When Healthier Decisions Limit Your Meals, How Do you Expand Your Menu?

So you’ve chosen to make healthier meals…now what? When Mark and I decided we’d eliminate gluten, dairy and sugar and focus on eating whole foods, we knew it would be difficult at first (neither of us are that creative or gifted in the kitchen), but we weren’t anticipating Sunday evenings to be so grueling. We sit on our couch, grouchy and frustrated, because we’re sick and tired of eating the same things over and over again.

There are only so many meat and vegetable options we could come up with…the Crock Pot and Paleo recipes have held us over for a few months, but we’re getting restless once again. Is this the moment where strict and dedicated fit folks fall off the bandwagon? You grab for that big ol’ burrito not because you’re craving the mean thing, but because you can’t stomach another bite of grilled chicken and asparagus? I went a month eating the same quinoa-apple breakfast mix before I cursed the kitchen gods and then begged for something new to eat. I’m currently slurping down protein smoothies until I find the next breakfast winner. I’m coming to the end of my healthy eating rope though!

I’d love to know how folks keep it real in the kitchen…How do you cook, and what do you do when you grow absolutely bonkers bored with what you’ve been cooking up? My taste buds are falling asleep! My stomach yawns! I need new! I crave new! I want to eat new for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Any suggestions? How do you spice things up? Any websites (besides Fit Bottomed Eats, of course!) or cookbooks that really melt your butter? How about I make it a bit harder…We also are on a Ramen Noodle budget (being that we’re paying for a wedding and all!), so it’s not like we can just start eating out at amazingly tasty healthy food restaurants when we need a jolt.

We can’t be the only ones in a rut, right? Help! —Tish