The 10 Day Joy of Food Series - Day Two: What to do when you stop enjoying food

In day one of this series on the joy of food, we talked about how to organize your recipes in order to be able to look for inspiration and find your favorites more easily. But what if you feel like you just don’t enjoy food any more these days?

Don’t worry. We understand. Even our favorites can start to seem pretty dull after a while. Plus, being so busy can mean you’re spending all that time in the kitchen, so that when you finally sit down to eat you've lost interest.

Finding Inspiration

Making the most of the cookbooks and recipes you have is one way to gain inspiration. Another way would be to try to recreate recipes you’ve enjoyed at restaurants. Some people are very conservative when they are eating out, sticking to the familiar such as pasta. In truth, this is a waste of time and money. Anyone can boil pasta and make any one of hundreds of sauces. Be more adventurous and try something new. If you can’t decide, ask your wait staff. They’ve probably eaten everything on the menu and will know what’s good.

Another way to gain inspiration is to try a recipe makeover. Pick one of your favorite recipes and try to make it healthier. Or, mix it up with different ingredients. Or, try a different cuisine. Start exploring Cajun or Indian cooking and experiment with all the luscious spices.

You can also try to eat your cookbook; that is, work your way through all the recipes in your favorite cookbook one at a time. Make notes as you go along. You’re sure to find some new favorites.

Make and Freeze

If slaving away in the kitchen is really what’s getting you down, try some make and freeze meals. Buy some square plastic containers with tight-fitting lids and some plastic food storage bags. Go to the grocery store, do your shopping, come home, and start cooking.

The principle behind make and freeze is to do all your cooking in one day to create meals you can eat that day, and then portion up the rest. You can then heat and eat them any time. This ensures you always have something on hand to eat, and making a number of dishes to rotate means you won’t get so bored. Best of all, if you have a busy family life, or anyone has allergies, you can color-code the lids and put tape on the containers to say what’s in them, and for whom.

Freeing up your time in this way can inspire you to enjoy your food even more now that it’s no longer a daily grind.

Still not feeling it when it comes to food? In day three, we will talk about small ways to change your everyday meals that can lead to big results.

Until next time!