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Original poster

what sort of meals do you cook when you live with teens. who you never know will come home or not?

56 replies

NoahVale · 16/07/2016 09:17

dont say buy ready meals for them to cook as i am not prepared to do this?

ok, so i can do spag bol, and if not takers, freeze this. freezer pretty well full.
mainly i think i need veggie meals, or at least a variety.

OP posts:
zzzzz · 16/07/2016 09:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

bungleknows · 16/07/2016 09:21

I feel your pain!

I usually. lol omelettes or toasties when they're home (and often leave a plate of what we've had in the oven which they also devour)

Original poster
NoahVale · 16/07/2016 09:24

salad and chicken pieces good idea

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Longlost10 · 16/07/2016 09:27

Why don't you ever know if they will be home or not? Surely family meals are fixed, unless arranged otherwise.

Why aren't they cooking for you anyway? a shared role, by this stage, surely?

WorldsBiggestGrotbag · 16/07/2016 09:28

I generally cooked my own meals as a teen. If I was guaranteed to be home then my dad would cook, if not then it was up to me to sort myself out.

WorldsBiggestGrotbag · 16/07/2016 09:30

Also... If they say they're home for dinner, they're home for dinner, yes? In which case you cook what you were going to cook anyway. If they say they won't be home, or they're not sure, you don't cook for them. Simple!

Original poster
NoahVale · 16/07/2016 09:31

good idea,
there is food, so cook it will be my stock phrase who ate all the cheese

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gamerchick · 16/07/2016 09:31

I don't, he sorts himself out.

Spottytop1 · 16/07/2016 09:33

I cooked meals at a set time if they weren't in either it was put in the oven ( whatever it was) or they cooked their own when they got in.

Original poster
NoahVale · 16/07/2016 09:33

ok in that vein, it is hard to cater for 2 when previously i cooked for 5

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Original poster
NoahVale · 16/07/2016 09:34

ok, anyone else actually cook?

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SuburbanRhonda · 16/07/2016 09:36

Why don't you ever know if they will be home or not?

Bless you, longlost. Have you got teenagers?

Schoolchauffeur · 16/07/2016 09:38

I usually meal plan so I have enough of something in for all 4 of us but if I don't already know I just send a quick text " you back for tea or not ?as I'm about to start cooking. DS is glued to his phone so I usually get instant reply and I either get yes I'll be back, yes I'd like some but plate it up and I'll have later or no count me out which usually means he's eating at mates, girlfriends or out.
Someone told me this was " controlling" so I asked DS what he felt about this and he said he thought it was just "manners". He pointed out that if it was 7pm and I was out and we'd had no tea he'd text me to say are you coming back for tea or shall I sort myself out etc.
But I do keep in a stash of pasta, stir in pasta sauce, chunky soup, and we always have oven chips, eggs bacon beans etc for him to help himself to.

SuburbanRhonda · 16/07/2016 09:39

Yes, I cook every night for DH and me.

If DS is around at dinner time he'll eat with us. If not, he'll have leftovers. If it's a meal that doesn't lend itself to leftovers, there are plenty of portions of previous meals in the freezer.

So that's lasagne, chilli and rice, mattar paneer and rice, pasta and different sauces and so on (we're veggie).

Original poster
NoahVale · 16/07/2016 09:40

thanks school, agree it is hardly controlling, what on earth, you need to know before you cook surely. well it would be nice to know.

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SuburbanRhonda · 16/07/2016 09:40

And once I've broken up for the summer, my plan is to make a big batch of tarka dal (his favourite) and freeze that in portions Smile

dontpokethebear · 16/07/2016 09:41

Tbh if my teen isn't going to be home to eat then I expect him to let me know!
I generally stick to stuff that is reheatable (eg chilli, curry, spag bog that they can just cook fresh pasta or rice for) or if it's a meat and two veg type meal, it can be put in the microwave.
I'm not catering to his whims when I have 2 other kids and husband to cook for.

Original poster
NoahVale · 16/07/2016 09:41

oh, my favourite too suburban

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WorldsBiggestGrotbag · 16/07/2016 09:41

I just can't imagine my parents ever changing their entire meal plan to ensure that I could come and go as I pleased and eat whatever it was they had cooked.

Original poster
NoahVale · 16/07/2016 09:41

and a good plan

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dontpokethebear · 16/07/2016 09:42

Sorry, that sounds a bit snippy. It wasn't meant to! Smile

Original poster
NoahVale · 16/07/2016 09:42

so what did your parents do worldsgrot?
plate it up/throw it out/leave you to your own devices?/freeze it?

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Longlost10 · 16/07/2016 09:44

Bless you, longlost. Have you got teenagers?

yes I have several, and yes they have busy social lives, however letting me know they won't be home to eat with me is very basic manners.

Not to mention they take an appropriate share of running the household themselves, including regularly offering, or being asked to take responsibility for the evening meal themselves.

dontpokethebear · 16/07/2016 09:44

I was a lazy teenager, so always made sure I was home to eat so I didn't have to cook. Plus my mum was/is scary so didn't want to upset her Grin

Original poster
NoahVale · 16/07/2016 09:46

my ds it appears has no manners, i am going to say, at the beginning of the week, When are you home, usually accompanied by his GF,

but actually i might say, which I tend to do now, I will only cook for you If I Know you are going to be home.

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