It's not fair but a bigger budget really does make it easier to cook less and stya healthy.

You can get meal delivery - of fully prepped and cooked meals - or you can place grocery orders that are pretty close.

For example, I was recently sick and we were busy and I placed a Whole Foods order that was something like:
- bananas, prepared fruit in the clear plastic continer, grapes
- yogurt containers
- cereal and milk
- frozen pizzas
- frozen mexican meals (Amy's)
- prepared guac and pico, sour cream and cheese if you want
- microwaveable rice packets
- prepared soup
- bagged salads, maybe a dressing or container of grape tomatoes or cheese or something
- a baguette
- you can even get sushi and pre-made sandwiches
- snacks you like such as nuts or cheese sticks or bottled smoothies or crackers or whatever

It's not as cheap as going to Giant and Aldi, but it's literally as easy as placing an order, bringing bags in to shelve items, and microwaving and plating something.

If you are really not that into food, you can just place the same order again and again and even omit the extras (people who don't love to eat or care about food wont want to add the sour cream or salad mix-ins, they'll just nuke a dinner and eat all grapes for their fruit, right?).

Anonymous wrote:Me neither.
I am the OP with the misdelivered cookies and I am waiting for someone on DCUM to tell me its ok to eat one so I can avoid having to make something.

Eat them all.

We’ve made pretty good strides in meal delivery services that range from “we just send the ingredients and you do all the prep and cooking yourself” to “fully prepared meals, just heat them in the oven or microwave” and literally everything in between. See if Blue Apron has anything that fits your needs. I like cooking but I hate shopping and meal planning!

I really like cooking so can't relate but I do know what it's like to hate a chore.

Are you able to shift your budget to a meal delivery service? Like Cook Unity or Vegetable and Butcher? Or Daily Harvest if you like more snacks?

I agree. Never liked cooking. Hate the meal planning, shopping etc.

I get why people divorce. Sick of taking care of everyone but myself.

Same OP. A while ago I made a rule that whoever cooks doesn’t clean up. The kids take turns cleaning up or DH and I swap off if the kids aren’t home. That has made it easier not having to do the cooking AND cleaning. But if it were up to me, I’d never cook dinner again.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Getting ideas is not hard at all. They have entire IG accounts and websites dedicated to “What’s For Dinner Tonight.” Scroll through on a Friday, write out a list of 3 ideas, shop Saturday morning, prep Sunday, you’re good for the week. Fill in with effort-free meals like bag of ravioli and bag of salad from the grocery store, or a rotisserie chicken and asparagus and Bob Evans mashed potatoes.

Great. If it’s so easy the other adult in the household can manage it. (I’ll be over here holding my breath.)

Defensive much? Nobody said otherwise.

Anonymous wrote:Getting ideas is not hard at all. They have entire IG accounts and websites dedicated to “What’s For Dinner Tonight.” Scroll through on a Friday, write out a list of 3 ideas, shop Saturday morning, prep Sunday, you’re good for the week. Fill in with effort-free meals like bag of ravioli and bag of salad from the grocery store, or a rotisserie chicken and asparagus and Bob Evans mashed potatoes.

Great. If it’s so easy the other adult in the household can manage it. (I’ll be over here holding my breath.)

Anonymous wrote:I like cooking and love eating good food, but would like to have a couple nights where I could eat whatever I wanted and not worry about feeding others. I love a charcuterie type meal, or even just cheese and fruit, but my DH and kids are not down for that.

Then DH can cook for them while you enjoy the meal you want.

I am signed up for a local catering chef who delivers weekly meals. I only actually order her food a few times a year. But I steal from her menu ideas!

Getting ideas is not hard at all. They have entire IG accounts and websites dedicated to “What’s For Dinner Tonight.” Scroll through on a Friday, write out a list of 3 ideas, shop Saturday morning, prep Sunday, you’re good for the week. Fill in with effort-free meals like bag of ravioli and bag of salad from the grocery store, or a rotisserie chicken and asparagus and Bob Evans mashed potatoes.

1.5 years til all kids out of house, after which it’s cereal and pizza bagels! Cannot wait. Despise cooking.

Anonymous wrote:I love cooking and experimenting. I HATE cooking for my family!! They whine and complain while I tell them "you don't have to like it. You have to eat it." I'd rather just cook for myself or adults who won't complain. I'm so tired of pasta, tacos, and plain food.

When my kids were little, I established the rule that you don't have to eat it unless you complain about it.

It's probably the thing that got me through.

Once the youngest kid left for college, I stopped cooking. I usually have cereal for dinner. Sometimes my husband cooks, but he is terrible at it, plus he kept asking me to come look at things. Dude, leave me alone with my book.

-When I cook a meal, I make enough for 2 meals. Either you eat the leftovers in a day or 2 or put in the freezer for another day.
-The day you shop, pickup a rotisserie chicken for that night. Add a few sides and you are done.
- If you crave order, make a weekday schedule. Monday=chicken, Tuesday=ground beef, Wednesday=pasta and stick to eat. When you have the protein. (meat) in the house, the side of veg and starch aren’t so overwhelming.
-Freezer food for nights that you simply cannot deal. From meatballs to frozen pizza.

I’m really over it. I loved cooking when I was younger and had a bigger kitchen, plenty of free time and could experiment with new recipes. After close to 30 years of marriage and being the sole cook, I’m sick of it. I will spend an hour cooking a meal for us to sit down for 10 minutes and then spend 15-30 minutes cleaning up. And during that 10 minutes somebody is complaining (kids or DH). What’s the point? So these days I cook far less often. And I am no longer catering to my picky husband and kids. I’m cooking what I want to eat without regard for anybody else’s preferences. I had been a martyr preparing meals DH liked that I didn’t even eat. And if I don’t feel like cooking, I feel no guilt about frozen chicken fingers or fast casual takeout. If it were up to me, I’d just cook once a week tops. I confess that I’m glad DS has soccer practice far away that conflicts with dinnertime 2x week. It gives me an excuse to not prepare anything. I envy people who have spouses or kids who are good cooks.