It would mean the world to me if my husband cooked

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cooking for yourself or another adult is a lot easier than cooking for adults and kids. Sometimes I end up cooking 3 different entrees because the kids won't eat the adults want and vice versa. It's awful

What? No, that's nuts. Barring allergies or anything else medical, kids eat what the adults eat. This is how I, my husband, most people (classmates, friends, etc) that I grew up with were raised. I don't think that human biology have changed that much in one generation. Being a short order cook is definitely not normal.

[Anonymous]

My husband will grill on a nice evening but that’s about it. On really hectic days I just use Ubereats.

[Anonymous]

You're definitely overcomplicating meals, OP. PPs have noted a number of ways to simplify even without ordering takeout or subscribing to meal prep services.

How old are your kids? Can they start helping out -- with breakfast and lunches, at least?

For dinners, make every meal extend to two nights and package the food accordingly. For example, prep two lasagnas or two chicken schwarmas and only cook one the first night. Instantly cuts your work in half.

If DH isn't willing to cook, then he's going to have to eat whatever you prepare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cooking for yourself or another adult is a lot easier than cooking for adults and kids. Sometimes I end up cooking 3 different entrees because the kids won't eat the adults want and vice versa. It's awful

What? No, that's nuts. Barring allergies or anything else medical, kids eat what the adults eat. This is how I, my husband, most people (classmates, friends, etc) that I grew up with were raised. I don't think that human biology have changed that much in one generation. Being a short order cook is definitely not normal.

PP, your post made me laugh because my mom must have said a million times when I was growing up, "I am not a short order cook." I say it to my kids.

I make one meal. You eat it or not. If you don't eat it, then you'll be hungrier and more interested in eating at the next meal. Or you will survive on the available healthy snacks. This applies to kids and spouses.

Geez. When my kids were infants I even made them eat what we were eating for dinner, except I just blended it to smoothie texture with milk or water in a blender or cuisinart. (The only exception is if we were having something extra spicy/hot.)

I agree that DH should cook meals, but if you are cooking three separate meals at each sit down, you are making the problem worse.

[Anonymous]

Blue apron.
Even a moron can cook those, easy to follow and great recipes. Must be fluent in English, however.

[Anonymous]

There is no such thing as "not knowing how to cook." It's not something you "know" or "don't know" how to do. You have to practice to get good, but anyone can boil eggs, boil frozen peas, follow a basic pan chicken recipe, steam some green beans, make a salad, put some salmon in the oven, etc.

The problem is not "not knowing." The problem is not bothering to take this responsibility off of you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have him grill on the weekends when it’s not so hot.

This is completely sexist. Why can a man grill but not cook in the kitchen?

Women can grill too. Just to be fair.

[Anonymous]

OP ... have you tried asking your DH to try to cook. Start with baby steps ... cutting the veggies, sous chef ...

[Anonymous]

When I was married I cooked all the time. It didn't get me a thing, in fact it was another reason for my wife to disrespect me. Divorced now and happy to cook for myself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Even if it was just one meal a week, or even a month! It would really mean so much to me. Making meals (breakfasts, lunches, dinners) with limited time and picky eaters is exhausting and I hate it. My husband has never cooked (I think he's made oatmeal and mac n cheese once in his life) and has no desire to cook. He also usually gets home later (usually after dinner time). He has good qualities, but as I sit here meal planning for the week, I'm just thinking, I wish I had picked a partner that could cook!!!

Was your father a cook?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I was married I cooked all the time. It didn't get me a thing, in fact it was another reason for my wife to disrespect me. Divorced now and happy to cook for myself.

How are your children managing?

[Anonymous]

OP, if the issue is that your household responsibilities are more consistent every day or involve more hours, talk about that with your DH. If you don’t love cooking all the time, talk about that too. You can start small by making the entire family responsible for helping to plan and prep for breakfast. That’s a relatively simple meal and a great place for children and low-skilled adults to practice. They can also help with lunches. There’s no reason why all can’t be involved with pre-bagging veggies, nuts, fruits, etc. and dividing up packaged foods for the week. Set aside 30 minutes on a weekend to do it together after shopping. You can keep bins in the fridge or pantry for the pre-packed lunch foods.

If you want help with dinner, Blue Apron and Plated are a great place to start. Prepping one together could be a weekend date-night-in ask. The instructions really do help new cooks learn basic skills like making a garlic paste or pan sauces. I find some of Plated recipes a little involved for very busy week nights, but the food is delicious. If you’re cooking, make sure to ask others to set the table and clean up. That shouldn’t all fall to you.

Keep your eyes out for meal shortcuts. Fresh Market, Wegmans, and Trader Joe’s all have great partially prepared foods, like marinated meats, chopped veg, and salad mixes. There are so many options for prep-ahead and make ahead cookbooks and recipe blogs, which will ease the day-to-day time investment in the kitchen.

And for goodness sake, stop accommodating the picky eaters. Make them help you with meal planning. Give them simple choices — the entree offered or making their own PB&J. No one will starve.

[Anonymous]

Start with breakfast. Kids and DH should be able to handle this. Then.fo lunches together. Have kids help him.

Dinners during the week Arron you. Weekend tell him he's in charge it cook it together.

Be explicit that you would like him to cover some meal prep, that it's impoy he learns how to cook ( when you travel etc?) And that it's a better role model for kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cooking for yourself or another adult is a lot easier than cooking for adults and kids. Sometimes I end up cooking 3 different entrees because the kids won't eat the adults want and vice versa. It's awful

What? No, that's nuts. Barring allergies or anything else medical, kids eat what the adults eat. This is how I, my husband, most people (classmates, friends, etc) that I grew up with were raised. I don't think that human biology have changed that much in one generation. Being a short order cook is definitely not normal.

Yup, agree. Growing up if we didn’t like what was on the menu we could have a bowl of cereal. That was our only alternative option. We lived. (And I’m a very picky eater.)

[Anonymous]

Perhaps give him a beginner's cooking class as a gift?