Sunday, August 26, 2012

How to avoid a cooking burnout!

Hello all! I hope that everyone is enjoying this beautiful weather we are having! (And I hope that FL isn't floating yet)!
Over the summer I have had the luxury of taking a cooking break...some days. I just haven't felt like cooking and I needed some inspiration to get back in the game. Do you ever feel like everything you make is boring and just don't have the motivation to cook? That's where I was at! While the break was nice, it was getting costly and my kids weren't eating as healthy as they could. And let's just face it, nothing beats a home cooked meal! Here are some tips that I have learned to avoid burning out:

*Take a break every once in awhile! See if the hubby will cook, or designate so many days a month to eating out.

*Have a "left over buffet" night! Take out all the delicious goodies from the fridge and let everyone choose what they want to eat. This is also a great way to avoid having food spoil in the fridge (if it even lasts that long in your house, I know that it goes pretty quickly here).

*Bust out your crock pot! I LOVE my crock pot....It's the best of both worlds! Throw in all of your ingredients and let the crock pot do all the work for you. An easy way to have a delicious home cooked meal after a long day!

*Have a few previously cooked freezer meals on hand. This is a good way to think ahead for those nights that you just don't want to cook at all! Just warm them up in the oven and serve...whew, that was easy!

*Add variety! I have one cookbook that is my all time favorite, but I feel like we have made everything in the book over and over again! While it's okay to have favorites, don't be afraid to try something new. Who knows, it might become a favorite!

*Add a BBQ night in there when it's nice out! I love the grill almost as much as my crock pot! My kitchen isn't a thousand degrees and the kids love hanging out with me while I grill.

*Let the kids help! My kiddos love to help in the kitchen and sometimes it's nice to have an extra hand or two! So, after we look over our weekly menu we get everything we need out and get to work! They feel pretty important when they can sit down and say "I helped make this!". 

I hope that these little tips help you to avoid the burnout and get back in the kitchen. I will be posting some of our favorite family recipes soon...SO STAY TUNED for some yummyness!!