Having things "occasionally". What does that mean for you?

[Alchemist]

I read the posts saying folk have things such as pizza, ready meals, ice cream, sausage rolls and whatnot "occasionally".

What does occasionally mean to you? For me it definately means 2 dinners a week although I do cook from scratch meals all the other days.

If I'm honest, the thought of buying each meal with sides and putting in the microwave sounds fantastic.

I used to love to cook. Now I want to nuke .

AIBU?

"Occasionally" to me means anything from "about once every two months" to "about once every three years." Twice a week isn't "occasionally" IMO, it's "very frequently."

I drink occasionally which means less than once every three weeks to a month.

I can go longer without fancying a drink but I think the word means less than weekly.

OP if you're eating processed foods twice a week then that's regular...not occasional.

It doesn't matter how often you give a ready meal, it's your family your life but if you are finding cooking a chore why don't you try making a few nights meals in advance, it will cut the drudgery of cooking every night

You know in your heart of hearts ready meals every day isn't the way to go

once or twice a month or less.

rarely would be 2-3 times a year.

Once every few months. As in, I occasionally go to the cinema.

Twice a week is regularly. As in, I regularly go for a swim.

Occasionally for us (in terms of takeouts etc) is around once a month.

We have pizza once a week but that's because we make lots of dough and freeze it in batches so it's a quick throw-together dinner on a Friday. Ice cream once a week or so, normally after the pizza on Friday.

Ready meals - never.

Sausage rolls / pies / savouries - only on birthdays.

weekly = regularly/frequently
monthly = irregularly/sometimes
less than monthly = occasionally
once or twice a year = rarely

that is only when applied to food though.
(a weekly shower would not be regular!)

Now and then
Once in a while
Rarely
Occasionally

All mean the same to me,

Once or twice a week means regularly, not occasionally.

I know, I know but I am so bored of cooking. How on earth do you keep the enthusiasm up?

DC 10 and 8. I teach them how to cook. I just have no desire any more. I keep eyeing up the stupid amounts of cookbooks I have and then looking away.

Occasionally is once a month to six weeks, regularly would be weekly, often would be twice a week. We have a takeaway regularly on a Saturday or Sunday but miss weeks if I have something tasty to cook and can be arsed.

I don't think that any food item which is served twice a week could be classed as occasional. It's regular.

Occasionally would be less than monthly. In my humble opinion

Is it more that you are bored on trying to think, what's for dinner every night of the week?

Get a slow cooker. Batch cook at weekends and freeze home-made ready meals in portion sizes - then you can have the best of both worlds :)

I batch cook a base tomato sauce (can use fresh or tinned tomatoes but you need around 4kg) with leek, courgette, garlic, chopped whatever-you-have-in-the-veg-drawer on low for 8-12h then blend it all together and freeze in 600g portions. Instant pasta sauce, or brown mince and add = bolognaise, or reduce down to thick = pizza sauce.

You can make all sorts of things in a slow cooker these days, easy to chuck stuff in the night before and set the timer and then you come home to a cooked meal.

Whether it's regularly or occasionally I think twice a week is ok for this type of thing as long as it includes some veg.

Eating processed food once a week is occasionally IMO.

21 meals, 1 processed.

1 in 21 meals a bit shit. That's not bad. If the other 20 are quinoa and hemp juice then whoopie doo, you've hit the Mumsnet jackpot

I agree, I say I drink occasionally which means a glass about twice a week.

Weekends I cook 50/50 with DH - we have processed food type stuff on Fridays.

So that leaves 4 days I have to cook for. On Monday I cook as much as I can, helps to meal plan (nowt fancy either) and get shopping this day too or day before. So this week I did:

Chicken enchiladas - cook exra chicken and you can do some pasta for packed lunches or freezer.

Huge pan of bolognese.

Slowcooker full of lamb stew.

So that was Mon to wed sorted.

Tomorrow (thursday) I will do an omletter.baked pot and broccoli.

Saturday I will serve leftover stew and spag bol from freezer with bread/pots.

If I was a bit better organsied I would have had a fourth pan of chillie on the go ready for next week via freezer.

Cooking form scratch cheets for me are using prepared frozen veg. Eg bolognese is a throw in - mince, fozen onions, mushrooms, garlic. tomatoes, oregano.

Well we have pizza night every Saturday. No ready meals at all. I bake once-twice a week, never really buy chocolate and never ever buy sweets or fizzy drinks. I'd say junk food is occasional in our house even if pizza is a weekly event.

I don't think pizza is junk food - it's bread, cheese, vegetables.

Unless you're in Scotland and its deep fried

"Does he attend church regularly?" "Oh yes!" (parish priest)

Regularly yes. Once a year at Christmas.

Laurie junk food is anything processed in my book - have you read the label. Obviously home-made is excused - but even flour is processed it baaaadddd maaaaan.

Once or twice a week is regularly, sorry. But that shouldn't mean it's akin to boiling a rabbit in the eyes of the rest of MN the world!

Are we just talking the evening meal and do you have fresh veg? Is the rest of the week a haven of lentil-weaving wonder? Do you live off the land for always for breakfast and lunch?

Occasionally to me would be that you can't put a figure on it.