When You Just. Can’t. Cook. Another. Meal….

I mean, I guess the obvious choice is to just go out!?…

But for many of us, that is not a viable option. Schedules make it hard to get everyone for dinner at the same time. Infants and toddlers rarely tolerate dinner without fussing and crying (and who wants to endure that?) Living on a budget for many of us makes going out a rare and special occurrence.

If we went out all the evenings I didn’t feel like cooking?….we’d be eating out A.LOT.

So, it’s 2pm, and you are experiencing the anxiety that comes when your mind ventures to the thought that’s been dangling out there all day…you’ve been pushing it to the outer reaches of your mind…yet, it taunts you…you don’t know what you’re making for dinner!!! Gaaahh!!!

Some nights, making dinner is so stressful. Some nights, I just. can’t. deal.with.raw.meat. Blech.

I’m going to share with you what every mom wants to know, and that’s the answer to the question “What’s for dinner (which must be spoken in a whiny-kid-voice)???”

Here’s My Top 4 for When You Just Can’t Cook Another Meal:

1. Breakfast for dinner. Yes, I know you’ve done this.  But how can you do this DIFFERENTLY? What’s on your normal breakfast for dinner menu? Pancakes? French Toast? Waffles? How about bacon (do it in the oven, for heaven’s sake…a whole pound in 20 +/- minutes), sausage? Pancakes are my heaven, but a close second is fried potatoes or home fries. With ketchup, yum! But you could change it up and go with hash browns; you can buy them shredded and ready to fry; you can even buy them with onions already cut up in them! How about making strawberry or blueberry sauce to go on your pancakes/waffles/french toast? It’s not that hard…throw it all in the pot and stir a few times. Here’s a sample recipe. What about making toad-in-a-hole (try explaining that to your 5-year-old)? The whole point is, when it’s a new menu, it’s like you invented a whole new meal! Mom score!
2. Panini night (thanks, Lisa, for this one!)

   

   Panini night is essentially SANDWICH night, but when you say PANINI, it’s suddenly an acceptable dinner option. If it’s okay for the Italians, it’s okay for me. They’re dinner KINGS. If you happen to have a panini press, bonus points for you. I do not, but I do have a George Foreman grill, as well as a quesadilla maker. All the same thing….with just a different name. Ahem. To make Panini night a success, try to have a few different kinds of cheeses and meats on hand. I know that means a trip to the grocery, but remember you’re not cooking, so suck it up on the grocery trip. You can also make paninis interesting by adding different condiments: orange marmalade, honey mustard, chipotle mayo (just blend one chipotle out of the can with some mayonnaise….and boom-you’re a genius), ranch dressing, italian viniagrette… Empty the door of your fridge! What do you have that could make an ordinary sandwich…a delicious panini! Next, sneak some veggies on, if you can make it past the watchful eyes of your children. Some options could be roasted red peppers, jarred artichoke hearts, a handful of spinach, maybe even a TOMATO slice. The best part of panini night is that each person can personalize their own with what they like best. Don’t limit your kiddo’s ideas; they might just end up making a darn good panini, and you’ll be shrugging, wondering why you didn’t think of it!

   3. My favorite N0-Cook meal. Um, maybe they are also sandwiches…but glorified sandwiches, cooked on a sheet pan, in the oven (I just negated what I said about no-cook, didn’t I?! I don’t count melting the same as cooking…so there.) First, don’t be scared about using swiss, and your kids don’t like it.  They won’t know. It’s white cheese, like pizza. Second, I don’t use sugar, because the hawaiian rolls are already sweet, but you do your thing. Third, for the love of your heart, cut the butter down by half or more! Ain’t nobody need a half cup of butter poured over their sandwiches, er, dinner. I promise it will still taste good! Four, use whatever combo of meat/cheese you have. Five, if you have a Costco membership, you will get the hawaiian rolls at a fraction of the cost of the grocery store. Costco has a twin-pack of hawaiian rolls, and I mean the BIG packages, and I guarantee in our house, within 12 hours, every one of these bad boys is gone. So just go ahead and make them all. If you have itty-bitties, or only a couple of people in your family, then by all means freeze the second package so you will have them for the next night you don’t feel like cooking.

   4. This one is the best! It’s genius, and I’ve only recently thought of it. Here it is: Make Your Own Dinner Night! Also known as, I’m not cooking tonight.  But here’s the thing, I thought for sure my kids would mutiny or at least complain. I thought they would be disappointed they had to create their own meal. But to my shock and amazement, they cheered! (No, my cooking is not that bad….thank you for asking.) I think it was liberating to them?! Finally, they didn’t have to eat what was placed before them. They could eat PB&J for dinner if their heart desired! They could make ramen noodles, by themselves! They could make mac ‘n’ cheese from the infamous blue box, and they didn’t have to share it.  Seriously, it was like the heavens opened and my kids were….cheering….for me. Try it! Your kids may cheer you as their hero!

Mamas- be free! Being a great mom is not tied to cooking every night, or any night! You’re a great mom, doing all kinds of hard things, loving your kiddos, meeting their needs. If you can’t cook tonight, or are loathe to? Just don’t. 🙂