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Original poster

So fucking bored of meal planning!

223 replies

bingowingsmcgee · 05/12/2020 23:42

Anyone else just find the whole meal-making thing deadly dull?! I am so bored of thinking about food, shopping for food, preparing food... Wish I could find some joy in it, but it just feels Neverending. Anyone else?

OP posts:
Flapjak · 08/12/2020 21:05

@Hellohah, i have just discovered vallage cheese, its bloody delicious. And totally with you on cheese and crackers once kids leave home

skankingpiglet · 08/12/2020 21:12

I hit a meal planning wall about 18 months ago. A few things have helped:

I now have each family member pick 1 or 2 meals a week. It has to be a specific dish. DH will often try to get away with 'salmon' or 'pasta', but it is (yet a-fucking-gain) explained that is a category not a dish and he will come up with a proper choice. 4yo DD2 will reliably pick carbonara or spag bol every week, so that gets a bit repetitive, but it's only 1 day (and carbonara is ridiculously quick and easy to cook so that's a win). 6yo DD1 will flick through the cook books now and choose a couple of recipes - she makes good requests too! I then fill in the blanks eg no fish dishes yet or need something quick for swimming night etc. It works as nobody is overly fussy (it has always been a 'one meal, take it or leave it' house), and any small disgruntled murmurs can be cut off by reminding them tomorrow will be 'their' night.

Friday night is 'ding' night - the DCs get to go wild and pick whatever ready meal they like from either the reduced section or one on offer. Yes, it's crap food, but most of what they eat is very veg-heavy and home cooked so I can't get worked up about it.

DH has also learnt to quickly offer a takeaway on the nights where I really CBA - usually around once a fortnight - and I buy up nicer ready meals and freeze them when I see them reduced to help with those nights too.

billy1966 · 08/12/2020 21:17

Lord yes.

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General food
Mindfulofmuddle · 08/12/2020 21:18

I hate it with a rare passion. As soon as DC leave home, I will eat exactly what I like when I like and DH can fend for himself.
He will never understand the brain stuffing tedium of thinking about, planning for, shopping for and executing meals for 4 people on a daily basis relentlessly, who don't want to eat the same things as each other. Ever.

Suitsme · 08/12/2020 21:20

My week

Mon - Shit, theres no food, I need to go shopping.
Tues - Shit, theres no food, I need to go shopping.
Wed - Shit, theres no food, I need to go shopping.
Thurs - Go shopping
Fri - Shit, all this food needs eating up before it goes off.
Sat - Shit, all this food needs eating up before it goes off.
Sun - Eats everything.

Redcrayons · 08/12/2020 21:21

@midnightstar66

*Now we have a covine vaccine the scientists should go and sort those meal replacement tablets out. Then we only cook when we fancy it, mostly we have the tablets. No fuss, no mess, no feeling hungry it would be great.*

Like Willy wonkas magic 3 course chewing gum?! Hopefully after all this time he's tweaked the recipe to make it safe.

Ready to sell my first born to crowd fund this. (Though he’s the fussiest out of all of us, so two birds and all that)
ArabellaPilkington · 08/12/2020 21:31

@Suitsme

My week

Mon - Shit, theres no food, I need to go shopping.
Tues - Shit, theres no food, I need to go shopping.
Wed - Shit, theres no food, I need to go shopping.
Thurs - Go shopping
Fri - Shit, all this food needs eating up before it goes off.
Sat - Shit, all this food needs eating up before it goes off.
Sun - Eats everything.

My week

Monday - think about what we are running out of, add it to online shop. Look at what I've put on the meal planner for tonight, check fridge that no one has eaten any of the ingredients from it, scream if they have. Wish I was eating turbot and cook something everyone sort of likes but nobody loves. Get roasted by teens over supper for saying something lame. Scream at elder teen when he re emerges at 9.30pm for a second supper and leaves shit all over kitchen. Nag younger teen to make packed lunch. Listen to moaning about shit food we have in.
Tuesday - same
Wednesday - same plus food delivery
Thursday - same
Friday - same
Saturday - same
Sunday - same

Fucking GROUNDHOG

EssexLioness · 08/12/2020 21:50

Completely agree which is why I spent the time to write down an 8 week dinner rota. I settled on 8 weeks cos I thought there was enough variety then to not feel bored. I have been using this system for about a year now and it works brilliantly. Weekly shop is quick as we keep store cupboard stuff fully stocked. We are both vegan so mostly just a case of stocking up on fruit and veg, and any odd bits we’re running low on. Wish I had thought off this years ago as it has removed all the mental load. And if one day we don’t fancy the planned meal, we just swap it with another day from the same week

heidipi · 08/12/2020 22:53

@frolicmum

Our weekly plan just in case anyone needs inspo:

Monday - homemade burgers with homemade chips (mine are veggie, DHs are meat).
Tuesday -

😂 yep.

