What's for Dinner?
Menu-planning for the Weary Cook

Deep down we all know that it is cheaper and probably more nutritious to eat our meals at home. But…the reality is that sometimes you are just bored with the recipes, don’t have the right ingredients, don’t have the time or the inclination to cook. How do you find inspiration and the stamina to pull yourself up and prepare one more meal? Here are a few innovations that might help. I’ve broken them into two categories: Inspiration and Time-Savers.

INSPIRATION:
1) Online menu planning. Have you heard of this? I learned about it in USA Weekend. The following four companies will send recipes to you via email once a week. For a monthly fee they include family tested recipes and a shopping list listing all of the ingredients!

Relish! Offered a free weekly trial. I tried three of the five recipes and my family enjoyed them. They were easy to prepare and the grocery list that they included was very handy. So if you don’t want to think about what to make, (often deciding on the menu is the hardest part) then this is the system for you.

A word of caution, you may notice that your grocery bill may go up a bit if you are trying something completely new. You may need to buy additional spices or ingredients. It may take you longer to shop because you are shopping for new ingredients and there may be a learning curve when trying new recipes. I liked it, but wouldn’t call it a time saver.

2) Grocery store magazines. Many grocery stores offer complimentary magazines in which they promote new items and also supply recipes. I have found a number of good recipes this way. Sometimes just finding a good recipe gets me interested in cooking again.

3) Cooks.com. This site offers recipes from all food categories submitted by readers In addition there is a diet/health report that asks a few questions and then lists how many calories you should consume, how many grams of fat you should eat and your BMI. (Body mass index).

4) Recipe Swap… or trade cookbooks. If it is inspiration you seek, host a recipe swap. I’ve been to bridal showers where we all bring our favorite recipes to give the new bride a start. I’ve always wanted to get my hands on those recipes! Sometimes it is enough just to trade cookbooks with a friend. You may try something that didn’t appeal to her and vice versa.

5) Experiment. Cooking Light magazine recommends trying unusual ingredients or discovering a new cuisine. This would be a good way to introduce your child to new foods. The more children are exposed to new foods the less likely they are to be picky eaters.

Next: Dinner Time Savers

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KAREN HENKE is a professional organizer and the owner of Come2Order. With a collection of 17 years work experience in design, space planning and organization, she now helps others come to order.

Disclaimer: Come2Order offers these links as a public service. Although we hope they are useful to you, we offer no guarantees of the products or services mentioned above.

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