Husband moaning about dinners

[Willow990]

I meal prep every Sunday for dinners for the week ahead, a typical week looks something like this:

Mon - chilli or spaghetti bolognese
Tuesday - curry (chicken)
Wednesday - fish (salmon usually)
Thursday - stir fry
Friday - Steak

I told DH this morning what I was planning for next week and he asked whether there’s any chance of some variety and for me to try some new dishes. He works long days and I’m usually about to serve up as he walks through the door.

Has anyone got any ideas for how I could freshen things up?

God, that ‘pasta, salmon and peas’ looks rank.

Edited to add: That site does have good ideas though! Just maybe not that particular one. Which oddly ended up as the cover photo.

I do all the cooking, generally the choices my husband has when I asked if he wants dinner are yes or no. Being late isn’t an excuse not to cook, it just takes a bit more organisation.

Thanks all for the suggestions, plenty of food for thought (pun intended!)

DH is into his fitness so I need to keep things fairly healthy and cooked from scratch as much as possible.

It does sound very boring if you have these sort of set meals every week. If he can’t cook himself, he could at least come up with some ideas.

Agree. We all play to our strengths. One of OP’s is cooking. Why the automatic assumption that her husband does nothing at home?

He needs to contribute then. At the very least with suggestions. You are not his mum.

I guess that answers what he’s doing while you’re in the kitchen prepping

It's mental load stuff. Why is it the OPs job to think of something else. Why can't he make some suggestions?

Sausage, mash & peas
Pizza & salad
Ham, egg, chips & beans
Chicken drumstick traybake with red/green peppers & couscous
Fish pie, broccoli & sweetcorn

There you go.

Mental load? Never thought of producing family meals as that, tbh.

My husband worked away all week, I cooked for me and the kids.

Thank you, I think DH would only really go for the chicken traybake (it sounds lovely!) - he has turned his nose up whenever I’ve suggested similar to the other things.

gosh these sound like boring meals.

Is it something you enjoy?

I LOVE the website https://dishingouthealth.com/
ANd if you start following these people on instagram it soon works out your likes and taste.
also love ALFIE COOKS and bosh.

Make a plan each week and put some joy into that menu!

Then he needs to come up with the ideas! I would say if he works long hours he can still be involved in the meal planning and shopping.

So, he’s a picky eater, requires meals cooked from scratch, does no cooking himself and offers no suggestions? Have I got that right?

ham egg chips and beans

\GROSS

I agree get some gousto or something for inspo

I would just like to remind you that you are not his servant. You are not there to make his dinner, or wash his pants. You do so because you work as a team. Working as a team doesn’t mean you make all the decisions on food. If he wants to shake things up meal wise, theees nothing stopping him researching and making suggestions and given you a recipe and adding the ingredients to the shopping list.

If he was living on his own he would have to cook after working late so surely he can do it one week-day per week for himself to have variety, and you and your dc can eat a meal he isn’t keen on. He could also cook for you all a couple of times a month (weekends/ holidays)so your dc don’t think it’s the women who need to do all the cooking - and he will have mental space to come up with something different as it’s only occasional.

If you are still cooking up until when he gets home, and presumably looking after the dc while he does his fitness etc, you are kind of working longer hours than he is!

It’s mumsnet
that would be fine, in fact he should do better. LTB if he can’t cope with cooking with variety.

and god knows why there’s a random cat in my post!

So if he is into fitness some of these might work

Frittata with cheese, tomato onion maybe potato

Cajun salmon with new potatoes and broccoli
Pasta with seared broccoli and pistaschios
Pasta with prawns spinach and tomatoes
Haddock / white fish with fresh zesty salsa and crushed new potatoes
Shakshuka (? Sp)

Plus what’s already on your meal rotation.

I get so fed up meal planning and it’s not my DH interest or skill set, so he has to eat what I put in front of him.

What?! Proper chips, golden eggs, thick cut ham and branston beans is ambrosia!

Thinking of suggestions to a picky eater who is moaning about your menu just to have them shot down is mental load.

Not sure why you saying your husband working away all week has anything to do with it.

I would suggest that you eat your batch cooking with the kids and he cooks for himself seeing as he's not impressed with your efforts. That's what's on offer, take it or leave it.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=chef+jack+ovens+meal+prep

Chef Jack Ovens - meal prep series.

I found quite a few meals here that i would not have thought of and were really enjoyed by family.