I'm done

[Anonymous]

cooking. Pre-family I loved cooking. Really exciting and exotic things too. Now I feel that my life revolves around food. What will the kids eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner...husband calls and wants to know what he can have for dinner...I'm done. I hate food, I hate cooking and haven't been to the market in 1.5 weeks. Help!

[Anonymous]

Try six-o'clock scramble. It changed our lives (only half kidding) - good, nutritious food that doesn't take a ton of effort, but does still have the "feel" of cooking - and tastes awesome. Takes the drudgery out of cooking without taking the fun out of it. Also, gives you a weeks worth of menus - so you don't have to scramble (pardon the pun) to figure out what to eat on a given day. Highly recommend it.

[Anonymous]

I told DH tonight that he needed to take an hour and go to trader joe's and buy some items that he thought he would like, bring them home, try them out and then tell me which ones he likes and I will work those items into my usual trader joe's shopping. I have also started handing him a cookbook and telling him to pick out 2 meals he would like that week. This helps to eliminate him complaining about always having the same thing for dinner and me getting pissed about him saying that. He just doesn't get how hard it is to go through a grocery store with a screaming 20 month old and buy items to be "creative" with dinner.

I also LOVED to cook pre-child. I now do not have the time to prepare meals like I used to so I try to cut corners time-wise where I can. Steam bag rice, simmer sauces that can be doctored up, items at trader joes like naan bread and pre-made pizza dough.

[Anonymous]

I'm with you OP. I feel like I'm constantly trying to figure out the next meal or cleaning up from the previous one. My 5 year old ate everything as a toddler and has gotten picky (nothing with any kind of sauce, no casseroles, etc.) and my 1 year old is totally unpredictable. And I'm pregnant so by dinner time I'm already exhausted. Plus with swimming lessons 2x a week and soccer practice after school, it's hard to get everyone fed at a decent hour.

After this pregnancy I'm gonna just start having wine for dinner.

[Anonymous]

Switch to Western European-style cold dinners. Put out some bread, cheese, a simple salad or soup and a few prepared meats and you are done. Fruit or yogurt for dessert.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Switch to Western European-style cold dinners. Put out some bread, cheese, a simple salad or soup and a few prepared meats and you are done. Fruit or yogurt for dessert.

this is how I ate when I was single. Pretty good for you, too. If DH would eat salads and cold cuts, it might work though. But I'm pretty hardwired that family dinners mean a hot entree, cooked vegetable. I have managed to let the starch slide by the boards though.

OP - What I find helps is a monthly menu. My mom had one when I was a kid and I always wondered why. Now that I'm a mom, I totally get it. It prevents us from eating the same thing every week (although DH would be thrilled, I get bored way too easily). I spent an afternoon writing a long list of menus. I tried to balance out beef, chicken, pork and veggie meals. Have quick to the table meals M-F. Vary the vegetables, etc.

We go to the grocery store once a week. I write up a list of dinners for that week and base the grocery list on that. We waste a lot less food, the trip to the store is much saner since I'm not trying to wrack my brain with questions like "do we have the ingredients for this in the pantry?"

And teach your spouse to cook a few of the meals, especially favorites. Helps immensely.

[Anonymous]

I've also found Six O'Clock Scramble (I have the cookbook) to be a great resource--everyone likes the food and we get variety.

As for the other meals, be easy on yourself. Cereal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, nothing else to figure out.

[Anonymous]

I went through a phase in which I just cooked what I wanted to eat (DH is easy, so I knew he'd eat it too). I made a plain vegetable and told my kids that they could eat what we were having or, if they were ready for dinner -- hands washed and within eyeshot -- they could have cereal or toast/bread with butter.

They ate a lot of toast and green beans. I got my cooking mojo back.

[Anonymous]

Can DH cook one big meal a week and that does you guys two dinners?

We do most of our cooking so one prep/cook "episode" does two dinners for everyone.

If he does one and I do one, (who am I kidding, he does most because I get caught up in bedtime routine), that is four dinners right there for the week.

Other nights we do the quick and easy stuff - big salads with baked chicken thrown on top, omelettes, vegetable plus grilled cheese, etc.

We get take out or go out maybe once every two weeks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Switch to Western European-style cold dinners. Put out some bread, cheese, a simple salad or soup and a few prepared meats and you are done. Fruit or yogurt for dessert.

I would like to do this more but I have a question; what prepared meats do you use? I've been broiling salmon the night before (i.e., not to eat then) and then serving it on top of a salad. It lasts for two dinners for two adults.

[Anonymous]

OP, I hear ya about losing your love of cooking. I will add my 2 cents to the "I'm done" rant: my husband will not help with any aspect of meal preparation, including grocery shopping (rarely), bringing in groceries from the car, putting groceries away, meal prep or cooking, cleaning up the kitchen, loading or unloading the dishwasher. He wasn't even clearing his dishes from the table except that I am trying to teach the kids to do that so he reluctantly does it but I have to remind him every night. When I have tried to broach this with him, he says things like, "I can't believe you're bringing that up again," and flatly refuses to help. He claims that because he brings out the garbage once a week and changes a few lightbulbs from time to time that it is a fair trade. He also calls me during the day to say, "what's for dinner." I have tried going on strike and not cooking, but I get tired of take-out or processed foods and I don't feel it is fair to the kids and it is both expensive and fattening. What can I do? (BTW, hubby works full time but is home by 6:30 and I work part-time. Also, hubby has worked in restaurants so he knows how to cook.)

[Anonymous]

22:12, that's untenable. It's not just an eye-roll, he's completely taking advantage of you.

Stop doing his laundry. Completely stop. Just sort out yours and the kids' and leave his in the basket. When he asks why he doesn't have clean drawers, say "I'll trade you-- I'll wash your clothes, and you do the dishes. Take it or leave it."

That, or stop making enough food for him. You and the kids eat at 6:00, and be done and half-way through cleanup by the time he comes home at 6:30. When he asks where his is, tell him to make it and clean up after it himself. Be very clear about WHY you are doing either of these things.

[Anonymous]

Don't feed the evil man

[Anonymous]

OP, you should not be a short order cook for your family. Plan the menu, and make reasonable food for the week. People can eat it or not.

[Anonymous]

I would cook anything if someone would just give me an idea. I am fresh out of cooking creativity so now I am cooking enough each night for two meals and serving leftovers with a fresh steamed veggie the next night. I like fresh fish,chicken or meat and fresh veggies which means a trip to the store every two days. I am seeing the eyes rolling as we have turkey breast or chicken the second night but fresh corn has been good and it only takes a couple of minutes for fresh veggies in a steam bag. He will soon be sick of broccoli and cauliflower. Sometimes it is leftover veggies and fresh fish. But only a few new things each night during the week.