Most restaurant portions are way too huge for a single meal, so the leftover factor for me is built in. Being able to just randomly select something that another person will prepare and get two meals out of it? That has a lot of appeal. Then there is the clean-up. It takes as much time cleaning up meal prep for two people as it does for a family. Of course you'll have a couple more forks, plates, cups, but the pots, pans, serving dishes all are the same count. Plus, three-four nights, I am alone at supper, with DH not getting home until after 8:00, so making a nice meal, that essentially is just going to be reheated for him, sometimes feels pointless to put a lot of effort into a home cooked sit down dinner. If I could get DH to eat the same meals multiple days, that would cut down, but since he has been really watching his lunches with the same food nearly daily, he is even less excited about leftovers for supper. I know eating out is counter productive as most restaurants use much more salt than home cooking would be, so he would have a limited choice. While I'm not going to start eating out or picking up take out a lot, I can certainly understand the appeal.
We're meeting family for lunch this afternoon. I plan to order something that will yield supper tonight for me, or just have popcorn and fruit. There's a piece of fish left and I have both a couple sweet potatoes and regular potatoes and vegetable I can make, the leftover potatoes and veg for my lunch tomorrow. From there, I am blank on what else to make this week. There's the usual hotdishes and I have ingredients for multiples once I get more milk. We have stuff for spaghetti and ghoulish. I'll need something for DH's lunches and the basics we have run out of. Budget be damned at this point-I just want to get out of kitchen ambivalence. Do you eat out more when you get in ruts? Will your family or partner do leftovers well, or are they difficult like DH is becoming?
I definitely get irritated with food prep, because no one else will give me any ideas of what they would like for the week. Then they may raise their eyes at whatever is prepared. So annoying!
ReplyDeleteMy family knows that we cook on weekends & eat leftovers on weekdays. If they don't like that idea, there are usually other options for them to pull from the freezer (chicken that can be baked in 20 minutes, etc.)
I capitalize on the fact that cooking on weekends is easier (more time) & helps me feel more relaxed & organized for the week. I suppose you could set up a similar system, but would need to rotate with leftovers from the freezer?
In an odd way, it was easier with a family as DH knew I was trying to juggle so much. I need to plan fr different meals but maybe use same prep items.
DeleteI agree that the key is planning. That means taking time and taking stock of what's in the fridge, freezer and pantry; what's on sale; what's the week's agenda look like; who's home for dinner; what's our preference that week. I've lived alone for 25+ yrs and I do meal planning. I come up with 3 dishes for the week and go from there. I don't believe in wasting food and that drives me. I enjoy cooking shows and magazines. I've picked a recipe from a monthly magazine just to try something new. I've even thrown in a weekly meatless dish. And as always, some weeks are diamond; some not so much. This week's menu - chicken stir fry; cabbage soup from the freezer; mac 'n'cheese using up all the ends of the holidays cheeses.
ReplyDeleteIt's just us. That is the big change in our life cooking for two compared to with kids. I like the idea of trying new things.
DeleteI can definitely understand the appeal of eating out. I love to eat out and so does my dd, but we want a house more, so we are saving money towards that goal. But the appeal is definitely there.
ReplyDeleteYes-our needs are more than eating out, and our wants such as updates on the house, should have higher priority.
DeleteIf I turn the leftover dish into something else, my family will eat it, but as for using up, say, leftover chili, my family, particularly my husband, is terrible. We don't have a microwave, moreover, we don't like the taste/texture of food once it's been microwaved. My kids can use the oven or stove to heat up stuff if they want, but DH seems incapable of doing anything with an oven other than heating up soup. Also, he neve can seem to find the leftovers. As I refuse to make lunches other than packed lunches for school for anyone other than myself, (if I feel like eating--since I haven't really eaten lunch since I left work), often he goes hungry at lunchtime while leftovers often go bad. It is things like this that make cooking and meal planning difficult for me, NOT the actual cooking!
ReplyDeleteSome things definitely do not work reheated in the microwave, or taste different. I've gotten over that for my own lunches. I just am now so focused on DH's diet, I am in a rut otherwise.
