Okay, now I need to ask, it can’t just be me that finds them self making the same meals over and over and over? I literally feel like I always end up recycling the same dinners and then I get stuck in a rut. Granted I have picky eaters in my family but they’re not that picky! Then to top it off, if my toddler is bored of eating something she will point blank refuse it. Serving up pasta twice this week mum? No, I don’t think so!
Anyway! I decided to do something about it. After reflecting on it for a while I discovered the biggest problem with cooking dinner wasn’t my lack of time or even deciding what to make, it was the lack of preparation. I never planned or even thought ahead about what I was making so I got out a notebook and started writing down meal ideas complete with side dishes. I even asked friends and family occasionally what they were having for dinner to get more ideas. so I could add them to my little note pad and I soon had a nice long list of meals and sides that I could make for my family.
I got inspiration from where ever I could, I had my partner give me ideas for his favourite meal choices and side dishes. He did a good job of coming up with things I hadn’t even made in a long time. I found that asking him when she was hungry seemed to help his creative juices come up with more ideas. Next I started scouring the internet for melas, I found a number of amazing foodie blogs that have great options. I watched a few cooking shows. Top tip, definitely don’t do this hungry, you won’t have the ingredients to make what your watching and just end up snacking!
Now each week I have my little notebook of meal ideas and I decide on 7 or 8 of them and go shopping for the ingredients to make them. I then make a list and put it on the board of the 7/8 different menu choices and cross them off as I make them.
At the end of the week there is always one or two meals left over, we have take out or go out for a meal some weeks but also leftovers are a perfectly reasonable option when you can’t be bothered to cook. I found that the meals I didn’t make were because someone doesn’t like it much or it takes too long to prepare. So I went with a quicker easier option. I then make a little note in my notebook saying cook this when so and so won’t be home, or only put this on the dinner list when you know you have time to make it.
I now find I don’t dread cooking dinner nearly as much, I have eliminated the quick run to the supermarket before making dinner, and have made my life much simpler when it comes to cooking!
