what do you have for dinner on weeknights?

[sarcasticgirl]

Oct 22, 2014 19:50:53 GMT -5 Pants said:

I just want you people to know you are responsible for DH having to drive all the way across town to get enchiladas.

I think Friday is going to be Mexican food night.

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[Deleted]

We always have Mexican on Thursday and pizza on Friday.  I need to set up other days of the week like that, those days are easy. 

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Oct 22, 2014 10:28:11 GMT -5 tloonya said:

Oct 22, 2014 9:57:14 GMT -5 sarcasticgirl said:

do you worry about shrinkage with the cold meat?

I am pretty sure he puts it into his mouth.  Shrinkage of the mouth is not a known issue.

I don't know if I am more disturbed by looney's suggestion or more shocked that no one want to talk about her implication that Archie puts sausage in his mouth. 

[nutty]

I don't think I cooked every night. Our dinners were a combination of delivery, eat out, eat in, meals from scratch, frozen meals. I did what worked for me at that time.

[weltschmerz]

Oct 22, 2014 17:28:43 GMT -5 @singlemominmd said:

Oct 22, 2014 17:16:30 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

I am about to make a tater tot casserole for dinner tonight and breakfast for the next couple days. comfort food is exactly what I need tonight!

would your DH eat something like that? It's pretty easy to put together, you'd just want to use less tots for the carb levels. load up the scrambled eggs with veggies, top with cheese and bake.

sent from my electronic distraction

I'm not a food snob, but tater tot casserole is not food....

I never had tater tots. I didn't even know what they were until recently. Are they good?

[Chocolate Lover]

I like them if cooked properly. If they don't get crisp on the outside, they kind of suck.  Never used them in a casserole. 

[milee]

Oct 23, 2014 15:58:26 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Oct 22, 2014 17:28:43 GMT -5 @singlemominmd said:

I'm not a food snob, but tater tot casserole is not food....

I never had tater tots. I didn't even know what they were until recently. Are they good?

They are divine. Food of the Gods.

If I didn't eat so much stupid healthy stuff, I'd live on them. Seriously. They are the bomb.

[Deleted]

I too don't see why you are meal-planning for a grown man, but, that's your decision. 

We don't have a separate freezer, but we have a pretty big freezer in our fridge. It has 3 drawers. I keep ice cream / sauces / bread / fruit in the top drawer, protein in the bottom drawers (chopped meat, chicken breasts, fish, steak, etc). 

DH cooks EVERYTHING from scratch. I don't. But in the middle drawer, I always have a LARGE variety of frozen veggies. Green beans, spinach, okra, corn on the cob, snow peas, even fries LOL. I DON'T buy frozen bags of easy-to-cook veggies like carrots, broccoli or zucchini, I do those fresh, even during the week, because they're quick. 

I never buy food in cans or jars (except for kidney beans and tomatoes for chili). 

I used to do a lot of batch cooking but I've gotten bad about it recently. But I keep the proteins in smaller sizes. I generally remember to take them out, but if I forget, I PARTIALLY defrost them when I get home, either in the microwave or on a plate on a radiator. 

This said, it sounds like a lot of your problem is due to the fact that all things being equal, your DH, on his own, will choose the unhealthy choice. Having a bunch of accessible healthy veggies in the freezer might help with that, but if he decides he'd rather eat 2 sandwiches, there's not much you can do about that, I think. 

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I -heart-tater tots. But only if cooked properly, as in crispy. Not the way my MIL cooks them, in the microwave until they fall apart and are drier than dust. I told DH it should not be possible to ruin tater tots but somehow your mom managed. Tried the casserole topper thing once, blech.

I do all the cooking in our house because if it had been left up to DH we'd be living on Hot Pockets and canned cream corn. I learned to cook out of the desire not to starve.

If he's left alone he eats crap.  I was only in the hospital for 48 hours after Abby was born and he managed to eat more crap in that time frame than we normally do in a week. Then he was bitching because his insides were turning inside out.  Well no duh, what did you think would happen?

I gave up trying to control his diet and just make sure he has a hefty life insurance policy.  I do my best by cooking healthy meals but if he chooses to cancel all that out when I am not around I can't stop him.

He gets pissed at me when I say that to his face.   It's true though if he's not going to take care of himself then I need to look out for myself and the kids.

[Cookies Galore]

Tater tots with wing sauce. O.M.F!G.

[swamp]

Oct 23, 2014 16:25:53 GMT -5 Cookies Galore said:

Tater tots with wing sauce. O.M.F!G.

mix in some blue cheese or ranch dressing. divine.

[Abby Normal]

There is a pub here that serves cajun tots.  That is the only way to eat them!  Of course the beer helps wash them down. 

[wvugurl26]

Sweet potato tator tots are deliciousness too.

