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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to hate food shopping / menu planning?

32 replies

SouthernNorthernGirl · 22/08/2017 17:23

It stresses me no end. I always draw a blank, and it's so boring.
I used to love it, and would go out and buy what I wanted, then come back and plan it into meals.

Now I just wing it, or hope my DH will sort it. However, I think that I'm possibly taking the piss, as I am a SAHM and should really take this one on myself.

AIBU to leave my DH to do it, after he works full time? Or should I be stepping up here? If so, please help with tips.

OP posts:
Chocolatecake12 · 22/08/2017 17:26

Get some new ideas from Pinterest. Plan at least one new dish a week, then that will expand your choices of usuals.
In our house Thursday is pizza night as the kids have clubs. We usually have pasta twice a week. I put them into our weekly food schedule and then plan around it.
It isn't the best job in the world but it needs to be done!

FallingOrbit · 22/08/2017 17:26

It's not unreasonable to not enjoy something. But it's something that one of you has to do so it might be a good idea to try to take a little more pleasure in it if that's possible? I enjoy cooking etc so it's not an issue for me.

Moregilmoregirls · 22/08/2017 17:29

It depends really on whether your DH is that bothered about what he eats. My DH is not fussed and happy to eat most things so I generally plan food for the week as I'm more fussy and like to have things in that I like. If it's giving you stress just rotate a number of easy dinners, we normally have a pasta night, fish night, curry night, chicken and salad etc etc.

IceCreamIScream · 22/08/2017 17:30

I'm with you, but if I left my DH to do it we'd get beer, bacon and crisps for a week...

The thing that helped me was writing a list of everything me or DH could cook/liked and buying a magnetic meal planner and sticking it to the fridge. I now sit down the day before the food shop/order and write it down on the planner then write up the shopping list.

I'm weirdly more flexible about meals now then when I wasn't as organised. It's saved my sanity.

BabiesOnTheBrain1 · 22/08/2017 17:31

Yes I hate it too! Grin

I started by writing a long list on my phone of meals (all fairly simply, I'm no chef). So jacket potatoes/spaghetti bolognaise/cottage pie/sausage and mash/pasta bake etc.

Then I look at the week ahead and work out what we have on what day, and what nights DSD is here (4/7). I plan to make DSD's favourites the nights she's here and the ones she's not a fan of when she isn't. Then I see what my DH's rota is - on a night he finishes early we'll have something that takes a bit longer. If he finishes late we'll have something quick and easy so one of us isn't spending all night in the kitchen.

It's not great but just one of those jobs that needs to be done. You could always work on a four weekly rota - would take a little more effort to sit and write it but then at least you'd always have it to hand (I keep saying I'm going to do this to make life easier)

Sunshinegirls · 22/08/2017 17:32

It can get really tedious. I go and buy a BBC good food magazine when I need a boost of motivation and inspiration

QueenOfVipers · 22/08/2017 17:33

Honestly as a SAHM you should probably handle the bulk of it - that doesn't mean he gets off scot free though.
He's more than able to make his own packed lunch if applicable and to help cook on weekends.
Dunno if this is any help... but
the most efficient way I've found is to get everything out of your cupboards, barring seasonings of course and do a mini stocktake.
Look at what you have and what you can make,
Write these meals down. I'd be happy to suggest some if you post here and I'm sure others would too Smile
Then, write down other meals. In any order, probably try starting with what's quickest (eg pesto pasta) and keep going like that.
Then write your shopping list for the other meals.
It's what I do - hope this helps. Smile

Also, slow cookers are good for stews. My favourite recipe is (you'll need a blender, food processor or worst case scenario a potato masher)
A nice joint - bacon joints £2.99 ish in B&M.
Roughly chop some carrots into four pieces each. Do 3 large carrots per person, 1-2 for little ones. Chop an onion into quarters.
Throw it all in. Add some dried herbs - whatever you've got. I like parsley, oregano and basil.
Optionally also add 2 tablespoons of wine or a nice wine vinegar. Place the joint in with the veg and cover in stock
If you have it water if you don't.
Cook for 4.5 hours on high or 8ish on low.
When done, remove the joint. Put the veg and stock in a blender. If no blender remove the onion and mash up as much as you can with a masher.
It's lovely served with some crusty bread, or just some slices of the bacon.

JaceLancs · 22/08/2017 17:36

I don't meal plan I'm afraid
Our diet is dictated by what is found on the reduced counter and eaten when I have time to cook it!
None of us are fussy eaters though and I do have 2 big freezers
Last night we had a mixed grill with veg tonight is pizza and salad
If I find ingredients cheap that I can make into something freezeable I batch cook so always have chilli, curry etc in
If I find cheap mince I will make homemade burgers or meat balls n freeze too

Violetcharlotte · 22/08/2017 17:38

It's dull, but I do spend much less when I meal plan and feel more organised too as I know what I'm cooking each night. Pinterest is good for recipe ideas.

