Cures for the Summer Food Blahs
© Eve Carr
If you haven’t taken the time to plan your evening meal, it’s easy to fall into the dreaded food rut, serving the same old things in the same old way or rely on fast-food restaurants or convenience foods with a lot of saturated fatty acids, cholesterol and sodium in them.
After a hard day’s work, you deserve something better than a routine meal. You deserve a delicious meal in a soothing setting. Besides, a pleasant relaxing meal can really help you deal with the stresses of the day.
Here are some ideas to help you get out of that food rut. Some may take a little extra effort, but make time for them anyway. You’re worth it.
* Eat in different locations. Eat outdoors whenever the weather permits. Set up a card table in the living room for a late Saturday “night in” for adults.
* Enjoy “room service” on the weekends by eating breakfast in bed. You can take turns with your spouse being the guest one weekend, the server the next. If you live alone, set up as much as you can the night before so you can still feel pampered.
* Add new recipes to your cooking repertoire. Force yourself to try at least one new recipe a week. It doesn’t have to be complicated. By the end of the year, you will have tried 52 new ones. While you probably won’t like all of them, you’re bound to like some.
*Attend cooking demonstrations and cooking classes to learn about new ways to add interest to your meals.
* Check your own cookbooks as well as those at the local library to find easy, yet healthful one-dish meals.
* Join or start a gourmet club. Many communities have gourmet clubs where members share meals as well as new recipes.
* Eat different types of foods. Don’t be afraid to try foods you might not have eaten before. Designate one night a month as ethnic night and eat Italian, Japanese, Chinese, etc. You don’t have to make the whole meal from scratch. Just make the entrée and fill in with carryout food if you don’t have time.
* When visiting other countries, learn about their cuisines so you can adapt some of their dishes and cooking techniques to your own cooking.
* Eat different things at different times. Try soup for breakfast. Eat a salad last as Europeans frequently do. Eat your main meal at lunch and have a sandwich for dinner on occasion.
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