Capsule Eating?

Ok, so the title may have you wondering but read on and all will be revealed.

You see over the past few weeks I have had a few conversations about mealtimes – namely what people have on the menu for their evening meals.  One friend talked of collecting recipes so that she could get out of her cooking rut while another shared how she cooked a different meal each night over several weeks??!! You know who you are you culinary goddess 🙂

And what was I doing while these conversations occurred? Quietly hanging my head in shame…….. you see that so called ‘cooking rut’ is my life-ring in a stormy sea of meal time indecision!!

While I don’t intentionally cook the same things over and over (and over and over and well you get the idea) somehow I manage to cook particular dishes on certain week nights.  Sheer lack of enthusiasm over cooking meals combined with so many options ends in my no-think meals arriving each week.

Ready to cook my Wednesday night regular – rice and veg

Then last week something arrived in my inbox from Becoming Minimalist that gave me hope.  In fact it overjoyed me, gave me my new food revolution and relieved my shame instantly!  What was this amazing blog about you may ask?  Well it was actually about 8 reasons that successful people wear the same things everyday (a capsule wardrobe) however in reading those reasons I saw that actually in having the same menu over and over again it was in fact a very savvy and smart move for someone less culinary endowed like myself.

Six out of the 8 reasons applied to me and cooking meals and so I am now embracing my same meals each week as a ‘capsule eating’ plan rather than thinking of it as a cooking rut.  I have a ‘capsule’ shopping list which now means that I can create a range of meals which I know 1.I can cook without thinking and  2. the kids will eat (most nights)!

For those Foodies out there who may be wondering why??! Here are my adaptation of Becoming Minimalists reasons as applied to mealtime.

1: Fewer Decisions and hence leaving more head space for more important decisions during the day.

2: Less time wasted in trying to decide what I will cook while swinging on open cupboard and fridge doors.

3: Less Stress!!

4: Less wasted energy both in strolling numerous aisles looking for ingredients and in juggling recipe books, children and animals.

5: Less expense as my shopping list is fairly basic ingredients

6: More Peace. Of mind that is!!

Hope this finds you embracing your own revolution – even if it only applies to you.

Arohanui

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