school17777 Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 Figuring out what to make for dinner! I have no inspiration to cook right now. I'd be happy with a shake. The kids probably would be too : ). But, I don't even have left overs in the fridge to feed dh if we did that. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
school17777 Posted January 18, 2017 Author Share Posted January 18, 2017 We don't even have ice cream for shakes tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 I do meal plan, just for dinner............. but I always keep canned soup on hand for those days when I just don't want to make what I planned & I'm not in the mood to order pizza. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 People are recovering from various illnesses here. We are having gluten free chicken soup. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
school17777 Posted January 18, 2017 Author Share Posted January 18, 2017 I usually meal plan, a week at a time, but no inspiration this week to do so. Plus, my schedule is up in the air with sick kids. I had to pick up college dd last night and we are heading out the door for sick appointments for her and the high schooler. I have to drive college dd back to school sometime today, so that is using up all my reserves as far as dinner is concerned! I do have canned soup and frozen food in the freezer to throw together for a last minute meal. Plus, I have an Instant Pot which means I don't have to thaw my meat to still have a good dinner, if I get inspired last minute. At this point, very doubtful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
school17777 Posted January 18, 2017 Author Share Posted January 18, 2017 People are recovering from various illnesses here. We are having gluten free chicken soup. This has at least inspired me to grab some broth out of the freezer, so I can maybe think about a soup tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
displace Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 Maybe cereal? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 DH is the cook here, but I always know when the inspiration has left him because dinner is either breakfast (eggs & toast & sausage) or grilled cheese sandwiches. Those are his two guaranteed-never-fail-everyone-eats-them meals, 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne in CA Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 I always do waffles for dinner when I'm not inspired. They are no more healthy that a milkshake, but they make me happy. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loowit Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 I am having the same problem. I have two kids down with influenza this week and I am not feeling great myself. Last night I did a chicken pot pie, I cooked the chicken and veggies in broth all day in the crockpot and then threw some thawed puff pastry over it and baked it. It was pretty easy. Still no ideas for tonight. Maybe I'll have DH make pancakes. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 I've been uninspired since the beginning of the school year. Ds1 moved out and dh travels a lot for work, so most nights it's just 3 of us. Dd decided she no longer eats beef, just chicken and pizza. Ds2 will eat most things but he gets tired of chicken and pizza. lol. And both hate eggs. *siiiiiiigh* 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 I used to love to cook. But now, it's sheer drudgery because there are so many variables to plan around: kids' and adults' schedules, eating needs and preferences, $$$$. I do keep a few emergency items around for days when it just doesn't work out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 I usually cook from 4:30-5:30, but I have to be out of the house until 6. I do NOT want to start cooking at 6 at night. But we just spent a bunch of money on plumbers....so do I order out and dh and I wince about spending the money? Or do I cook at 6 and we eat super late? There is no time to do any prep as we leave the house at 2:00 and that's only an hour and 12 minutes from now and we're doing school now. If I had the money, we'd eat out every day. Wouldn't we all? :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaceseeker Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 I really, really, really hate the daily dinner question. So much pressure and I am exhausted at that point each night. Of all the luxuries a wealthy person could have, the luxury of a personal chef or eating out for every meal must be the most amazing. Sigh... Lately I have been considering cooking dinner every morning. Like even if it is just boiling noodles or whatever. Even a 20 minute quick meal is exhausting to me at 6:00 pm. I think I should cook when I have energy in the morning. Then just reheat every night during the exhausted zone. Leftovers for dinner every night, lol... I need like 10 more crockpot meals, because I am so excited when I can say dinner is done by 10 am. My whole day feels better when the 'What's for dinner?' question is resolved (and cooked) before noon. But I only have 3 good crockpot recipes my family will eat. Thankfully one of them is in the slow cooker right now (chili) so the pressure is off until tomorrow! