You Can Learn to Cook Part 2: What’s for dinner?
Meal planning can be overwhelming for someone first learning to cook for him/herself. I know when I first moved out on my own and decided to start meal planning and stop wasting food, I was overwhelmed.
REMINDER: Cooking is not difficult, or at least it does not have to be.
Tip #1: Start meal planning to stop wasting food.
Some people plan an entire month’s worth of dinner at the beginning of the month. Chelsea of Being Chelsea does it extremely well. It does not work for me as I don’t have the stable life she does yet. My plans and nights change often, and I never know if my husband will be home for dinner or traveling. I don’t often ask myself what’s for dinner on that exact day, but I can never plan more than a few days ahead.
Tip #2: Do what works for you, whether that is planning a day ahead, week ahead, or month ahead.
I plan a week’s worth of dinners usually, but you can read more about that in Part 1 of this series. For me, meal planning is the reason I don’t gain weight. In the morning every single weekday I plan what I will eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and for snacks. Once in awhile I change it based on a change in plan or taste, but I often follow that plan exactly. This might not work for everyone, but it definitely works for me.
Tip #3: Meal planning can help you control your weight.
You learned most of these tips in Part 1 of my “You Can Learn to Cook” series, but now you are probably wondering, what’s for dinner? While I usually follow a basic formula for our dinners, I still try to be as creative as possible. Here is where I get my recipe and dinner inspiration:
What I See
When I visit the market to buy my main staples for the week, I spend a few extra minutes browsing the produce section. Are there any vegetables that look particularly great? Did anything come into season just recently that I haven’t cooked with in a bit? This past visit, I saw that there was an entire case of zucchini from only 40 miles away, and there were also lots of tomatoes. I knew I would make a few lunches or dinners using both of those items. The zucchini became the inspiration for this zucchini pasta dish, and the tomatoes inspired my Athenos feta salad lunch.
What I Remember
I love to try to recreate emotional reactions to food. Does that make sense? I have so many strong memories from my childhood attached to specific dishes, and when they pop into my head, I basically try to make them right away. Oddly enough, most of these dishes have yet to be shared here. For example, we had a friend coming over last year and I wanted to make dessert. I had no idea what to make when I remembered a dessert my nonnna makes all the time. I have a strong memory of nonna making “rolls with jam” and saving the best ones for my brother, who was (and still is) obsessed with them. Nonna hasn’t made rolls with jam in a bit, but both she and my auntie still have the recipe. I immediately retrieved it from them and added it to that night’s menu.
What I Read
Blogs, brand websites, foodie sites… they can all be great resources for recipes. I have made several recipes by Giada and Ina, and I am constantly inspired by the blog world, especially when it comes to snack time. Don’t be afraid to try a recipe exactly as it is intended. It is fun to taste a dish as someone else wants it to taste, and it can make the meal planning process easier. Friends have shared great recipes with me as well, and much like a blogger, I trust it if a friend says it is good!
What I Dream
Once in awhile, a recipe or dish will come to me in a dream. That is not a joke or an exaggeration. In fact, some of my favorite recipes came to me in dreams. I also have found lots of recipe inspiration while feeling hungry on long runs. If you have ever gone on a long run, you know exactly what I am talking about! (Side note: I really miss long runs!) Sometimes these recipes work beautifully, and other times they don’t, which leads me to my next point…
Tip #4: Don’t be afraid to take chances. Not every recipe will be perfect. Not every recipe will be healthy. I always make small adjustments to my recipes each time I make them. If I had ample time and a huge budget, I would recreate small batches of recipes over and over again until they are perfect, but that is not the case. I take a chance and while sometimes it works, sometimes I also fail. That is ok and that is how we learn to be better cooks.
In the same regard, I always try to make a balanced meal. The formula that works for me is 1 source of protein, at least one vegetable, one source of fat (plus olive oil if I need it), one carbohydrate, and often times a salad. I know that this formula is what keeps me satisfied and energized. Find what formula works for you and stick to it. Once in awhile, even though I followed the formula, I am still hungry 2 hours later. Rather than getting upset about it, learn how not to repeat it.
