anyone just up and quit cooking?

[rookie]

I just do not want to cook anymore. For the last 10 years I have been a cook-three-meals-a-day-from-scratch-plus-make-two-snacks-a-day kind of mom and I am completely sick of cooking.

 

I do not want to cut back. I want to quit. I do not even want anyone to take over at home. I just wish no one needed or wanted to eat. :001_smile:

 

What can I do?

 

I buy healthy, organic, low-fat ingredients. The prepared versions of these are super-pricey.

 

I wish I could put the dc out to pasture!

[MamaT]

I go through spells of feeling like that. I also cook, what feels like, all day long. I usually call a pizza night when I just can't do it anymore and then just suck it up and get back at it again.

[Trish]

The moment I quit eating, that'll be #2.

 

:D

[katemary63]

I'm with ya. Sick to death of cooking anything. Just wish we didn't have to eat at all.

[helena]

I don't want to cook anymore either. I'm trying to break it up by eating lots of left overs, cooking random things in the wok and using the rice cooker, packaged food :eek:, going out, and getting someone else to cook.

 

Wow, that sounds so bad..

 

I am trying to do Sunday cooking though, where I just surrender myself to the kitchen, a good movie, and lounging with the family.

 

The problem is I love good food. We do eat pretty healthy, and a good variety. So it's not like I've failed my family nutritionally. And, I am teaching the girls how to cook.

 

My garden looks good... does that count for anything?? :tongue_smilie:

[Jennifer in MI]

I was JUST telling my dh last night that I am NOT cooking anymore. Next week, I'm buying all premade stuff. I'm SO sick of it. And, it sounds like we eat the same way.

[Slartibartfast]

I am sick of cooking too. I put rice, chicken and salsa in the crockpot. That is about as "not care" as I can get. I don't even care if it is good.

 

I usually cook 2 meals from scratch a day. I don't typically cook lunch, that is generally sandwiches or something like that.

[Remudamom]

For pete's sake, you've got two girls old enough to cook. Assign them a meal or two a week and take a break.

[KristinaBreece]

I don't want to cook anymore either. I'm trying to break it up by eating lots of left overs, cooking random things in the wok and using the rice cooker, packaged food :eek:, going out, and getting someone else to cook.

 

Wow, that sounds so bad..

 

I am trying to do Sunday cooking though, where I just surrender myself to the kitchen, a good movie, and lounging with the family.

 

The problem is I love good food. We do eat pretty healthy, and a good variety. So it's not like I've failed my family nutritionally. And, I am teaching the girls how to cook.

 

My garden looks good... does that count for anything?? :tongue_smilie:

 

Teach them well, and you may soon find yourself cooking less.:001_smile:

[Slartibartfast]

For pete's sake, you've got two girls old enough to cook. Assign them a meal or two a week and take a break.

 

 

:lol:

 

I see some sons old enough to cook as well.

 

 

My dd is ten, I have started teaching her basics. :)

[Mejane]

That's why I love summer. Lots of salads, and dh does the grilling. Almost zero actual cooking for me. :)

 

rookie, if I were you I'd cut cooking to just dinner. There's no reason you need to cook three meals a day and make complicated snacks on top of it. I'd crack, too!

Edited March 9, 2011 by Mejane

[MamaT]

For pete's sake, you've got two girls old enough to cook. Assign them a meal or two a week and take a break.

 

I thought that was how it was going to work, and my 13yo dd can cook as well as I can, but she is never home!! She is at dance right now and will come in at 7:30 starving and ready to eat.

 

My other dd is at gym, my 17yo son is at work, and my 12yo son would be scary in the kitchen.

 

They are all conveniently gone when it is time to cook.

[Peek a Boo]

I rarely cook. The kids are all old enough to get cereal, make sandwiches, cook up some eggs/ fish fillets/ quesadillas, ramen soup, applesauce/canned fruits, frozen veggies, etc. I just peek over to make sure they are getting something from each food group.

 

I don't bother w/ organic. My entire family is ridiculously healthy with no chronic kid ailments or other issues. Even some of Mr. Boo's issues don't seem to be as problematic anymore.

 

For us, it's simply easier and a better use of our time and money to nuke what we want on a paper plate and do other things. About once or twice a week we have a family sit-down meal, [usually where Mr. Boo cooks], but we spend so much time together doing other stuff that it's kinda over rated [for us].

 

regardless how you resolve it, i hope you get over the bummed out part! :D

[helena]

I am sick of cooking too. I put rice, chicken and salsa in the crockpot. That is about as "not care" as I can get. I don't even care if it is good.

