Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Amen, sister. I have turned into an elderly person who wants to eat a modest little plate of something unfussy at 4 p.m. on most days. A handful of nuts, some crackers, some cheese, crudite. Then I realize I've somehow been swindled into feeding a giant man and two starving, fussy pre-teen/teens. DH works in an office with a commute 4 days a week and I WFH. Add kids with activities into the mix and it does fall on me. Also DH says he will eat "whatever" but then in the moment is like "what's this" or "hmmm I've had a too much red meat" yet when cornered and asked what he wants for the week is a huge dumb deer in headlights. I have my own irrelevant solutions but the vent is the important part.

Seriously SO MUCH THIS. If someone was thinking for me, shopping for me and cooking for me, I would at least offer some g-d suggestions on what I wanted to eat.

AMEN

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Amen, sister. I have turned into an elderly person who wants to eat a modest little plate of something unfussy at 4 p.m. on most days. A handful of nuts, some crackers, some cheese, crudite. Then I realize I've somehow been swindled into feeding a giant man and two starving, fussy pre-teen/teens. DH works in an office with a commute 4 days a week and I WFH. Add kids with activities into the mix and it does fall on me. Also DH says he will eat "whatever" but then in the moment is like "what's this" or "hmmm I've had a too much red meat" yet when cornered and asked what he wants for the week is a huge dumb deer in headlights. I have my own irrelevant solutions but the vent is the important part.

Seriously SO MUCH THIS. If someone was thinking for me, shopping for me and cooking for me, I would at least offer some g-d suggestions on what I wanted to eat.

Haha. I feel this so much. I swear I expend all the brain energy on this and they give nothing.

I understand. When my kids were young, I served the same things weekly. If DH wanted something different he would prepare it or order.

Monday - large salad with whatever leftover meat from Sunday and bread
Tuesday - tacos or some similar with ground beef or turkey
Wednesday - grilled cheese and soup
Thursday - some type of pasta
Friday - naan bread pizza

Sides where raw veggies and dessert was fruit with whipped cream.

We usually ate out on Saturday and Sunday I would cook a traditional real dinner.

I could have written this! I hate all of it. From the weekend meal planning to the grocery shopping to having to stop work to make a meal that everyone likes. I’m 2 years from having an empty nest and when that happens, if I cook at all, it will be something that I want to eat. DH doesn’t know yet he’ll be on his own….

Same! I don't even like to eat. Where is my food pill like they had in the Jetsons? DH does most of the cooking in our house. He's terrible at it and the kids complain bitterly which gets old. I'm at the point where is someone puts something on my plate, i eat it gratefully because I didn't have to cook it.

Anonymous wrote:I am very lucky, I see.
We eat the same breakfast every day. We each prepare our own.
DH makes his (same) lunch sandwich 5 days a week.
I make dinners.
M chicken
T chicken
W DH bagel and lox, me veggies with cheese
Th chicken in chicken broth w matzoh balls or noodles
F chicken
Sat meat or fish or crab
Sun salmon

Too much chicken.

Agree, OP, it’s a chore (and I say this as someone who actually enjoys cooking). Especially if you have multiple kids with different preferences.

I am very lucky, I see.
We eat the same breakfast every day. We each prepare our own.
DH makes his (same) lunch sandwich 5 days a week.
I make dinners.
M chicken
T chicken
W DH bagel and lox, me veggies with cheese
Th chicken in chicken broth w matzoh balls or noodles
F chicken
Sat meat or fish or crab
Sun salmon

Anonymous wrote:Amen, sister. I have turned into an elderly person who wants to eat a modest little plate of something unfussy at 4 p.m. on most days. A handful of nuts, some crackers, some cheese, crudite. Then I realize I've somehow been swindled into feeding a giant man and two starving, fussy pre-teen/teens. DH works in an office with a commute 4 days a week and I WFH. Add kids with activities into the mix and it does fall on me. Also DH says he will eat "whatever" but then in the moment is like "what's this" or "hmmm I've had a too much red meat" yet when cornered and asked what he wants for the week is a huge dumb deer in headlights. I have my own irrelevant solutions but the vent is the important part.

Seriously SO MUCH THIS. If someone was thinking for me, shopping for me and cooking for me, I would at least offer some g-d suggestions on what I wanted to eat.

Amen, sister. I have turned into an elderly person who wants to eat a modest little plate of something unfussy at 4 p.m. on most days. A handful of nuts, some crackers, some cheese, crudite. Then I realize I've somehow been swindled into feeding a giant man and two starving, fussy pre-teen/teens. DH works in an office with a commute 4 days a week and I WFH. Add kids with activities into the mix and it does fall on me. Also DH says he will eat "whatever" but then in the moment is like "what's this" or "hmmm I've had a too much red meat" yet when cornered and asked what he wants for the week is a huge dumb deer in headlights. I have my own irrelevant solutions but the vent is the important part.

OP sorry, another empty nester here which I know doesn't help you. Except give you something to look forward to. DH shops and cooks for himself. I am no longer responsible for knowing all that we are low on - milk, bread, whatever. Whatever is important to each of us, we each better remember to shop for it or maybe we will run out occasionally. For dinner I might have yogurt. Done.

When your kids are old enough - have them be responsible for some weekly meals. Same for DH. Keep a running shopping list on the frig. Someplace no one can say they didn't see it. And if it's not on the list, not your fault if someone wants something and they didn't put it on the list. Don't feel defeated to just serve a rotisserie chicken and a bagged salad. Add a vegetable. That's dinner. Pizza one night. Spaghetti one night. Simple, don't stress.

Amen sister

Its the meal plannnning that is the worst. Thinking about what four other people are going to eat 3 times a day over and over and over again.

Do you do the shopping and meal planning in addition to the cooking? If yes, maybe give those tasks to your husband.

Alternatively, if it’s the actual cooking you hate, why not change up the routine? I throw my young kids in front of the TV, put on an audiobook, and drink wine most nights from 5-530 while I cook. I love that time now!

I am an empty nester now and yes, I got to the same point as you. Now I cook a couple times a week only. Dh is like yours: always hungry/eating. He fends for himself and assembles something easy. It is a HUGE weight lifted for me to not have to cook every night, and makes cooking more pleasurable the few times I do do it.

When my kids are grown I don't think I will ever cook ever again. I hate it. I also don't really care about food. I will sometimes remember at 3pm that I haven't eaten yet for the day other than a cup of coffee. I like good food when I am eating it but I don't ever THINK about food all day. My husband is the opposite. He constantly is thinking about what is for lunch and dinner. Its so annoying. Then I have young kids who I am solely responsible for making sure they are fed healthy meals every day. I am over it. Rant over.