So fucking bored of meal planning!

[bingowingsmcgee]

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?

I love cooking but sometimes I just long for a meal that's a surprise - that I haven't shopped for/paid for/chosen/cooked. Friend invited me in for an omelette recently - and yes, it was against the bloody rules and we've probably killed your granny despite both being perfectly healthy! And it was heavenly!

Monday- jacket potatoes

Tuesday- veg curry

That’s as far as the meal planning goes. Don’t know why those days are planned.

So bored of cooking, washing up and chopping.

Mercifully fussy younger children turn into less fussy teens I promise!
But the BOREDOM YES! YES!
DH who needs to lose weight and bought himself a series of motivational lose weight cookbooks (think 800 calories); what therefore should I buy, pray? Apparently ASPARAGUS. Nothing else. Hmm. (Why not eat and drink less, watching said DH crack open a lager, pack of artisan crisps and some houmous?).
Now the youngest DS17 can't be arsed to get out of bed I have (shamefully) wasted bananas and avocados as he isn't awake enough for 3 meals. The eldest DS doesn't approve of our lean fish/veggie options so he has to have a can of mackerel on the side for our dishes.
My secret favourite lunch is a fried cheese sandwich (dipped in egg and fried with butter, mayonnaise on the side). I used to covertly make it for myself when home alone (when was that, ever?) Then youngest DS caught me making it and whined about wanting one. It doesn't taste the bloody same if you have to do two.
And DH in the kitchen thinks he's Keith Floyd - glass of wine/beer every night with snacks. IF YOU ARE HUNGRY JUST START COOKING YOU NUMPTY!

YANBU. Used to love cooking too, as a pp said it's having to cook stuff to please the kids too.

Love catmads suggestion of going back to basic from now til Christmas with jacket potatoes, soup etc. Might appreciate cooking and eating at christmas much more.

Recently separated and kids will be with their Dad 3 nights a week. Massive silver lining...I can eat mushrooms on toast etc and only have to plan 4 meals! Although I'm not sure how long this 3 night malarkey will continue once the tedium of 3 dinner every week sinks in (was always a battle to get him to cook once or twice a week...)

Let's think :

Chicken pie, roast spuds, carrots
Butter chicken, rice
Spag bol tonight
Salmon with pesto crumble
Quiche with jp's
Carrot, lentil, cabbage soup and cheese and baguette

God yes i hate it. If i ever become rich (not likely) i will hire a chef who will plan all the (healthy, tasty) meals, shop for the ingredients, cook and clean up afterwards. A girl can dream.

Ah the unimaginable luxury of being able to ask "what's for tea?"

Even if I'm not cooking I genuinely can't imagine not knowing what's in the fridge or on the list.

On a tricky day a couple of weeks ago when either both of us or neither of us was working (can't remember) DP looked at me mid-main course and asked "what's for pudding?" Reader, I wanted to punch him.

@Rainallnight it’s 8 weeks of different meals, not the same week repeated for 8 weeks. I tried with a months plan but found I still got a bit bored. The 8 week plan does have a couple of meals that are repeated, and I tend to do a similar thing every Friday: pittas/ tortillas/ crusty bread with various fillings/ salad etc.

Yep. The monotony of it I despise. With a passion.

@EssexLioness Wow, I don’t think I even have that many meals in my repertoire. Maybe that’s my problem!

Lol, I didn’t either! I found I was doing the same few meals on rotation each week and that was adding to my dread of meal planning/ cooking. It helps to have a loose theme to some nights eg Mondays are pasta eg spaghetti Bol, pasta bake, macaroni cheese, pesto pasta with roast veg. Fridays are wraps/bread with salad/ fillings etc, Saturday nights are takeaways/ Freezer food eg pizza, hot dogs, burgers. It’s much easier than you think when you work it out that way. But even a fortnightly or monthly rota would have the same effect. It’s whatever works for you and makes things easier

Having a trial of Gousto boxes here to try and alleviate the monotony.

Anyone want to share their mealplan/meal.rotation ideas!?!?

8 weeks is amazing! I was thinking of a selection of meals for mon-fri and keep them samish abd then vary at the weekend.

Im hoping planning would save us some money and help me eat better.

I've started doing a take away every Day, sausage beans and chips on a Sunday. And often a roast on a Fri night. I find that gives me a break and way less days to mindlessly plan.

@Oblomov20

Yep. The monotony of it I despise. With a passion.

Careful what you wish for. I can think of dozens, possibly 100+ different things that I like to eat. Even thinking about a small selection and turning it into a shopping list then brings on the 'X, Y and Z needs using up'.

I yearn to be in a position with half a dozen different things on Sunday to Friday and then takeaway on Saturday before repeating again on Sunday.

I find i get overwhelmed so easily with it all.

Yes hate it, having to try and please everyone and not bore them with similar dishes is so pissing tedious. Why can't they be like the dogs and just have the same meal everyday, annoying gits 😅

@RememberSelfCompassion
Here’s my meals for the 8 weeks:
Fridays are always wrap/ pitta/ bread and lots of different fillings/ salad etc to help yourself to
Sunday’s are always leftovers/ use up what stuff from the fridge etc ready for the week ahead
I also have one day every 3-4 weeks which is free choice eg if I want to try a new recipe
Technically speaking mine is more a 6 week rota, than 8 weeks, because one week every month I turn to meals with no work eg stuff from the freezer I’ve already batch cooked... I get terrible period pain which leaves me in agony for a week so I am incapable of cooking in this time: I have a separate list of go to meals for those weeks. This is what we have the rest of the time. Where I haven’t mentioned side veg, we always have it but I just use whatever is available as we get a veg box delivered weekly. We’re vegan but many meals could be swapped for meat equivalents. I am also autistic, with sensory issues re food, so if you feel this menu is a bit restrictive/ repetitive/ too basic then that is why... I do my best.

• shepherds pie
• Mushroom stroganoff and rice
• quorn nuggets, potato wedges
• pesto pasta with roast veg
• seitan steak, new potatoes, mushrooms, spinach and onion rings
• stir fry veg with tofu and udon noodles/ rice (one of our favourites so we have this every couple of weeks and just vary the veg)
• flatbread pizza / calzone
• sausage and roast veg traybake
• red lentil spaghetti Bol
• sausage & mash
• lentil bake
• burger & potato wedges
• loaded potato skins
• lasagne
• manicotti
• ‘breakfast for dinner’: veggie bacon, sausage, hash browns, mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach
• sausage, chips and mushy peas
• homity pie
• pasta bake
• toad in the hole
• cassoulet
• hot dogs
• Macaroni cheese
• veg casserole
• quesadillas
• pasta with meatballs

That's great Essex - given me a few ideas. I had to look up Homity pie - might give that a go

You’re welcome @JumpLeadsForTwo... homity pie is one of our favourites! It’s amazing, especially this time of year... pure comfort food

that plan looks great @EssexLioness, I've always fancied Homity Pie since the Hairy Bikers did it years ago!
@BookShark my planner is on it's way with the meal planner in, I'll report back when I've filled it in

@passthemustard

I feel like it takes up my entire life. Plan, food, shop for food, cook food, clear up food. It's relentless.

Plus the daily shouts of there's no food, there's nothing to eat, what can I eat, when are you going shopping! 😩

Make it stop

Are you me??!!