Hate Cooking Dinner? Never Do These 5 Things!

I’m not exactly sure if I would say that “I hate cooking dinner,” – but getting dinner on the table sure isn’t something I love doing on a daily basis.

My methods for getting dinner on the table are to be sure its an easy recipe and tastes good and my kids won’t complain too much (because I like to eat mostly vegetarian and I think both of my kids like meat as much as my husband does.)

But if you don’t like cooking dinner, and you feel like you are alone and all of your best friends seem to love being in the kitchen, then I have some tips for you of what NOT to do – to make this mandatory chore even less fun.

Hate cooking dinner?  Never do these 5 things:

1. Compare yourself to your best friend who may as well be a chef!  

I have two close friends who are actually certified chefs, and a mother-in-law who may as well be and I grew up with a mom who loved being in the kitchen!

So it’s easy for me to look at what they come up with to feed their families and feel like a total loser wife/mother.

So instead of making yourself feel bad because you don’t have the same skill or passion – focus on the talents and likes you do have, that others may not have.  We all weren’t born to be perfect at everything!

2.  Feel guilty if you don’t make everything from scratch.

I applaud all of those moms who shop in bulk, never purchase any processed foods, can everything in their garden, and make anything and everything from scratch, including their own bread.

I really truly do!!

But I don’t own a bread maker, I dread the thought of canning, and if there is a pre-mixed solution made for me at the store (including chopped vegetables) – I’m all for it!

Will it cost me more?  Yep!  But will my patience and joy be increased because I don’t have to spend time mixing or chopping?  Also a big fat YEP!

And guess what???  If grocery stores didn’t sell already chopped vegetables, then there wouldn’t be a demand.  I know I’m not the only one and I’ve decided that it’s OK if I never master using a knife like a professional chef.

3.  Attempt to make gourmet recipes to impress other people.

I’ll admit that I’ve done this in the past – especially before I had kids.  I hosted way more dinners pre-kid days than I do now.

And can I make gourmet recipes?  Sure!  But does the thought of creating fancy hor’ d’oeurves, restaurant-style salads, homemade rolls, delicious dinner from scratch, and an amazing dessert bring me joy when it comes to hosting a dinner?  Um….No!

And why be someone who I’m not!  I’d rather spend time with people not being stressed out – and if you can’t come over and enjoy a pizza and ice cream – then they are probably too high maintenance for me anyway.

4.  Keep making the same meal that everyone complains about, even if it is healthy.

Quinoa burgers?  I love em!  Kale crisps?  Add them to the menu!  Brussel sprouts?  Delish!  But does anyone else in my family agree with me?  No way!

So instead of only making meals with what I like – I do try and diversify the menu so that my kids aren’t constantly saying that “Mom is making more weirdo vegetarian stuff again,” and make faces at everything I put in front of them.

And it’s not like I’m a 100% vegetarian.  In fact I have ham and split pea soup in my crockpot right now.  Will I pick out the chunks of ham when I sit down for dinner?  Probably.

But will everyone love that I actually made a soup with ham in it?  Absolutely!  Which means there is always room for compromise!

5.  Tell yourself your a bad mom or wife just because your forte is not in the Kitchen.

I am so over the comparison game and I think that turning 40 this year has really helped me to just be myself.

Must be at 40, I’ve finally gained enough wisdom that it doesn’t really matter if I like cooking or not!  I don’t make much from scratch, nor do I order take-out every night – and I’m very satisfied with that middle ground to keep myself less stressed out!

It’s ok if we aren’t all passionate about cooking!  Just go be good at what you are passionate about and be thankful that someone else at the grocery store will do it for you!  😉

I won’t leave you hanging with no real solutions to your problem either.  You can hate cooking dinner – but you can still get great meals on the table with a little help!  Here are some of my secrets to make sure my time in the kitchen is minimal:

1. Get a hold of some free meal plans – they are filled with easy recipes and shopping lists to make getting dinner on the table EASY!  I have a free meal plan right here you can go ahead and print right now!  It shows you how to make and freeze 20 meals, and it costs less than $150.00 worth of groceries!

2.  Join a meal planning subscription service.  

When you join, you will have access to 8 different monthly menu plans ready to go that you can just grab and print.  There are new menu plans uploaded monthly and you can custom make your own meal plans as well!  These are always easy and frugal recipes that will really help you be more efficient in the kitchen!

3.  Be sure to have a crockpot and an Instant pot!

I mentioned above that I have soup in my crockpot as I write this.  Split pea and ham is super easy to make because I dump in 7 ingredients and it cooks all day while I work!  I’ll bake some store-bought garlic bread to go with it and I’m done!  Genius!

I’ve also discovered that I not only need to have a crockpot/slow cooker in my tools for easy meal prep, but I also need an Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker!

Scared to use an Instant Pot or don’t know where to begin?  Don’t worry – I was in that place too until I took this EPC 101 Course!  I share a really funny story on a “Chinese electric pressure cooker” that I got that truly scared me.  But then I share how the course gave me all the tools I needed to successfully use my electric pressure cooker with confidence and learn some really easy recipes along the way!

4.  What if you have little toddlers or kids hanging around your legs when you are trying to make dinner?  Trust me, I’ve been there before.  I took this short course on how to survive dinner time without the stress and overwhelm with My Efficient Kitchen.  After taking that course, I could finally give myself permission to keep the kids out of the kitchen while I was trying to prepare meals!

5.  Ultimate Bundle Meal Planning Help for 2019 – It includes 1,072 recipes across 12 categories + 200 dessert and beverage recipes, 30+ ready-to-use meal plans with shopping lists and prep notes, 5 e-courses, 5 ebooks, and 4 printable packs & workbooks.  That is a value of $1038 for just $49.95!  There is a 2-day flash sale coming September 16th & 17th with an even greater price reduction!

Yes, you may laugh – but some of you are saying in your head that it’s really true.  It’s ok – check out one of the above 5 resources to make the dinner hour easier and maybe you will hate cooking dinner just a little less!