Although Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow and is predicting an early spring (though I was watching and it was pretty overcast, so I'm not exactly sure how Phil saw a shadow, but I digress). Regardless of the prognostications of the celebrity rodent, the temps are still brutal. We are still in the smack dab middle of winter. Which means the ol' winter rut.
A rut. That feeling like you have been doing the same old-same old for weeks, months (years?). The feeling, when you wake up, that you are in, well, the movie Groundhog Day, repeating the same tasks day in, day out. A rut can happen any time of year, but it seems like in winter time, I feel more rut-ish. Anyone else? There is nothing that takes the joy out of the everyday than feeling like you do the same thing everyday....and many a mom I've talked to say they feel in a rut. They cook the same thing every week, they wear the same thing every day, they sit on the couch every night with their husband...you get the idea.
Let's shake it up! This week is all about busting those ruts. First up: the cooking rut. I am definitely in one. The kiddo gets mac n cheese and chicken nuggets (but they are organic!) at least three times a week. I'm not a great cook, my kitchen is lacking, but that is still no excuse for this mega rut.
-- Start meal planning. So many of us rely on the same meals over and over again because we are crunched for time and are deciding at 5:01 what to get on the table by 5:45. When you plan out and shop for a week's worth of meals (new ones!), it takes the indecision-rushed factor out of dinner. A simple way to plan for new meals and shake that rut.
-- Cookbook challenge. Find a cookbook that intrigues you (or has been sitting on that shelf since you were married) and challenge yourself to cook at least one or two meals from it each week.
-- Get the kids involved. Have a bowl with a bunch of pieces of paper with different names of vegetables and countries, colors, you name it written on them. Have the kids pick one or two slips of paper, and you have to cook something from that country or with that veggie or that is that color. A fun way to get creative with the cooking.
Are you in a cooking rut? Do you make the same few meals all of the time? How did you break from that rut?
©iStockphoto.com/ explosiekeeper
Yes...I'm in a rut. I need to start thinking outside my usual box more often.
I am in a cooking rut, but not because I want to be....its because my family is so picky.
I've been so restless lately with dinner.
I'm so bored with SPEGHETTI , salmon, nuggets, burgers, chicken pesto, meat loaf, tacos REPEAT..
I've been looking through cook books like a mad woman and downloading recipe apps to help along.
no but what a cute photo! we rotate through the month to make sure I am not making anything similuar to school lunch (we wont have chicken if she has chicken at school) ... and we eat seaonally fresh fruit, vegetables, chicken, fish, beef , seafood , & pork
- HeatherNYC
on Feb. 5, 2013 at 12:00 AM