I Don't Want to Cook EVER AGAIN :)`

Those kind of nights happen to me at least once or twice a week! Some of my easy nights are taco's, homemade hoagies, grilled cheese and soup, breakfast for dinner, salads with bought grilled chicken. An easy crockpot meal is the country style ribs... with bbq sauce and a chopped onion. It comes out delicious :) Mom's need a break once in a while!

Have you been to the Central Market in Southlake? They have already cooked items that you can combine to make a meal. All different kinds of meats, veggies, pastas, you name it. Depending on the quantity or type of meat, it can get pricy. But I think on friday nights they do a pre-bagged meal and it feeds a family of 4 for $20. which isn't bad. we do this about once a month or so. much better than fast food, but you don't get stuck cooking either.

When I would rather chew my own arm off and beat myself with it than cook, I stop at the grocery store and buy an already done rotisserie chicken. Hot OR Cold. Make a tossed green salad and that's it.

My "go to" meal is either pulled pork sandwiches, cherry chicken or Pad Thai. The first two are made in the crock pot so no need to heat the oven, and the last one only involved two pans and is finished in 10 minutes.
Pulled Pork: 1 pork should roast; 1 can french onion soup, 3 TBSP. brown sugar, 1 c. ketchup, dash of Worcestershire. Season pork and brown in a skillet (I use onion pwdr. garlic pwdr. and black pepper). While browning, add remaining ingredients in slow cooker and stir together. Put pork roast in slow cooker & cook for 4-5 hours high, or 7-8 hours low. Shred & serve on a bun.

Cherry Chicken: 4-5 frozen chicken breasts, potatoes, carrots, onion, canned *low-sugar* cherry pie filling. Chop potatoes, carrots & onion and place in bottom of slow cooker. Place frozen chicken on top. Pour one can of Cherry pie filling on top of chicken and cook on low 5 hours. (I like to season the chicken- even if it's frozen). I use *low sugar* pie filling to make this a little healthier. My kids LOVE the carrots cooked like this and I use extra veggies and we reheat them the next night for dinner too!

The Pad Thai recipe is from Bethenny Frankel's "SkinnyGirl Dish" cookbook, which I LOVE!!!!! Very healthy meals that are simple to make- I usually add chicken or shrimp to the Pad Thai.

http://www.mamapedia.com/questions/10701660756014858241

I posted a very similar post about this too. See link above.

I get just like that too!
You are not alone!

Maybe, can your Husband cook sometimes?

I also bought myself a crock-pot. Makes 'cooking' much easier!

all the best,
Susan

I like a good toasted tomato, cheese, lunch meat sandwich usually on a whole wheat tortilla. Takes about a minute. sometimes I give my five year old lots of fruit, grape tomatos and healthy cereal for dinner- at least he eats it every bite, which I cant usually say for a "normal" meal.

When it's hot, I reach for the sandwiches and fresh fruits. Maybe a pasta salad if I had the foresight to cook pasta the night before or in the morning when it's cooler.

Salads, also. Love a big, fresh salad for a meal at times.

Best wishes for a cool autumn!

Grilled cheese and cereal. That's what I do when I feel like I just can't take it anymore.

I have a super easy homemade (not processed) mac and cheese recipe. You have to heat up the oven for about an hour, but it's all done in one baking dish and SUPER easy and good. Message me if you want it.

I feel your pain- cooking dinner is not fun anymore! I think it stopped being fun somewhere around the first month we were married... six years ago! :)

Oh, I'm sort of in the same boat....and I generally LOVE to cook. Just not feeling very inspired lately. I'll be watching for ideas.

In the summer we try to cook everything on the grill or just fast and easy things on top of the stove. Yes, it is too Dang hot right now.. Our grill is under a covered patio. If you do not have a cover, go and buy one of the pop up kind.

We do fajitas in every way possible, beef, chicken, fish and shrimp.

We grill chicken breast and use it on salads, sandwiches. I use the leftovers to make chicken salad.

We go to Lockhart and purchase Kruetz sausages and eat them as wraps.

Grilled veggies. Corn on the cob, onions, peppers, eggplant..

