Anyone else worn down by deciding what to make for dinner daily

[MyBusyUser]

I honestly think one of the most draining parts of ordinary life is having to come up with dinner every single day forever. Not even the cooking necessarily — the deciding. What everyone will eat, what we’ve already had this week, what’s actually in the fridge, whether I can be bothered, whether there’s time. Please tell me I’m not the only person weirdly worn down by the constant “what’s for dinner?” problem.

Weekly meal plan, problem solved.

I really feel for those with families where certain members won't eat X, the other won't eat Y etc. Come up with a list of things that everyone will eat, rotate those and meal plan for the week on a Sunday. Or do what my mum did and say this is what's for food, like it or lump it.

I like cooking. But I hate cooking day in day out.
I have two DC with ASD and varying degrees of associated food issues. One has suspected ARFID, so very limited options. The other eats more variety but still limited.
There's very little they both agree on so most days I provide 3 different meals (at least DH at I agree!)
Batch cooking is my friend, so most days it's warming up things and obviously there's the predictable beige food which is at least easy

Yes! I've been doing it for over 50 years and am soooo bored of it. I used to enjoy it! But just doing the same old round of things. Doesn't help that poor DH lost his sense of taste many years ago so can't really appreciate anything.

Oh my word, yes. And to add to the challenge, DD has autism and disordered eating, so there are safe foods and at times of stress, they narrow even further.

I put this prompt into Chat GPT then asked it to do a list as well. I did only 6 as once a week is whatever's leftover or a takeaway. Thank me later!
'Please give me 6 family friendly evening meals for 2 adults and 2 children. I need to make them within 30 minutes or use a slow cooker.'

Ds would have the same five meals over and over again

I feel like smashing the kitchen up when he asks for fucking spaghetti carbonara again (and I do not like it)

The other tissue is that he really needs to put on weight and if he really likes something he will eat a lot of that meal often two helpings if he just likes it but not a favourite will eat it but a smallish portion or just enough (which is healthy but not when you need to put on weight)

I dont cook.
If i do its chips in the oven thats rare, other than that its something from a packet.
Noodle porridge in pot just add water.
Cooking every day or having to make food evey day for people other than me would drive me mad.

Agree OP. I used to love cooking, pre kids. Now with work, housework, kids etc it’s a relentless chore.

Omg yes yes and for a thousand times YES!! Agree so much!! I always say if i ever win mad amount of money (not that i even play😂) first thing i would spend it on is a private chef!!!! My wildest dream😂

Could you share an example week? Love some ideas. Couldn’t think of three weeks worth of meals!!

Sending hugs. Sorry to hear about your cat Sprig 💛

Yep, and I live on my own!

AI will make a simple weekly nutritious menu for you and a shopping list. Sorted.

Hell will freeze over before I use AI for anything.

I meal plan on a 3 week rotation.
So I plan 3 weeks of meals and then repeat fir the next 3 weeks and so on. Usually following the same weekly format e.g. Tuesdays and Thursdays will always be something slow-cooked. One evening each week will be pasta based, another rice, anither would be jacket potatoes. Different sauce/filling each week but the base the same.

Suit yourself but it’s really useful for this kind of thing.

@Dinosaurhearmeroar

These are typical ideas for us, 2 adults, 2 kids in primary school. We typically all eat the same thing, no allergies. 4 out of 5 weeknights we have some sort of club or activity so speed is of the essence.
Sunday - Toad in the hole, Roast dinner, Chicken Pie
Monday - Chicken fajitas, curry or risotto made with leftovers of the roast
Tuesday - Spaghetti Bolognese, Chicken Kievs, Tacos, Sausages and mash
Wednesday - Beige Freezer food, filled pasta, fish fingers
Thursday - Beans on Toast, Pasta Bake, Jacket Potatoes with cheese and Beans
Friday - Pizza, Hot Dogs, chicken and wedges
Saturday - Chicken Katsu, Shawarma chicken flatbreads, Paella, Lasagne

On my 6 week plan things that are popular will come up twice, but I try to limit it to no more than that so people don’t get fed up of a meal.

