Looking for a Little Inspiration

 

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Every once in awhile I hit a roadblock and am in desperate need for a little inspiration. Now ... because I'm a casual mess of a human, I look for inspiration in multiple areas. Perhaps we will explore all of them down the road. For now, I am focused on just one: food. With the change in the weather and the seasons, so does change my cravings. This makes sense. The seasons change and so too do the foods that are in abundance. For example: strawberries are the only fruit on my mind, and spinach is the base for all of my salads.

But beyond that I feel stuck. Having to plan lunches for the week doesn't make the situation less annoying ... ya feel?

I mean I do little things like buy Greek olives on a whim, or dabble in artichokes. However, every time I cook the result is a pasta/rice dish, eggs, or a flatbread. I essentially take the same salad to work every day interchanging shrimp and chicken as the protein. I would love to switch things up every now and then to keep my diet more exciting—and keep myself from wandering into a restaurant for a $10 salad. Message to the city of D.C.: salads don't need to be $10.

I have amassed quite a collection of cookbooks for a 20-something who only cooks for herself on any given night and does approximately zero entertaining. So I have resolved to flipping through one or two to at least get a list of ingredients for the week that will maybe inspire several dishes. Does anyone else get into a food funk with the season change?

<3 Ashley

What are your favorite dishes to make in the summer?