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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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:
nakedscientist · 07/04/2017 10:07

We always have a proper meal each evening: lots of hungry teens. Love spuds but no meat.

Sun: Home made smoked haddock fish fingers (as seen on John Torode:This Morning) , kale, crushed roasted spud (not that quick)
Mon:Pizza from scratch (not quick!)
Tues: potato curry, rice and dhal (from scratch, reasonably quick)
Wed:Puff pastry open tarts one asparagus, one tomato (very quick)
Thurs: Veggie hotdogs and salad (very, very quick)

I like to watch cooking on a sat or sun morning and get inspired by a Hairy Biker, Nigella, Jamie O etc.

Lovelymess · 07/04/2017 10:59

Yep cooked meal every night. Usually meat or fish with some kind of potato and lots of veg. Sometimes we just have tuna pasta or something etc

Jessicafirsttimer · 07/04/2017 11:51

Yes I'm afraid so OP! Cooked meal every night, lots of variation and cuisines. We all eat together at 5:30pm (kids are 6 and 3) and DH's goes in the oven to keep warm until he arrives from work. It's like the 1950s in our house! Lol

bemusedmoose · 07/04/2017 13:03

Yup i cook from scratch every night. Not always meat and we dont have potatoes much either! I cook vegetarian a few times a week, one or two fish and one or two meat. The only thing times i dont cook is if we had a cooked lunch or it's too hot. In which case we have a snacky tea - salad, cheese, ham, olives, humus and fruit. As a single mum of two (11&4) and meal times are important for us to all share together.

Oneisenoughokay · 07/04/2017 13:36

Yes I cook very night I do hot lunch for toddler plus husband's lunch. Maybe two slight variations on a main meal. Tbh I hate it. But it has to be done. I eat in the evenings but coffee and tea gets me through a day.

MitzyLeFrouf · 07/04/2017 13:44

No way on earth am I going to cook from scratch 7 nights a week. Sounds like utter drudge.

MitzyLeFrouf · 07/04/2017 13:46

and of course Quorn is fantastic - really healthy

My bowels would beg to differ! Grin

Giddyaunt18 · 07/04/2017 14:19

It's something i've always done. I was brought up having 3 meals a day and home cooked evening meal was a staple. I do the same and want to give my children the same good habits. We have a takeaway probably twice a month at the most. It's not drudgery. It's what I choose to do for many reasons.

Giddyaunt18 · 07/04/2017 14:20

Last night we had green lentil bolognaise(one vegetarian in the house) and it honestly took 10 mins prep, 30 mins cooking with minimal attendance. No drudgery.

MitzyLeFrouf · 07/04/2017 14:22

Well you have more takeaway than me. If other people love cooking from scratch every night that's great, but for me it would turn it into an utterly joyless task. It doesn't mean healthy meals aren't served just that not all these healthy meals involve starting from the famed scratch.

Giddyaunt18 · 07/04/2017 14:27

From scratch for the meal Mentioned is merely chopping onion, celery , carrot and garlic, opening a tin of tomatoes, a squirt of tom puree and simmering, then add lentils which I love not merely because I can make a meal that includes vege DD but because they are £1.50 for a packet that does at least 4 bolognaises! Other meals like a chicken stirfry or a curry involve very little effort. I stick simon Mayo on and enjoy it but maybe that's just me.

SteppingOnToes · 07/04/2017 14:31

I cook from scratch every night - it never takes more than half and hour (if you are organised) and I tend to double up and freeze so I have 'ding meals' ready for if I am in a rush can't be arsed cooking. Tonight I am doing spanish omlette with peppers, tomatoes, green beans, onions, olives, potato and chorizo in. All the veg apart from the tomatoes is prechopped and then frozen so I just pull it out of the freezer. I took out some frozen boiled new potatoes this morning so I don't even have to wait for them to cook - should take 10 mins tops.

SteppingOnToes · 07/04/2017 14:33

I also like the social aspect of it (kitchen diner) and the smells of food coming through that gets everyone ravenous - DSC are much less fussy when they can smell a meal cooking.

Giddyaunt18 · 07/04/2017 14:35

stepping I have organisation envy, you are the woman I aim to be when I grow up i'm 46

SteppingOnToes · 07/04/2017 14:48

stepping I have organisation envy, you are the woman I aim to be when I grow up i'm 46

I work about 50 hours a week (earlies, lates, nights) and have 3 horses and DSC staying 2-3 days a week - I have to be organised lol.

Deb98789 · 07/04/2017 15:05

I sometimes feel meh too. And on those night we have poached eggs on toast or cheasy beans on toast. A butty with a bit of fruit & a few crisps. You dont have to coom every night, it is exhausting. I do a weekly meal plan but i always have one of these "easy meals" included in my plan.....usually on a friday after a long day i work x

SteppingOnToes · 07/04/2017 15:40

My guilty pleasure is tuna pasta bake - the powder sachet type and i sprinkle crisps on top

user1472151176 · 07/04/2017 17:08

We have a cooked meal every night but occasionally I just do soup or sandwiches. Sometimes it's all they want. I do try and make sure they have a balanced diet. I make a homemade soup with veg and lentils. It's a quick easy fix that can be frozen.

theclick · 08/04/2017 10:51

LOL at the posters who are saying

"Yes of course we have a cooked meal every night! One of those nights will be a picnic style meal with cheese and tomatoes and houmous and sandwiches..."

I'm not saying you're not doing your job by not doing it as we eat out once every few weeks so I get a night off but - that's not a cooked meal every night then?!

brasty · 08/04/2017 11:00

We never have sandwiches for a main meal. We will sometimes have salad.

squoosh · 08/04/2017 11:02

I'll never be the sort of person who'd enjoy cooking 7 nights a week. I like cooking but that's a sure fire way to turn me off it. Division of labour all the way here!

user1489179512 · 08/04/2017 11:10

OH and I take turn about to cook. But cook we do, every night even if we get home late.

Sgtmajormummy · 08/04/2017 11:11

Last night we had home-made mash (pressure cooker makes the best and quickest IMO), quick dry-fried slices of pork, frozen peas (microwave) and fresh strawberries cut up so they went further.

15 minutes' work and 25 total cooking time. Kids laid the table, DH stacked the dishwasher.

That's the sort of meat and potatoes I do regularly and nobody complains, not even me!

user1489179512 · 08/04/2017 11:12

I don't particularly enjoy it and neither does OH but we do want to eat properly. So...

Familyof3or4 · 08/04/2017 11:35

I think an omelette is a cooked meal!
We have a cooked meal (meaning not sandwiches/just a yoghurt) every night.
Almost never potatoes and often veg though.