A few things have happened recently to put a wrench in my usually smooth meal planning. First, school ended and with it a nice schedule. I used to grocery shop when all the kids were at school. Then, Cody got really busy at work and has missed 75% or more of our family dinners lately. It's really hard for me to cook meals for the kids and me. It's easier to just make sandwiches or something if there's no other adult to enjoy the effort of my cooking. Another problem is summer. Man, I hate summer. The heat just zaps my energy and makes it so hard for me to want to cook. I love making rich stews, warm breads, and all sorts of elaborate meals in the fall and winter. I think the truth is, I just don't have as many good "summer recipes" for things that are simple and don't require the oven so much.
I don't want to think about meals, or grocery shopping, or cooking at all. It has become an awful chore all of the sudden that I wish I could avoid. But, I am starting to get tired of sandwiches and fast food. So today I have done some cooking. The kids requested potato soup, a favorite of theirs, for lunch. I could have gotten out of it, but I made it for them. And we all enjoyed it so much. Those kids licked the bowls clean, and I had two big servings. Then this afternoon I made homemade pizza dough so we can each create our own pizza tonight for dinner. I'll start grilling more, and putting together some nice salads, and eventually work my way back into planning and cooking. Slumps aren't meant to last forever.
2 comments:
I've had the summer don't-wanna-cook-itis as well and that usually happens for me the first few really hot weeks. It takes a while to decide that I can use the oven and burners and cook normal food and it's okay! I know it is somewhat of a challenge fixing meals for the kids especially with Cody not there.....I struggled with that when the boys were young and Don would be gone several days a week. The homemade pizzas sound fun for tonight! Ava and I did the Double Daves one night and they liked that as well.
I too love the comfort foods of fall and winter (and easy soups and crockpot meals), but I love the fresh simplicity of summer cooking too. I rarely use my oven at all...and I use the grill a LOT. Just pick up some marinades (Lawry's are my favorite...or make your own) and some meat, and you're all set! I love pizza on the grill and hamburgers too. I also almost always grill my veggies out there too...potatoes, zucchini and corn especially. The best thing about grilling is that there are so many less dishes and clean-up to do!
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