I'd like to think I'm a creative person, but lately I have been stuck in a food rut and I'm struggling break free. Combine a busy schedule, add a dash of picky eater, and a splash of tired mom and you have a recipe for a food menu on permanent repeat.

Last weekend my husband and I went out for dinner with friends and I realized I could easily replicate some of the dishes we ordered. We had a delicious side dish made with quinoa, a high protein grain-like food from South America. I've made quinoa in the past, but I had forgotten how easy it is to cook and how simple it is to throw together a salad made with summer vegetables. The quinoa salad I made this week was pretty tasty and my picky eater even sampled a few bites.

My small success with quinoa motivated me to go through our cookbooks. They have literally gathered dust on the bookshelf lately. I marked recipes that are quick and require few ingredients so I won't scramble at the last minute to put a decent dinner together. When my husband is home from work earlier than usual, he makes an excellent sous chef. So it makes dinner less of a chore when we can play music and work side by side on different kitchen tasks. Too bad this doesn't happen more often!

I bet I'm not alone in my food rut. How do you get creative with meals?