What to Do When You Lack Motivation in Menu Planning?
It happens to the best of us... and this week it happened to my friend, Jen. I started answering her by comment on her blog, but as I started writing, I realized that this is a great topic for a blog post. So, thank you, Jen for my post inspiration. You have encouraged me more than you know over the past year.
So here's the dilemma - What to do when you lack motivation in menu planning? When it happens to me, and I assure you it does, I do one of these four things (or all of them):
- See what others are eating - by looking at their menus! This is one of the great things about Mindful Menus. There are some inspiring, healthful menus on the blog roll here. Check them out!
- Ask your family. - I ask them anyway for special requests, but I
begstrongly encourage them to help me when I am feeling unmotivated. - Head to the local library for some fresh "meat" - in the form of cookbooks. I love cookbooks and I read them like novels before bed. A cookbook gets extra bonus points if the author includes menu ideas. I am so easy like that.
- When all else fails, go to what you know. I look over my own past menu plans and keep it simple. I go to the old stand-bys. These are the dishes that please me and my family. (This is exactly what Jen did. Way to go, Jen!) Although, I enjoy trying new things and am on a constant search for new recipes and techniques, I am not trying to reinvent the wheel every week.
Menu planning is never supposed to be drudgery. It is a tool to help you eat healthier, stay on budget and reduce stress. Yes, I said reduce stress. You will feel better to have a plan, than not have one. I promise you.
Here is a menu planning secret, if you do the above four things regularly, even as part of your weekly planning, the unmotivated times will be few and far between. Really.
So, when the unmotivated uglies try to get you down... step up your game and defeat them!
Categories: Chive Talkin,Menu Planning
Tags: menu planning budget stress unmotivated What to do when you lack motivation in menu planning health mindful menus how to menu plan
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