Stealing recipe ideas from stores & restaurants

Breaking out of the food rut. Sometimes it seems like I am eating the same things over and over. That's when it's time to look for inspiration. Instead of starting with cookbooks, start by looking at stores with good deli items or the menus of restaurants you love then hit the cookbooks or online recipes and make your own versions of those items. I've ordered some of these 500 calories, 4 minute veggie meals from Fresh Direct in the past when I was working full time and trying to finish my thesis. Some of them were great with a lot of flavor, others ho-hum. But they all shook me out of the rice and beans mode when I had more time to cook and they helped me add protein options other than tofu and beans!