Baked potato bar everybody can stuff their own. Bake the hugest potatoes or sweet potatoes you can find.. in the microwave.

No way do I make meatloaf, roast or anything in the oven. until November.. Instead I grill the meatloaf or meatballs. I crockpot the pork roast to make Pulled Cuban pork.

I purchase the Michelangelos Eggplant Parmesan from HEB's frozen section when they are on sale. and use the microwave as much as possible.

HEB brand lasagna and chicken enchiladas are passable.

Arroz con pollo.
Nachos
Chalupas made with either the freeze dried beans or the crock pot pintos.

Lots of giant salads. With cheese, croutons, homemade dressings.

Cheap Take out

stir fried rice and egg rolls.

Burgers from Sonic on Tuesday nights they have their Brown Bag specials. 2 burgers, 2 orders fries and 2 drinks for $7.99

Our neighborhood Taco Bell offers 79 cent tacos on Tuesdays during the school year.No limit.

Pizza specials, then make your own salads.

Fried Chicken when Churches has 12 pcs for $8.99 Make your own sides.

Yeah, that happens sometimes. If I really don't feel like cooking I try to do something quick and easy. When it's super hot outside I prefer to eat cold. I really like Greek salad, which is prepared quickly and is also very healthy. Sometimes I buy some ready made Spinakopita to go with it or we just put some salmon on the grill.
For me it sometimes helps to browse through cooking websites or to watch the Food Network for a bit to get the motivation back to cook good and healthy food for my family.

ROFL... I FEEL you. In fact I go on binges where I'd rather gnaw on my own arm.

In the heat... salads or paninis are my go to. In the cold... it's breakfast for dinner (since I usually make breakfast 1/2 asleep, for some reason it doesn't really feel like coking).

My favorite salads:
- Chicken or Shrimp Caesar
- Spinach Salad with bacon & shredded egg (just shred harboiled egg on the cheese grater)
- Chopped Salad (recipe follows)
- Chicken Waldorf salad (using store rotisserie chicken)

Chopped Salad:

Here's the BIG trick with this salad. I just prep it and put everything in bowls. Then people put whatever they want into THEIR bowl. I dump "their" salad into a BIG bowl, toss it with dressing, and plate it back into their bowl for them.

- Iceberg lettuce = Cut head in 1/2. Cut less than 1" wide strips. Turn head around and cut strips into squares. See how much that makes, do the other half if it doesn't look like enough.
- Chicken = chopped, about 1 breast per 3 people. Again, it's rotisserie chicken.
- Italian Dry Salami = Have the deli slice it for you into 1/2" wide circles, then cut into squares. I use 1/3 of a lb per every 3 people.
- Shredded Mozzerella Cheese
*** I take the above 3 and add them all together into one bowl and stir ***
- Chopped tomatoes w/ salt and pepper added
- 1 can of garbanzo beans/ chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 1 bunch of green onions chopped
- A whole bunch of basil cut into strips (stack leaves like cash, roll into a "cigar", and cut up. 5 seconds later and the entire stack is in perfect strips)
- Cardini's Italian Dressing.

Since ALL I have to do is chop stuff in the kitchen for about 7 minutes, and you end up with this giant filling salad. It just feels like a major "get out of cooking free" card.

I completely understand. During the summertime, my husband and I try to eat more main dish salads with a hunk of crusty french bread. My kids will eat what I call a "deconstructed salad" -- all of the salad fixings separated on the plate with a small amount of salad dressing to dip the lettuce, veggies, cheese, beans, whatever in. For some reason, they won't eat the salad all tossed together. But if you take one day to roast up a chicken or some chicken breasts ahead of time, all you will need to do is dice it up to make your salad. Shrimp takes no effort at all to cook up or you can buy it already cooked. If you would like to have some fish like salmon with your salad, you can always season it with salt, pepper, garlic and a squeeze of lemon juice and throw it in the broiler for 15 minutes or so. It's cooking, I know, but super easy. Also, couscous and quinoa are super simple grains to make when you don't want to spend forever in front of a hot stove, and you can toss them into your salad as well.