Dixiebell · 22/08/2017 17:39

Sound exactly like me, I used to love creating meals, but now that I have to do it for several fussy children and try planning with a toddler hanging round my ankles, it has become a chore. I can recommend trying Hello Fresh or Gousto or similar if you fancy a week off! It's a pricey way of doing it, although they usually have a 50% off starting offer and you are able to pause subscriptions. Probably not good environmentally either. But it's v satisfying to have all the exact right ingredients for a recipe without having to think about it or buy it yourself!

PumpkinPie2016 · 22/08/2017 17:40

It is a bit boring I have to admit - I quite enjoy cooking but during term time I am so busy that time is limited so that makes it hard. Has to be done though!

We generally and up having similar things each week but I make an effort to try something new/different at weekends.

Smeaton · 22/08/2017 17:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ethelfleda · 22/08/2017 17:43

I'm with you here - I used to love it but I can't be bothered at the minute and have no patience!
I recommend the following:

BBC good food website
Batch cooking so you can grab something out of the freezer the night before
Have a ZFD night every week (zero fucks dinner) of frozen brown shite with loads of mayo and eat healthily the rest of the week

I've been buying loads of salad stuff and just having that with quiche or vegetable samosas or something easy to cook... at least it's sort of healthy! I know I'll get my zest back for cooking at some point. Until then I'm just ordering from Tesco online every week and ordering easy to make stuff!
Fresh ravioli and fresh sauce is a good one and really easy too.

RefuseTheLies · 22/08/2017 17:48

I use HelloFresh as have a million other things I'd rather be doing than meal planning.

skyzumarubble · 22/08/2017 17:49

It's so dull.

I have a subscription to good food which helps with ideas but the monotony gets right on my nerves.

BertieBotts · 22/08/2017 17:52

I errm wrote a complicated program to randomise it all for me Blush

Then I pick from that and it makes it more fun.

I started off with a random number generator and lists of seasonal food from eattheseasons.

quercuscircus · 22/08/2017 19:17

I feel your pain OP!

Perhaps a bit of batch cooking would help? So you only have to think and cook 4 meals instead of 7 for example.

We sometimes do beef mince in a tomato sauce with pasta one day then reheat the mince with added spices to make chilli the next day or day after. Or put in the freezer. It never comes out exactly the same way twice is it doesn't get dull for us!

I also try to cook the main meal earlier in the day and set to one side/ put on the fridge as I've no brain power or energy left by later on. And/ or eat a bigger breakfast/ lunch.

As PP said, definitely having food you can 'assemble' rather than cook helps!

Anything to reduce the thinking and effort!!

chaplin1409 · 22/08/2017 19:24

I feel your pain. I hate meal planning but also as a sahm mum I need to be the one that does it. It's boring and hard as the kids all like different foods and all have different activities in the evening.
I do like the idea of making a list of meals we eat and then picking from that.
I also have the while guilt thing of using jars and not making it all myself.

megletthesecond · 22/08/2017 19:30

Yanbu. A decade of lone parenting and I am bored beyond belief with food. Summer holidays are even worse because they don't have school dinners.

Constantlurker · 22/08/2017 19:35

Another vote for hello fresh. DH and I love it. I don't find it all that much more expensive than a regular shop, we get something completely different every time that I would never think of cooking. we do 4 days a week so Thurs/Fri/Sat/Sun as they are the days I can be most bothered to cook from scratch. I then do an online order for cheap and easy/fast meals for Mon-Weds. Feel less guilty about eating plain boring stuff of I know the rest of the week is exciting.

I keep all the recipe cards and there are at least 10 that we go back to time and again.

This totally sounds like I work for hello fresh, I genuinely don't I just bloody love it. I am also 6 months pregnant and I feel like it's helping me eat a really balanced diet with lots of veggies each day. (So when I have a craving for chip shop chips at lunch time I don't feel so bad!!).

DooRight · 25/08/2017 15:55

It is a pain - but it can save you a fortune.....

we used to waste & throw so much food away - before we started doing this..

This, and switching from Tesco to Aldi saved us (me, DP & 2 D(S)S) 30 to 50 quid a week.. - so unless you have money to burn, it's better to persevere .. sorry if it's not what you want to hear...

Katyazamo · 25/08/2017 15:58

Another vote for hello fresh. Tried it recently and think it's brilliant.

mammmamia · 25/08/2017 16:03

I absolutely love the randomiser and the ZFD!
MN is great today! Grin

haba · 25/08/2017 16:04

I agree, meglet, having to come up with 14 meals a week is an utter fuckers! Especially when one child won't eat what the other will. Well, one child will barely eat anything other than texmex...

zukiecat · 25/08/2017 16:04

I don't plan menus at all

I buy the food when I get paid, and we just decide on the day what we want to eat

I would find it incredibly hard to plan it week by week and say we're having this particular meal on a set day

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