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when you don't feel like cooking
I know this may be a silly question, but I'm asking anyways...
Do you ever get into funks where you just do not want to cook? Not just like... 'Oh, I don't feel like cooking today.' But actually getting in a funk of several days - a week of not wanting to cook and the thought or act of cooking is like torture?
I'm in that kind of funk right now & I can't seem to snap myself out of it. We really don't eat out, and Ted depends on having leftovers so he can take them for lunch. I don't know if it's because I've been sick or what, but man - the kitchen is like the LAST place I want to be in the house, and I love cooking (normally)!
I think I'm getting bored with making the same things all the time. I need to mix it up and make cooking exciting again. Plus if I got more organized, made a menu & shopping list, then I would probably stress out about what to make less.
What do you ladies do when you just can't step foot in the kitchen without cringing??
Re: when you don't feel like cooking
I try to have at least one new recipe every week. This way, I am curious, and excited to try something new. I get these from Kraft.ca, and the different blogs I follow.
I also try to cook & freeze extra of things like soup / pasta sauce as well as freeze meat & fish that I have pre-marinated.
I also try to always keep some sort of easy 'toss in the oven' type of pre-made food in my freezer (like chicken strips, dumplings, etc.).
I especially do it now that we are trying to maintain a tight budget, and try to minimize our eating out.
?
I do a lot of the same things Fanny does like keeping ready to cook items in the freezer and fridge. Sometimes that'll include cooking large batches of pasta sauce, enchiladas and other items that don't take too much extra time when doing more and can be kept frozen for a later date. But I'll have to try the one recipe a week thing. That's sounds like a good idea.
I get some of my recipes from Pioneer Woman. Many of hers are simple enough for me to do with the ingredients I have in the house.
And if I have to eat out, I try to mix it up and add in something a little on the healthy side like chicken teriyaki or salads.
Maybe take turns with your hubby cooking? Or find some quick meals to make on days you don't want to spend lots of time cooking. I absolutely love BLT's for dinner - and you don't have to do much. Or we make burritos - which consists of throwing some refried beans in a pot and throwing them with some cheese, hot sauce, and whatever else in a tortilla. Or pita pizzas - some store bought sauce, cheese and pepperoni and in the oven.
Those are some of my favorite quick and easy dinners :-)
{Blog: Adventures of AlaskanAlison}
I hear ya! I am soooo sick of eating the same crap (well not really "crap") all of the time! DH only eats meat, potatoes...and corn and peas. And I'm sick of it! I can't really try new recipes because he's so finicky! It drives me batty (can you tell?)!
So what do we do when we don't want to cook? Go to McDonalds. Yup...and I'm not proud. DH gets a double cheeseburger, fries, coke & a choc shake (and doesn't have an ounce of freakin' body fat...for now). I will sometimes just make tuna salad since he'll spend a small fortune on his McDs (and I love that stuff).
Our other major staple that we always have on-hand is stuff to make nachos or burritos. At least that way I can add all of the veggies and weird stuff that I want...and DH can have just meat & cheese. It's simple, it's cheap, and I could eat Mexican every single day of the week (and sometimes do).
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You're going to think that I'm a complete weirdo, but I don't mind cooking. It's the cleaning that I hate.
I would definitely suggest menu planning. I don't go to the store without a list. I have to know what I'm making for the week ahead of time. Knowing is half the battle, right?
If you have those nights when you just don't feel like cooking, like pp said, have something handy that you can just throw in the oven. Did you ever try those pasta type meals that come in a bag in the freezer section? You just throw them in a skillet and heat them up for about 10 minutes.
GL!
I'm totally in that funk right now!! I think it's because our kitchen is a disaster from moving and it's not all unpacked and I don't know where everything is. If my kitchen is dirty, I don't want to cook. I try to clean the dishes every night so I'll want to cook the next week. I read thepioneerwoman.com for recipes and we've created our own recipe book from printing recipes out from online. Last week I was making our menu for this week and could only come up with 4 dinners. I was like really, that is ALL I know how to make? haha!!
Ooh I love Stouffer's Grilled Chicken and Veggies Pasta. It's soooo yummy.
HA! lol. That's funny Ali
Make dh cook.
When it isn't an option I grill or make salads. Like the other day, I wanted Thai so we made mango salad (spicy for us) and jerk chicken. I sliced up the chicken, and added some red leaf lettuce to my plate- yumm!
Honestly- what do you like to eat? Write down a list of cravings or items you'd want to eat and go from there. Or, browse recipe sites for inspiration..
Thanks ladies! I think I just have to suck it up. Ted does/will grill, but he doesn't really cook. I did check out Pioneer Woman & saw some yummy looking stuff. I think I just need to shake things up and get excited about food again. We're actually trying not to eat a lot of frozen/prepared meals... but I may need to stock up on some that seem healthier - just for my own sanity.
Dex - we eat a lot of grilled chicken with veggies, and a lot of pastas. They are both cheap & easy, but I'm getting BORED.