Hope this helps give you some inspiration.

I'm in Texas too! Try the slow cooker, it doesn't heat up your house so much like an oven or cooking on the stove does.

Grilling is easy, but to avoid going outside, you can get the tabletop foreman grill.

Grill something, eat a side of salad, some fresh fruit or veggies and some rolls. Do taco/fajita/tostada night, or tuna salad sandwiches, pita pockets...

Fruit salad, grilled cheese, pancakes, eggs, or anything really easy. I feel your pain. It's too hot to cook these days.

1st thing is you should eat out once in a while.. we do pizza night every other week... like the 2nd week of august and then the 4th week of august.. or we order it in or pick it up.. it helps cut down on some cooking.. i go on allrecipes.com they have some great .. easy recipes.. i grill a lot... grilling doesn't make the house soooo hot.. how about bacon lettuce and tomato on toast... it's easy.. or breakfast for dinner.. like pancakes or waffles.. or bacon and eggs... easy... how about fried chicken... you can pick it up once in a while at a fast food place.. again not expensive but someone else is doing the cooking... have the chicken with potato salad or something like that... also kentucky fried chicken now makes grilled chicken too which is good if you want healthy options.. how about fresh tuna.. on the grill.. or grilled cheese sandwiches.... good luck.. don't get down.. i hate to put laundry away.. we all hate one thing.. ...

cereal night? Sometimes I just want to give my kids a pop-tart and call it good! I am going thru the same thing-sometimes-even though its wickedly hot (I am in AR-we're about 5 degrees cooler) grilling is good-partly b/c my husband will do most of the outside time and then you dont have to heat up the house. A Foreman grill is good too-the countertop kind-you can cook meat really quickly and again you don't end up heating the house, I also use the toaster oven when I can for that reason too. I heat up popcorn chicken in the toaster oven and we will have it on salad, and of course you can grill chicken or make some fried chicken tenderloins to go on a salad too. I'm going to be reading whatever posts you get too!

One of my favorite meals to have when I don't feel like cooking is to make chicken soft tacos. I buy a rotisserie chicken and shred it. Then I put it on store bought soft tortillas and top with cheese, salsa, avocado, sour cream, etc. Sometimes I'll throw a frozen veggie in the microwave or sometimes we'll just have chips and salsa with it. Also, I buy a pot roast and throw it in the crock pot with beef broth and onions/mushrooms and cook on high for 4 hours. When it's done, I shred it and put it on buns with some swiss cheese and banana peppers.

on one of those nights i threw this together and now it's a staple

Wrap on individual chicken breast some
picante sauce
frozen orka
and some cheese in foil, throw on the grill.....READY and no dishes to clean!!! Love it!

today is one of those days, it's gloomy and cold out so i am making my bean soup with leftover ribs. yum. takes about 2 hrs to cook, prep time about 10 min, and i can't wait. i have french french bread waiting to be dipped in the soup.
:)
my go to meals are hobo dinner (throw everything in one pan, cover witha lumin foil cook for 1 hr
my other is chicken fingers and mashed potatoes with carrots
:)
my other one is tacos.
i hate cooking but i can't bring myself to give them frozen foods or fast foods.
so while i hate cooking i do it 5 nights a week :(

This is my go to meal when I need something quick. Boxed stuffing, can chicken and veggies. Put the chicken and stuffing in a microwave safe bowl, use the "broth" as part of the water and add drained veggies (I use canned corn, this is the only time I use canned veggies) Follow directions on stuffing for micro cooking and in about 10-15 mins you got a meal. I have also been using Allrecipies.com alot when I need an meal idea. Another one is canned chicken, cream of chicken, cream of mushroom , frozen mix veggies, Cheddar cheese and potatoes. Mix the veggies, chicken and 2 soups, put in pyrex dish, top with made mashed potatoes and cheese. Bake for 20-30 mins on 375.

Consider making something new and unexpected in an effort to bring back the excitement. Or, beg your husband to cook something. Watching him struggle in the kitchen always reminds me that my cooking is such a gift. Without me, either we'd starve or eat cardboard every night.

