How do you "manage" food and teen/adult children's uncertain plans

[LegendaryReady]

Ds1 has a girlfriend and spends a lot of time out of the house. This is good, I like to see him happy and enjoying life after the time they've all had.

I also do a family dinner most nights and I never know who I'm catering for. He was going to be home tonight so I've got the meat out of the freezer, but his plans have changed and I now know he won't be here.

He's let me know in good time, but I've still got a chicken breast I don't need out

Part of me is inclined not to cook for him at all but then he'd live off toast and cereal. He can cook but he wouldn't. He's an adult, perhaps I should leave it at that, but I'm still his mum who cares about his health.

He wouldn't be put out at all if I stopped cooking for him. He'd probably prefer not having to think about being home for dinner. It's not about him being unreasonable, hes not. When he is here he contributes his share to housework and DIY it's just that currently he's spending a lot of time with GF

It's also not about one chicken breast, it's about one xyz on a fairly regular basis.

I just wondered how others manage this?

If we get an unexpected extra for dinner I tend to bulk out what we’re having by doing some extra veg/salad/garlic bread and/or adding a desert or ore-dinner nibbles from the freezer/pantry.
In your case I’d maybe cook three portions (at least some of the time) and plan to have the extra portion for lunch, with some kind of lunch backup in case he shows up (sandwich, soup, something from freezer).

[quote InnPain]@dodobookends well then just put it in the fridge and eat it yourself the next time you’re hungry. Not like it’ll go to waste.[/quote]
Several times a week for several years, and it starts to get on your nerves a bit. Especially when the stuff I cook for everyone is not necessarily what DH and I would have chosen if we'd known it would just be the two of us.

I make big dinners, impossible habit for me to break, so there's always leftovers. With teenage boys, dogs and a hollow legged DH, someone will end up eating it. I just stick whatever is leftover in the fridge and let them figure it out.