sidebars throughout which give a Potluck Activity intended to be used as an icebreaker at your meal-planning session, but it could also be used at any get together. One I liked was the Mommy Must-Do where moms write one must-do chore that they like and one that they dislike and then put it in a bowl. The other moms draw a slip of paper from the bowl and guess who wrote it and if it’s a like or dislike.
I would love to have this! I do menu planning as a business, but I would love to learn more about this!
This book sounds awesome!! As a working mommy with four little ones, supper is the biggest mess in our home. 🙂
I need this book.. thanks..
sounds like a winner.. count me in.
I would love to be involved in this. What a great idea it all is!
What a neat idea!
Sounds great! Count me in.
Would love a copy. Great idea to write about! Count me in!
Please enter me into your contest. I love reading and cooking, so I’m sure I’d love this book.
I would love to win!!!
I would like to win!
Sounds like an interesting concept. Please enter me in the drawing! Thanks.
This sounds great. It would work well with our smaller homeschool group. Thanks! Put me in!
So great to hear from so many of you busy moms out there! I just want to encourage you to give supper swapping a try.
You don’t need a gaggle of girls, you can simply start with 1 grilfriend or neighbor if that’s all you have. You cook one meal times 2-2 days, she does the same, and you have already cut your cooking in half!
If you can get 2 other friends to swap, you can cut your cooking by 80%!
I have never spent more than 1-2 hours on meal prep and another 30 min on meal delivery. All in all, a sound investment of time!
I have been a supper swap mom for over 5 years now, and some girlfriends have come and gone from my group. You have to be flexible about that. But there is always a friend willing to swap.
One of the most amazing things supper swapping does that suprised me most was add deeper friendships to my life. You talk more, relate more, and feel closer to your girlfriends when you swap meals.
When you put a jigsaw puzzle together, you start by snapping in the outer edges. That’s what supper swapping does for your friendships. Snaps friendship into your life and makes it simple!
And as busy moms, we all need more friends!
Just had to share – and encourage you all-
If you have any other questions at all, you can come over to the other blog where I am answering questions all week, or contact me via my website and send them to me directly. I’d be happy to answer them for you and help you get started swapping!
Blessings – Trish Berg, Author, The Great American Supper Swap
This sounds like a great book.
Sounds like a great one!!! I’d love to be included – I have you linked on my blog!!!!
Sounds like a great idea! I can’t wait to learn more.
This would be a GREAT addition to our library and fun thing to try with the Mommy Group I belong to!!!!
this sounds fun. I wonder how many of my friends would do it. count me in,.
I’d like to learn more about a Supper Swap. Anything to make my busy life easier! Thanks.
Please enter me!
I am curious to learn more about this.
This sounds like a great book!
I would love this book!
Enter me too!
Count me in
I want to do this through our homeschool co-op. Please include me, Jennifer.
Sounds like a great book!
That looks very interesting. I would like to check this book out.
Interesting idea…I’ll have to add this to my Amazon List…
I have always wanted to try doing some type of meal exchange with other families, but I really haven’t known how to go about it, especially to find recipes that most people will eat. I would love a chance to read this book and learn more about it.
Supper swapping saves so much time & energy. I would love to learn how to do it better.
Great review Jennifer. I hope I win it!
I love this idea! My girlfriends & I have been trying to figure out how to do something like this.
Sounds interesting Jennifer!
This sounds great!
Count me in.
Count me in, sounds like great fun! Billie
This idea has interested me for a while…I would love to read more about it! Looks like a great book.
Sure does sound like a great book. My friends and I have talked about doing this, but never knew how to organize it.
I’d be interested in checking this out!
Oh, I’d love to read this book. Thanks for the review and another great giveaway!
I’ve been intrigued with this idea. I’d love to check out the book. Thanks for the review.
Please include me. thank you.
This sounds like an interesting book. I’d love to have a copy in my kitchen library.