when this happens to me, all it takes is going out to eat or getting take out 2-3 times each to remind myself that my cooking is way better, cheaper and healthier...

Whenever I'm in doubt, I remind myself to start with seasonal local veggies and add a simple protein (grilled chicken maybe). Fresh seasonal veggies always inspire me.

And when left to stand on their own, taste better than most meals I'd get in an average restaurant - especially the kind whose menu changes maybe once a season.

Casseroles. I make a week's worth on Sunday, put them in the fridge, then I don't have to think about cooking for the rest of the week. Eventually, I get sick of casseroles, and I start thinking about making something more interesting, and suddenly I've found my enthusiasm again.

But I'm in a lull right now, so it's going to be a week of chicken pot pie and beefy cornbread casserole.

Leafing through new issues of the food/cooking glossies always helps me to get inspired and even browsing through a new cookbook may help too. I love ChristieMT's suggestion: going out a few more times than what is the norm for you usually makes one appreciate home cooking that much more.

I'm with ChristieMT; although it takes me a little longer, after about a week or two of going out, I'm broke and totally sick of it. Then I do a week or two of frozen foods, until I'm sick of those as well. Then I'm all better!

Usually when that happens that means that I need to simplify things. I get to the point where I overthink things and cooking becomes a major production every time.

Look at what is in season, get the best you can find, and cook it simply. Let the ingredients be the show, not long complicated prep!

;o)

Yeah big batches of something always fix me. Or I get an idea in my head for that "one thing I've always wanted to make..." and I make that.

I agree that going out to eat can inspire by reminding you how much better your own food is. But, it can also inspire you! In the meantime, throw something in the crockpot and eat it for a week. You'll get a break from cooking and, if you're like me, get so sick of eating the same thing that inspiration will come!

For me it's a basic dish: lentils, rice, caramelized onions, maybe a little roast garlic, and portobello mushroom 'bacon'. A few servings of that, my palate is set right, and I'm ready to get creative in the kitchen again.

I don't stress and just let myself work through the lull. Usually a changing season (like now!) helps, and I'm inspired to make things that I didn't really want in the previous season (like slow cooked meals, braises, casseroles, other bake-y things now, or like super fresh things when summer comes, etc.). Worst case, I think of what I might want to eat if I were to go out, and then try to make it at home. A new adventure is always fun, and the challenge makes it seem like not the same old thing.

ChristieMT's plan works for me, too: when I eat out, at best I'm inspired by novel combinations and fresh flavors and at worst I get a refreshing reminder that I really, really like my own cooking.

Other tricks that have worked for me: splurging on some ingredient I've been coveting. A new bottle of artisanal olive oil, a rich aged balsamic vinegar, or a vial of saffron can spur me to play around with otherwise familiar ingredients.

Sometimes I go back to basics, serving foods very simply prepared, or even unprepared: bread, cheese, and a sliced pear; plain greens with lemon, oil, and salt; pasta tossed with oil and Parmesan.

Sadie - thank you for asking this question! I just went back to working in an office, at a desk, with a one hour commute, and by the time I get home I am not the least bit interested in food or cooking. Sitting at a desk and then sitting in a car - even though I swim in the morning - just doesn't make for much hunger or appetite! Happily, my husband will eat anything and doesn't mind peanut butter sandwiches and an apple, or scrambled eggs for dinner.

I've been so pooped out on cooking lately. Here's what I did: Trader Joe's sells frozen packages of roasted peppers and onions, get a bag of those, sautee them in a pan, add a can of black beans, and then roll it up in a tortilla with cheese and avocados (or guacamole if you're feeling less blah). Easy and pretty good. Last night I made polenta stuffed bell peppers which is unusually ambitious for this kind of mood... I wonder if the easy burritos are what did it! ;)

These are all such great suggestions! I made a cake for a potluck yesterday and it helped a little (ego-stroking never hurts, right?). I think simplicity is what I'm longing for. Sometimes I just don't want eating to be a big thing. Bread, cheese, and a pear sounds divine... even divine enough for me to make some bread. Hmm...

Yes, I'm with Elsa, above. I go back to the simplest pleasures. Buttered toast with parmesan and truffle salt (okay, truffle salt probably doesn't qualify as a "simple" pleasure... hah), a poached egg, a good Honeycrisp with some cheddar cheese. Nothing earth shattering, I just give myself a break and the mojo makes its way back to me.

Good luck!

(for no special reason) not having ever discussed this issue with anyone, I find it funny to realise that more people have the "going out to eat or getting take out 2-3 times each to remind myself that my cooking is way better, cheaper and healthier..."-method :)
go for it, Sadie!

While I'm sure that going out to eat until I get my motivation back works, I don't have that luxury... Instead, I cook the most basic and boring foods ever when I can't be bothered... Pasta with butter, parmesan and black pepper. A bowl full of roast veg.. Basically anything that feeds me that requires nothing. Something basic, almost elemental.

Great question and such helpful, encouraging answers!! :)

Definitely knowing which part of it you're tired of is key. With me it was having to clean up afterwards too (slacker husband!). Keeping it simple helps, then when you do feel like going all out, it's more fun than work.

I always make a ton of dumplings and freeze them, so I will always have something quick and easy if I don't want to cook. Peanut butter sandwiches, cereal + milk, crackers w/ hummus works for me too. After a few meals of simple foods, I will no doubt be motivated to cook something!

sort of along the lines of what bodicegoddess said--i was recently in a pretty big slump and my anniversary was coming up so i decided to try something i'd never done before: filet mignon with bernais sauce. it legitimately took me hours to make the entire dinner (all things i'd never made before), and i felt so good about it when it was done that all i wanted to do for the next week was cook new, exciting things. it's only been a week, now, so maybe this won't last much longer, but so far, so good!