Internet, I am so sick of all food and have no idea what to cook and yet I STILL feel obligated to feed my family.
Yes, I have been here before. But this rut ravine crevasse feels especially deep and wide and insurmountable.
Let’s list all the things that are contributing to these dark feelings:
- My grill is broken, so none of my summery “throw some meat and veg on the grill” options are available to me
- My in-laws are here, which means I feel (self-applied, only) extra pressure to cook Things That Are Special
- I have still not gotten accustomed to our summer schedule, so I feel off-kilter in general
- It’s hot and I don’t have any extra energy for cooking
- I used up every last store of Cooking Enthusiasm in June, when I baked two cakes and countless cupcakes and hosted my in-laws for multiple Special Meals
First, I tried to make meal planning more interesting by adding two or three Brand New Recipes to the weekly list of dinners. But that requires research and energy, and I am fresh out of both. Okay, I am not “fresh out” of research. I am fresh out of PATIENCE for research. DESIRE to research. And patience and desire for this line of sentencing.
Next, we have been eating lot of meals outside the home, which takes all the planning and cooking weight off of me. But eating out all the time is expensive and time consuming. And I tend not to make the healthiest choices when I go out to eat (if I’m going to spend money on a meal, it better be tasty and fancier than a SALAD is my line of thinking).
Finally, I have turned to cooking super easy things, like Crockpot BBQ Pork or Tacos or Burritos. But my husband is growing weary of all of those things, and they aren’t really the lightest fare, either. I love to eat foods that are smothered in cheese and sour cream, but there’s only so much of that you can eat before you start to feel like YOU are smothered in cheese and sour cream.
How in the world do you climb out of such a deep and overwhelming food chasm?
Probably what I need most is some fresh ideas. Which is difficult to ask for because a) I have a HUGE list of recipes I haven’t tried and b) I am super picky and so 90% of recipes people suggest never sound that great. Really makes you want to help me, doesn’t it?
What are your go-to meals, when you want something easy and delicious? Bonus points if you would serve it to guests.
(Where does this come from, this need to do Something Special for guests? If a food is good enough to serve to my family, why doesn’t that make it good enough to serve to other people? And yet there are MANY things that my husband and I eat all the time – and LOVE! – that I have never thought twice about serving to others. Some of them are pretty spicy, so maybe that’s part of it… we like a spice level that wouldn’t be comfortable to many other people. Some of them seem… plain, I guess? Like the Crockpot BBQ Pork, which is just a pork tenderloin and an onion dumped into the crock pot with some BBQ sauce [and sriracha]. I usually eat it with a baked potato and some green beans. I LOVE it. But I wouldn’t consider serving it to friends because… I don’t know! It seems too homely somehow? It seems like a B-Team Meal, and when you have people over, it seems like you should be serving them only A-Team foods? It’s too easy to make, and you should put in Real Effort when you entertain? I have no idea. Is this Foods-Suitable-for-Guests thing unique to me and my husband?)
In exchange, I will give you my FAVORITE recipe of late. It is so good. So good that I refrain from making it too often, lest I get sick of it.
(And I cook the chicken in the oven – 425F for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is 165F – so it doesn’t matter that our grill is broken.)
It’s called Honey Chipotle Chicken Bowls from How Sweet Eats but I think of it as a big, delicious salad. I use lots of mixed greens for the base, and I cut some fresh corn and bell peppers and carrots and avocado and add those to the salad. And then I top everything with a mixture of the lime dressing the recipe recommends and a generous drizzle of the cooked marinade from the chicken. I was really suspicious of putting quinoa on a salad, but it adds a very pleasant texture that I love. We served this to my in-laws recently, and they loved it.
What IS it about cooking for non-immediate-family members? So much pressure! I follow a plant-based diet and my MIL…let’s just say she does NOT. So I feel weird pressure on the very rare occasions that I have to cook for her. I mean, it’s super rare so I shouldn’t even say anything. But! I just know she will think everything I cook is weird, so there’s that. (she once asked me what tofu was because she had never heard of it before). Anyway. I have no good suggestions for meals since we probably have different taste preferences (I LOVE TOMATOES) (and I know you don’t) (no judgement, we are all different, I cannot abide celery or onion) but I wanted to say I feel you. I cycle through the same meals over and over, it seems.
Another vote of support/solidarity (and no offer of a solution)! I am so sick of everything I make. I wish my kids and husband would just ACCEPT a “happy hour dinner” (meats, cheese, crackers, fruit). But noooooooo, No one likes that (or cereal for dinner) but me. I feel ya.
Also I was just reminded that my Dad, who was a beef rancher in Tx, always thought chicken was NOT good enough to serve to guests. A lesser meat. LOL That messes with me sometimes.
Well, if I cooked I would offer up some recipes for you – but I don’t. I do get you on the B Team Meal vs A Team Meal – you want them to enjoy the meal and have it feel extra special.
One of my favorite things that The Husband makes is a mustard pork – I googled it and nothing out there seems to look like his – so I can’t recommend going that route unless any of those recipes look good to you. He also occasionally makes this chicken thing, which is amazing, and could double as an A Team Meal…and I think I have a draft post sitting around somewhere that basically explains how he does it (he makes recipes up as he goes), I’ll try to find it and post it soon. It’s awesome.
Well, I can’t find the draft BUT I did find the text exchange with a co-worker that discussed the chicken recipe. So here you go (just keep in mind it’s not totally detailed):
Pound the heck out of boneless chicken thighs to make them thin. Spread cream cheese on the pounded chicken (The Husband says to make sure to really stir the cream cheese (I’m guessing he uses the whipped cream cheese) to soften it first. Then layer on some prosciutto. Mix olive oil with Panko Bread Crumbs – just enough to make them stick to the thighs. Roll the chicken up then roll in the Panko. Use toothpicks to hold the roll together. Put them on a baking rack over a foil covered cookie sheet. Bake at 375 until the bread crumbs are brown or until the internal temp is 165.
As that sucks. I feel the same about serving special meals. We JUST got a grill put in after being without for a YEAR. Coach did burgers tonight. 2nd tiume this week. I, for one, am not counting.
I have a great pork barbeque recipe that might be slightly more involved than yours. I have served it at parties. Can eat with a bun or not. We love chicken tortilla soup. Lately putting italian beef in the crockpot has been an easy crowd pleaser. I make a chicken cacciatore casserole that is tasty. Will try to remember to send recipe when I am not so tired.
Hosting a girls night out for the irish dancing moms and their dancers tomorrow night. And babysitting for 3 yr old triplets and 5 yr old brother today and tomorrow. Ugh.
The whole reason I am on the Internet right now is that I am procrastinating my least favorite chore of the week– menu planning. I don’t mind cooking so much (which is good because it’s my job 4-5 nights a week) but I hate figuring out WHAT to cook.