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?

Relevant context in response to some of the comments: yes we are on a budget; the children are only little and quite happy with either pasta or sausages; whatever he cooks has to be quick as they get home quite late/tired so inventive things like cheesy pasta bake are just not going to happen (plus he would have no clue how to). And I don’t have time to shop for anything else today and I don’t imagine he will either. It’s no huge big deal - there’s fishfingers I think. Just a difference in thought processes I guess!

I can see why that annoyed you.

DH does that. He doesn't really see a meal as being a proper meal without meat/fish. We have two vegetarians in our family who will if pushed eat fish. So when DH cooks he will ALWAYS uses fish - cannot conceive of a meal without animal flesh even though he'll happily eat all the veggie meals I cook.

Now you have part of the makings of a meal. Irritating!

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...

Well, what I think people are actually saying is "Don't take on any more wifework, let him sort out dinner himself." He hasn't done anything objectively wrong, he just had a different idea of what the meal would constitute. I appreciate if money is very tight then he needs to be more cognisant of that, but outside of that situation I'm struggling to see why the OP needs to be so rigid about a meal.

Haha HRTFT but this reminds of Sheldon's mother's spaghetti with hot dogs - "Now that's Eyetallian".

It's OK, though I have come to loathe ready-made tortellini and would have wanted broccoli in the sauce for veggie goodness.

YABU to expect other people to meal plan in the same way you do it. Either you tell DH exactly what to make each day with your ingredients or else let him do the whole job - plan and buy the ingredients as well as cook. The problem is doing it half-arsed.

Thing is, you either plan the meals for him - and communicate a meal plan to him for him to follow or you leave it to him to sort out his own meal plan, which may not be the same as what you had in mind. He's not a mind reader. The important thing is that the children were fed yesterday, and they will be fed today, and it's up to him to decide what with - the used up sausages are not your problem to solve, they are his.

Incidentally, you might want to look at adding a few more veg into your meal planning - my initial thought was that he'd served dinner without the veg, rather than he'd added sausages in! The spinach in the pasta is negligible, and probably less that 1 portion per person in a standard carton of fresh tomato sauce split between a family. And just broccoli with the intended sausage meal is only one portion. I'd have served broccoli plus another veg as a side with the pasta and sauce, and put 2 or 3 different veggies with sausage and potatoes.

We have two vegetarians in our family who will if pushed eat fish.

You're not a vegetarian if you eat fish.

Yeah thanks for the advice on meal planning to include more veg. This is a snapshot of what is happening when my husband (who does not cook) needs to prep quick and simple meals for the children when I’m working late. Where did I say it was a carton of fresh tomato sauce? I said fresh pasta sauce. Made with vegetables. (Peppers, courgettes, celery, mushrooms and onions) By me.

My DH would probably have done the same as yours OP

I'd have served broccoli plus another veg as a side with the pasta and sauce, and put 2 or 3 different veggies with sausage and potatoes.

Then serve that then . The OP's meals sound fine. You don't need to eat loads of veg at every meal, especially if the children are very young. 2 or 3 veggie sides with sausages and potatoes = a massive meal.

Oh, Ten, don't pay it any mind. ANY time you post a food OP, there will be people who cannot refrain from finding fault with what you serve. It's one meal. People are usually full of shit about what they eat, too.

I'm with you OP, I'm fact as you we're listing the contents of your fridge I had already preempted what he was going to have done and what your issue with it was going to be. This is EXACTLY what my husband would have done and exactly why if we're ever in a situation where he's going to have to cook I a) specify what and b) go very simple on the ingredient front. Eg, corn beef stovies dear, there's potatoes in the fridge, a tin in the cupboard and an oxo in the drawer. Go nuts.
But then I am both a control freak and the stereotypical stingy Scot, so this kind of freak out is my bread and butter

Glad others are agreeing that op shouldn't dive in to fix it but leave her DH to sort it... But massively disagree with sausage, broccoli and potatoes being bland.

Add a dash of butter and ground pepper onto the broccoli, maybe some gravy, you have a lovely dinner ahead with that. I'd add more veg too though (frozen, nothing fussy or super ££). Or a smarter of pan grilled tomatoes in with the sausage, now we're talking!

He’s an adult - im sure he’ll be able to sort the children’s dinner out

Look, you seem to want your sausage and eat it here, OP, you say you don't want to be controlling but fail to appreciatethere's a difference between controlling and providing all the information necessary for someone who doesn't normally perform a given task to perform it properly. You admit your DH doesn't often cook or plan meals yet you expect him to make an instant call on a collection of ingredients in the fridge as to what goes with what and when even to the point of knowing when the broccoli would be best eaten by.

You actually set him up to fail, maybe not consciously, but you do seem to be rather enjoying putting him on the mn 'useless man' pillory. Get over it, your kids were fed and there's fish fingers in the freezer, that will go just as well with potatoes and broccoli as sausages do, so they'll probably get fed again today.

I get you OP.

I don’t see what’s wrong with sausages and mash with broccoli on the side? And presumably a bit of gravy as most people have gravy powder in the cupboard.

I would also be annoyed if DH used loads of ingredients to make an excessively large meal that didn’t get eaten. Filled pasta is a meal by itself.

Where did I say it was a carton of fresh tomato sauce

To be fair the original opening post does say a carton of ....

I wouldn't particularly choose new potatoes for sausages; mash far better. But nothing really wrong with sausage, potato and vegetable.

Plain pasta and sauce I'd have put something with it, but not a filled tortellini.

"What’s wrong with sausages potatoes and broccoli?

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

Well presumably he can add gravy & yorkshire pudding if he wants to!

Leave him to sort it out!

Men are dim about things like this sometimes

I'm sorry but what part about having a penis causes this?

I know many men who are just as capable as women to budget, prep food, care for their children, without having to be managed by a wife... It's called being an adult who can take care of yourself and your family. Owning a penis is a lazy, outdated, inaccurate and offensive excuse - and neither gender should be perpetuating this archaic unscientific notion that women come with a more developed "kids / kitchen / domestic skillset" BS.

Yeah, he’s used two main meal constituents in one meal! Wasteful and annoying!

I would not take this on as my problem. He made this decision, he now has to make the next one.

You are DNBU..he’s an idiot if he couldn’t work out for himself that the ingredients you listed were clearly for two separate meals and you shouldn’t have to leave him a detailed meal plan or a list of instructions! He’s a grown adult after all?

And laughing a lot at those on here turning their noses up at sausages, potatoes and broccoli (sausages with a little honey and mustard at the end of grilling with sauté potatoes...yum!) and yet saying they’d serve filled pasta with sausages....eww

YANBU

I hope you leave him to work it out for himself when there is nothing but potatoes and broccoli for tea tonight.

Absolutley nothing wrong with sausages potatoes and broccoli! Perfectly normal meal. Ffs only on MN is that not good enough.