Because Life Without Jerk Chicken With Jerk Seasoning Is A Bore

Your menu plan: oatmeal for breakfast, peanut butter and jelly for lunch, and some sort of pasta with broccoli for dinner... all week. Gotten into a bit of a food rut, have you? It’s fantastic to know what you like, but sometimes it’s good to branch out a little. Try something new. Expand your culinary horizons. That doesn’t mean you have to brave the exotic-meats section of your local grocery store or start eating insects. Taking basics you’re familiar with and using them in a new way can be a food revelation. Instead of traditional spaghetti again, switch it up and make pad thai. Steak can be transformed into carne asada tacos or Chinese beef and broccoli. Changing the spices you use on your poultry can result in chicken tikka masala, chicken makhani, or jerk chicken with jerk seasoning.

Seek Out Inspiration

If you’re having a hard time imagining what you can make for dinner other than the same five things you’ve been rotating for the past decade, look for inspiration outside of your pantry. Check out some cookbooks from the library- especially the ones that look a little foreign to you- and commit to finding two or three new recipes to try out this week. If you’re not a library patron, the internet is bursting with cooking-related information. People love food as much as their kids and talk about it even more. Google “food blogs” and start browsing- the internet has an endless supply of these gems, many of which having a seemingly limitless supply of recipes and tips to help you along the way. If all that vastness is intimidating, crowdsource. Ask your facebook friends for the lowdown on some of their favorite dishes. Chances are, their usual isn’t yours.

Table For You

Pretending you’re in a restaurant can be another great way to break out of your routine. Think about your favorite eateries and what you have when you’re there. If you love the hummus and kebabs at your favorite Mediterranean spot, try replicating it at home. Stir-fry, beef teriyaki and miso soup can all be made in your own kitchen- as can sushi, with a little know-how. Or maybe there’s a cuisine you’ve been interested in trying but going to the correlating restaurant intimidates you because you don’t know what to order or expect. In this instance, making it at home first can be an easy introduction to a new food, like jerk chicken with jerk seasoning. Don’t be intimidated, just try it. The worst that can happen is that you end up eating one more peanut butter sandwich