Dealing with family dinner every day for the rest of your life!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cook first thing in the morning. It is a game changer. Cooking when people are hungry and tired is not pleasant. Also, having HANGRY people around is a recipe for conflict and dysfunction.

Your first 2-3 courses should be raw veggies/fruits, simple soups and probiotics like keffir/saurkraut/yogurt. They are quick to put together. Some don't even require cooking. It takes the edge out of hunger, provides essential nutrients, are easy to digest, have lots of fiber and fluids, has pre and probiotics to keep your good gut bacteria happy, and it gives you time to make/reheat entrees and sides etc. The best part is that your family can put these first two-three courses together.

For example, my kids will cut carrots, apples and cucumber sticks and eat it with hummus, then they will take greek yogurt and add berries, nuts and seeds in it and eat that. By that time - I can reheat something easy like spicy rosemary lemon chicken and serve with quinoa pilaf with nuts, sauteed onions and fresh microgreens.

Because they are eating veggies, fruits, nuts and seeds and probiotics - they are satisfied with the smaller quantities of carbs in the main meal. As for desserts? They hardly have cravings after a full meal.

humblebrag. But you didn’t even try to hide it. So I guess just a brag.

Huh? You don't know me IRL, so bragging will not gain anything.

Do you mean to say that you guys are incapable of basic adulting? Like you want someone else to make your meals and put it your mouth?

Seriously. What you wrote is basic adulting! It’s not rocket science, people.

[Anonymous]

Have older kids cook one night per week, even if it is Blue Apron or another meal kit. Double or triple cook proteins so they can easily be repurposed. Eat one roast chicken, shred the 2nd for soup or salads or burritos next night, shred 3rd and freeze. If 1 kid cooks and each parent cooks and doubles proteins, that is 5 nights covered, for a 6th do breakfast for dinner. On 7th do a stir fry or soup with leftovers.

Have theme nights, takes a lot of mental load off to know its Taco Tuesday for example.

Batch cook and freeze chicken, meatballs, egg bites, cooked bacon, etc, in an hour every weekend and stock freezer.

We use the IP and do a lot of sheet pan cooking.

[Anonymous]

By middle school, my kids were helping me to prep dinner, and they were tasked with choosing dinner one night a week (within reason; I usually gave them options). By high school, my kids were responsible for dinner one time a week. Friday was always take out pizza. So that was three nights a week I didn't worry about dinner. Now my kids are college-aged, and I cook when I feel like it; when I don't, they can cook themselves something or order out or do whatever they want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you deal with this as a full time working mom? Everyone looks to you for dinner. No one ever likes what you make. You don’t have room in your brain to decide on dinner every single night. Tonight I was so distracted with work issues, didn’t have time to make a decent dinner, burned the broccoli and overcooked the pasta. Everyone looking at me pretending to like it. Major fail. I wish we could afford a personal chef. Someone take this off my plate!

Then there's lunch.
So lunch + dinner = 14 "meals" a week
Times 50 weeks in a year (2 weeks off: vacations, eat at at others', parties, work related etc..)
That's at least 700 "meals" a year.
Times 18 years of age until kid is an adult = over 12,000 "meals" while living with you.
Good luck.

If your isn't making her/himself lunch by the time they are 10 years old, you have failed as a parent.

That could be but some kids start earlier than 10 and others later. In 10:55's post, it lists how many meals, not who is preparing those meals. Everyone should pitch in regularly to make it fun, enjoyable for all members of the household.

[Anonymous]

I hear you! I hate working all day long in a stressful job, then come home and cook dinner for my picky 9 year old and spouse and listening to their complaints. If I could only be responsible for my own eating habits/cooking/groceries I would be in haven.

[Anonymous]

Working mom of three (two elementary schoolers and a toddler)

1) I meal plan for the next week on Friday on my way back from work (take the train so I have nothing better to do). I make a list of everything we need and then double check what’s in the fridge when I’m at home and if anything is missing.

2) Saturday morning I grocery shop. For lunch we usually get falafel or muncheez at Georgetown. For dinner I make something super easy (for example Sauteed spinach with chickpeas)

3) Sunday lunch is leftovers from Saturday or something simple like a peanut butter sandwich. Dinner is also very simple. On Sunday I cook my most elaborate meal of
week that we will eat on Monday and Tuesday. One week this is chicken, the other it’s red meat. Since I’m in the office now and my husband is at home he will prepare the salad (which we have daily) with my girls and set the table

4) For Wednesday I also cook for two days. This is usually something simple that takes an hour to make from start to finish (sometimes I will prep a little beforehand on Sunday or Tuesday). For this meal it’s either seafood or vegetarian

5) Thursday is an off day. We eat at my mother in laws house. Friday we eat leftovers from Wednesday

[Anonymous]

It’s a lot of pressure but it’s also a constant, so no surprises. Keep your expectations low and follow a template - that helps. I also order a lot of takeout.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At least they pretended to like it, OP!
I feel you; it’s awful. I’m counting the days until I am responsible only for feeding myself.

And then they come home from college for breaks, and you have to cook for them again!

College age can cook for themselves.

Exactly

- Parent of two college age children

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cook first thing in the morning. It is a game changer. Cooking when people are hungry and tired is not pleasant. Also, having HANGRY people around is a recipe for conflict and dysfunction.

Your first 2-3 courses should be raw veggies/fruits, simple soups and probiotics like keffir/saurkraut/yogurt. They are quick to put together. Some don't even require cooking. It takes the edge out of hunger, provides essential nutrients, are easy to digest, have lots of fiber and fluids, has pre and probiotics to keep your good gut bacteria happy, and it gives you time to make/reheat entrees and sides etc. The best part is that your family can put these first two-three courses together.

For example, my kids will cut carrots, apples and cucumber sticks and eat it with hummus, then they will take greek yogurt and add berries, nuts and seeds in it and eat that. By that time - I can reheat something easy like spicy rosemary lemon chicken and serve with quinoa pilaf with nuts, sauteed onions and fresh microgreens.

Because they are eating veggies, fruits, nuts and seeds and probiotics - they are satisfied with the smaller quantities of carbs in the main meal. As for desserts? They hardly have cravings after a full meal.

humblebrag. But you didn’t even try to hide it. So I guess just a brag.

Huh? You don't know me IRL, so bragging will not gain anything.

Do you mean to say that you guys are incapable of basic adulting? Like you want someone else to make your meals and put it your mouth?

Seriously. What you wrote is basic adulting! It’s not rocket science, people.

+3

[Anonymous]

I think it's the whining I can't stand. DH and I like to cook, we eat varied meals, a lot of spices, loads of vegetables. It's just nonstop whining and I hate that it changes things dh and I liked to cook (we were together a decade before kids). Like they refuse eggplant lasagna, red pepper flakes in anything is a no go, no goat cheese, one kid doesn't eat potatoes, one kid hates cheese.

I actually feel like I used to be pickier before being a mom. Now, if someone makes me food, I don't GAF what it is, I just sit and happily eat it. The bar is so low if I didn't have to cook it. Dog food for dinner?- sure, sounds good if you heat it up for me.

[Anonymous]

We eat very simply and rely on a lot of shortcuts. I don’t make my own sauces or marinades, veggies come from the freezer, and we rely heavily on things that can be roasted in a sheet pan (winter) or grilled (summer). I’m also not above frozen rice or premade Mac and cheese.