What’s in my Fridge
By the end of the week, I usually have some odds and ends in the fridge. I use it as inspiration to decide what is for dinner that night. It usually turns out to be a great meal I would not have otherwise created.
What I Learn from a Restaurant Menu
I have tried to recreate restaurant meals many times at home. Great restaurants usually have great chefs behind them, and I have learned some great techniques and food pairings just from paying attention to the menu. The best example I have is a watermelon and feta salad, which I never would have created on my own (still mastering that- not ready to share the recipe).
A few quick thoughts on this subject:
1. Consider your audience. For example, if you are dining alone and will be at the gym late, plan an easy, quick to assemble meal for that night.
2. Study food pairings. Watch Food Network. Read recipe blogs. Study restaurant menus next time you are out. Learn all you can about food pairings.
3. Be risky, but not weird. I know some people think hummus goes with everything, but you will never see me make a chicken salad with hummus as a binding ingredient, or chocolate covered raisins in a salad. I prefer to stick to simple pairings that I know will work. I don’t like to waste food.
4. Don’t forget that it gets easier with time and practice.
Here is my dinner plan for this short week (I head to HLS Thursday morning), and the source of inspiration for each dish:
Monday: roasted chicken breast (inspiration: Gina), roasted tomato and zucchini (inspiration: market), bulgur pilaf (inspiration: PB missing this childhood and Armenian favorite), salad (inspiration: left in fridge)
Tuesday: spinach salad (inspiration: left in fridge from weekend), beans (inspiration: from pantry), almonds (inspiration: pantry)
Wednesday: Mushroom, Pea & Garbanzo Bean Pasta Bake (inspiration: market- great whole wheat pasta on sale- and filling in the formula pieces)
You Can Learn to Cook series Part 1 is all about Your Meal Plan. Check it out if you haven’t already.
I would like to point out that reader Stacy R. is the reason I am finishing this series. I had originally written the entire series in Ecto, only to lose it this winter. After a few tears and a second try, I lost the series a second time. This is the third time I share this information in written form, and I hope you find it informative.
For more specific ideas on how I create my menus for entertaining, come to my 11:45 AM session at the Healthy Living Summit on Healthy Entertaining. I will also be sharing highlights from the presentation next week.
Where do you get YOUR recipe inspiration from? Share in the comments below!
Previous Posts this week:
Summer Roasted Corn and Tomato Feta Salad
BlogHer 2010
21 Responses to “You Can Learn to Cook Part 2: What’s for dinner?”
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Awesome tips!! I’ve definitely gotten a LOT of inspiration from restaurant menus, especially since moving to NYC and going to so many great vegetarian places!! I also love when my favorite restaurants have cookbooks- that way I can put my own spin on their dishes!
Oh how I LOVE this post. I’m just getting into cooking for more than one person. We never seem to prepare the right amount! I get my recipe inspiration from meals my mom has made that were easy, fast and delicious!
@Kailey (SnackFace), I really appreciate your comment!!!! THANK YOU!!!
This is such great advice! I have done meal planning on a weekly basis for awhile, but I have just started trying to be more creative with my meals. It has been really fun so far! I agree with your idea of simple pairings, and totally agree – hummus does not go with everything! I am glad that I am not the only one who thinks so!
Ever since I read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle I get my inspiration from the seasons. Before I read the book, I never considered waiting for tomatoes or zucchini. I knew they tasted better when they were fresh but I still picked them up in the winter. Now, I eat with the seasons and when they tomatoes are gone I will be sad but I will look forward to them next year and eat the sauce I made and froze for the fall and winter. I really like when I can come up with something out of just what is in the fridge as well. Yesterday’s lunch was a tortilla pizza with cheese, various types of grape tomatoes sliced in half and basil. Pure joy at having this stuff and putting together something tasty and simple. š
Thank you for writing this up Sabrina. I love that your tips are logical, organized, and you don’t assume the reader knows everything already.
