Monday, August 10, 2009

Is it only me?

Or are there other folks out there who get stalled for dinner ideas in the summer time? It's ironic that in the winter, when I'm trying to juggle 5 schedules and everyone's appointments and barely have time for sleep, I *love* cooking. I spend my winter days dreaming of lovely soups and stews and casseroles that will nourish us body and soul. In the summer, when I have my time more to myself, and farmer's markets brimming with fresh produce - I not only don't want to cook, sometimes I barely want to eat.

Today, for example, it's almost 4PM and I've had the sum total of 2 cups of coffee, 1 small yogurt, and the half burrito I left in the fridge after yesterday's lunch. And, though I'm still slightly peckish, part of me can't think about food till it cools off some for crying out loud. August is usually the time I start fantasizing about moving to Maine, or Washington state, or North Dakota or anyplace that gets way too much snow in the winter but has temperate summers.

So anyway, I've been recycling dinner ideas all summer and have now reached my limit of pizza and salad, pasta and salad, tacos, burritos, hamburgers and hotdogs, and takeout. What I need is a my own personal food guru - someone who understands what children will actually eat - who could present me with a list of ideas for meals that don't involve 40 steps, 10 pots and pans, and 2 hours of prep work.

Maybe I'll take the kids out for sundaes and tell them it's Ice Cream for Dinner night - I'll be the most popular mom in the neighborhood!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

tonight we had falafel on pita bread: get a box of falafel mix from the mediterranean aisle, mix with water according to directions, roll into chicken-nugget-size patties, fry up for about 2-3 minutes in a pot with an inch or two of oil, stick 1-2 each in a pita pocket with some lettuce and mayo (or tahini sauce if you really wanna do it 'right', but for my whitebread tastes mayo works fine), and bingo: healthy, tasty, filling, one-pot/one-bowl meal, 30 minutes start to finish (and most of that is just letting the mix sit), and you can tell your kids they're 'special spicy chicken nuggets'. ;>

also: snag some of that lovely on-sale fresh fruit and a big thing of plain yogurt. mix some oats and brown sugar, sprinkle on top, and voila, instant parfaits!