Real food MM ideas (simple please)

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Forum -> Yom Tov / Holidays -> Purim

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What's the best type of "real food" MM?

salad

15%

[ 14 ]

soup

13%

[ 12 ]

kugel

10%

[ 9 ]

fruit/veggie platter/sectional

29%

[ 26 ]

something else

[ 7 ]

something creative

[ 1 ]

Nothing, I'm going to throw it in the garbage because I only eat my own food

22%

[ 20 ]

Total Votes : 89

seeker

Mon, Mar 04 2019, 11:49 pm

I feel like it would be a little gauche to ask my IRL friends even if they're the ones it actually applies to, so I guess public opinion is the next best thing? I like to always give some real food and I can't decide what to go with this year. It has to be pretty simple or it won't happen.

I've done soups and that seemed to go over well but I'm giving more people this year and I'm not sure they'll all be home to receive it, this could get weird... One year I froze the soup but the outside of the containers "sweated" and made a mess of my unfortunate paper bags and labels.

I did nish nosh salad last year (with the crackers packed separately, both for freshness and for having 2 separate foods) and I think that was also enjoyed well. Slightly more work because it all had to be assembled the same day in order to be fresh. And I want to give a few more people this year.

I could do a kugel type thing, but I always feel like that's a matter of taste. My mother used to send kugels all over and people loved them, but when I receive a kugel from anyone else I don't usually care for it.

I thought about challah and dips. Challah is a bit labor-intensive but I could handle it. Packaging might be an issue though. I REALLY don't want to get fancy or expensive with packaging, I prefer to put more soul into the food itself.

I did veggies and dip once. That was back when I lived in a new neighborhood and had like 2 friends so I actually delivered it on a plate, ready to eat, no further packaging necessary.

Anyway bottom line is I can't decide which way to go this year. It's tempting to just give my kiddie MM to my adult friends but that would really be slacking on the mitzvah. I believe in real food.

amother

Seagreen

Tue, Mar 05 2019, 12:12 am

I believe that a bagel with cream cheese is the best kind of Mishloach Manos. It is not terribly difficult to prepare, lasts well in the fridge, and is a satisfying Purim lunch.

As a side note, I also consider chocolate to be real food. 🍫

etky

Tue, Mar 05 2019, 12:42 am

Cake or bread or other baked goods.
I pop whatever we get in the freezer and take it out as needed. Usually we get enough for dessert for all the shabbatot leading up to Pesach!
I don't like getting bits and pieces of other types of food, especially if it can't be frozen.
Sometimes it's not to our taste and/or we don't have an opportunity to eat it before it goes bad.
Worst culprit is salad which has to get tossed if not eaten on the day.

sirel

Tue, Mar 05 2019, 12:42 am

Last year I bought pretty loaf pans for very cheap, and made a simple marble cake.
I put it together with a bar of chocolate and a small drink.
It was nice and I think people enjoyed it.

One year I made challas and small containers of salads (I made tahini, tabouli and 3 bean salad). That was great but needed to be made fresh and so I found it harder to do.

A couple of years ago I made fruit salad , with a crunch topping and strawberry sauce, all packaged separately. I think I added a chocolate bar as well. This was really complicated and I can't repeat it, though everyone loved it.

amother

Amber

Tue, Mar 05 2019, 12:54 am

What about a small loaf of speciality bread? With olives/sundried tomatoes or whatever baked in?

amother

Red

Tue, Mar 05 2019, 6:33 am

note how many people throw out homemade food.

thunderstorm

Tue, Mar 05 2019, 6:39 am

One year I made mezonos onion croissants/rolls and homemade chumus. I purchased the sectional lunch containers with covers in the grocery store. In one section I put the rolls, in the other the chumus and in the other baby carrots, a few grape tomatoes and a few slices of kirbies. It's a great snack for on the go.

seeker

Tue, Mar 05 2019, 6:42 am

Maybe I'll do homemade for the select few friends who are always home and have always appreciated in the past, while for the newly expanded list I'll give my kids' package a chocolate upgrade and call it a day. For the close friends, I'm thinking muffins and a sectioned veggie platter for longevity. My kids' MM is themed this year so a little more excusable than usual.

