To serve meat

[Mim78]

Occasional poster, long time frequent lurker.

At the moment I am on maternity leave with DS (nearly 6 months). DD (5) is on school summer hols so I have them both at home all day. This is great and I'm really enjoying the holidays before I go back to work in September.

DH is working long hours at the moment and so I am doing all the cooking in the week. On the weekend just passed he did all the cooking on Sunday; we were out on Saturday.

This evening I made penne with a bolognaise sauce I had made from the left overs of Sunday's dinner. Tasty and economical I thought.

DH asked me this evening "can we not have meat every day?". This was on health grounds as he does not think it is good for him to eat meat every day.

My initial response was "I am not a restaurant" and am not going to cook to order. TBH we don't have meat every day, but I was planning a meat based meal tomorrow (also incorporating some [different] left overs). I also said I am not having a meat based argument with him, but then we agreed to ask the MN jury to see who is BU.

He is probably right on health grounds, but AIBU to say I am cooking so I will choose what we will have? His response to that was, "fine I will cook something else for myself", which seems to me a waste of time.

Additional info that may be relevant:

1. I am weaning DS, who is just starting to move on to a wider variety of food, i.e. passed the one ingredient/food at a time phase. I am doing a mix of puree and finger food.

1. DH recently lost weight doing the 5/2 diet and exercise and is looking good on it!

I do most of the cooking but we both choose what we are having. Well, we put forward choices and see where the overlap is . I am vegetarian so my husband eats veggie a few times a week (tonight we had a mixed bean chilli), and I feel that's better for him than eating meat with every meal.

If he is saying he wants days with no meat, then YABU. If he wants meat every day, then YANBU.

If you are making things like roasts and reusing the leftovers, great, but you could do that for 2 days and then go meat free (very easy, veggie alternatives, pizza, baked potatoes, etc). Or if you are making things like shepherds pie and lasagne, split it into 2 and freeze one before cooking.

Cook chooses within reason, we do a meal plan together each week and then divvy up who is cooking. Very often DH will ask me to make my chili or I'll ask him to make his curry.

witchway and funkyboldribena - that is how he said it - I was trying to capture the tone of what he said as well as the meaning which was why I quoted directly.

But what he was saying was that he didn't want meat everyday.

I think the consensus is that I WIBU if I insisted on meat every day but not U to use up leftovers first, which I think is fair. I'm not going to insist on meat every day Btw.

To clarify the point about wasting time - I meant it would be a waste of time to cook two seperate meals because I have to cook earlier for DCs anyway. But of course he can cook whatever/whenever he likes if he wants to - I would not actually stop him and appreciate that would be U and controlling!

If I'm cooking there is meat. Anyone else cooking their choice!

Not quite answering your question but I think it can cause issues when the 'cook' always decides what to eat. In our home I enjoy cooking and shopping and usually decide what to eat - my DH loves fish, which I loathe, so I very rarely cook fish. My DH would happily cook - but I can't bear the sort of food he cooks - so I tend to try and cook meals which we both like ..............not really sure what my point is but quite honestly I would hate to have to eat food cooked by someone else every night. .

Sorry, a rambling comment which doesn't really say anything.

And there are loads of things to do with leftover veg which don't require meat: soup, bubble & squeak, eat with beans or lentils, etc... Or have fish instead?

Janethegirl Have you never had a vegetarian to dinner?

I'm not keen on meat two days in a row, and I'm really not keen on leftovers (reminds me too much of my MIL, who produces a tiny sliver of meat, three roast potatoes, some unidentifiable cold and slimy vegetables and something covered in mould and announces proudly "leftovers!" as she attempts to replicate Jesus's miracle of feeding the 5000!).

I don't know why but even if you make something new and different, it still tastes of leftovers if eaten the next day. So if I'm making a lasagne, I will make sure I've made surplus bolognaise sauce and I'll freeze it. If we have roast chicken, the leftover chicken will keep in the fridge till the day after the day after and then become a chicken Caesar salad or something. For some unknown reason, the minimum 48hrs' gap introduces an element of novelty and suddenly it's not leftovers any more - whilst finding a bolognaise sauce in the freezer is cause for celebration!

So I'm with both of you - freeze it, produce it again another day.

It's a bit of a shame that if he wants to take charge of his health you aren't willing to help. Can we not eat meat every day isn't the same as can we not eat it tonight.
We tend to have meat Sunday and then left overs mon and Tuesday and go pretty veggie for the rest of the week.

Soup for lunch is ok but not for tea/dinner whatever you call it. I need meat later in the day or else there is no point eating a meal. Crisps, snacks n wine or cider are my choices in the absence of meat!

Re tomorrow - it's just that of the things we have the easiest thing to do (in my eyes) would involve meat.

I will do vegetarian the next day.

Interested in the opinions though!

Blackbird, I think lasagne tastes better on the second day!

I dont think he was unreasonable to ask, and his suggestion to cook something for himself when he wanted meat free seems fine too.

No maid not a real vegetarian, only pescatarian, no problem.

I sometimes freeze leftovers if there isn't enough & combine them into a whole meal later.

Would he suggest a vegetarian meal that he'd like? my DH is really bad at suggesting

Does he include fish in the no meat thing? gets away with tuna/tomato pasta thing

Perfectly reasonable for him to request veggie some days of the week. You're not a restaurant but you do all benefit. But it needs to fit around what's in the fridge and needs using up.

I wonder if this is more about last week's menu than next week's.

Read up on the China Study, or even watch Horizon tonight about the health effects of a meat based diet. And, without wanting to get on my veggie high horse, the effects on the environment of eating meat every day.

Though agree with you about being annoyed, I would be too!

DH says thank you for your support - I gave him a summary rather than letting him read as I know that is not encouraged on MN!

BUT he says that "can we not have meat every day" was not bad grammer.

A vegetable curry is to die for. It quick and easy cheap with minimal washing up.

I do not see the issue with having good meat every day ie free range, organic, pigs free range, healthy animals for dinner. I would never eat factory chickens or pigs, but good meat why not? Unless you can't afford it and then that's a cost choice. If I can afford it, I eat it, but it must meet minimal standards first.

OP I'm with your husband. Meat every day please :)

WHY is it not healthy though?

If I am ever unfortunate as to have to feed a vegetarian, he will be getting every dish but the meat ones and I'll tell him before he visits. I not changing my menus for vegetarians, they can eat the non meat dishes or starve

He also has just said that I really love meat and couldn't do without it! This is not true as I also love, for instance, a vegetable curry or good tomato sauce (I mean a home mead sauce based on tomatoes, not ketchup!) for pasta.

I think he thinks I am unrealistic about food because I have a fast metabolism and don't gain weight easily.

However, he is unrealistic about sleep because he can drop off on a pin head and nothing wakes him up!

This has been a lighthearted discussion as I hope is clear. (Except his original comment/request!)

Tonight's horizon is an excellent starting point.