Do you ever just not bother with an evening meal?

[MrsJBaptiste]

DH works nights and sometimes I'll just have a bowl of cereal or a bagel instead of a proper meal. Some friends think this is awful and they would never last the night without a big dinner.

I always give the kids a nice meal but sometimes there might not be enough for me (e.g. tonight they had leftover chilli) so I just grab something later. However by the time I'm in from the gym, fed them and tidied up it might be 8.30pm and there's no way I can be bothered faffing on with something then!

Surely I can't be the only one...?

I do eat now with the kids but before then I could easily skip dinner altogether and when I was pregnant with DC2 I only ate dinner on weekends as during the week I just went to bed at dinner time because I was so exhausted with work and DC1.
If I lived alone I can’t imagine actually cooking an evening meal. Lunch I always bother with though, unless ill.

@MaisieMaisie I’m not 47 and I often don’t bother eating at night either, but you sound very old for your age the way you are describing yourself. At 47 surely you are more active than ever.

Before kids I often had cereal for dinner and lunch was more normal so my main meal or the day. Now I end up eating tea with the kids because the food is just there even though I don't feel that hungry and to show them good eating habits. If I had an evening with no DH or DC I would relish the chance to spend all evening not thinking about food!

I really like eating a hot lunch and not eating properly in the evening. I could live on cereal/toast ect instead of cooking.

I could cook for the rest of the family and have a bowl of cereal myself. Did it last night - pork chops, potatoes and turnip for 2, pork chop with pasta for 1 and dd had a vegetarian pizza. As none of it appealed to me I had a bowl of Rice Krispies. I hate cooking, hate having to think of what to have for bloody dinners, so by the time I serve up there are times I just can't be arsed eating it. If dd cooks I'll eat though

Love not having to think about cooking meals, food isn't important to me, I eat because I have to, not because I really enjoy it.

I do 16/8 and eat a big brunch, then a big main meal around 3 or 4. I may have a little snack after that but don't have another meal.

Honestly on the nights when I skip dinner and just eat crackers or leftover birthday cake or something, I generally feel better than when I eat a big bowl of pasta. I suspect, given my waistline, I probably don’t really need dinner nutritionally and am just eating it out of habit/to be social, and should try skipping it more often.

God I sometimes really hate the way evenings are so taken up with preparing an evening meal, eating it and clearing up after it. And then you have to shop for all the ingredients before hand. And all the arguments about who should cook and what and when.

Just think of all the fun stuff we could all be doing if we just got into the habit of having a bowl of Weetabix instead.

Left to my own devices I wouldn't bother sometimes but DH can't not have an evening meal.

To be honest if i didnt have children i would hardly ever cook. Im good with sandwiches and cereal!

I always do an evening meal and male everyone sit at the table. I think it’s important to have that time together eating. Sometimes is a lot of effort though but even if it’s just a pizza or something I try to make everyone sit down.

I often have an apple at half past ten, a ‘proper’ lunch and a sandwich or toast for tea. I still cook for the family though.

Nope. Id be chewing my own arm off by bedtime.

But I am old (47) so definitely do not need a huge amount of food
That's not old! I'm also 47 and more active than I was 20 years ago.

😀 I have really found my people here!

Thinking about meals, food shopping, prepping, cooking (even eating it sometimes!) what a bloody palava!

I live for food! I like the punctuation point of the evening meal - work is done, sit down to eat and chat, then it’s the evening proper. My friend’s husband works away a lot, and she will cook a meal for her DC, then just have a bagel or toast herself if her DH isn’t home. I would be firing into crisps by 10pm unless I had had a huge lunch.

(I am 47 next month. I average about 18,000 steps on a work day, so am usually hungry. I don’t consider myself old.)

When I used to drink milk, I loved having cereal (Cornflakes or Cheerios) for dinner. There was something about the milk that lulled me to sleep easily.
I've never really been a stickler for unnecessary rules anyway - must have x,y,z for breakfast or lunch or dinner. I eat what I feel like and if I'm too tired to cook, I don't.

I could quite happily have some toast, soup or cheese & crackers instead of a meal. My kids are tiny though so trying to instill good habits so do end up eating with them.

Quite often if I'm in alone I'll just have a bowl of yoghurt and a couple of crackers.

I'm happy to eat the kids leftovers or have cereal! I find a big meal makes it harder for me to sleep.

Like others have said also means you get little of an evening after bedtime, cooking, tidying up!

I skip evening meal quite often mostly because I find it easier to maintain a low BMI by not eating after 4pm. Not wierd if you aren't hungry doesn't matter. I hate this social thing of just because it's "lunch time" means everyone must eat.

Yes, most days I have just one main meal sometime between 2-4pm. I live alone and mostly work from home so it makes sense... and I couldn't deal with all the washing up if I cooked twice in one day just for me.

It's just DH and me at home now, and we often just snack at night: fruit; cheese, etc. I don't like to cook, never have. When we do have a proper meal, he cooks.