I know it's been sporadic lately, but all I can say is that dieting is serious stuff. I was blogging so regularly that when the month was over, I had a mini breakup with both my computer and from home cooking.
It was like I lost all cooking creativity. I would come home from work, and even the idea of making a quesadilla (my old go-to lazy staple!) seemed like climbing a mountain of hard work. What did I want for dinner? -BLANK STARE- nothing comes to mind. I have succumbed to the world of Chipotle, Noodles & Company, Chinese and Thai Takeout, and even (this will shock you) Pizza delivery. I don't particularly like my diet either, it's just the most convenient.
BUT. I am determined to make a change. I've come up with the following three-step jump start to get cooking again.
It was like I lost all cooking creativity. I would come home from work, and even the idea of making a quesadilla (my old go-to lazy staple!) seemed like climbing a mountain of hard work. What did I want for dinner? -BLANK STARE- nothing comes to mind. I have succumbed to the world of Chipotle, Noodles & Company, Chinese and Thai Takeout, and even (this will shock you) Pizza delivery. I don't particularly like my diet either, it's just the most convenient.
BUT. I am determined to make a change. I've come up with the following three-step jump start to get cooking again.
- Food magazines. I've subscribed to Everyday Food and Bon Appetit. When they arrive, I'm going to go back to my old method where I carry at least one in my purse. That way, when I'm on my way home, there's a recipe already flagged and ready for me to buy ingredients for.
- Go back to the Basics. There are a few recipes that I started with—pizza, pasta, cookies—that I can make blindfolded. I want to make at least one of these a week. Hopefully, going back to the beginning will remind why why I love food and started to experiment more with cooking to begin with!
- Plan an Event. Nothing will kick-start cooking like a party. Even if it's just dips and desserts, the planning will get me use to organizing food for the upcoming days again.
I'm not doing most of the cooking in my house, so it's not quite the same thing, but I plan the menus and do the bulk of the shopping.
ReplyDeleteI definitely do hit the 'omigod, not THAT again' phase pretty regularly, but usually fight it by looking through recipes in cookbooks or on websites that I haven't used in a while.
Sometimes finding an old standby (usually something lighter - I find this most often hits me when I'm eating a lot of heavy dishes) inspires me again. Other times it's something new and shiny. Or a new ingredient, or a food I love that I haven't eaten in some time.
Simply talking to like-minded cooks, or reading various blogs can fire me out of my same-old meal slump. At this point in my life I have so many recipes that I've tried and forgotten, rediscovery can be an adventure.
ReplyDeleteBooks, magazines and buddies who cook and love to talk about it can whip you into a cooking frenzy. How about an old fashioned recipe swap? There is nothing better than trying out a new recipe that is hugely successful!
LET'S CAN together!!!!! Or rather... I know you don't have a lot of time but try to find a cooking class near you. Even one of those William Sonoma demonstrations could help- at the very least to provide recipes and/or new techniques.
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