Forever is only the beginning: food rut

the last few months that i was on hiatus from blogging, i was also on hiatus from the kitchen.... anything that required me to be in the kitchen for more than 22 minutes was just not gonna happen.... poor jon- it began to show on his shrinking waistline.
i guess i just ran out of ideas, or was too mentally drained at the end of the day to even think about what i wanted to eat. before, working jobs that didn't require much mental effort allowed me the flexability to think about food all day long. and so i did. i would think about all the ingredients i needed, if i could add anything or subsititute anything, i thought about the spices i could add or try to make the meal better. i also tried to think about ways to make it healthier or richer, or just increase the overall joy in the prepping and eating experiences. i also spent time thinking about the process of preparing the food. what should be started first, how long that onion needed to sautee before adding another item, and then when to mix ingredients a, b & c... when to put on the rice or quinoa on and of course if we needed beans- then i had to plan for that the day before!
so it all became too exausting... we resorted to eating things like enriched pasta noodles with meijer brand sauce. i would add a little sauteed onion and some basil to it, sprinkle some cheese on it and call it good. jon's tuna sandwiches and turkey wraps became pb&j's {2 if i was feeling extra loving}. his homemade trail mix became a handful or pretzels. meals were dull and nutritionally unsatisfying-it was not good... for a month straight we were having the same black bean enchiladas once or twice a week... needless to say it will be a LONG time before we have enchiladas again.
so last week thursday i made up my mind... i search for some new food-spiration, made my lists and dreamt about new delicious meals.
friday i left work 2 hours early so that i had plenty of time to wander around 3 different grocery stores picking out all the necessary items for happy hearts and full tummies.... it was a glorious two hours unrushed and void of worry and stress. it was extremely satisfying to come home and fill the cupboards up and pack the refrigerator with fresh produce again.

friday night we enjoyed a flavorful moroccan chickpea stew over brown rice
saturday i made homemade-double whipped hummus, cranberry salsa & protein bars
{we enjoyed dinner at fork in the road with friends saturday night}
sunday was eggs benny- didn't turn out as i anticipated, but i'll attempt it again
monday i whipped up quinoa patties over a bed of greens and some homemade dill sauce
tuesday was a collection of leftovers
& wednesday i tried a new coconut curry sauce over veggies and brown rice

and can i just say yummmmm.... we most certainly feel recharged and back on track nutritionally. i'm not sure if it was working in the kitchen & using my hands to create something that did it or the mix of flavors saying hello to my tongue, but whatever it is i hope i have the energy to keep it up.