If you haven't yet--check out Robin Miller. I love her "morphed" meals where you plan the protien ahead on the weekend and then she steps you through making two different meals with the meat/poultry leftovers in less than 30 minutes. It makes life so much easier not to have to plan the main dish every night and the meals are pretty healthy too.

I absolutely love chef salad in the summer. We eat it a lot. you can boil some eggs (hopefully can find non-recalled at this point) and keep them in the fridge. Also could do taco salad, just prepare the meat ahead of time and keep in the fridge. We also do a lot of sandwhiches in the summer because they are easy and we are busy. Not gourmet by any means, but it gets us through the summer! :)

When I just don't feel like cooking, I make Beans-n-Franks,and throw in some frozen vegetables in the microwave. It's cheap, everybody likes it, and it's fast.
Bon appetit!

I don't if this helps, but I sometimes cook meals for families. I used to run a catering company that catered to families only. My kidneys failed in October so I only cook for a few families. I usually deliver when it is good for you. It is cooked the day it is delivered and I can cook almost anything you would like me to. The prices are reasonable and I cook to you and your families taste (salty, not salty, spicey, not spicey..etc...) It's just an option for you. If you would like some more information feel free to call or email me.

____@____.com ###-###-####

This does contained processed food, but it's my easy meal...

Crock Pot Pot Roast

One good size pot roast (beef or pork)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 package onion soup mix
1/2 package baby carrots

1 package of ore ida steam and mash potatoes

spread 1 can of COM soup in bottom of crock pot
drop in roast
spread 1 can of COM soup on top
pour in package of soup mix

Set on high to cook for 6 - 8 hours until meat falls apart with fork. I add the carrots about an hour before I'm ready to serve because I like them a little more solid. If you like softer carrots, you can add them earlier.

Make potatoes according to package and mash. The soup creates a gravy.

Also, check out allrecipes.com and weelicious.com. Both have great meals!

I believe in the power of the cold salad, tuna with macaroni or any other kind of thrown together salad is great for the summer. We do great salads with cucumbers, carrots, tomatos...we love it. When I do cook I always make extra pasta which can be converted into a salad. I can throw this type of salad over a bed of lettuce which is great. We even have salads with cheese and crackers. Fruit salads are great, get a huge watermelon. scoop out the interior and fill with watermelon chuncks, pineapple chunks, peach, nectarine, and/or plum slices, we also love blueberries with green grapes in a bowl. We do a great egg salad and that is only a matter of boiling eggs for about 5-7 minutes. That is not too bad for the cooking. We can use this in salads or on salads or just have deviled eggs.

Keep it light and tasty. You don't have to cook. Go on strike. I do it often and fequently. The family gets used to something new adventurous and fun. Less work for you. It's great.

I hear you!!
I don't like cooking either, and is not the cooking but the thinking on what to cook everyday 3 or 4 times at day, plus the shopping, plus the time, plus the cleaning, so much work and at the end I get: I don't like it, grrrrr.
If it wasn't because I love them so much I would give then the $1 menu of Mac Donals.
But I do love them so I suck it up. What I did sometimes is save the meat of other meals and then do a Jambalaga, I do a lot and put it in the freezer.
Unfortunately, now that we are trying to eat more healthy I have being cooking more, sigh!

I'm fortunate that my kids and husband arn't picky eaters and that they enjoy veggies. We maintain a relatively clean and healthy diet. I too go through phases where the thought of cooking makes me want to go jump in bed and call it quits for the day (not an option, lol). Here is my go to meal that can be easily changed up:
*you pick the ratios-
Can of black beans
Can of pinto/white/garbanzo beans
Can of green beans
Can of diced tomatoes
Can of kernel corn
Can of spinach, drained
*you can mix up the ratios to your taste and liking and add any spices you want. You can add canned chicken. Get creative! You can mix it all in a bowl and serve at room temp. My family enjoys it, plus, leftovers are easy to reuse. It's great if you get Organic and BPA free lining can goods. Quick, easy, tasty, cool= Mommy like :)
I also pre-cook all my chicken and freeze it. Then I defrost a bag in my fridge and we always have some cooked chicken breast on hand for whatever. If you forget to put some out, it only takes about an hour to defrost in the sink in some warm water.
May God bless you~
Chell

