There is one area where I excel in persuasion. I can convince myself that I need a dinner out for a myriad of reasons. We're out and about, I forgot to defrost the chicken, the baby is grumpy, the wind is blowing from the east etc ad infinitum. I adore eating in restaurants. I get so much pleasure perusing the menu, savoring the descriptions of the items, enjoying a crisp glass of torrontes, all of it. Oh, and the joy of not having to clean up afterward. So when we were out earlier today I started the comfortable old dance in my head, the one that ends in a justification for letting go of the Experiment for a little while.
And then I changed the song. I love what we're doing. I love that I'm constantly learning new skills, I love that I've lost 5 pounds without dieting, I love love love my homemade bread. To give it up and admit defeat would cheapen all the things we've done. I can't say for certainty that we will go the entire year without setting foot in a restaurant but I do know we're going to do our best.
Of course it gets frustrating at times, I have to stay on top of Orion's diaper situation so that we don't run out of clean ones. HE loves going commando but I'm not sure the carpet can take much more. After I ruined the gnocchi tonight I wanted nothing more than to give up and order pizza. Instead I pulled out our leftovers and made an awesome fried rice. I have to do laundry every day because I hang it up on the line instead of using the dryer. But these complaints are small, and dwindle away as I watch both the kids play naked in the back yard while I hang laundry. They disappear when Mike tells me my fried rice is better than a restaurant.
What do you struggle with? What's the song and dance in your head? What's the best thing you had at a restaurant lately? (sorry, it's an addiction.)
My song and dance is "After work, I want to relax with my husband, not slave over a stove." Even though I know there have got to be ways to make cooking less painful and time-consuming.
ReplyDeleteWhen I get to the end of the day I'm tired. If I don't have a dinner idea before 4pm, chances are it will be something premade or boxed. Lately I've been trying a little harder to make good dinners, but when I'm attempting to stick together the chicken cordon bleu that has too much filling and I have one kid pulling all the bowls and pots off the shelf and the other yelling that he is hungry, I have to say that I end up yelling a bit myself. There is a balance that I haven't quite reached yet.
ReplyDeleteOn the bright side I have discovered a very good recipe for blueberry muffins, the absolute best ever recipe for new york coffee cake (better than starbucks and the taste improves the next day) and am enjoying how adding fresh herbs to dishes makes them 10x better (try fresh sage tucked into the chicken cordon bleu- if you can get the *%#@%$&*# things to stay together and cook).
Best thing at a restaurant lately was an insanely good bread pudding- and I normally intensely dislike bread puddings.
Oh Sarah I hear you. Orion has taken to hanging on to my legs, which makes moving around in the kitchen a little difficult. I totally want the coffee cake recipe. Jess, there are things that can make life easier. Sprouts and Whole Foods offer already chopped veggies so you don't have to spend hours chopping onions and carrots etc. I love cooking and sometimes I don't want to chop and prep.
ReplyDeleteDella I wanna see more pictures of these delicious creations so I can salivate and secretly hate you ☺.
ReplyDeleteI don’t eat out much but Friday did eat sushi which was good, not great. The fried crab wantons delish!
We are still on the no convenience food kick for Lent and I swear the only thing getting me through is the Sunday planning part. If I don't have a plan and know for certain what I am making that week things get rough. We haven't been to a restaurant but the yummiest thing I've made is a toss between a cream cheese pound cake and Bourbon Street Chicken (yum!) - Miss ya! - Tam
ReplyDeleteThanks guys, now I want bread pudding sushi with chicken! I'm glad I'm not the only mom who struggles. Having to cook dinner during the witching hour between 5 and 6 when all children lose their marbles is an exercise in patience and sometimes futility.
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