DeleteYes, same issue at our house, compounded by the fact that any trip outside of the house is a treat since we work from home. I bloody hell hate trying to figure out what is for supper. Last night was instant pizza (Delissio bought on sale $2.50) with several added toppings. Is our favorite fairly instant meal and really never costs more than $6 or $7 even with mucho toppings added. Tonight hubby is making supper - I requested he make something with boneless chicken breast which we have in the freezer
ReplyDeleteI think I need to make a bunch of flatbread or pizza crusts for more make our own. We just can't do frozen or take out often now because of salt, but you give me a great suggestion for using up leftovers, and maybe creating something newish. We love pizza
DeleteI have been going through cookbooks and flagging the meals I want to make in the coming weeks. Have you ever tried that with DH? Recently I've made butter chicken, a curry type stew, spinach quiche and Thai coconut soup with diced chicken. I almost always have cottage cheese and salad ingredients as sides if I want something else. I cooked for a family of 4 for years, then 5, and then 3, 2 and now just me- I still cook pretty much the same way but eat more leftovers and freeze dishes. I rarely eat out and never get take out- it's not the cost but the fact I find most restaurant food mediocre.
ReplyDeleteI could certainly try, but he'd be like, "that sounds good" to everything, and then later say, wasn't his favorite. He is sort of passive aggressive with new food.
DeleteTaking lunch every day can get a bit boring, especially when you eat the same thing for dinner. I have no solutions, other than to be grateful you have food.
ReplyDeleteI am blessed and this is a first world/privleged issue isn't it?
DeleteHello sam , I have an awkward one ( husband that is lol ) Like you i will eat the same meal two days on the run but he wont , we don't eat out anymore , health issues play a part plus the fact we are always dissatisfied with the quality at the budget/medium prices restaurants and we cant afford the more expensive ones xxx
ReplyDeleteWE really just can't afford health wise to eat more than a rare occurrence in restaurants, cost o no cost. I'll keep trying to be more creative.
DeleteIt's hard coming up with new ideas isn't it. I think it goes in phases though. When I feel like that I start googling "foreign" dishes and recipes. I particularly love Turkish/Middle Eastern recipes and Indian/Thai so I will try that out (usually unsuccessfully to be honest) but it does give me ideas!
ReplyDeleteDH has a very bland flavor profile preference. This makes cooking new dishes more difficult. Me and the kids? Love variety, but they are not here now.
DeleteLike Mona I've been on my own a long time. During the semester (I teach) I prep all my meals for the week on weekends, otherwise I don't get lunch and dinner is whatever unhealthy I can rustle up. I eat lots of leftovers, freeze meals, too. I'm going to try a couple of your hotdish ideas as well. -Celie
ReplyDeleteI always have hotdishes to fall back on.
DeleteEvery so often I arrive at the dinner table with pen and paper in hand. My family knows this means I'm out of ideas. As everyone begins to eat (so they are still hungry) I ask them to each give me three main course ideas or three dessert ideas. It helps! They know fulfilled meals will coincide with grocery sales and freezer supplies.
ReplyDeleteI can meet with myself!
DeleteWhen I’m stuck in a kitchen rut, I choose to go to a store outside of my normal routine. Usually ethnic or a super yuppie health food place. All it takes sometimes is 1 or 2 different items to reignite my inspiration. Just something fresh, something different.
ReplyDeleteGood idea. Trader Joe's fills that need for me as they are out of the way, but still on my route sort of.
DeleteI'm the fussy one in the household luckily, the chap is happy to take the same lunch every day and is easy about what we eat in the evening. For years I tried to think of something fresh and novel to eat each night but then he told me he didn't care so now I often plan leftovers which is great.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, I am just coming out of a cooking lull where I haven't felt interested at all.
I've gotten ideas form all the comments and feel like I can give this week a good go.
DeleteI can eat the same thing for days! Tommy is not so eager after the second day. I will keep serving him chicken with different vegetables. He is the driver for grabbing a burger, cheap one with coupons. My disability makes me eager to agree to grab something quick. If he would microwave his food, it would be easier for you to pack different things.
ReplyDeleteIt would be easier to pack, but he often doesn't have a true lunch break-maybe 5-10 minutes here or there. He might eat half a sandwich, and then an hour later, eat the other half. that doesn't work so well with reheat and eat.
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