Sunday, August 9th, 2009...10:37 am
a whiny confession, and a plea for ideas
I have a confession. I am in a major, major cooking rut. Huge. It’s…bad. We’ve been eating out a lot, and eating far, far too much pasta/annie’s mac/waffles/convenience food and spending a fortune between eating out and random trips to the grocery store.
I’m having a hard time thinking of things I want to cook and am feeling unmotivated to try to cook much. When I do cook, I’ve been messing things up; recipes I’ve made over and over again, that I used to be able to make from memory, just aren’t coming out right. Also, I’m not really enjoying the process of cooking like I have in the past…I cook because we have to eat, not because I’m excited about a recipe or anything. It feels like just another chore, one that comes at the end of the day when I’m dealing with a tired toddler who just wants to be held and all my reserves of patience are very, very close to being empty. I hate feeling like cooking’s a chore.
So, basically: MEH.
Deep down, I really do like to cook, I think, but am having some kind of mental block about it. Not even reading my cookbooks or looking for recipes on foodie websites lately has inspired me. Usually that’s what I do when I’m feeling bored, but right now I can look at page after page of recipes and come away thinking there’s nothing interesting there.
Also, for some reason, I’m feeling like the food I usually make (like, basically, every recipe I’ve posted here…my standard 20 or 30 recipes that I usually love) is boring. Uninteresting. Uninspired. Bland.
I know I tend to get into recipe ruts, too, where the same, like, 8 recipes are in my rotation until Brett points out that we’ve had, say, black bean soup or macaroni and cheese five times in the past month. That’s definitely the case these days, too. I am sort of feeling tied to one genre of food and find myself only remotely interested in pasta recipes. And I know that drives Brett nuts.
So…help. I don’t know what to do. I am bored with the few standard things I’ve been making lately, but at the same time I have no motivation to get out of the box and try something new. And yet I’m getting really tired of Annie’s Mac. Not to mention we simply can’t keep spending so much on food.
How do you deal with this? Wait for it to pass? Force the issue and just make new and different recipes until the mood changes? I haven’t felt this way in a long, long time and I’m just at a loss.
Help!
7 Comments
August 9th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
First of all, go see the movie Julie & Julia…I promise you, the movie will inspire you to cook like you’ve never cooked before! Second, pick up a copy of Real Simple…I always find something interesting to make from each issue…and there’s usually great vegetarian options. Third…don’t beat yourself up too badly…we all fall into ruts….especially those of us with toddlers! I remember last year, right after having Di, there were so many nights we ordered out…I just couldn’t muster the strength to cook! And we ate WAY too many PBJs
. Love that you had a “confessional” post today…I did too! Maybe we should make it a regular feature (wink). Hope the culinary inspiration comes soon!
August 9th, 2009 at 11:38 pm
Hmm, just a couple ideas off the top of my head… we’re not vegetarians but I think these all would fit the bill:
1. Cottage cheese pancakes. We love these! Even more than regular pancakes and they’re a great course of protein.
2. On a similar note (since we love breakfast for dinner), we love doing a veggie scramble–eggs mixed with mushrooms, spinach, onions, tomatoes, even throw in some peppers, with just a bit of cheese on top.
3. Carmelized onion and blue cheese pasta (mmm!). A bit more “adult” than mac and cheese at least.
4. Homemade pizzas.
Just a few ideas… I know it’s nothing too creative but just trying to help!
August 10th, 2009 at 2:46 am
How about Eggplant Parm? Wicked easy to make and I can email you a recipe if you want. Also, would going to a farmer’s market help? I love veggies and when we go, I just start thinking of all the yummy foods I can make with what’s on display.
Also, I’ve let Ryan “help” with cooking since he was probably 13 months old. Easy things like putting measured ingredients into a bowl and stirring it. He now LOVES cooking and I very much trust him to help out. Another thing I used to do was cook during nap time. I know that can be early, but then I’d just put whatever it was in the fridge and warm it up at dinner time. My boys eat early.. like 5 or 5:30 most nights, so this is nice because I can quickly get the food out when Tim is walking around saying “EAT!”
Good luck!
August 10th, 2009 at 6:02 am
Here is a recipe I’m going to make this week, looks delicious! I hate cooking ruts. I’ve been eating out too much in restaurants as well.
http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipes/rachael-ray-30-minute-meals/Corn-and-Salsa-Tortilla-Soup
August 10th, 2009 at 8:51 am
I can give you the recipe for a crazy delicious roasted red bell pepper and goat cheese lasagne if you wish. I’ve made it several times and it’s always a hit.
August 13th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
The last thing I felt like doing the last month we were in Providence was cook. So I made a lot of corn on the cob (you can mix it up with fun butters), quesadillias with just about anything in it (especially great with sweet potatoes, black beans, kale, goat cheese, salsa) , tacos, huge salads with everything in it, grilled open faced sandwiches in our toaster oven and trader joe’s plain frozen yoghurt with fresh berries as dessert. Hope this helps a bit. Seriously, it’s totally normal to get into a cooking rut. My love of cooking comes in waves. Sometimes I just want popcorn, cheese and apples for dinner.
August 16th, 2009 at 11:09 am
This website recently got me out of my cooking rut:
http://www.thekitchn.com/
I’ve actually tried a few of the vegetarian recipes and liked the Farmer’s Lunch Sandwich, as well as the Spaghetti with Mascarpone, Spinach, and Hazelnuts. Next I plan to try some of the vegetable casserole type dishes.
On the website, just click the recipes link at the top and you will be directed to a page with recipe categories to choose from. Most of these dishes are pretty easy!
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