Our eating schedule is pretty easy, but I also am only feeding a 1 and 3 year old (dad works nights so he makes his own meals or eats our leftovers). Sat/Suns I usually make 2 meals so we have leftovers for Monday. We eat that Monday nights. Tuesdays we go to my parnets for dinner. Wed is usually something easy like sandwiches, meatballs/sauce, mac and cheese, etc and some kind of fruit/veggie. Thursdays we eat again with my parents. Fridays we usually do something like pizza or pasta. Then Saturday I make two meals and our week starts over. My kids don't mind eating a lot of 'finger' foods (lunchmeat, string cheese, cantaloupe, bananas, pasta, pudding, etc) so we can usually find something to throw together ever when there is nothing ready. But like I said, we don't have to feed an army or anything!

There is absolutely nothing wrong with feeding your family sandwiches and scrambled eggs for dinner. Or soup and salad. Add some fresh cut up veggies/fruit and you've got yourself a healthy, cheap, fast meal. If they complain, invite them to make their own dinner.

After my 18th year of marriage I felt like this and contacted one of those wonderful women who cooks for families. (Mentioned by another commenter.)
It's cheaper than going out or ordering in, she cooks what we want and I know what's going into the food.
She only makes about two meals a week for me, which is enough to remove the stress that I feel about the whole dinner-every-night thing.

Back at all! I have no ideas either!!!

Soup and bruschetta dinners are a 10 min ordeal and a great way to reinvent leftovers.

I always cook extra so that I have leftover handy.

Pasta with a quick and simple tomato sauce.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara also one of my kid's favourite.

If the dinner is not rich enough in vegetables, it usually balances out with the fruit course.

We eat out everyday. By eat out, I mean my husband picks up food on the way home from work. We don't eat big meals, so we are always able to split an entree. The kids eat mostly "kid" food (baked chicken nuggets, hot dogs, pizza, yogurt, PBJ, etc.), so that is easy. They always get a good portion of fruit with their meals. We take a lot of criticism for not cooking, but it just isn't for us. Neither of us likes to cook, and the smell of cooking permeating the house nauseates us. The rare occasion we do cook (grill out usually so it is outside), we end up spending just as much money on the ingredients as we would have eating out. Plus, we are all very picky eaters, and typical homecooking would never fly in our house. To each their own-- I am thankful for all the food options available!

boneless skinless chicken breast + veggie + carb = dinner in 15 minutes from fridge to plate.
very quick and versatile
.
put a cut up chicken breast or 2 in the skillet with spices and saute on the stove top while minute rice, or pasta is boiling and a bag of frozen veggies is in the microwave.
sounds boring but it's the seasoning that makes all the differance.you can class it up with a little white wine in the pan on some of them.

italian seasoning and olive oil on chicken, add veggies and toss with pene pasta

lemon pepper, or curry, or cajun, or, whatever spice blend you like, seasoning on chicken with white or dirty rice and veggies in the side

fajita spice on chicken with sauteed bell pepper and onions and soft tortillas

terryaki sauce on chicken. put cold leftover rice and peas and carrots in a skillet with a couple prescrambled eggs and soy sauce to make fried rice. or spaghetti noodles with soy sauce to make lomien noodles.

Here is an easy one - boil water for pasta and cook - in the last 3 minutes add a bag of frozen green peas - drain - to the pasta pot add 2 TBS olive oil and a TBS of butter - and a clove of minced garlic - cook slightly - add the pasta and peas back and toss with grated parmesan and ground pepper/salt to taste.

Updated

Here is an easy one - boil water for pasta and cook - in the last 3 minutes add a bag of frozen green peas - drain - to the pasta pot add 2 TBS olive oil and a TBS of butter - and a clove of minced garlic - cook slightly - add the pasta and peas back and toss with grated parmesan and ground pepper/salt to taste.