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hjffkj Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 We have not had to think about dinner since our youngest was born at the beginning of the month because of generous family and friends bringing tons of food over. Tonight is the last night of a prepared meal so we have to do aajor grocery store trip tomorrow and actually think about meal planning again. I'm not looking forward to that 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 Spaghetti is my fall back meal. The kids all like it, DH doesn't mind it. Only problem is I hate it. So I make them spaghetti and drink a cup of tea while I wait till they are done, then I will either make myself one of the frozen dinners I have stashed in the freezer, or haul out the special pizzas that I buy only for me. If I time it right I can bake the pizza and eat before DH shows up, otherwise I have to share a couple of pieces with him if he finds it (which means not enough leftovers for a meal the next day). 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
school17777 Posted January 18, 2017 Author Share Posted January 18, 2017 I am having the same problem. I have two kids down with influenza this week and I am not feeling great myself. Last night I did a chicken pot pie, I cooked the chicken and veggies in broth all day in the crockpot and then threw some thawed puff pastry over it and baked it. It was pretty easy. Still no ideas for tonight. Maybe I'll have DH make pancakes. We had frozen chicken pot pies last night! Crepes this morning for breakfast. We stopped by the grocery store on our way home from the drs and I grabbed a frozen eggplant lasagna for tonight, stuff to make unrolled egg rolls (or something like that), and limes and cilantro to for a chicken marinade. That should get me through the weekend since we are going to my aunt's for dinner on Friday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
school17777 Posted January 18, 2017 Author Share Posted January 18, 2017 Spaghetti is my fall back meal. The kids all like it, DH doesn't mind it. Only problem is I hate it. So I make them spaghetti and drink a cup of tea while I wait till they are done, then I will either make myself one of the frozen dinners I have stashed in the freezer, or haul out the special pizzas that I buy only for me. If I time it right I can bake the pizza and eat before DH shows up, otherwise I have to share a couple of pieces with him if he finds it (which means not enough leftovers for a meal the next day). We had spaghetti on Sunday. And I think we had pizza twice last week. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
school17777 Posted January 18, 2017 Author Share Posted January 18, 2017 We have not had to think about dinner since our youngest was born at the beginning of the month because of generous family and friends bringing tons of food over. Tonight is the last night of a prepared meal so we have to do aajor grocery store trip tomorrow and actually think about meal planning again. I'm not looking forward to that It is so nice of friends and family to provide meals to new moms. What a blessing! Enjoy your last night of the meals. (Get an Instant Pot, or any brand!, if you don't already have an electric pressure cooker. It truly makes dinner time easier, if you have food in the house already. I wish I had one when the kids were younger. It is/can be "a set, and forget" type thing so you can still be able to take care of kids while dinner is cooking, and not have to hang around the stove.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hjffkj Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 It is so nice of friends and family to provide meals to new moms. What a blessing! Enjoy your last night of the meals. (Get an Instant Pot, or any brand!, if you don't already have an electric pressure cooker. It truly makes dinner time easier, if you have food in the house already. I wish I had one when the kids were younger. It is/can be "a set, and forget" type thing so you can still be able to take care of kids while dinner is cooking, and not have to hang around the stove.) I got an instant Pot on black Friday and love it! It does make meals so much easier when I just need to start it and forget it. Meal planning is my downfall. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnE-girl Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 I'm participating in a Wildtree (MLM, I know, I know) meal planning challenge group on Facebook and it is helping. We're going on three weeks of no pizza, takeout, or convenience foods. I'm using their freezer meal-prep bundles. They aren't cheap, but I think we're eating healthier than frozen pizza and breaded orange chicken that had been staples. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeLovePassion Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 Leftover dairy free split pea and ham soup 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
