Wednesday, May 5, 2010

WFMW: Staying Creative in the Kitchen

This is the backwards edition of Works For Me Wednesdays hosted by We Are THAT Family.  This is where I get to ask YOU a question.

Here's what I'm dying to know; how the heck do you stay creative in the kitchen?  My husband is off on the almost other side of the country working until August, so it's just the girls and I.  I have zero motivation or creativity right now.  I'm like on auto-pilot; just making the same ol' same ol'.  And that's not each night. I must confess there have been quite a few nights of breakfast for dinner (and by "breakfast," I mean a bowl of cereal).

How do these women I read about who grind their own flour to make their own bread...because it's the healthy, right thing to do...do it?  I so fail at the art of traditional homemaking!  (I do rock at the art of puddle jumping, though!)

Maybe I'm just in a funk and I'll snap out of it.  In the meantime, if anyone has any bright ideas to get me motivated/focused/encouraged in the kitchen...I'm all ears!

8 comments:

  1. I use e-mealz to plan my meals. You can choose meals for 2 or family meals and pick a grocery store that works for you (or just a generic one). It creates a weekly menu and prints a corresponding shopping list! It costs only $5 a month and is WELL worth it in my opinion. Most people use it to save money. I had the saving money part down, but needed help planning. I just wasn't creative enough. This system plans meals based on store sales, which is awesome! The biggest benefit for me though is that it takes all of the planning out of my hands! Now i just add my other grocery items to the list (list breakfast cereal, milk, etc) and can easily have my meals planned and the shopping done! Hooray for e-mealz!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you so much! That sounds like it could do the trick! I'll give it a try.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sit down and browse recipes online. I like Allrecipes.com. Search for ingredients you like, high rating recipes, etc. Jump through links by recommendation, or pick a specific cook's collection. Bookmark or print EVERY recipe that catches your eye. I guarantee you'll end up with something new to try that excites you! It's also fun to go to a farmer's market and buy some lovely fresh produce for really good deals. Then come home and plan what to do with it. Have fun! Maybe start with a dessert, just to get things rolling...

    I'm motivated because I am married to and have birthed picky eaters. Thus, I enjoy the challenge of feeding them healthy food that they really like. Yes, we like eggplant, thank you very much. For me, the victory makes it worth the effort.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm so DE-motivated by my picky eaters! I shall take some enthusiasm from you and give it a go with Allrecipes.com. Thanks for the suggestion.

    ReplyDelete
  5. My picky eater demoralizes me, too. I'm trying Relish to give me new recipes to try, and I'm letting my daughter choose one meal every week. It'll probably be macaroni and cheese every week, but at least I won't have to think about it!

    ReplyDelete
  6. What works for me is finding a really great deal on one ingredient and then coming up with ways to use it. Kale, for example. I wind up trying new recipes and adapting old ones.

    Another thing you could do is put your kids in charge of some of the cooking!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I just didn't know all of these websites, like Relish and e-mealz, even existed. Maybe there is hope for me and my slacker ways!

    Thanks for the idea!

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a great idea to go from a focus (something on sale) to the whole meal.

    Maybe, just maybe, I could do that! I'm going to try for 3 new meals next week. That doesn't sound too ambitious, does it??? : )

    ReplyDelete

I love a discussion!