To hate having to think of dinner

[Lovethetimeyouhave]

I'm so fed up, I don't mind actually cooking the meal, but the thinking up of what to have for the entire week has begun to bore me! I try and do new meals and use Pinterest but I'm so fed up.

So aibu to ask for any of your ideas for the following week? I need to do the online shop so it can come tomorrow! The fridge is empty

I actually love cooking, but struggle to find the time and motivation with a pre-schooler and an overtired 5 year old. Last night I made beetroot, quinoa & bean chilli and neither of them ate it .

Regulars here include:-

• quorn fajitas
• bean based chillis
• veggie or mushroom lasagne
• pesto pasta
• pasta in tom & r. wine w/ spinach & olives
• mozarella burger w/ salad &/or wedges
• one pan breakfast - eggs & sausages cooked in baked beans
• basic lentil & veg dal
• chick pea & potato curry
• butternut & paneer curry
• quorn roast w/ roasties & veg
• marinated tofu or prawn & veg skewers w/ rice
• risotto - broadbean, mushroom
• pearl barley & tomato risotto w/ halloumi

I enjoy cooking. Or so I thought.

Children suck the joy out of cooking.

The 13 year old is the worst at the mo. The 9 year old is still a pita. There are very few meals that we will all eat, without complaint. I can think of 2, offhand.

It’s truly truly depressing.

there's only 2 of us and I literally hate it too

I really want to do a rolling meal plan but I don't even know where to start

I'm sure I read a thread on here before where someone said they get everyone to choose one meal for the next week, if anyone moans about someone else's choice they don't get theirs. Then they do a big salad & bread or something to go with it.

I imagine you'd have to have some rules though otherwise you could end up with pizza & chips every night!

I have a list of favourites split into types (chicken, fish, veggie etc) and have marked those which are quick (under 30 mins) or can be frozen. There's about 100 meals on there but some of them are just variations, eg spag bog & bolognaise pasta bake. I use this to plan the week's meals in advance but always have emergency stuff in the freezer like chilli/dhal for sudden attacks of can't-be-arsed

Following.
Thank you for this thread OP.

We meal plan,However I have lots of different cookery books and I just flick through these on a Friday afternoon to plan for the following week..we very rarely eat the same meal in a month!
I love it and enjoy cooking.
I also do my shopping online and get it delivered which cuts down on the stress and the temptation to add extra into the trolley so I only buy what we need for the week.
We try to eat healthy so the books I use tend to be-Joe Wicks(though these can be a bit bland) and Tom Kerridges.
Most meals are quite simple to make and once you have built your cupboard up not much more expensive than just repeating the same meals over and over(which would bore the pants off me and my OH)

I will admit the kids are hard work however and its rare we do all eat the same-or if we do I have to do some tweaking to their potions(we like a lot of spice)
So they do tend to have a rolling meal plan of their own!!!

This thread has helped me choose tonight's dinner - fajitas. Thank you.

I try to rotate withoutthinking too hard about it between the main protein and carb sources each week. E.g.

Beef
one or two of these each week:
spag bol
chilli and rice
beef rogan josh
goulash with dumplings
spiced minced beef wraps
keema mince & naan
boeuf bourgignon and mash
lasagne
burgers with matchstick fries and salad

Chicken
roast chicken, roast potatoes & veg
chicken paprika wraps with salad
Mediterranean chicken thighs with baked mini potatoes
chicken noodle soup
chicken stir fry with rice or noodles
chicken risotto
chicken, leek and mushroom pie
chicken thai green curry
chicken satay

Fish
grilled or baked salmon slices with steamed veg
fish & chips
fish pie
kedgeree
roast cod in tapenade
fish fingers, chips, peas and beans
smoked salmon and cream cheese pasta

Pork
bacon and chorizo paella
roast pork with apple sauce, veg and roast potatoes
pork and beans with lemon
smoky bbq pork and beans
pork stir fry
sausage and mash

lamb
Roast lamb
middle eastern lamb with humous and flatbreads
lamb and spimach curry
kofte kebabs with rice
sausages with couscous, harissa and veg

Veggie
pasta pomodoro
frittata and salad
home made pizzas
macaroni/cauliflower cheese
humous & falafel
eggs, beans and chips
baked potatoes with cheese, beans and coleslaw
veggie chilli and brown rice
dahl, rice and sag aloo

There's other stuff too but I mainly rotate this sort of thing over a month

Meal planning is the worst! So glad it's not just me though.

I have DC1- can't eat anything (serious bowel issues) DC2- won't eat anything (asd) dH - will eat anything, thankfully!

8@haba* - I feel for you. DS2 has ASD and ate almost nothing for the first three years of his life, then about three-five things for the next five years. He's brilliant now. Fussy, but no more than any other teen. But it was an agonisingly slow process. It really puts you off cooking.

I could have written this OP. I actually really like cooking but meal planning stresses me out! I have my core meals but there are only about 6 of them so we have the same things week in and week out. On the odd occasion I've tried something different it either goes wrong (occasionally) or someone doesn't like it (almost always)

I don’t plan meals we eat whatever I find on the reduced counter
In last few days we’ve had
Steak with a mushroom sauce accompanied with steamed veg
Tonight is salmon teriyaki with stir fried veg
Gammon egg beans mushroom etc
Spaghetti bolognaise
Prawn kebabs with salad
Roast Mediterranean veg with chicken drumsticks
Might have chilli on Friday

Single parent to 2 DC who are now 19 and 21 and after a gentle lead up to it campaign I’ve informed them that at least 3 days a week I’m not cooking anymore. It’s so lovely and has stopped resentment on the days I do cook !

Oh god yes. I do meal plan and do a Sainsbury's order every Monday and it's SO boring. I too like cooking but hate thinking of what to make and making sure I'm not gonna waste random ingredients that I only need a bit of.

Also my two toddlers only like beige food so I'm always torn between trying to find something we could all eat that they MIGHT try or just giving them pasta again.

I look for the main component of the dish by choosing things on special offer. I also prioritise a big joint of meat/whole fish or fowl etc.
That way the dishes vary as it’s dependent on what’s on a promotion so is often different and outside of my comfort zone.
Bigger joints are less processed and I can use the leftovers for lunchboxes or for another supper.

And what gets my goat on top of that is if I ask what they fancy it's always "whatever's easiest/you fancy" and then moan about what I made.

We meal plan. Boring but it works. If I don’t do a plan for whatever reason it ends up stressful and we eat crap.

Sunday: roast dinner, vary the type of potato and veg
Monday: use leftover roast meat for something quick eg chicken fajitas, beef stir fry
Tuesday: pasta - often a pasta bake, sometimes those filled ravioli with pesto. Sometimes fish cakes.
Wednesday: freezer meal to bung in the oven. Every couple of months I do a stash of 8 meals in Pyrex dishes to last two months, usually cottage/shepherds pie and lasagne. Serve with frozen peas or garlic bread.
Thursday: jacket potatoes, usually with homemade Boston baked beans (make a big batch in the slow cooker and freeze into portions) and cheese. Serve with salad.
Friday: day off! Little dish fish pie ready meal and veg for the toddler, take away for us when she’s in bed.
Saturday: something a bit more interesting, often from a cookbook or magazine.

Always have a proper pud on a Sunday, I enjoy making crumbles/sponges etc