school17777 Posted January 18, 2017 Author Share Posted January 18, 2017 Leftover dairy free split pea and ham soup I bought split peas to make soup sometime soon. I wanted this on Monday and was surprised to not find split peas in the pantry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 Dinner is ready, but dh is on a diet so that really limits what he can eat. I told him he could just eat the meat and veggies that I left to the side if he wants. No one in this home likes soup but me. I can stretch it for days and in fact was the only one that touched that last batch I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 We are in love with riced cauliflower if that helps anyone. They sell it now in the freezer section. I've been using it as a rice substitute (for example, stir fry. A friend of mine used it in stuffed peppers). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendy not in HI Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 (edited) Currently, my meal plan is to not plan. I just know I need to stop at the store sometime (almost ) every day to get something for dinner. I do have a few fall back meals on hand all of the time (pasta, breakfast, etc) but for the most part, I stop at the store almost daily. For some reason I can't plan more than one or two meals ahead.... To illustrate: last night I watched dd cheer, planning to stop at the store on the way home, but as I was sitting there, I realized I had everything for a big pot of mac n cheese (with bacon) so I didn't stop at the store. Everyone seemed to like it. Low carb here, so none for me, but it was a good dinner for everyone else! Today, I was running errands and had a thought that hamburgers sound good for tonight - it's a busy night and dinner needs to fit in between violin lessons, basketball practice and church night. Hamburgers are quick! So I picked up some fresh burger and an avocado and dinner is ready to do. I have no idea what to fix for tomorrow... I hate meal planning, and I hate doing the super big grocery shopping, but I don't mind running into the store real quick for this or that. Not a great solution, but it's sort of working for me. eta - this works for me because I don't have little ones to get in and out of the car, and there is a convenient mini grocery store really close to me. It would not work if I had to go to Walmart every day with kids in carseats... Edited January 18, 2017 by wendy not in HI 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 I dug around in the freezer this morning, looking for inspiration. I found a bag of frozen stew. Hooray! Stew and garlic bread for dinner. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frugalmamatx Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 (edited) I hate it too. Especially since starting paleo/GF, because it seems everything I want isn't paleo. And fast almost always means not paleo. But I've learned a couple ways to get around it. A well stocked pantry and & freezer helps a lot. I can say okay I have lots of XYZ item {normally meat} and figure out how to use it up. Cook once eat for days. I pick something dd & I both eat well {like burgers} and make up a ton. Then stick in the fridge. Burgers can be done so many different ways - pizza burgers, regular, etc. So it doesn't get old quite as fast. I do the same with sides too - make a mega batch of mashed potatoes/rice, eat for a few days. I also swapped a lot of my cooking to lunch. We have a small breakfast, then a big late lunch most days. Then just leftovers for a late dinner before bed. I have more energy to cook at lunchtime. If you have a small family, Green Chef / Home Chef / Blue Apron / ETC are very nice. The convenience factor is well worth it IMO. So far I've tried Green Chef and was happy with the quality of the food, but we didn't care for all the sides recipes as both dd & I prefer a more simple classic country cooking style. Home Chef I'm trying next week & I'm very excited about because the recipes look like a better fit for us. A secret I found is that you can also view the recipes for these online WITHOUT ordering, so if I see something that looks good I can easily get the stuff to make it at home without ordering generally. ETA: I also always keep french bread in the fridge along with pizza cheese and a jar of spaghetti sauce. In a true pinch for dinner for dd I slice it into about 1" thick slices, toast partially in the oven, flip, spread with spaghetti sauce and cover with cheese. Sometimes I add pizza toppings too. This gets dinner for the kids in about 10-15 minutes from start to finish and it's SUPER cheap too since I get the day old french bread which is actually better for this anyways. Edited January 18, 2017 by frugalmamatx 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne in CA Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 We have not had to think about dinner since our youngest was born at the beginning of the month because of generous family and friends bringing tons of food over. Tonight is the last night of a prepared meal so we have to do aajor grocery store trip tomorrow and actually think about meal planning again. I'm not looking forward to that I clicked like because the generosity of your friends was super. But... couldn't you make a guilt inducing facebook post about finally going grocery shopping for a little more help. LOL :lol: :lol: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hjffkj Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 I clicked like because the generosity of your friends was super. But... couldn't you make a guilt inducing facebook post about finally going grocery shopping for a little more help. LOL :lol: :lol: Haha. I actually have more people who have told me they will be bringing food after my dh goes back to work, which is on Monday. So I won't guilt anyone just yet 😉 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 This is why I love the Instant Pot. I can literally take a meat and a