We eat leftovers for next day lunch but have a new dinner every night. But we don’t make anything challenging on weeknights when we’re busy w work and kids’ activities. We have really easy meals like pasta, tacos, baked fish w roasted veggies, breakfast for dinner (scrambled eggs, pancakes, etc). None of these meals take long or are difficult to make so it’s not trouble. On weekends we spend more time cooking more interesting/more labor intensive meals. We hardly ever get takeout or go out to eat.

We do leftovers at least twice a week. I'm always kicking myself for not cooking something that stretches at least one more night.

Usually have a new dinner every night but we like to make enough to have leftovers for lunch. Similar to you, we don’t do this for certain things like salmon, burgers etc

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We try to do leftovers once a week. Any more and we’ll get bored. We eat out once a week.

I used to be like this but my tune has changed as I've gotten older. Partly I'm just a better cook so the food I make produces really tasty leftovers I look forward to. And partly I just really value a meal that requires no effort at all, not even the effort of going to grab takeout (and costs considerably less).

Tonight we're on night three of a chili I made on Sunday and while I couldn't do it another night after this, I can't tell you how nice it is to know I have a delicious meal to look forward to that will require nothing more than 2 minutes in the microwave and rinsing out a storage dish. Pure joy.

I love chili leftovers. My kids not so much.

Hmm, no I don’t cook with thoughts to left overs. We usually have leftovers for lunch or after school snack, but not for the next night’s dinner.

If I’m extremely pressed for time, we’ll something simple - quesadilla, grilled cheese, Trader Joe’s, BLT’s etc

We use leftovers for lunches. I cook about 5 nights a week (many very simple meals, even though I like to cook). Take out once. And fend for yourself once - could be leftovers, cereal, something dredged up from the depths of the freezer....whatever but I'm not planning it.

We try to do this, but the kids often won't eat leftovers (spouse and I do!). On nights where they won't, or don't, they are welcome to get cheese and crackers, yogurt and berries, PB & J out of the refrigerator themselves

Anonymous wrote:We try to do leftovers once a week. Any more and we’ll get bored. We eat out once a week.

I used to be like this but my tune has changed as I've gotten older. Partly I'm just a better cook so the food I make produces really tasty leftovers I look forward to. And partly I just really value a meal that requires no effort at all, not even the effort of going to grab takeout (and costs considerably less).

Tonight we're on night three of a chili I made on Sunday and while I couldn't do it another night after this, I can't tell you how nice it is to know I have a delicious meal to look forward to that will require nothing more than 2 minutes in the microwave and rinsing out a storage dish. Pure joy.

We are like you, OP. We got into this habit when kids were babies/toddler and we were (1) tired, and (2) cash poor due to childcare costs. It's so lovely not to have to cook every other night, but without needing to spend $60 on takeout. We will also cop-out with frozen meals sometimes (frozen pizza or skillet dishes) but often the nutritional value of these are dubious so we try not to do it often.

However, in addition to making things with leftovers, I also have a bunch of items that I will make an extra large batch of and then put half in the freezer to be eaten in a few weeks. So we can theoretically get four nights of dinners out of one night of cooking. We do this with bolognese, chili and soups, burritos, and a few different casseroles. I LOVE pulling a home cooked meal loaded with veggies and a flavorful sauce out of the freezer and popping it on the stove or in the oven for an hour and then eating it with no mess or effort. Wash one dish and put your dinner dishes in the dishwasher and you are done. It is the most glorious gift to give yourself.

Anonymous wrote:I will often cook a large dinner, with the intent of repurposing the leftovers. So a pork shoulder is bbq sandwiches one night, but then leftover meat is added to chili or crisped up for tacos later in the week. Keeps us from feeling like we’re eating the same thing all week.

People with DHs who refuse to eat anything that’s not “fresh,” I hope that means he’s in charge of dinner 3-4 nights a week.

I was thinking the same thing that meats and veges can be repurposed into other dishes- stir fries, tacos, enchilladas, salad toppings, etc. Would these picky husbands even notice if foods are repurposed?

We cook nearly every night here, for our family of 2 WFH parents and 2 boys (ES and MS aged). Maybe once a week we ha e various leftovers and takeout/dining out is no more than 1-2 a month. Partly it is that we don’t love leftovers generally; I’d sooner cook a batch if something that freezes well and portion and freeze meals - which I do with a few things. Partly also we try to vary our weekly diet especially with respect to protein, rotating through beef, pork, chicken, fish, shellfish, meatless. Just what we are happiest with even if it is work doing planning and cooking. But yes, there really are people who are cooking “fresh” most nights.

DH and I each cook 2 nights a week, takeout or go out once a week, and the other 2 nights are leftovers or fend for yourself (grilled cheese, etc.).

We try to do leftovers once a week. Any more and we’ll get bored. We eat out once a week.

I cook twice a week. On Sunday for Sunday through Wednesday dinners + occasional lunch, and on Friday for Friday/Saturday dinners. On Thursdays, we do something simple like salad or ravioli. Takeouts are rare.

I cook for myself and my two sons (17 & 22). I double every recipe and usually, leftovers are eaten for lunch or pre-dinner. Every once in a while leftovers make it to dinner the next night. I probably cook 5 times a night. Friday is always pizza and I like to do something simple one night a week, like spaghetti, breakfast for dinner, or frozen salmon burgers with french fries and salad. I know plenty of families that do take out 3 or 4 nights a week. I also know plenty of families that cook every night. My ex-MIL hated leftovers and never did take-out. She cooked dinner every night. There's no right or wrong; whatever works for your family.