It's partly my fault in our house as I'm the only veggie, but that plus one moderately fussy eater, another who isn't fussy but doesn't like some of the things the fussy one does, plus DP's own little foibles and aarghhh.

"What's for tea?" 😶

BookShark · 08/12/2020 22:57

I do think that's the way forward Essex. I don't mind cooking at all, it's the planning so that we don't eat rice every night, or red meat etc. But I reckon I could go through our recipe folder (which is somewhat anally filled by main ingredient), find 8 different chicken recipes and make those Monday nights. Then Tuesday can be fish and so on. And then that's it done for months!

And then maybe a spare week for the odd occasion when DD isn't around. She's not bad compared with most kids, but still awkward enough to be a pain in the arse when meal planning - no creamy sauces and no pulses wipes out quite a few dishes!

Wauden · 08/12/2020 23:06

@Sexnotgender

I’ve found my people. I’m literally lying in my hospital bed looking at the meal plan for the week thinking I should probably pop to Lidl on the way home if I get out today. What a pile of shite.
That's awful!
Rainallnight · 08/12/2020 23:47

@EssexLioness I’m probably being really thick, but how does an 8 week rota work? Is it a plan for 8 weeks worth of meals with a different meal on each day?

Or is it a weekly plan that you do for 8 weeks?

Rainallnight · 08/12/2020 23:49

@skankingpiglet I really like the sound of that. DS is only 2, so hard to involve him but I like the idea of trying it out on DD who’s 4.

Grimble69 · 09/12/2020 06:58

@midnightstar66

*Now we have a covine vaccine the scientists should go and sort those meal replacement tablets out. Then we only cook when we fancy it, mostly we have the tablets. No fuss, no mess, no feeling hungry it would be great.*

Like Willy wonkas magic 3 course chewing gum?! Hopefully after all this time he's tweaked the recipe to make it safe.

That's one option.

I was thinking more like having a catheter in-you don't need a wee and you don't notice that you don't need a wee. So you don't feel hungry and you don't notice you're not hungry.

Tablets Monday to Friday then just a couple of days of meals to think about.

barrywilson · 09/12/2020 07:02

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TheVanguardSix · 09/12/2020 07:11

I think the whole 'work from home' thing too adds to that relentless feeling of being a 'feeder'. Honestly, after two lockdowns and everyone at home all the time (I have an 18 year old on a gap year... the one without a job or travel or work experience in sight- the other two are at school, which helps), I feel like that's become my career: serial feeder, as opposed to cereal feeder. It doesn't stop... the making of food. And I have ZERO enthusiasm for Christmas dinner. My kids seem to think I'm a living, breathing Just Eat/McDonald's drive-thru intercom. Can we have this? Can you make that? As if my cupboards are full of their requests, just sitting there, bored, waiting to be used on demand.

WildWindBlows · 09/12/2020 07:34

Hate it so much. Hate thinking about what to make, hate stopping what I'm doing to cook. Don't even enjoying eating anymore, just not a big foodie and find most food boring. Just all feels like a chore.

ritzbiscuits · 09/12/2020 09:23

Yes it's a massive PITA! The worst is trying to think of a variety of meals that will be eaten by DH (low carb), DS (anything in tomato sauce/pasta/rice only) and me (will eat anything!) without too many adaptations.

The only benefit of lockdown is that I've at least got DH doing the food shop now, but the mental load of all the planning is much worse!

LongCovidClara · 09/12/2020 10:53

One thing I will say is, I always fancy Gammon, egg, chips & peas Grin

theneverendinglaundry · 09/12/2020 11:15

I took inspiration from this thread and just asked the kids what meals I should cook next week. Nuggets and chips every night it is, then.

skankingpiglet · 09/12/2020 12:37

TheVanguardSix I have channelled some of the savings made from the absence of a social life this year straight into side stepping Christmas day prep, courtesy of Waitrose Entertaining. I'm picking it up on 23rd (at what is hopefully an 'off peak' time), and on 25th I shall peel back the film and chuck it the oven. I had also been struggling to find the enthusiasm to cook on Christmas Day, but am feeling much more upbeat about it now!

Parbor · 09/12/2020 14:17

So boring.
And the food seems to know I can’t be arsed because things I normally cook well taste decidedly average.

“What’s for dinner?” gives me the rage. One day they might learn not to ask.

Rainallnight · 09/12/2020 14:39

I have nothing for anyone to eat tonight.

theneverendinglaundry · 09/12/2020 16:33

I've decided. I'm going to Iceland tomorrow and am going to fill my freezer with CBA food.

Whatever gets you through the remainder of 2020, people. Whatever gets you through.

dexterslockedintheshedagain · 09/12/2020 17:16

@bettyskitchen
Spanakopita, for some reason, is called Savage Pie in our house! DD called it this when she was little and it stuck. I put sun dried tomatoes in mine too. It's delicious.