After I get home from Thailand, I’m in a bit of a funk because I’m so dearly missing burning my face off at every meal. I miss every breakfast that leaves me in tears, every lunch that forces me to keep a tissue at the ready, and every dinner that leaves my tender lips inflamed.

To add a bit of spice into my life while I’m in the states, I’ve been sneaking a bit of heat in to my standard go-to dishes.

I love butternut squash soup, especially during these frigid temperatures, but this version kicks up the creamy factor with coconut milk and adds some zing! with ginger and a Thai chili.

Make a double batch and you’ll have enough soup to freeze and keep for a lazy non-cooking-kind-of-day day.

Molly, founder of Bluebonnet Babies, put together a list of excuses for when it’s okay to stay out of the kitchen. (Hint, have frozen soup on hand!)

Top 10 Excuses Not to Cook

Sometimes, okay, a lot of the time, parents don’t feel like cooking. However, more often than not, we have to. Here are 10 legitimate reasons to avoid the kitchen.

1. You just had a baby

Congratulations, your new bundle of joy is the ultimate excuse not to cook! Accept meals from friends, family, your neighbors, the delivery driver – anyone offering.

2. Severe Weather

A pervasive blizzard or imminent hurricane are the perfect opportunity to heat up the pre-made meals filling your freezer. This week on #TheDinnerDance, we created an amazing Thai-Style Butternut Squash and Coconut Cream Soup. Make extra and store it in the freezer for those inevitable days when cooking is a no go.

3. The in-laws are in town

This is cause for celebration. Indulge in eating out to commemorate the visit and evade having to cook for extra mouths.

4. Extracurricular Activities

Late evening softball practice or piano lessons are the perfect dinner-plan diversion. The perils of fast-food are negated by feeding your child’s love of their extracurricular activity.

5. Sleepless Nights

For sleep deprived parents, be careful not to get carried away with this excuse. But for those extra tough nights filled with tears and an inconsolable baby, cut yourself some slack and keep dinner simple or order in.

6. Any Celebration Day

Whether it’s mother’s day or a birthday, choose a festive restaurant to celebrate. Not cooking is the perfect gift!

7. Everyone’s sick

There’s nothing worse than an illness indiscriminately making its way through each family member. Capitalize on uneasy appetites by serving up ready-made chicken soup and saltine crackers.

8. Moving Day

When the kitchen appliances and dishes are all boxed up – pizza it is! Unless you’re a magician, pulling dinner out of a hat is highly unlikely.

9. Appliance Malfunction

When your fridge is on the fritz or your oven is out of commision, this is the ideal scenario to go to a restaurant or order in.
10. Luscious Locks

The day you get your hair done certainly calls for a night out on the town. Don’t let that gorgeous hair wilt over a hot stove. Dial up the babysitter and throw some heels on for a fun dinner date.

When the excuses run out, there’s always our recipes and tips for #thedinnerdance to keep you going.

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Molly England earned her master’s degree in social work at The University of Edinburgh. She currently lives in The Woodlands, Texas with her husband and their three children. She is a devoted blogger and a passionate Certified Bradley Method® Natural Childbirth Educator. In 2015 Molly founded Bluebonnet Babies, a virtual hub providing products and resources based on evidence, research, experience and love to parents making healthy and informed choices. Blogging enables Molly to achieve her goal of empowering families across the globe as they navigate pregnancy to parenthood. Her work has appeared in Holistic Parenting Magazine, the Pathways to Family Wellness Blog and more. She recently began freelance writing and is featured in Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine’s February Issue. Visit Molly England’s website Bluebonnet Babies.

Claire Handleman has been a chef in New York for 10 years, working at some of the city’s best restaurants. She previously worked on ABC’s Emmy-award winning show The Chew as an assistant producer and participated in Food Network’s Chopped competition…and won. Claire has been traveling the world for the past dozen years but focuses a majority of her time in South-East Asia. She has come to regard Thailand as a second home and spends many months each year learning Thai cuisine. She is currently working on a book with the hopes of sharing the incredible cuisine her Thai friends have shared withher. While she travels and works, she shares stories, recipes and travel tips on her blog Passport to Eat.