One thing that helps me is to identify which things take more and less effort, mentally as well as physically.
Example: I've thought of cooking plain white rice as easy for years. A few weeks ago, I realized that while it takes some time, physical effort, and at least one stove burner (I'm still learning this electric stove business), it seems to come free, mentally. So if I have no idea of what to cook, I may start a pot of rice, and then think about what can go with that. This seems to save initiation energy, because I don't have to think "start cooking X now," the rice is already on the stove.
I don't know how transferable or generalizable this is. Someone else's version might be "anything can go in a salad." And it takes having some kind of basic, flexible food that is that easy for you. Objectively, a pot of pasta is probably simpler/easier to get right, but in my brain rice is automatic and pasta requires thought.
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Date: 2013-06-12 11:13 pm (UTC)Example: I've thought of cooking plain white rice as easy for years. A few weeks ago, I realized that while it takes some time, physical effort, and at least one stove burner (I'm still learning this electric stove business), it seems to come free, mentally. So if I have no idea of what to cook, I may start a pot of rice, and then think about what can go with that. This seems to save initiation energy, because I don't have to think "start cooking X now," the rice is already on the stove.
I don't know how transferable or generalizable this is. Someone else's version might be "anything can go in a salad." And it takes having some kind of basic, flexible food that is that easy for you. Objectively, a pot of pasta is probably simpler/easier to get right, but in my brain rice is automatic and pasta requires thought.