Sorry, I’m going to play the devil’s advocate here and say it’s not draining on the slightest.

I feel people really over complicate meals by thinking they need to cook a recipe with 10+ ingredients and make it different every time.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the following meals:

• Pan fried chicken or fish with rice + veg
• Stir fry (lots of veg and think of all the different variations you can create)
• Chicken/tuna/feta other protein based salad, potentially served in a pita bread
• Steak and vegetables or salad
• Pasta bake with cheese, a second protein + veg
• Oven roasted vegetables inc potatoes
• White fish + potatoes
• A lentil soup or curry

All of these meals are super hands off and ready in 20 mins, and nutritionally quite balanced.

I rarely cook anything else and have made some meals more complex for the purpose of this thread.

If you have 5-10 meals that everyone likes, why not just rotate them?

I organise food in date order and grab whatever I fancy, also ensuring nothing goes off.

I've never related to something so hard. And I'm so bored of what I decide to eat everytime, as well. Now and then I'll find something I really enjoy, but then eat it so often I get sick of it and it's back to square one. I look at recipes online and it's the silliest shit I've ever seen in my life. Ain't no way I'm buying 976 ingredients to cook a single dinner that looks weird as fuck.

You know, this has just given me the idea to hire a personal chef. I can't afford it but maybe it's time to jump on the OF bandwagon. Only another 5 years in the gym and I might make it. Or I could sell feet pics. Idek what I'm talking about anymore someone please provide me with a chef

Ditto and also hellofresh depending on what offers they have.

I have a wall mount in the kitchen that the recipe cards go in so everyone knows whays for tea, so never get the dreaded 'whats for tea' question.

It is relentless but you literally need it to survive, and the better the food, the better for all. It doesn't have to be fancy, as long as it's not all processed.
Have a rota of about 10 meals that you plough through on a cycle.

I've always meal planned for the week ahead. Started when I got married and now my daughter does it too.
One shop in Lidl & Tesco with butcher and fish shop on the way home.

This is the worst part of being an adult for me.
I just can't meal plan and I wish I could. I may do Gusto or Hello Fresh again.

A few weeks ago I batch cooked 6 dinners in one afternoon and it was heaven not having to cook or more importantly, think about what to cook, for nearly a whole week.

I hear you those saying it’s knackering.

I’ll be honest I loved cooking and still do if I’m left alone.

What I don’t like with a 4 year old and 2 FT working parents and a few food intolerances

Choices seem to be between:

*Family friendly meal that’s easy but maybe a bit dull (chicken and chorizo in a sauce with pasta and veg/mild tacos/ lamb meatballs with hummus and pita and salad/mild
thai curry) eg. not exciting enough for husband or own tastebuds to be particularly thrilled but just adventurous enough to have to supervise child to actually try all the bits and realise they like it

*Family friendly meals that are just dirt like oven pizza, fish fingers and are a treat once in a while but basically a bit boring and everyone knows you’ve slacked off and when it does all get eaten it feels like you’ve cheated

*Family friendly meals that take bloody ages and a million pans like a roast or proper lasagne and are Lovely but require more hours than is practical

*Giving child separate dinner and then to make it worthwhile either spending a fortune on takeaway or cooking something absurd that needs 100 pans or
deciding to just have a cheese board

THEN whichever of the above you choose you then roll the dice.
Do you get:
child is kicking off because they are too hungry/don’t want to stop playing/ or someone gets a work call/or everyone is tired/ or you have planned a grown up meal
but child won’t sleep/or everyone is remarkably civilised and you wished you’d made more effort / you can’t face the dice roll and allow dinner in front of the tv and then feel bad about that too

So basically worst case you can end up with 100 million pans and everyone in passive aggressive silence and feeling like why didn’t you just do some soup.

I dont think it’s the actual act of cooking that’s exhausting.