[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #9b9b9b;”] Y[/dropcap]ou know that feeling you get when you look in the fridge and just think ‘Meh’?
Sure there are things you could eat. But nothing ‘jumps out’ at you.
As I shared last year, when I was following one of my Soupstones Meal Plans, there are times when even I don’t ‘feel like’ cooking or eating something I had planned.
I sometimes feel ‘meh’ too!
So I had to laugh when I got this comment from Stonesoup regular reader, Dennis…
“Your words (“I found myself not ‘feeling like’ steamed fish for dinner.”) resonate with me in a bad way. This is how I feel most nights. I may get 2 meals out of a head of lettuce as it goes bad because I have those two meals then don’t want any salad again until it is a ball of green sludge in the bottom of the crisper.
But you carry on making the thing that says meh to you, until you are eating it later and it is yummy. I need to figure out how to do THAT! New title: How to get past that, “I don’t really feel like eating that today!”, feeling, by Stonesoup! (grin)”
Dennis
So here you are Dennis!
How to Get Past Feeling ‘Meh’
You know that great motivational quote… ‘Feel the fear and do it anyway?‘. It’s exactly the same when cooking.
Just ‘cook it anyway‘ is my mantra during times like these.
Although I do soften the blow by telling myself if it really doesn’t taste good, I won’t have to eat it.
It’s that simple.
And you know what? 9 times out of 10 I end up actually enjoying the meal. Go figure.
____
Fast Roast Fish & Snow Peas
Now that I have a 2.5 year old in the house, I find I’m turning more and more to meals I can just pop in the oven to cook while we’re doing other important things. Like reading books, playing with Lego and drinking milk.
Fast roasting fish like this is brilliant because it’s quick AND I can just wait for the timer to ring. So I’m less likely to forget!
enough for: 2
takes: 15 minutes
2 large handfuls snow peas, trimmed
2 limes, halved
2 fish fillets
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 bunch coriander, leaves picked
1. Preheat your oven to 250C (480F).
2. Line a baking try with foil or paper and scatter over snow peas and lime halves. Top with fish (skin side down) and drizzle with a little oil. Sprinkle over a little salt.
3. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until fish is just cooked through.
4. To serve divide snowpeas and fish between two plates. Drizzle over soy sauce and carefully squeeze over the hot lime (or leave for the diners to do themselves).
5. Scatter with coriander leaves and you’re done!
Variations
hot! – add a little chopped fresh red chilli to the soy sauce.
more flavour – add chopped ginger, 1 teaspoon sesame oil or a tiny pinch chopped garlic to the soy.
family-friendly – skip the herbs. Replace snowpeas with frozen peas (straight from the freezer is fine). Consider serving some steamed rice or roast sweet potato on the side.
carb-lovers / more substantial – serve a side of steamed rice or cooked rice noodles.
vegetarian – roast firm tofu instead (and add the additions in the more flavour suggestion). Or pan fry the snow peas and serve with some crispy fried eggs and the soy and herbs.
different herbs – mint or basil are also great. Or a combo.
soy-free – use coconut aminos instead or use a small drizzle of sesame oil instead of the soy.
carnivore – replace fish with pork chops, chicken breasts or chicken thigh fillets. Increase cooking time accordingly. I’d start checking after 15 minutes.
no oven – just pan fry snow peas and fish in a little oil until cooked through.
What About You?
Ever feel ‘meh’ yourself? Got any tricks for overcoming it? I’d love to hear in the comments below!
Big love,
Jules x
I go online and rejig my ingredients into something that appeals to me more. Simples.
It’s seems very testy roasting fish prevent it’s neutral test and it’s healthy instead of fry fish, here you given some brilliant idea to make instant testy roasted fish with vegetables and tofu which surly liked by my family members.
I make sure my meal plan has one alternate that’s non-perishable. I have permission to swap ingredients from another meal. I keep the inside of my refrigerator clean so produce lasts longer. I have little tupperware with bits of chopped onion, celery, carrots, thawed frozen peas, etc. that I can throw into whatever I’m making. Eggs are my close friends now — bacon is _not_ my friend and never was!
So I’m staring into the fridge, and I realize that the reason my feet are cold is partly because I forgot my slippers and mostly because all the cold air has drained out of the refrigerator.
I close that door and open the freezer door, remove the pint of Ben and Jerry’s ‘Cherry Garcia’ and make a plan to try again tomorrow.
It works for me.
I kind of felt like that tonight. We were going to have a store roasted chicken with some veggies and baked potatoes. Sounded great until we got to the store, bought what we needed to, and went to get a chicken. I couldn’t wait 20 more minutes for one so we ate leftovers. My mom had made some yummy ham and bean soup and even though I love it, the beans are really the magical fruit with me so I didn’t want any of that. My sister was over so she ate it. We also had some yummy veggie barley meat soup but I had that for lunch. My mom ate that. The only thing left was a sausage casserole I made but I didn’t even want that! What could I have? I ate the sausage casserole and now I wish we had that chicken. Darn supermarket who didn’t have the chicken done! Next time maybe I will make something else. I don’t have that meh feeling very often and I am glad I don’t.
When I feel that way I first look to see if I can switch another day’s plan to today. I did that today as not my mood but the mighty downpour made it undesirable to grill the pork chops I’d planned. No worries, we had tofu and cauliflower with peanut sauce (planned for tomorrow and not very colorful!) tonight. No rain in tomorrow’s forecast so pork chops it will be!
When I feel like this I make pizza. Take away and eating out isn’t an option where I live. So I make mushroom & cheese pizza (garlic intolerant) if I can barely be bothered with that I cheat further with a frozen base.
It’s also my go to meal when my toddler doesn’t want me to have a life once they’re meant to be in bed. As it’s quiet to make.
I just pick a theme, or an ingredient and go (google) with that. Usually within a minute or so I have found an interesting looking recipe for which I have most of the ingredients.
That and having the same meal or theme for a certain weekday for weeks on end… like: Monday is sauerkraut day, Tuesday is beans, Wednesday is soup, Thursday is rice, Friday is Brussel sprouts or cauliflower , Saturday is fries with fish (and a big salad) and Sunday is pasta (with tomato sauce). So when in doubt do that, or improvise, but at least I have a fall-back plan.
Lettuce can be shredded and added to scrambled egg, stir fries or soup.
Hi Jules, aah, that ‘meh’ moment! One of the reasons why my partner refuses to employ your fabulous meal plans: anything been in the fridge for longer than 2 days will trigger a ‘meh’ moment. But, an expression from my favourite GF blogger, http://www.glutendude.com has become our mantra:
“Geez Louise, it’s only food!”
We’re both foodies and fanatical amateur chefs but when the sweet potato chips are down: it’s only food?. (Then I get to play and make an Asian stir-fry from cauliflower and Brussels sprouts while he goes new game?)
I used to do a similar thing with going to the gym. I used to tell myself a the very minimum just have a hot shower if that’s all you feel like doing. I never ended up just having a shower. I always did something and never once regretted it.
That fish looks delicious. I’m craving for fish now and I would want to try that recipe once I bought my own fish and the other ingredients.
something i have been doing is embracing feel your hunger.if you feel meh then just fast.black garlic has been the new ingredient for the last 2 weeks.mix with lemon juice makes a interesting sauce.
Lately I just add parmesan and either harissa or sriracha….they make everything *awesome*. :)