To think this was WRONG!

[TenPastEleven]

I’m working late 2 nights this week so Wednesday and Thursday DH Is collecting the children and making their tea. In the fridge are the following: a bag of spinach and cheese tortellini, a carton of fresh pasta sauce, some sausages, broccoli and new potatoes.
I got home last night to find he had cooked the sausages and chopped them up and added them to the tortellini and pasta sauce.
Is it just me, or does anyone else see the problem with that?

i mean, it was nice, the children ate it, but using the two ‘main’ ingredients in the one meal meant there was far too much and a lot wasted.

Why was it wasted? Pasta is great as leftovers lunch.

I wouldn't have realised but then we always have lots of food in the house.

So dinner for one night was going to be just sausages potatoes and broccoli? Yum...I suppose.

I was just about to say that it sounds like ingredients for 2 dinners and the way he's done it now means there's not enough for another dinner.

YANBU to be annoyed at him. He should be able to use some logic himself without having it spelled out to him.

Or last night’s leftovers, but then the broccoli will be a bit past it’s best by tomorrow.

If there are leftovers, cook the broccoli to go with them.

You seem to be determined to be annoyed at him. If he was cooking, why doesn’t he get to decide what to cook?

You left him in charge of making dinner and he made dinner. Now he's in charge of dinner again tonight and he will have to decide what he's going to cook. He's an adult and made his own decisions for his own reasons, no need to get upset about it.

YANBU - waste of a meal.

Does one extra day make a massive difference to the freshness or otherwise of broccoli?

Okay just seen your update - YANBU if he served portions too big and food was wasted. But if you are usually in charge of food/ meal planning you should have told him the broccoli needed to be used last night and that he had to get two meals out of the fridge contents.

Unless you have a written down meal plan, he wasn't to know they were the ingredients for 2 meals. I presume this is literally not all you have in the house? Brocolli cheesy pasta is nice or a vegetable bake using the brocolli and potato? Or if you have leftovers from yesterday simply cook up the brocolli and potato and eat it all together (not a classic combination, but does it matter if you're just eating at home?)

What’s wrong with sausages potatoes and broccoli?

DH would have done the same.

Pasta primavera, with potatoes added in, is delicious.

For the second meal I mean

I’m trying to reduce waste and costs, so plan meals and shop online to save time and money. if someone eats something meant for another meal it’s a bit of a ball ache.

Leave him to it Op - he’s going to have to sort it.

What is wrong with sausages, potatoes and broccoli? That’s what my dc are having tonight?

Surely it’s up to him what he wants to coook his children? I think I would’ve done this (love pasta and sausages together- there is a fab Nigel slater recipe I always make)

But as a PP said I don’t usually have so little food in- the seconds nights meal would’ve just been something from the freezer or a tin to something

Ps I didn’t say anywhere I was annoyed or upset with him! I haven’t even mentioned it. I just think, as I said, it’s illogical and wasteful and it surprised me that he wouldn’t immediately see that there were potentially 2 quick and simple meals there. I don’t plan to leave him explicit instructions, that WOULD be controlling! Was just curious to see if other people thought like me.

I don't see tortellini and pasta sauce as that interesting/substantial a meal so I would have boosted it by adding sausage too. Leftovers can be used for lunch or something the next day. Buy or defrost something else to go with the broccoli and potatoes, honestly don't see the issue here.

Yep. My DH would've done the same - cba to cook the potatoes. It is annoying if you're on a budget to see what could be two meals presented as one, and then have to go to the shops & spend more on the second one.

I think the posters spotting the problem are the ones who've had experience of stretching what some people consider one or two dinners into most of the week op I spotted the problem immediately.

It's illogical and wasteful if there was too much in the first nights dinner AND the posters saying "oh he can just buy something else" or to order in Domino's... Isn't this a great example if OP doing the mental wifework despite being out working, and the DH just not giving a shit, or not thinking, resulting in more work... Not exactly behaviour that I'd want from a life partner.

What’s wrong with sausages potatoes and broccoli?

It's about as dull a meal as you can make!

I'd be wanting the leftover pasta and sausage from last night.

Sausages with spinach and ricotta? Ugh ..

I get what you're saying. There was enough for 2 main meals in the fridge, and he used both main components to make 1 meal, so the other meal is just going to be veg on its own.

Men are dim about things like this sometimes. Obvs should have been sausage and veg one meal, tortellini and sauce another meal. What does he propose to feed them the 2nd night? Dont facilitate it, tell him to work it out himself.

What’s wrong with sausages potatoes and broccoli?

It's a bit dry and plain. And just not very appetising really.

Sausage with regular pasta is fine. With tortellini? No. I’d have been annoyed too.