DH phones on his way home from work and asks what you’d like him to pick up for dinner...

[Mondayponderings]

Near enough every day DH does this (he’s the cook in the house) and I’m always absolutely stuck.

Give me some inspiration, if someone was to offer to stop and pick up ingredients to cook a meal what would you pick today?

We're having paella

But that would drive me mad!

Get him a recipe book and then tell
him to work page onwards

I'm having sausage and mash for my tea. With corn on the cob and onion gravy.
Just me and I'm looking forward to it

I want nachos. The fresh, crunchy, creamy tangy kind not the chuck salsa and cheese on Doritos kind. I'd want a cheese sauce, guacamole, red onions, black beans, pico de gallo. And maybe sour cream/crème fraiche with a lot of lime juice and salt added.

Now I'm hungry

I have one of these too! Excellent cook but somehow I have to suggest things until I get the'right' one.
My default is chicken because everyone eats it. DH then grumbles because 'we always have chicken'...

Why not do a meal plan together at the weekend and then he won't need to phone every night

Tonight we're having an Italian lentils and sausage meal (dh is cooking it)

On Mon we had fajitas, Tuesday was curry, Thursday will be some sort of fried rice dish and Friday is slow cooked ribs (that's just reminded me I was supposed to buy ribs...oops)

I would jambalaya or tacos/any Mexican food.
I would love to be asked what I fancied every night knowing I didn’t have to cook it!

@dementedpixie I absolutely hate meal planning in that I don’t know that I’m going to fancy chicken and roasted veg 5 days from now but I do think I could probably have more of a back catalogue of ideas so when DH wants to pick something up we have suggestions as generally at 1700 midweek my mind is blank!

As the only cook and the only person who comes up with meal ideas in our house it's always puzzled me how some people do easily accept what they're given as long as they don't have to make any effort themselves. On the rare occasion I get an answer to 'what do you fancy?' It is always, without fail, beans on toast

Get a cheap note book and start writing every meal you like down
Then when he phones just randomly flick it open and tell him whatever your finger lands on

Spend an hour browsing restaurant menus online and make a list of things you like the sound of (but are not too arduous for DH)

Honey shredded chicken with egg fried rice

We keep our wee weekly lists so we can look back on what we had and see if anything takes our fancy; see something we've not had for a while

Some days of the week have certain things we usually have on that day e.g. fajitas tends to be on a Monday as its quick and dh plays football. Curry on a Tuesday; pasta of some description would usually be on a Thursday as again its quick and ds has rugby training.

Meatballs!

Even my DH knows that choosing what to eat is 90% of the food management workload.

XDH always used to say "lobster Thermidor" when I asked him what he wanted, I was amused to hear his new wife was cooking it for him recently as I suspect I know why...

Is "I don't care, you choose" an acceptable/safe answer?

I just had a veggie burger with homemade coleslaw was starving and couldn't wait
I quite fancy linguine now though.
Yesterday was risotto, which is nice and easy.
My easy go to dinners are chicken wraps or a chilli.

I've spent the better part of the last 35 years or so being catering decision-maker. I love it when adult dc or dh says they'll cook, even if it is just a ready meal or takeaway. I don't care what it is, as long as I don't have to do it!

We meal plan in as much as we have a family Google Keep note of meal ideas for the week. We're not "oh it's Wednesday it's tuna pasta" or whatever about it but having some clue what we're going to eat helps. Especially with clubs/working late/meetings.
Dh is making falafel tonight.

That would drive me crazy. When we shop we buy at least 3 meals, eg: stir fry, gammon new potatoes and veg, quiche and salad.
Someone phoning me every day would just drive me nutty.
Trying to decide what to eat each week and come up with a variety of meals is the most boring part of adulthood. being asked to decide on the spot makes it even worse.

Enchiladas
risotto
paella
lasagne
salmon new potatoes and veg
stroganoff
thai green curry
cajun chicken and peppers with sweet potato wedges
curry
sausage and mash
chilli
tacos
chicken Caesar salad
tortellini
gnocchi
garlic chicken, salad and new potatoes
chicken schnitzel in pitta with coleslaw
steak and chips
gammon, egg and pineapple
Prawn stir fry
Satay
meatballs and spaghetti
dhal

Chilli chicken with peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms and sweetcorn. It smells divine.

Chippy! No doubt.

It reminds me of an SVU scene.

Olivia Benson: <speaking into mobile phone clutched to her head as she enters apartment, carrying briefcase and paperwork files and kicking door closed> I don't know Brian. I don't care what we have for dinner. Chicken?

<pause>

Olivia Benson: I don't care what colour rice we have, Brian. I just don't want to have to make another decision today.

<pause>

Olivia Benson: OK, white. <sighs>

I wasn't going to say nachos but then I read nachos and now all I can think about are nachos. So nachos

Tuna nicoise salad tonight here!