Thanks for the feedback!

yksraya

Tue, Mar 05 2019, 6:43 am

I usually stick to baked goods.

Last yr my babies were turtles so I baked turtle shaped rolls. Gave homemade olive dip (with olives as eyes) and a kiwi drink.

Salads, dips, veggie platter, fruit salad/soup, and milchig stuff is what I enjoy when ppl give real food.

Kugels I would not touch.

Dh would eat kugels, and some send gefilt fish and rolls. He would eat.

ra_mom

Tue, Mar 05 2019, 6:53 am

2 half pound containers (dips) with a bilka challah roll on top, all stacked in a clear snug cellophane bag with a nice bow to finish it off.

sky

Tue, Mar 05 2019, 7:06 am

Greek yogurt and granola - just need the fridge space. I’ve done this a few years now and very well received.

Bag baby carrots with dip like techina. Don’t need to make platters. One year did baby carrots and cherry tomatoes. Left in their packages. Found very cheap.
Breadsticks or flat breads with a dip. Or chickpeas.

FranticFrummie

Tue, Mar 05 2019, 7:09 am

I can count on one hand the people who I would take home made MM from.

You can do small boxes of raisins, packages of nuts, a whole apple, and other types of real food that are healthy. I just get wary of cooked food.

dankbar

Tue, Mar 05 2019, 7:13 am

You can do fruit smoothie in a jar.

Most of mm I get are some cookies, miniatures, cakes... it's all fine & good but most come with nuts that some of my family is allergic to.

thunderstorm

Tue, Mar 05 2019, 7:16 am

ra_mom wrote:

2 half pound containers (dips) with a bilka challah roll on top, all stacked in a clear snug cellophane bag with a nice bow to finish it off.

I've done exactly this as well, but instead of the bilka it was a whole wheat roll and instead of the dips I had one container with marinated salad and one container with corn salad. Both were able to be prepped the day before .

amother

Slategray

Tue, Mar 05 2019, 7:21 am

I made hamantashen chicken dumplings paired with apricot dipping sauce, a bottle of beer and a few mini peppers.

flowerpower

Tue, Mar 05 2019, 7:46 am

One neighbor gives a fresh salad every Purim. My kids all enjoy sharing that one container. Another gives a fresh hot deli roll- my kids wait for it weeks before Purim already.

baltomom

Tue, Mar 05 2019, 8:06 am

I am happy with all real food MM! Sometimes we have it for lunch on Purim (of course each thing is not enough for the whole family, but everyone can have something, plus food I've prepared). Note that this year Purim is on Thursday, so I'll be happy to serve any kugel I get on Shabbos.

In terms of not eating other people's food, I think it depends on the type of relationship you have with the recipients. If they would come to you for a Shabbos meal, why wouldn't they eat your homemade MM?

Tue, Mar 05 2019, 8:50 am

baltomom wrote:

In terms of not eating other people's food, I think it depends on the type of relationship you have with the recipients. If they would come to you for a Shabbos meal, why wouldn't they eat your homemade MM?

I would eat food fresh from the oven at a friend's house with no problem. I would not eat something that requires controlled temperature, whether hot or cold, after it took who-knows-how-long to deliver and then sat on my doorstep for a while.

keym

Tue, Mar 05 2019, 9:02 am

One year I gave out bagels, mini cream cheeses, and orange juice. Very, very well received. I bought the bagels from my local bagel store, wrapped them individually in saran. Then packaged 1 bagel, one mini cream cheese, one OJ with a nice napkin and package. So many people told me how much they appreciated it. Cream cheese lasts out of the fridge a bit longer, and the bagels were labeled as store bought so practically everyone ate it.

imachossid

Tue, Mar 05 2019, 9:05 am

Mason jars with nuts, dried fruits & chocolate chips layered together

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