To hate meal planning?

[NoLeslie]

I am so bored of trying to plan meals. DH did it for a while, now it's my turn again but fuck me its BORING.

One person doesn't eat meat or fish.
One doesn't eat carbs.
One doesn't like soup or eggy stuff or quorn.
One doesn't like pastry or fried stuff.

So far my list is
Day 1 Chilli with meat and chilli with quorn.
Day 2 no idea.

Zzzzz

I think I would like meal planning if it wasn't for DH who gets fed up of things or says he doesn't fancy them, but then has no suggestions to replace what I've planned. It causes quite a bit of conflict in our house.

Don't indulge fussy eaters!!

Only allergies etc.

Then you can all eat the same

Me - a strict vegetarian
DH - not fussy, will eat anything (apart from aubergines and courgettes!)
DS18 - very fussy
DS17 - high protein, low carb/sugar

OP - I feel your pain 😔

I think I would be making veg curry with chicken cooked separately to add later and caulifour rice for non carb person. Also meals with lots of seperate components like mashed potato, rice, pasta, 3 types of veg and meat with veg. alternative like quorn goujons. Bolognese with meat/ quorn mince added seperately and get the non carb eater to spiralise some courgette or get some 'slim pasta'in health food shop. Omlette with salad/veg and cook something quick for non egg person maybe couple of rashers. Could try getting a carb free lasagna recipe and make in two seperate dishes adding actual lasagna and meat to the second dish. Stirfry with noodles/ 'slim noodles' with meat cooked separately and added at the end for those who want it. It would be worth checking out vegetarian and carb free alternatives in supermarket and health food shops.

Greenbread Those do sound delicious but not very filling - cauliflower and sweet potato, my Dh would divorce me.

I enjoyed cooking before having children.
First there was the allergies, no dairy, eggs or soya. Then as DS1 out grew those DS2 reacted to tomatoes. I then realised that I have a low tolerance to dairy (which is a PITA for lazy options) and soya.

The DCs don't like spicy.
DH doesn't like fish or sunday dinner veg.
The DCs don't like Medditerranean veg.
Seafood doesn't like me but I like it. DH doesn't like it. The DCs do.
We all eat carrots.
DH isn't keen on rice, but I'm not great at cooking it and it gets everywhere around the table.
DS is bored of potatoes.
The DCs have constantly hated mushrooms since infancy. Blending mushrooms and other offensive veg into a sauce does work.
DS likes a particular kind of sausage when the moon is gibbous waning.
He doesn't like one pot casserole type food. I don't like using every bloody pan/ steamer to cook individual veg.

I operate a one meal, leave the bits you don't like policy. DS is very sensitive to hunger and does not do abstainence very well. This does not work well for quite a few simple, nutritious meals.

I've always had a weak spot for those logic "who's behind the green door" puzzles.
One day the DCs will grow up and either be less particular or they will finally move out anyway.

I long for a good prawn curry. I wish prawns liked me.

lucylugs

I admire your ingenuity. No wonder the OP hates meal planning. No way could I be arsed with all that.

I’d ask everyone what meals they eat then see what ones have the most takers.

Actually, that’s a lie - I’d cater for any genuine allergies or intolerances and very strong aversions then pick the meals that fitted my timescale to cook and budget.

We are a veggie, pescatarian, meateating, carb avoiding family. This is my plan, All help yourself. Also make a big pot of cauliflower rice to have instead of normal rice.