jar of sauce and hit the button. My easy IP meals: One pot spaghetti and meatballs Lasagna Baked potatoes pulled pork Chicken with just about anything (sometimes just broth!) over rice in the rice maker 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 (edited) I'm participating in a Wildtree (MLM, I know, I know) meal planning challenge group on Facebook and it is helping. We're going on three weeks of no pizza, takeout, or convenience foods. I'm using their freezer meal-prep bundles. They aren't cheap, but I think we're eating healthier than frozen pizza and breaded orange chicken that had been staples. I have never heard of them. Do you order meals? Edited January 19, 2017 by DawnM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnE-girl Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 I have never heard of them. Do you order meals? It's seasonings, oils, and sauces/dressings mostly, plus a shopping list for meat and veggies, and instructions for preparing your own freezer meals. The meats are frozen raw, but nothing takes more than 40 minutes in the oven or less for skillet meals. There are crockpot meals, too. So there's still some work to make dinner, but the bulk of the prep is done ahead of time. The bundle helps prepare 10 freezer meals of 6-8 servings. The company also has separate skillet meals similar to hamburger helper, but everything is organic. There are breakfast and dessert mixes too, but I haven't tried those. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
school17777 Posted January 19, 2017 Author Share Posted January 19, 2017 Currently, my meal plan is to not plan. I just know I need to stop at the store sometime (almost ) every day to get something for dinner. I do have a few fall back meals on hand all of the time (pasta, breakfast, etc) but for the most part, I stop at the store almost daily. For some reason I can't plan more than one or two meals ahead.... To illustrate: last night I watched dd cheer, planning to stop at the store on the way home, but as I was sitting there, I realized I had everything for a big pot of mac n cheese (with bacon) so I didn't stop at the store. Everyone seemed to like it. Low carb here, so none for me, but it was a good dinner for everyone else! Today, I was running errands and had a thought that hamburgers sound good for tonight - it's a busy night and dinner needs to fit in between violin lessons, basketball practice and church night. Hamburgers are quick! So I picked up some fresh burger and an avocado and dinner is ready to do. I have no idea what to fix for tomorrow... I hate meal planning, and I hate doing the super big grocery shopping, but I don't mind running into the store real quick for this or that. Not a great solution, but it's sort of working for me. eta - this works for me because I don't have little ones to get in and out of the car, and there is a convenient mini grocery store really close to me. It would not work if I had to go to Walmart every day with kids in carseats... You must be really disciplined to only buy what you planned on buying. I end up buying other things while there, so what I thought would only cost $3, ends up $75! So, we can't afford for me to run to the store everyday! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendy not in HI Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 You must be really disciplined to only buy what you planned on buying. I end up buying other things while there, so what I thought would only cost $3, ends up $75! So, we can't afford for me to run to the store everyday! It's kind of strange, but I find that I stay in my food budget just fine. I've also noticed that I'm much less likely to throw in the towel and go pick up pizza or burgers. Plus, since I'm not planning ahead, I don't pick up stuff for tomorrow's fajitas (that may not get made) or Saturday's lasagna (that also may not get made). I just buy what I need and if things change, it's not a big deal! I think it helps that I just pop in to a really small corner store - not a whole lot of options, though it is part of a larger chain and the prices are the same as other grocery stores (more expensive than Walmart, cheaper than Trader Joe's.) The best thing about it is it also has a little post office and pharmacy! I wish this little store existed in other places, I think older people, especially, would like it. It's about the size of Whole Foods, only it's just regular groceries. I rarely spend more than $30 there, and I almost always just use a basket. In some cultures, daily shopping is the only way to do it, and I'm finding that it works okay for me. I've been doing this for the 6 months that we have lived here. I should mention that we will only live here for a year and I don't want to stock up on a lot of things. I'm purposely trying not to have 6 cans of spaghetti sauce and 18 paper towel rolls... Until recently our small chest freezer was completely empty... Anyway, just a thought. If planning's not working, plan not to plan! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 Papa Murphy's had a really awesome coupon today. :o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theelfqueen Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 Ummm uh I don't want to admit the quantity of takeout we've eaten this week. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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