So I have to admit, I've been in a bit of a rut lately. See, I'm perfectly content having an arsenal of about 30-40 meals that I can cycle through and eat and enjoy. I'm not opposed to trying anything new, but when I already know I like something, I tend to stick with it. Tested, tried, and true is my motto. It took me a really long time to order anything at a Chinese restaurant that wasn't Beef with Broccoli when I was young (now it's General Tao's Chicken). Then there's my husband. He gets bored with food easily. He loves food almost as much as me, but he's always on the lookout for something new to try. I've been challenged. I've got to find new recipes! What's worse, I'm tired, I've got lots of other things to do, so I've got to find new and easy recipes.

My friend recently did one of those recipe exchange emails, so that was fun and a fun idea to get some new recipes, but you never know what you'll end up with. Google searches can be helpful, yet overwhelming. Don't even get me started on all of my Pinterest ideas! Now, where do we start and how do we narrow it down? I have my methods, which I'll share with you. If you have any other tips for me, please leave them in the comments.

Simple is the best way to go. There's a few sites where you can input the ingredients you already have in your house, and it brings up recipes, but you have to keep the "pantry keeper" feature updated. These are nice if you haven't been to the store in a while and have no clue what to make. DVO Cook'n software has a great function, too. If you know you want to make chicken (for example), type it in the search bar. You'll get tons of ideas! You can enter in up to 3 ingredients that you know you have, then the search will give you all the recipes that have those ingredients. You can even narrow recipes down by prep and cook times. It's so awesome for saving yourself time, and a shopping trip.

Pros: no shopping, easy to do for an evening. Cons: Having to decide what to make.

I do have a stash of cookbooks, including the ones I own through my DVO software. I can usually find something good, or even a few things that sound good. I love having a physical cookbook. I even bough a cookbook stand for my kitchen. It's easier to follow, and I don't have to worry about getting food or liquids on my tablet/phone/computer while trying to keep them from going to sleep.

Pros: Recipes you may already be familiar with, a wide variety, and a narrow way to search. Cons: Again, cook and prep times may vary, and you might have to make a shopping trip.

The easiest way for me to go is find a list of recipes I want to try (I keep many bookmarked on my computer) and at the beginning of the week I plan out the menu, and make one big shopping trip. I freeze the meats I won't be using the first 2 or so days, and the rest is ready to go.

Pros: Only one shopping trip, you know the recipes beforehand. Cons: Less flexibility if your mood changes, and the one day of planning and shopping is a big event.

Last, but never least, the good old fashioned crockpot dinner. These things are magical. You can throw anything in, and 6-8 hours later, you have a whole edible meal! Okay, so it takes some planning, but the nice thing is the ingredients are usually simple. You start it early in the day, all your prep is done, and then eat at dinner time! Use your favorite cookbook, website, blog, or whatever to find new recipes. There's tons of simple ones out there. Chicken dinners, beef dinners, Mexican, Asian, soups…you name it! Keep a bookmark folder just for crockpot ideas.

Pros: Tons of options, typically very little prep time, EASY, you can have a different crockpot meal every night. Cons: May take some planning and shopping if you don't use a simple recipe, if you forget to start it early then it has to wait for another day.

What are your simple, easy, and tasty tricks?