Tammy's Recipes

It sounds to me like you've got Spring Fever--feeling all restless and ambivalent. I've been feeling the same way lately. Your tacos sound good to me. Hmmmm...I think I'll add them to my menu plan.

I do hope you're feeling more enthusiastic again soon. :-)

Tacos are my fall back too! I think it is the warm weather that brings this on. Once a week cooking is intriguing?! I think I may ponder this myself, please keep us posted. :)

My menus have been simpler and lighter lately. I prep ahead a lot ( habit from years of working in restaurants/catering)and freezer cook so if I don't feel like cooking dinner, there is always somethung to eat. Good luck with whatever you decide on.

Tammy,
I've been in the same slump...not very motivated at all. We've had some vacation days and have had to stay home, and I think that adds to it, because it certainly doesn't feel like vacation when you have to cook and clean all day!

So, no, you are not alone. I'm not sure when I may get out of my slump either. I think it is very normal to feel this way when we, as women, wives, or mothers cook so many meals each day. I think it is quite easy to be tired of it all sometimes, and that's okay. Sincerely, Lyn

I can't wait to hear how the once a week cooking goes. I had been wanting to try once a month cooking but I was waiting until I was over my first trimester. Well that is long past and I am still not well enough to do a whole day of cooking but cooking for a week sounds more tangible. Please keep us "posted".

Because we grill a lot of meat at once. Then we can eat on it all week.

I've been feeling the same way about piano and studying! However, getting into the kitchen has been a really nice break for me.

I'm looking forward to seeing how your "OAWC" goes, Tammy!

Kathleen

On the Food Network which of course you can access online if you don't have cable tv, there is a show called Quick fix Meals with Robin Miller on Saturdays and she shows you (I know we all know how to mostly but it is nice watching someone else and getting new ideas) how to do all the prep work for the week's worth of meals & sometimes desserts. When you go to Foodnetwork.com you can find her in the left column under 'find a show' so just a suggestions. I'll enjoy knowing what you will be making. Lisa

I'm kinda glad you fall into slumps like the rest of us. And I noticed all these 'bread' type recipes lately- bagels, banana bread, challah bread, etc, and I was thinking you were eating a lot of bread around your house. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but you helped me see that what you are posting isn't necessarily what is being fixed at home.
Good luck with your new plan!
Valerie

This may sound dumb, but thank you for posting this. I figure if TAMMY of TAMMY'S RECIPES can feel this way, I shouldn't consider it all that unusual that I do, too. Now I don't feel like such a homemaking failure because I'm having meal plan anxiety! :-)

In the winter I do monthly ones and have done it like Bethany(After reading all about it on her site)and it was alot of work but so nice to have it done too!Get dh involved and it goes quicker too.

I have done two weeks at a time too and that works great too.

Now since summer is coming I will do weekly only cause I have to take advantage of the fresh veggies from my small garden and I don't know when they will be ready.And we eat alot of quick non cooking foods so I don't heat up the house too in the summer.

It is really what ever works for you.

Best of luck to you!

I was wanting to do the OAMC but wasn't really sure if I would be able to since I work outside of the home and weekends are busy catching up.... So this sounds like a great solution!!! A side note, I made your Rice Lasagna and it was a definite hit!!! Yummy!!! Thank you and please do keep us posted on the OAWC!

Alicia

I have been in a cooking slump lately, too. My husband was so happy to have grilled burgers last night since we have been subsisting on throw-together (primarily meatless) meals like bean dip and mediocre pasta (I love pasta, mind you, but haven't been making the special "good" kinds lately).

My pantry stock is way down, so I'm having trouble going to the cupboard and finding easy meals to make! The grocery budget has been very tight lately, which reduces my creativity. (I know, it should make me more creative... but...)

Like some of the other posts above, this may be because I'm also in my first trimester and just don't feel like cooking! Or doing anything for that matter...

So thank you, Tammy, for making the rest of us feel comforted that we're not the only ones!!

I love once a month cooking! It is hard work on cooking day- the first time my family tried freezer cooking it took 2 days to finish all our meals as well as a few baked goods. The end result is WELL worth the effort however! I would reccomend starting the evening before your cooking day by browning all ground beef, preparing tomato sauces, etc. Once a month cooking is a great way to make a recipe that serves 6-8 for a small family, by just making two meals from one recipe. Another bonus: No leftovers! Once a week cooking sounds like a great way to "get your feet wet" in this method. I would like to point out that we call our OAMC "Bulk Cooking". My Dad thought that we would only be cooking one day a month- lunches and dinner included, and that we would not have to work in the kitchen. So after the first month, we switched the name to Bulk Cooking, to avoid any more misunderstanding. (You will still have to spend time in the kitchen preparing side dishes, etc.!)A helpful aspect of "Bulk Cooking" is that, say, chicken goes on sale. You don't want to freeze all the chicken until your next cooking day (if you had room that is!). So you make several dishes that use the chicken and freeze the dishes. You can make meals this way, shopping sales, and freeze as you go, so you always will have a variety of dishes. This is a more frugal approach to doing all the shopping in one lump, and missing sales.

I hope these tips are helpful to all of you that are wanting to try out OAMC or OAWC! It is a big plunge, but really worth it!

I have been wanting to try once a week cooking for a while, I will be interesed to see what you come up with! My dream is to get together with friends, sister, or my Momma, and do all of our prep-work and a few meals for the week together. (Any excuse to get together with my sisters or Momma is a good one for me!)

MaryBeth

Sorry to hear about your cooking slump, Tammy, but it's nice to know I'm in good company! :D Do you find your cooking/baking ambitions go in streaks, and after a good streak you just don't feel like making anything? I find that's how it is with me.
Anyway, OAMC is really nice - a lot of work, but the end result is definitely worth it. Since returning to work in February, I just don't have the time or energy for it, and Paul hasn't got a clue in the kitchen. So, I'm trying to make fast meals every night (with some help from The Aldi Queen at MomAdvice.com). I think OAWC would work really well, especially since it's nearly summer and the farmer's market and gardens will be packed wtih fresh produce. It's easier to take advantage of seasonal items like that with a weekly cooking menu. Plus, the prep time for a weekly session won't be nearly as involved - I was 6/7 months pregnant and cooking up a storm to load up the freezer and I was drained! The effort didn't go unnoticed, however, when I was home in the winter cuddling my new baby. :D If I have any recipes I think would work well for OAWC, I'll send them your way. Good luck, Tammy!

Awww, thank you all for your sweet comments! You're all so encouraging and helpful. :) And don't ever think that just because I write a cooking blog, that I always want to cook, or feel motivated about cooking. ;)

I will be writing more about my cooking ahead experience this past week, and some thoughts about once-a-week/month-cooking. :)

I don't pre-cook my food for the week, but I have menu plans for the week. I make a menu and accompanying grocery list each week before I go to the store. (I'll then save it for later use.) I have a binder that I keep in my kitchen. In it, I put menu plans, grocery lists, and recipes. Doing this allows me to rarely have to take time to think about what's for dinner or what I need to buy at the store. It makes things so much simpler! :-)