How to Still Serve Others When You are Busy

Busy. Busy. Busy. That has been us lately. It has made me want to discover how to still serve others when you are busy. For us, part of our busyness means that we are helping others. That said, incidences arise where I want to do more for my friends, neighbors and even perfect strangers. I am definitely the type that says to myself, “I could be doing more. I should be doing more.” Sometimes that is a lie, and I just need to be content serving right where I am – giving my all to what I currently have on my plate. Other times, I need to listen to the prompting to find ways to serve even when it feels like it doesn’t fit in my schedule – even when it is not convenient.

This post has been sponsored by P.F. Chang’s Home Menu. All opinions and experiences are my own.

How to Still Serve Others When You are Busy

Just such a prompting happened the other day, and I found a solution. I want to share with you the solution first and then tell you a little bit more of the back story later.

The answer was to serve with food. It hit me suddenly when a friend was sick – a meal. Immediately I dismissed the thought. I don’t have time to make a meal. I’m barely feeding my own family. Then it hit me again. A meal. Why do I have this expectation that I need to make some time-consuming home cooked meal to provide for others? People want quality food, and there are some amazing options available. I had to run to the store anyway. Why not pick up delicious, authentic freezer meals and give those to my friend and her family?

That’s exactly what I did. I know how much my friend’s kids love Chinese food. P.F. Chang’s Home Menu has so many great options and just launched family-size skillet meals meals in January, available in two varieties: Orange Chicken and Chicken Fried Rice. P.F. Chang’s Home Menu has so many different options that I can pair together with passion.

With P.F. Chang’s Home Menu you can pair the perfect combination of authentic, traditional flavors to make a delicious Asian meal for your family or the family you are serving. Can I suggest a few pairings?

For the family I was serving, I chose the family-size Orange Chicken, made with real orange peal and a very flavorful sauce. I paired it with a delicious Beef and Broccoli. I chose the Orange Chicken for our family as well since it is a favorite entrée in our home.

Here are some of the other appetizing dishes available, listed with my suggested pairings:

• Chicken Fried Rice, made with authentic Thai Jasmine Rice sourced from Thailand, Sambal, a traditional Asian ingredient that brings a little spice to the dish, white meat chicken, carrots and scrambled eggs. (family-size) – Pair this with Mongolian Style Beef.
• Signature Chicken Dumplings: Dark meat chicken, shredded cabbage, sliced scallions with a Signature Sauce packet. – Pair this with Spicy Chicken, which is a golden battered white meat chicken served in a spicy chili sauce.
• Signature Pork Dumplings: Ground pork, shredded cabbage, sliced scallions with a Signature Sauce packet. – Pair this with the Garlic Chicken, made with a tasty garlic sauce, bell peppers and bok choy.
• Shrimp Lo Mein: succulent shrimp, fresh bok choy, mushrooms, celery, carrots. and hearty lo mein noodles. – Pair this with Mongolian Style Chicken, made with onions, string beans and red bell peppers

For more of the entrées, appetizers and sides available, please visit P.F. Chang’s Home Menu.

Why do I feel good about serving in this way? It’s thoughtful and takes care of a need for others. This is a high quality, authentic meal with made-from scratch sauces and vibrant veggies. The food is delicious, with the development of bold flavors and quality ingredients. These freezer meals are easily prepared and ready for a family in less than 15 minutes with little hassle.

Recipes are inspired by the P.F. Chang’s Bistro and co-developed with restaurant co-founder Philip Chiang.

Fun Finding: Everyone knows about Taco Tuesday. Have you heard about Wok Wednesday? Celebrate mid-week with your family by adding P.F. Chang’s Home Menu in your meal planning. For Wok Wednesday inspiration visit this Pinterest board. Use the hashtag #WokWednesday to share your own experiences or search for more ideas. Joining in on Wok Wednesday will satisfy your mid-week cravings with no hassle, while bringing the aromatic and bold Asian flavors you have come to desire into your home.

P.F. Chang’s Home Menu Giveaway

I am also hosting a great Giveaway! I’m always pleased to provide ways for you to win wonderful prizes for your family or those you are choosing to serve.

Grand prize winners with receive a $500 grocery gift card and a brand new wok! Runners up will receive a $100 gift card and wok. How exciting! Three runners up will be chosen.

Those entering must be at least 18 years old and should reside in the United States. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For More Great ways to Pair with Passion…

I invite you to visit Mariel at One She Two She and The Thrifty Couple.

How to Still Serve Others When You are Busy

On to a little of the back story: We have been very occupied lately. There has been a house project underway that has consumed many weekend and evening hours. Our house has, therefore, been a bit torn apart, making living a bit more challenging. I am in charge of decorations for our upcoming school auction. When we are not working on the house project, the weekends have been full with other activities. Add to that our normal commitments: basketball practice, homework, work, blogging, marriage ministry, mentoring, leading Bible study, and my husband’s commitment to drum at our church… you can imagine the pace we have been running at over the last month.

It is tempting to not add more. I cannot possibly serve because I have too much on my own plate. Then the prompting begins. A friend of mine was sick. Have you discovered that moms don’t get sick days? There are still kids to feed and responsibilities around the house. Flu + Parenting = Not much fun! So, compassion began to trump my own agenda.

The idea of serving my friend delicious pairings from P.F. Chang’s Home Menu was born out of this desire to let serving others still happen amidst the crazy times where we are engaged in our own to-do list.

Now you know one way I found to serve others while I was busy. However, I started to brainstorm a list of ways to continue to provide for others because I believe in the importance and power of serving.

• Take them a freezer meal like the ones from P.F. Chang’s Home Menu described above.
• When going to the store, ask a friend or neighbor if there is anything you can pick up for them while you are out.
• Volunteer to pick up a friend’s kids on your way to or home from school.
• Sometimes we are busy, but our kids are not. Get them involved in making cards for someone who is sick or writing a letter to a child you are sponsoring.
• Put away your cell phone during conversations with others.
• Compliment others when you see them.
• Offer your seat to someone on a bus, train or in a school assembly.
• Pay for someone else’s coffee or even their groceries when checking out.
• Open the door for others.
• Invite someone over to talk while you are getting things done. If that doesn’t work, call them. We all have people on our hearts that we can bring into our busyness. They don’t mind that you fold laundry or do dishes throughout the conversation. It means enough that you were thinking of them.
• Donate money to a church or charity.
• Take an elderly friend flowers.
• Let others go ahead of you in the buffet line.
• Making food for your family? Double it and deliver some to a neighbor. There is little extra time expended, especially if you are making a meal that requires little prep.
• Look for opportunities when you are out. There are little things you can do. Pick up garbage you see on the ground on the way into a store. Smile at people. Put a cart back in the right place. Pick up a piece of clothing that has fallen off the hanger in the clothing department. Return the extra change that was accidentally handed to you. Make faces at a crying child to try and get her or him to smile instead of cry.

An important question to ask yourself is, “Am I too busy to serve others?” If the answer is yes, maybe you need to find ways to cut back on your own to-do list. I believe part of our purpose on this earth is to serve – to take care of the hurting, the poor, the refugee, the forgotten, the neighbor and the friend. If you are neglecting that purpose then I believe you are missing out on a key component of life. Others are missing out on the impact you could be making too. Take time to consider ways you could make serving others a priority in your family. It’s an important trait that needs to be modeled to our children and blesses others on their journey through life.