So, what do I cook today?

It’s noon and for the home chef, it could be a moment of anguish. What am I going to cook today? The dilemma cannot be solved by flipping a coin, especially if the family is asking for something new, and at the same time, there’s a report to deliver at work or a meeting to attend. Ideas dry up. Time is watching us. The fridge is waiting. Don’t worry and keep reading.Open your mind.Get inspired, get inspired, get inspired. To know what to cook today, browse through your favorite supermarket's website and find out what the ingredients of the season are. They will give you ideas about the freshest items available. The other –the infallible one– is to delve into cooking platforms like Kiwilimón to explore recipes and cravings. We continuously refresh our suggestions so that your culinary focus remains lit. You know, what doesn’t occur to you may have occurred to someone else.Check your hideout.Start by exploring your freezer. Do you still have your aunt’s mole from her birthday? Do you have the chicharrón in sauce left from a family meal? Take them out. Just don’t present them the same way. Complement them or give them a new shape so that no one suspects their frozen origin. Try to defrost them in the morning, just as the sun comes out. The thing is that if you defrost certain foods abruptly –like salmon or chicken– they might take on a refrigerator smell and become fibrous. If there’s no inspirational material in the freezer, move on to the fridge. There’s always something on the verge of expiring: that will be the divine signal that tells you what you’ll cook today. Do you only have eggs? Everything counts. A Spanish potato omelet or a vegetable frittata makes a complete meal if you complement it with a salad and slices of grilled bread.The last place to explore is the pantry. One protein –vegetable or animal, canned or preserved– will be enough. Don’t prepare it devoid of fun. How about in a tuna in vizcaína sauce or in some tostadas with tuna salpicon? Don’t forget legumes like beans, lentils, and chickpeas: they are an ideal source of protein. There are a thousand ways to turn them from a side dish into a main course. Shall we eat a lentil burger?Plan your menu in advance.My recommendation: don’t fill your mind with logistical thoughts on Sunday night. On Saturday at noon, calmly plan what you’ll cook. A good way to do this is to follow a weekly meal model. For example, Monday, meatless dishes (using plant proteins); Tuesday, traditional food; Wednesday, roasted protein and salads; Thursday, world cuisine; and Friday, fun food. This way, you’ll start the creative process from a starting point and with good nutritional balance.One product, a thousand waysAn ingredient is an infinite canvas. It can be your savior in the daily chapters of “And what am I cooking today?” If you have chicken and need to defrost the whole piece, think about the possibilities of the same cooking. For example, chicken broth can serve as a base for soups, creams, and sauces. The chicken can be divided into three parts. The first, diced to prepare a creamy salad; the second, shredded as a filling for cascabel chili enchiladas; the third, as a stuffing for a poblano pepper alongside a tomato sauce. For the vegetables from the broth, drain them and add manchego cheese and a bit of ricotta to gratin them, or cut them into cubes to prepare a potato salad with bacon. If you’ve cooked zucchini, one option is to stuff them with strips and cheese, make them into lasagna, or cut them lengthwise and grill them to replace a masa huarache.ImproviseYou didn’t have time to get inspired. You didn’t have time to go to the supermarket. Don’t feel bad. It happens to all of us. Here’s the tip: sauté all the vegetables you have in a pot, add a protein, and finish with a pasta sauce. Don’t have proteins, but have eggs? Some vegetable patties will be your saviors. Do you have chicken breasts and vegetables? Combine everything and make a new version of discada for tacos. Remember that everything –yes, everything– fits in a pot or in a taco.