Sun - roast chicken, veggie pie, potatoes and veg
Mon - spinach and ricotta lasagne
Tues - egg fried rice with veg and tofu
Wed - butternut, chickpea and spinach curry with paneer or left over chicken
Thurs - Moroccan quinoa
Fri - fish or veggie burger and chips
Sat - baked potatoes with beans and cheese , coleslaw or tuna mayo (sometimes ready made pulled pork)

Sun - lamb shanks, nut roast, potatoes and veg
Mon - mac n cheese with bacon for the meatees
Tues - veggie mince chilli with rice and grated cheese
Wed - curry as before (family fav)
Thurs - griddles halloumi with chickpeas, courgette, cauliflower, wild rice
Fri - spinach and ricotta puff pastry pinwheels, chips, veg
Sat - wraps, salad nuggets (veggie / chicken)
Sun - beef, veggie roast, potatoes and veg

Mon - lentil bolognese
Tues - veggie cottage pie
Wed - curry
Thurs - chickpeas in tomato sauce, rice or cous cous
Fri - pizza
Sat. - sausage (veggie or pork) cassoulet

And repeat.

Ah thank you Laurie 😀 years of practice and lots of washing up!

How about a bean/veg chilli so everyone will eat the same meal?

Thank you for all the suggestions and empathy.

I think it's the teenage years effect too. Just when I have a good meal plan, everyone's plans change! No one is fussy as such, it's just how it's ended up. The low carber has lost over a stone so I don't begrudge it exactly but it's the final straw really.

DH just seems to manage to come up with stuff and cook different things all at once. I find it stressful and wish they would all just be happy with tuna pasta bake

It's probably the only job I enjoy, but there's only two of us and we eat pretty much anything.

I'm copying all your meals into a monthly rota. Anyone fancy doing packed lunch rota too? 2 adults and 2 dc aged 7 and 10 please. No cheese for dc

I've never meal planned in my life, never heard of it till I joined mn, no one I know does it as far as I'm aware. I don't get it really.
I have a freezer full of all meats/fish. (All bought when on offer).
A larder full of every desired cupboard product. (All bought when on offer).
A weekly shop provides a fridge full of vegetables/salads/fruit.
So, I decide what we're having for dinner that night ten seconds before I start cooking it.
Meal planning must cost much more as well as being an unnecessary chore imo.

We all eat carrots
hilarious!!!

Yeah. Not my favourite job I have to say. Slightly improved by an app called ‘paprika’ which tends to make it quicker. You can store all your recipes in there (painful data entry to start with - although it can also take recipes from the web and store them automatically in the right format) and then put them into the meal planner and add the ingredients to your shopping list.

My meal plans are so shit and boring. Sorry OP I have nothing helpful to add but you have my sympathy

Bane of my life! In fact I rarely plan meals and it just makes things even harder...I randomly wander around the supermarket chucking stuff in the trolley and hope for inspiration that never comes! Nobody else in the house can cook either so it falls on my shoulders every day. I don’t even know what to do for dinner, I’ve got my fingers firmly crossed that there’s something from a previous batch cook languishing in the bottom of the freezer 🤞🏻

@SentToTheSynByn
I’m a bit confused that you say carb avoiding but have lasagne, egg fried rice, mac n cheese etc and pretty much every meal includes pasta, rice, potatoes. Do you use a lasagne/pasta substitute & what is it please? We eat far too much pasta!

@kimlek

Lasagne - I would keep some of the sauce and add it to veg / chickpeas for me.

Egg fried cauliflower rice for me.

Mac n cheese I dislike so would just have leftovers from another day.

Potatoes on Sunday are roasted - I just don't take any.

Baked potato - I would just have a sweet potato, same for cottage pie topping.

Pizza - day off low carbing, just have one piece with loads of salad.

I hear you!
I have one that can't eat anything, one that won't eat anything. I have completely had enough of meal planning, shopping, cooking. I have made two separate lamb tagines (because of allergies, it's actually a meal that the picky one will eat!) this afternoon, only to find that I can't fit both casserole dishes into the oven at once!

I've really reached the end of my tether!

If you're struggling with the carb free these might be the answer. Also if you have time I would cook carb free, meat and any other extras first and reheat when serving the main meal. I know the frustration though, it really is a struggle to keep them all fed.

I love it but it's just me and DS at home and we both eat anything.

I think it sounds deadly boring and have never done it. I can't really see the point. I buy quite a lot of food on offer and store in the freezer/cupboard.