Are you stuck in a cooking routine?

Caribbean girl

Caribbean girl

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Do you find yourself cooking the same foods over and over again each and every week, or do you tend to be flexible and try out new stuff each week? I have a relative who cooks certain dishes on certain days of the week, and she does not usually change that pattern. It has become a routine for her. As for me, I tend to be flexible as to what I cook from day to day, although I do not often try new stuff. I tend to stick to what I am accustomed to, but I do not have a special day when I would cook a certain dish.

So, are you stuck in a routine when it comes to cooking, or do you like to deviate from time to time?
 
You know what? My latest way of planning menus is not to plan! Hence no routine at all. I get a lot of shopping delivered and pick lots of vegetables which are in season without thinking what I'll do with them. Usually I buy some fresh herbs too. Then I choose a few meaty things chicken, lamb, mince for example plus cheese. Fish, I like to buy in-store where I can see it. I've drawers and cupboards stuffed with pulses and grains and pasta and every spice you can think of plus lots of tins of tomatoes.

Then the fun begins. :D I literally don't know what I'm going to cook until the night before (or sometimes until the morning). But then, I've got a lot of time, as I no longer work. Its difficult to be creative if you have a work routine and a family to feed.
 
Work ,my cooking demands and requests change weekly,but at home I'll do the markets on a Sunday and cook in the evening and during the week I will do the same shop for a meal ,my boys seem to have different meals as they feel ,so we keep plenty of different foods in for them ,some times they'll eat at school,even my eldest has been seen sat in nandos at lunch break ,oh the joys of sixth form !
 
Berties said:
Work ,my cooking demands and requests change weekly,but at home I'll do the markets on a Sunday and cook in the evening and during the week I will do the same shop for a meal ,my boys seem to have different meals as they feel ,so we keep plenty of different foods in for them ,some times they'll eat at school,even my eldest has been seen sat in nandos at lunch break ,oh the joys of sixth form !
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Blimey, your a cooking hero. Doing it all day at work and then at home for family. You deserve a medal for that.
gold-medal-smiley.gif
 
This can be a big issue for people in the industry if you cook the same menu for months on end. Personally I like to develop one or two new dishes a week even if it's on paper to mix things up. Also I agree with morning glory try not to plan things out. Go to market and pick up what ever sparks your interest or things you have never worked with before. Talk to farmers they can give good suggestions on cooking techniques if you've never used a product before.
 
I do like to diviate from time to time but I think for the most part I am stuck in a routine.
I work all day so by the time I get home it is usually something pretty simple and familiar.
On weekends we try out new things just to change things up for a bit.
 
We have been stuck in a rut here, especially since the beginning of the school year. For the first time in many years, I am not home during the day so we have to either think ahead or get something for dinner on the fly. We have started doing all of our weekly shopping on Sunday morning. We usually look at the meats and seafood that are on sale for the week and plan our menu around that...but the problem is, it's always the same products on sale each week!
 
I am trying to find at least one new recipe to cook each week to vary up the menu some. We are also trying to work through some of our food supply stock, so I have been making some very creative dishes with ingredients I have on hand. One thing that I cook often is tacos and potato soup because my family loves those dishes.
 
Sometimes I do find that I stick to old favorites that are well known in my cooking repertoire, and sometimes I do feel like I'm in a bit of a rut. In saying that though, sometimes it's only when you feel like you've hit that rut that you'll end up branching out and trying new things. So that's a positive side to it!
 
I do feel like I am in a rut cooking. The meals I like the boys don't like and since I cook more for them than for me, it is the same old thing. If I try to introduce them to a meal they do not like they will not eat it and it sits around for awhile or thrown out and I hate throwing away food. I made a noodles in white sauce with chopped chicken once, I had to eat it all by myself.
 
I don't mind cooking in a routine and having meal plans as long as I still enjoy the food. Mostly though I do monthly rotational dishes that I mix-up with dishes I just learned from cookbooks and the internet. I usually enjoy a Pho twice a week though as it's my favorite dish and I always have a rice dish due to my Asian heritage and my family's choosiness over food. LOL
 
Sunday is the closest I come to a routine if you will. Everyone expects rice and cole slaw no matter I prepare on Sundays. When I was a kid there were days for particular dishes. What might happen with me is if I find there is something that is easy to prepare and everyone likes it I might overwork it with some variations.
 
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