Maybe I have the world's smallest fridge, am bad at judging food amounts or have a spoiled family who likes fresh bread (on days we have bread, which is not often). My 5 year old doesn't even like grapes that look a few days old. I feel like I shop 2-3 times a week but still don't cook lots of the yummy meals I've seen on this thread. I try to do one or two good meals a week -- the rest is leftover, take out, little league snack bar, bagel, whatever, etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm having trouble believing that pps eat like this every night of the week. You must grocery shop at least 2-3 times a week and have zero leftovers and cook every single day? If we get takeout (which we do at least once a week) we get enough for at least 2 meals. Same when I cook a real meal - we usually have to eat it at least twice (I will buy fresh bread or make new/fresh veggies).

I don't cook as nearly as nice of meals as some mentioned above, but I don't get why you think they would need to grocery shop more than once a week. You plan the meals, you make a list, and you buy the things you need to cook. I personally use leftovers for lunch. And I've learned to just cut back on the amounts in recipes so that we don't have too many leftovers (doesn't always work).

I posted our menu earlier. I probably shop 2 times a week at different stores. Usually a rotation of the Giant, Whole Foods and TJs. Sometimes I will go to the farmer's market if I am organized about it (since it has to be in a certain time window). My kids love fruit so that is one of the reasons I end up going 2x per week. We cook almost every day but sometimes will just have a TJs frozen pizza and salad.

My DH and I both work from home so we eat the leftovers for lunch if we aren't out with clients (usually only one of us will actually be home at lunch time). Or sometimes we will make something the kids don't like and kids will get the leftovers.

Mon- SOS, Elk meat with gravy over brown rice, with fresh corn
Tues- Whole wheat Spaghetti with Ragu, can of diced tomatoes and italian sausage, brocolli, and italian bread
Wed- Hamburger soup and corn bread
Thurs- Chicken breast with Jasmine rice and corn.
Fri- Take and Bake Pizza with Pepsi and popcorn.

22:38 here, though I usually cook a meal from scratch every night (I SAH with a 4 yo in preschool 5 days a week and an infant) I have to confess that my mom was here Monday and Tuesday last week and did the cooking

I'll re-post next week with stuff I made.

Sunday we had chili
Monday we had... I think pizza. Yeah, pizza. I was PMSing and just wanted to sit on the couch with something hot and gooey and watch The Walking Dead.
Tuesday we had ribs, mashed potatoes, creamed corn
Wednesday we had grilled chicken with pasta and cajun cream sauce.

Tonight we're having 40 clove garlic chicken. Chicken thighs, salted and peppered, in the crock pot. Peel 40 cloves of garlic, leave whole. Sautee in olive oil on the stove about 5 minutes, til slightly soft. Add 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup white whine to this, simmer til reduced a little. Add to crock pot over chicken with thyme, rosemary, and a bay leaf. Cook for 5 hours, thicken the juice with some flour on the stove for gravy, serve with mashed or roasted potatoes.

We cook ahead a lot of stuff on weekends that can just be reheated or finished up quickly after work. Also highly recommend Jacques Pepin's "fast food my way" books for meals that sound complicated, but take less than 30 minutes.

We plan out a series of meals for the week and go shopping on the weekend. Then during the week we just pick up fresh stuff as needed ( usually bread or milk).

Monday - Beef Stew over rice
Tuesday - Meat Balls and Pasta
Wednesday - Pizza
Thursday - dont remember
Friday - Chicken Fajita and Corn

^^ me again...also, I freeze leftovers or eat them for lunch the next day. DH usually eats out for lunch.

I posted with the Thai curry recipe above. I plan my menu Sat evening with DH. I make modifications to my peapod delivery as needed - we usually get groceries delivered Sunday afternoon. I spend about an hour sunday evening prepping veggies for the week. This usually means making 3-4 separate containers of pretty much the same veggie mix - squash, zucchini, peppers, carrots. That way, during the week, I just pull out a container and if I need stuff like onions, tomatoes, garlic or ginger (or something else particular to that evenings meal) I cut that while making the actual meal. Yes we eat the same veggies all week but it's pretty versatile and with different spices Thai curry doest resemble veggie fajitas. If I don't get a particular item in my grocery delivery I can easily pick it up with DD in tow or have DH pick up in the evening.

I don't find cooking to be a chore so I don't mind it. Now dishes....that's all DH

Haven't posted yet. We shop once a week. We do generate leftovers, which are generally used for lunch the next day. Sometimes they languish but I try to use 'em up. We go out about once a week. Sometimes we have a frozen pizza. But I think people with less interesting meals aren't posting! We work full time but generally cook every night. Things in the rotation include:

crockpot turkey chili
home-roasted or rotisserie chicken w/ homemade sides (steam veg, sweet potato, whatever)
boneless chicken breasts w/ steamed veg and/or salad
Burgers (turkey, beef)
Tacos (turkey, bean, beef)
Breakfast for dinner
Pasta of some sort (ravioli, pierogi, potstickers, or even spaghetti and meatballs)
lentil soup

Anonymous wrote:I'm having trouble believing that pps eat like this every night of the week. You must grocery shop at least 2-3 times a week and have zero leftovers and cook every single day? If we get takeout (which we do at least once a week) we get enough for at least 2 meals. Same when I cook a real meal - we usually have to eat it at least twice (I will buy fresh bread or make new/fresh veggies).

I don't cook as nearly as nice of meals as some mentioned above, but I don't get why you think they would need to grocery shop more than once a week. You plan the meals, you make a list, and you buy the things you need to cook. I personally use leftovers for lunch. And I've learned to just cut back on the amounts in recipes so that we don't have too many leftovers (doesn't always work).

I posted previously and no, this is not unusual or impossible. We love to cook and eat. We do go to the store a couple times a week but it's not a problem. We rarely eat out/do takeout/delivery. It's part of our lifestyle. We do have only one kid (19 months old) so maybe that makes it easier, but we've always put priority on good, healthy, home-cooked meals.

This was me:

Monday: Roast chicken w/ caramelized onions
Tuesday: Lima bean soup (spicy) w/ crusty bread
Wednesday: Filet mignon with creamed spinach and potatoes
Thursday: We ate out (Thai)
Friday: Roasted red pepper risotto and Brussels sprouts

Not my best cooking week but it was tasty.


100% reality but cooking is the only way I de-stress. Normally, I cook more but I have found that if I make meals too labor intensive than it only adds to my stress instead of taking away.

Mother Julia, I like your style.

I feel like Mother Theresa and Julia Childs combined if I have something in the crockpot or on the stove that stays somewhat appetizing while family members eat at the time their schedule demands (usually between 5 and 9pm) (high schoolers and DH are often home late, but sometimes not).