To the Unmotivated Home Chef

encouragement if you're tired of feeding humans

Do you ever feel exhausted by the reality that, well, your family keeps needing to be fed? 😅 It’s a to-do list item that never goes away. There are many such unfading tasks, but food planning, prep, and cleanup is one of the most time-consuming.

Sure, we’re not in pioneer times, and we have things like grocery stores and fridges and crock pots—truly something to be grateful for—but that doesn’t mean that good food comes effortlessly. Chances are you’re expending so much of your time and energy into really good things; a human being only has so much effort they can possibly employ!

It’s frustrating to look at your priorities and not see anything that you can really cut out, but to also still feel like you’re not doing enough.

You are seen in this stress. Sometimes—even for very long seasons— you can’t control the pace of your life, and most of us don’t have a village to help. Cooking meals for the nuclear family is kind of inefficient; it would be cool if there could be some way to cook in community or take turns…maybe that kind of dynamic will exist for you or for your kids someday. I hope so. But in the meantime, cooking is not ideal, especially in stressful seasons of life. You’re not alone in feeling that way.

But don’t spend too much time allowing yourself to feel defeated.

Shortcuts like frozen pizzas or drive-thrus can be a major gift and they have their place, but if those things become the bulk of your diet, you probably won’t feel very good. Then you’ll be even less motivated.

So can I encourage you that finding ways to give your family nutritious food is worth it? Maybe we can find some ways.

Here are some tips:

Communal Serving Plate + Picnic Mode

In seasons of pregnancy and RV living, I learned to really value this one: Put food on a big plate, sit outside, put the plate on the grass or a picnic blanket, and let everyone eat from it. The ants can handle the cleanup and I only have to wash one dish.
We would picnic indoors in bad weather, too, using a round tablecloth as our picnic blanket.

Add a Touch of Freshness When You Can

It’s Mac-n-cheese-from-a-box night, that’s fine. But maybe add some green to the orange color palette and let the kids sip on a spinach-and-mango smoothie? You literally just have to combine fresh spinach, a splash of orange juice, and frozen mangos (thawed, or left frozen if your blender can handle it) and you’ve got a gorgeously colored, nutritious treat that even picky eaters can appreciate.

Watch Videos

Maybe you already watch some cooking shows, but a lot of times they’re just a competition and you don’t learn anything, or the featured dishes are so complicated that it makes home cooking seem even more unattainable. Check out YouTube home cooking channels such as Jamie Oliver, Pailin’s Kitchen (Thai food!), Pro Home Cooks, NYT Cooking, and Bon Appétit. (I’d love to hear some of your favorite cooking channels!)

Embrace Frozen Fruits and Vegetables

If you’re paying 2022 grocery prices so that broccoli can hang out in your fridge before you throw it away 😉 maybe you should start buying frozen broccoli so you feel less defeated. If you sauté it with butter and garlic, no one will ever know. (Green beans, cauliflower, peas, and brussel sprouts are also great frozen veggies.)

You don’t feel like chopping up an apple for dinner? Defrost a bowl of frozen blueberries.

P.S. For a cheesy bread bowl? Buy some round bread, slice off the top, scoop out a little of the inside, put in a chunk of Brie, put the top back on, rub with butter, and bake at 350 for like 20 minutes. Then slice up and enjoy or check out this recipe if you want to make it more of a dippable fondue 😋

Eat Out! (with intention)

If you want to remember what food can do for the taste buds, eat out with some intentionality. Instead of opting for something indulgent that you already know how to cook like a burger, try something like a chorizo soup or lemon-Pecorino potatoes. Take a picture of the menu, take a picture of the food, and look for related recipes when you get home! Maybe eating Thai food for the first time will show you that you love Thai food; and maybe basil and beef stir fry will be on regular rotation in your home.

Other Family Scripts posts that might encourage you:

Easy Trader Joe’s Meals (because it’s not worst-case scenario to heat up a frozen Tikka Masala)
Doable Meal Planning
Helping Picky Eaters
Super-Easy Vegetarian Meals
Creativity in the Kitchen

I hope all this helps! I’d love to hear about what you do when you don’t feel motivated to cook anymore.

Warmly,

Hope from Family Scripts