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Original poster

Do people really eat a cooked meal every single night?

611 replies

JonesyAndTheSalad · 05/04/2017 11:24

I just can't!

I have done this week as we've got guests so it seems the polite and right thing to do...to cook a meal each night.

But the endless stream of meat and potatoes is awful!

We've had pasta one night but that was also with meat...another night we had pizzas...home made...the other nights it has been curry with chicken and rice and a variety of red meat with various potatoes.

I always ask the guests "What do you fancy this evening?" and it's always meat and potatoes of some kind!

Is this usual? Tonight I just didn't fancy it so said I didn't fancy a full meal and I ate some yogurt...they were a bit Shock

Do you eat like this every night? Or do you sometimes think "Meh I'll have a sandwich" or "The kids will be happy with egg on toast and some fruit"

Or is it only me?

OP posts:
notinagreatplace · 05/04/2017 11:27

We cook every night. Not meat and potatoes because I'm vegetarian. That's what I grew up with, as did my DH, so it feels normal to us.

Some of the meals we do are quite quick - e.g. stir fry or pasta - but we do always cook something.

brasty · 05/04/2017 11:27

Yes I eat a cooked meal every night. Often vegetarian, so not meat and potatoes. But no a yoghurt wouldn't be enough.

NavyandWhite · 05/04/2017 11:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

WorraLiberty · 05/04/2017 11:28

Yes, we cook dinner every night.

I also grew up with a home cooked dinner every night.

It doesn't always contain meat though.

NotReallyMeToday · 05/04/2017 11:29

Cooked meal every night here. I skip breakfast often, and lunch regularly but I like us all sitting down together to share food and talk at the end of the day.

ImSexyAndIKnowIt · 05/04/2017 11:29

No I always try and get out of cooking dinners when I can! Last night DH had peanut butter on toast and youngest DC had Ready Brek. I had two spoonfuls of rice that was left over from earlier on. It's so boring thinking of stuff to make every single dinner time.

ElinorRigby · 05/04/2017 11:30

I think you should cook one or two meals that you enjoy cooking - while you have guests over for more than one night. The lack of meat and spuds won't kill them, and might even broaden their horizons.

TheMasterNotMargarita · 05/04/2017 11:30

I'm a bit like this.
Sometimes will just have a snacky plate of bread/tomato/olives/cheese.
And sometimes dinner is just some soup or an omlette depending on what else we've eaten.
Food is fuel. Cba with a production every night.

madmoon · 05/04/2017 11:31

We are a larger family , with teenage children I cook 4 nights a week where we expect the older ones to be with us, the rest of the time we have simple foods , chicken salad , sandwiches , beans / egg on toast and I have even been known to let them have super noodles or a pot noodle if that's what they want ( rare but it happens ) the older ones get there own when they want it .

corythatwas · 05/04/2017 11:32

Have a tall and physically very active teenager: fairly sure he would not be happy with a sandwich and fruit. Yes, he would be polite about it, but he would also be hungry.

Also, dh and I take sandwiches to work so would never get a cooked meal (and lots of cheap carbs).

We do cook every night; dh and I quite enjoy it. Find spuds and some savoury or a cooked vegetarian quite an economical way of doing things anyway.

maddiemookins16mum · 05/04/2017 11:33

We do 99% of the time, the exceptions being if we've had a hot lunch out (even if it's just a wrap and chips) and sometimes in the summer we'll have salad, tuna, bread and the like.

Porpoiselife · 05/04/2017 11:33

Cooked meal every night under normal circumstances. Not always meat though, or potatoes. But a good balanced meal always with veg/salad of some kind

DingDongtheWitchIsDangDiddlyDe · 05/04/2017 11:33

Yes, most nights, but its not all meat and potatoes. Of course you're sick of it if that is all you eat!

NeedABumChange · 05/04/2017 11:33

Depends how busy social life is.

On a quiet week- cook from scratch maybe 5 nights a week, 1 night of leftovers and 1 easy meal like a baked potato or pizza. Cooking doesn't mean meat and potatoes though!

Busy week may mean eating out 5 nights a week, then wouldn't eat much on the other 2 nights maybe sandwich or beans on toast.

Average week maybe eat out 2-3 nights, cook 3 nights and then an easy night I'd guess.

allisbright · 05/04/2017 11:33

We always cook dinner here too, but no reason that it has to be a meat and potato dish. We eat lots of vegetarian meals too and try to keep it varied. Occasionally we'll just have a toasted sandwich or beans on toast type meal.

What do you have for lunch?

Fruitcocktail6 · 05/04/2017 11:33

Yes we cook every night.

Last night was stir fry, night before was chilli con carne and rice, we have spaghetti, tacos and fajitas, pies, etc. It's not all meat and veg, I cook veggie as much as possible.

I love dinner, it's pretty much my favourite time of day.

BumWad · 05/04/2017 11:34

We eat a cooked meal every night. Always have done.

A yoghurt?! I find eating a sandwich weird past 4pm.

SuburbanRhonda · 05/04/2017 11:34

Yes, I cook every night unless we have a takeaway.

But we have very wide repertoire of meals because we're vegetarian. If I was limited to two foods every night I would go crazy!

MaroonPencil · 05/04/2017 11:34

Well I work from home so one of my meals lunch or dinner will probably be not cooked and the other cooked (or both cooked) - in practice yes that does usually mean cooked meal every night unless we have make your own wraps for tea.

It is not an endless stream of meat and potatoes though, I suppose a typical week would be: Fish tagine (Jamie's 15 minute meals, takes more than 15 minutes but is yum, served with couscous); crab pasta (pasta, crab, tomatoes, chilli etc, takes 10 minutes if that); cowboy chicken (drumsticks and mash and veg); pork casserole with rice; meat pie with potatoes and veg (pie cooked from frozen).

InfiniteSheldon · 05/04/2017 11:35

Yes and I often have a cooked breakfast too and sometimes a cooked lunch bloody hate sandwiches, toast and cereal mind you

xStefx · 05/04/2017 11:35

When I was single I would eat a hot lunch everyday in the works canteen and then at home I would usually have cereal, egg on toast , a sandwich and stuff like that.

When I met Dp (he eats like a horse) he likes cooked dinners so he now cooks a cooked meal every night. If it was up to me we wouldn't.

I have always eaten more during the day rather than in the evening anyway

SaucyJack · 05/04/2017 11:35

Yes we do- although not often of the meat and potatoes sort.

Quite frankly, dinner is the highlight of my day most days. I love food.

loveka · 05/04/2017 11:35

We cook every night, a proper meal, yes. A snack wouldn't be enough. But food isn't fuel for us, it's about the process of the meal too, the sitting down and talking and enjoying what we eat.

MadisonAvenue · 05/04/2017 11:35

Yes, here we have a cooked meal every night - and it's always eaten at the table.

Kiroro · 05/04/2017 11:35

I don't cook something every night.

But then I am v happy eating left overs so I try to cook double one night to eat the next.

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