I get my cooking inspiration from magazines, blogs, and restaurants. I love recreating what I eat in restaurants for my husband and me to enjoy.
This past weekend I got inspiration from my farmer’s market. I saw the most beautiful red bell peppers and had to make something with them.
I love this post! I’ve been working on planning my meals better; I tend to get into my “tried-n-true” ruts, but I DO really love to cook so I want to get better at planning ahead – having all the ingredients on hand and making the time to cook during the week.
This is a great post! I’ve been working really hard at budgeting and not wasting food, as well as meal planning. It just makes me feel so sick to throw out a bag of romaine that was never used, or a tomato that go bad before I had a chance to enjoy it.
I get a lot of inspiration from Food Network and other cooking shows like Top Chef on Bravo. Also- from blogs of course!
I also just love to browse recipes online like on cooks.com or similar sites.
And finally, my mom is always a great source of inspiration for cooking!
I love your post…really great tips! I find ispiration on the Food Channel…..love those programs and I also love thumbing through cookbooks š Have a great day!
i really love that you say don’t be afraid to take chances! that’s what i love to o with my food…and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t! i would say my inspiration definitely comes from the fresh produce around me…i love thinking of ways to incorporate it into meals!
This is a great post Thank you for sharing. I am always thinking about food and what my daily meal plan will be that day or that week. In my opinion and in my life – Life is easier when meals are planned out. Have a great day!
Great advice š I really wish I could meal plan for the whole week, but my weeks are just so crazy, it would be a huge mess!
Thank you SO MUCH! I love your tips, my favorites are that not every recipe will be perfect. I forget this a lot of times and get frustrated when things don’t work out, I put too much pressure on myself. I also LOVE your tip about creating meals that bring out emotions. I keep a binder with all my recipes, print outs, magazine clippings and I usually use that as inspiration along with blogs and other websites, but I think what I need to continue to do is write notes along side the recipes as I alter them and how we felt about the recipe so when I go back to cook it again I can remember what I’ve done.
Thank you so much for posting this Sabrina, I didn’t realize you’ve had such a challenging time writing this post. Your blog is my favorite, you are so relatable and you are quick to responding to readers requests, and of course you are creative and don’t do the typical this is what I had for breakfast, lunch and dinner in every post.
@Stacy R, Thank you so much for your amazing comment!!!
There will be more posts to this series- thank you for inspiring me to write them up… a THIRD time! š
I agree, meal planning is so helpful! I don’t always do it but the intention is there!
This summer, I have been planning meals around the types of veggies I receive in my CSA box. Getting random veggies each week brings out my kitchen creativity! Another planning tip is to buy fresh herbs (if you don’t have a garden) at the beginning of the week that can be used in multiple recipes, that way you don’t end up wasting anything. Since fresh herbs go bad quickly and tend to be expensive, this is a good $$ saver as well!
Very good advice!
I have seen the change made in thousands of peopleās lives when they learn to cook. Iām not talking about following recipes and spending a lot of money on cookbooks. I mean there is great freedom in understanding the basic methods that go into cooking.
When you learn HOW to sauteā, you can then use chicken, shrimp, tofu, beef, vegetables, itās all the same. Just like you say above “what’s in my fridge” is the inspiration for dinner, not a recipe book.
Being able to cook by method means you never have the stress of trying to figure out āwhatās for dinnerā every night. You can cook with the ingredients on-hand. Youāll never have the frustration of written recipes not working, youāll save money on take-out food, improve your nutrition, gain a new hobby, reunite your family, entertain for friends, gain confidence, eat a greater variety of foods, and have a skill for a lifetime.
Learn how to cook and a whole new lifestyle opens for you.
Chef Todd Mohr
Thanks for this post. I’m one who is the worst at planning meals and grocery shopping! I have so much food that is always going to waste b/c of poor planning. I need to sit down and make a menu for a whole week.
I know i’m really late on this post, but have you heard of the flavor bible? All about flavor pairings, and it’s helped me become a bit more creative in the kitchen!