 

I usually cook 2 meals from scratch a day. I don't typically cook lunch, that is generally sandwiches or something like that.

 

My bolding :lol::lol::lol:

This is me. It's so bad sometimes, I won't even taste the food while cooking to adjust the spices.

:lol:

I'm laughting right now thinking about my families faces as they take their first bites of dinner.. :lol: Oh my gosh it's so funny, soooo bad!

I keep telling myself it's just a phase.

[KidsHappen]

I quit years ago. My kids are vegetarian and my hubby is gone during the week. The kids eat fruits, veggies, cheese, peanut butter and other non-cook food. I don't eat much at all and my hubby cooks when he is home.

[Crissy]

For pete's sake, you've got two girls old enough to cook. Assign them a meal or two a week and take a break.

 

:iagree:

This would be my solution as well. Teach them how to cook!

[May]

I feel your pain:grouphug: Of all the household jobs I do, cooking is my least favorite. I would feed my family cereal and make a salad if I could get away with it. What I wouldn't give to hire a cook.

[katilac]

I thought that was how it was going to work, and my 13yo dd can cook as well as I can, but she is never home!! She is at dance right now and will come in at 7:30 starving and ready to eat.

 

My other dd is at gym, my 17yo son is at work, and my 12yo son would be scary in the kitchen.

 

They are all conveniently gone when it is time to cook.

 

You can make the older kids responsible for one meal per week; how they manage it is up to them. For example, if your dd was assigned tonight, and she has to be at dance till late, then she needs to either cook early or put something in the crockpot.

 

There's no way I'd be planning 3 cooked meals per day, even with help. Just have plenty of healthy stuff on hand; everyone in your house is old enough to fix themselves a meal. Salad fixings, cheese, good bread, eggs, fruits, vegetables, rice and pasta - you can fix a million things with those! If some of those don't work for you, sit down and make a list of what does.

 

Perfection is the enemy of excellence! Have some good cooked meals each week, and don't worry about the rest.

[Peela]

I have done, but more because I felt so unappreciated than because I dont like cooking.

I dont do much cooking that requires a lot of work. Every makes their own breakfast and lunch is usually minimal work. Dinner is the main meal and its still usually only half an hour to make.

We eat healthy. I cook more when I feel inspired, and fall back on basics, but still healthy (lots of salad and vegetables), when I don't feel like cooking.

And if I need a night off, the kids make themselves pasta or cereal.

Fruit is the main snack around here.

I woudl say you are making it harder than it needs to be.

[Beth S]

We have 5 kids, ages 8 to 19. The rest of the family gets their own breakfast & lunch--cereal, eggs, oatmeal in the AM; PB+J and chz/lunchmeat for lunch. Carrots, Apples, Oranges, Wheat Crackers for snacks. Yes, the 19yo dd eats a more creative meal than the 8yo ds, but he's been doing it since he was about 4yo (with kind help).

 

I cook inexpensive, healthy, quick suppers--taco salad, spaghetti, soup & bread, fancy breakfast (waffles). NO woman can excel at everything at once! But, things can go downhill quickly if the food eaten becomes the opposite--expensive, unhealthy and elaborate!

 

Also, the big help was getting teams of the kids to clean up after each meal. Yes, I'm always reminding the next team to do their tasks, but it's better than me doing the whole thing.

 

I live with the goal of being successful on a rotating basis--house-cleaning, homeschool, laundry ironing, exercise, and cooking.

 

Training the children takes MUCH more time than the actual task, but in the long run, they need to be capable of cleaning their own dishes, their own underwear, etc.!

 

Hang in there!

[DawnM]

My boys are older now. I seriously try to make cooking as easy as possible.

 

Basic dinners are a meat, a starch, and a vegetable. I make it with preferably enough for the next night as well.

 

B-fast is almost all get your own, although I will cook an egg or two if needed. I will NOT cook bacon and pancakes unless I am eating them or decide to, I am not a made to order chef!

 

Lunch is either heat up leftovers or sandwiches and cut up fruit, veggies and chips. Get used to it, I am not cooking!

 

And by the way, clean up your own spot, I hate cleaning too!

 

Dawn

[canadianmomtofour]

I don't often cook, and if I do it's done on the weekend. Breakfast is toast, cereal, or oatmeal. Lunch is something quick and easy like sandwiches, soup, or pasta. Dinner is prepared when dh arrives home, and we prepare something together, so it's more of a time for us to connect rather than a chore. My kids don't often snack during the day, but if they need to they can choose from the fruit bowl. I don't know when I would teach my kids if I was cooking every day.....

[Slartibartfast]

I put too much rice in the rice/salsa/chicken in the crockpot. I added a can of black beans but it is still pretty ricey. I served it on flour tortillas and the kids got cheese.

