Want to hear something sad? I can’t remember the last time I fired up my stove. Or opened up my fridge to do anything beyond pulling out some takeout leftovers. I’m pretty sure that there are some very sad, wilting vegetables hiding out in my crisper right now, but I can’t bear the thought of facing them.
Even sadder: It’s finally spring and very nearly summer. There are greenmarkets full of fresh vegetables to eat, if only I were to exert the effort to find them. And wash them. And slice them and dice them. And clean my kitchen after I’m finished eating them.
And suddenly I remember why I’ve been eating takeout lately: Cooking takes effort! And I’m tired!
Now, I know when I started this column way back in January, I was all gung-ho about making quick, easy, healthy foods for myself. But lately, I’ve lost my inspiration. Part of it is force of habit, I’m sure. I typically work until 7 or 8 pm, and honestly, I’m hungry by 6 pm. So I eat in the office cafeteria or order out. On weekends, when I’m not sleeping in until 1, I spend a lot of time running around. I may be working, traveling out of town, or going out to eat with friends, but I’m not doing much cooking.
As I sit here, my falafel dinner still a rock in my belly three hours later, I am convinced that something has got to give. I’m tired of SeamlessWeb. Tired of palak paneer from Baluchi’s, the Mediterranean salad from Cafe Metro, the tuna mac from that mac-and-cheese-only restaurant near work, the quasi-enchiladas from any “Mexican” restaurant in a 20-block radius from my office, the Cuban-style panini from the French bakery around the corner. I want nothing more to do with any of it!
Of course, when I think about it rationally, I know that I’ll be happier if I cook for myself more often. The food I make is so much healthier than restaurant food. I like the flavors better, and even when I go to my local over-priced grocery, it’s probably still cheaper. And frankly, takeout usually takes 20-30 minutes to arrive at my apartment anyways, so it’s not like I’m saving myself that much time.
Can you help me out, CliqueClackers? Have you any encouraging words? Bright ideas? Challenges? I’m at a loss! What do you do when you’re lacking inspiration in the culinary department?
Clacked by Molly B.
on Jun 08, 2009 @ 13:07 EST5EDT
The only way I’m able to cope with cooking every day is by making extra of everything, so that I can mix and match leftovers as I want on another day. If I make pasta, I make at least twice as much as we’ll eat so it can go with tomato sauce one day, into a stir fry the next. Because of this we eat a lot of “block” meals, separate protein/starch/vegetable/salad, but it works, at least for us.
I make a menu (most weeks!) of what I’ll be cooking, then I shop once. Maybe if you have all the ingredients at home it will seem less daunting than having to go to the market? And it’s kind of fun to find new recipes to try… like a game!
Thanks guys! I wish I were home enough to plan a weekly menu–I never know when I’m going to be home in time to cook! Though, spinning Debbie’s idea out a bit, I should be able to come up with a short list of meals requiring little or no advance shopping. And if I were to pay attention to how long it takes to cook them, that might be motivating, too.
I’m totally down with cooking multiple meals at once, Cate. When I was on my soup-making kick this winter, I put up a bunch in the freezer. Leftovers rock!
I feel your pain. My solution to our shared problem is to keep things simple and to stick to basics: a cucumber and tomato salad with feta, for example.