 

This meal is worth 47000 WW points. :lol:

[Rosie_0801]

Yeah, my mum did when we were teenagers. She didn't mind that we didn't want to cook either, so we all ate a lot of microwaved pasta and tinned tuna. :lol:

 

Rosie

[yellowperch]

I could live happily on apples, cheese, bread, soup, cold cereal, milk and coffee. I wish everyone in my family could (minus the coffee). Wouldn't that be great?

[kamom]

I enjoy cooking BUT it can get overwhelming if you have to cook at every meal! I almost never cook just one meal by itself. Example today I made a large pot of chicken and beans for taco salad. Tomorrow the leftovers will be taco soup that will take me about 1 minute to prepare. Same toppings. Chips and cheese. Either that for lunch and supper, or sandwiches for one. If we still have someleftover I might add more rice and put it into tacos for the next day yet.

 

Fresh baked bread is made daily in the bread machine, takes me about 2 minutes to fill and is always on hand to make a pot of soup into a meal. If I make a pot of soup, it's enough for at LEAST two meals.

 

I only make a special dessert about once or twice a week. The rest of the time it's fruit, yogurt, ice cream, something like a peanut butter cup or nothing.

Snacks! Help yourself to something from the snack drawer, granola bars, apples and peanut butter.

[AnitaMcC]

Yep... I have quit cooking at times. But then again, I hate cooking.

 

I keep meals very simple when I do cook. Cooking for 9 is just no fun. Dh cooks 2-3 nights a week, I usually cook 2 meals a week. The other 2-3 nights I either convince a kid to cook something simple or it is "get whatever you get for yourself" night or takeout/delivery. Some times it is frozen pizzas, sandwich night, etc.

 

But, I absolutely hate cooking!!!!! Honestly, I rather not eat anything (but, I rarely feel hungry and only eat 1-2 times a day anyway).

[AnitaMcC]

My boys are older now. I seriously try to make cooking as easy as possible.

 

Basic dinners are a meat, a starch, and a vegetable. I make it with preferably enough for the next night as well.

 

B-fast is almost all get your own, although I will cook an egg or two if needed. I will NOT cook bacon and pancakes unless I am eating them or decide to, I am not a made to order chef!

 

Lunch is either heat up leftovers or sandwiches and cut up fruit, veggies and chips. Get used to it, I am not cooking!

 

And by the way, clean up your own spot, I hate cleaning too!

 

Dawn

 

Yep... this is us too. I actually love Fridays in Lent!!!! I don't cook at all as it is usually cheese pizzas and Ds#1 loves to make homemade pizza.

 

I don't cook breakfast or lunch either. Occassional Sunday mornings. I just hate cooking!!!! Funny thing is that when I do cook, everyone says it is great. So I guess I can cook... I just don't enjoy doing it at all.

[AnitaMcC]

I could live happily on apples, cheese, bread, soup, cold cereal, milk and coffee. I wish everyone in my family could (minus the coffee). Wouldn't that be great?

 

 

What we can't eat like this????? :eek:.

[regentrude]

If I cook, it is ONE meal a day. When I grew up, that was how we ate:

bread and cereal for breakfast, a warm lunch, sandwich and salad for dinner. Fruit for snacks.

Three cooked meals? No way. I would not want to spend the time - and I don't see the need.

[Negin]

To say that I despise cooking would be an understatement. I used to like it. Love it, actually. Now, I cannot stand it.

[missesd]

I started teaching the kids to cook at 11. I had just started homeschooling, so "Home Ec" sounded like a good idea at the time :) Since the his and hers are all 1 a year... now 18, 17, 15 1/2, 15, 14, and 13... it worked well that we were rotating new cookers into the house every year. We started with easy stuff, then family favorites, family recipes from Grandma etc, and then we started adding new stuff that none of us knew how to make. It's been an adventure!! LOL Now every child except the youngest ones have a dinner night, they help plan the menu's too, so they have a say. We have 1 leftover night, and that leaves 2 open nights. If we do a date night, we allow the kids to just kind of make whatever they want... we call 'pick what you want night' :) Then hubby and I will alternate our big Sunday dinner, or if it's something one of the kids likes to make they'll volunteer. I keep breakfasts simple... cereal, oatmeal, muffins, eggs, yogurt, etc... Lunches are easy, too... sandwiches, soups, cracker and cheese/tuna, mac and cheese, hot dogs, salad, etc... So, even though I have 7 kids in the house, I find things actually run pretty smooth. Maybe you could start teaching the 13 yr old how t make some things to help out a little??