[Deleted]

I love potatoes. Scalloped, baked, fried, mashed, turned into hash browns, whatever. I can do without tator tots though. I think they remind me of school lunch when I was a kid.

[chiver78]

I bake them completely before I put 'em in the foil pan. they stay pretty crispy, and I reheat the leftovers in a toaster oven. stays crispy.

but yeah, they are a food group all on their own.

[milee]

Oct 23, 2014 17:37:26 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

I bake them completely before I put 'em in the foil pan. they stay pretty crispy, and I reheat the leftovers in a toaster oven. stays crispy.

but yeah, they are a food group all on their own.

It's so funny you call them a food group. DH used to tease me about that. In college, I pretty much lived off 4 things, which he called my 4 Main Food Groups (and yes, I know that is really outdated, but anybody my age remembers the 4 Main Food Group recommendations from the government). In college, my 4 main food groups were: yogurt, spinach, bagels and tater tots.

I know, I know!  Obviously, back when I weighed 95 pounds without having to even think about food choices I didn't eat terribly healthily.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

This is what I've had for dinner the past few nights:

THURSDAY DINNER: Pesto Parmesan Chicken Patty on light multigrain toast, steamed baby bok choy with beets; Tuscan-seasoned white asparagus, and half a honey crisp apple.

FRIDAY DINNER: Grilled sesame tofu on a bed of steamed rainbow chard, fresh beets, fresh corn on the cob, and a salad: romaine, jicama, hearts of palm, mushrooms and red pepper. (That's 8 veggies for dinner!)

SATURDAY DINNER: Lean Sirloin, toast, baby bok choy, rainbow chard, zucchini, and a salad: romaine, jicama, yellow pepper, hearts of palm and mushrooms. (That's 8 different veggies)

SUNDAY DINNER: Lean sirloin, Amy's vegetarian shepherds pie, baby bok choy, spinach, mustard greens, collard greens, turnip greens, and a salad: jicama, hearts of palm, yellow pepper and mushrooms. (That's 9 veggies plus the ones in the shepherd's pie!)

MONDAY DINNER: Smoked salmon and low fat cottage cheese on toast (with a pickle!); fresh Belgian Endive and beets; and a salad: romaine, orange pepper, hearts of palm, mushrooms and jicama. (Belgian Endive is a new veggie for me!)

TUESDAY DINNER: Garlic-herb tilapia on a bed of wilted rainbow chard with mushrooms, fresh beets, fresh corn on the cob, fresh asparagus, and a salad: romaine, hearts of palm, yellow pepper and tomatoes. (That's 9 veggies for dinner!)

WEDNESDAY DINNER: Woh Won Ton Soup and low fat cottage cheese with some asparagus on the side    (Veggies in the soup: broccoli and bok choy and mushrooms and spinach ~ that's 5 veggies for dinner)

Tonight's plan:

THURSDAY DINNER: grilled chicken sausage (Trader Joes) with toast, fresh asparagus, baby bok choy, fresh corn on the cob, and a salad: romaine, hearts of palm, red pepper, and mushrooms. (That's 7 veggies for dinner)

[Abby Normal]

Oct 23, 2014 17:43:57 GMT -5 ❤ mollymouser ❤ said:

This is what I've had for dinner the past few nights:

THURSDAY DINNER: Pesto Parmesan Chicken Patty on light multigrain toast, steamed baby bok choy with beets; Tuscan-seasoned white asparagus, and half a honey crisp apple.

FRIDAY DINNER: Grilled sesame tofu on a bed of steamed rainbow chard, fresh beets, fresh corn on the cob, and a salad: romaine, jicama, hearts of palm, mushrooms and red pepper. (That's 8 veggies for dinner!)

SATURDAY DINNER: Lean Sirloin, toast, baby bok choy, rainbow chard, zucchini, and a salad: romaine, jicama, yellow pepper, hearts of palm and mushrooms. (That's 8 different veggies)

SUNDAY DINNER: Lean sirloin, Amy's vegetarian shepherds pie, baby bok choy, spinach, mustard greens, collard greens, turnip greens, and a salad: jicama, hearts of palm, yellow pepper and mushrooms. (That's 9 veggies plus the ones in the shepherd's pie!)

MONDAY DINNER: Smoked salmon and low fat cottage cheese on toast (with a pickle!); fresh Belgian Endive and beets; and a salad: romaine, orange pepper, hearts of palm, mushrooms and jicama. (Belgian Endive is a new veggie for me!)

TUESDAY DINNER: Garlic-herb tilapia on a bed of wilted rainbow chard with mushrooms, fresh beets, fresh corn on the cob, fresh asparagus, and a salad: romaine, hearts of palm, yellow pepper and tomatoes. (That's 9 veggies for dinner!)

WEDNESDAY DINNER: Woh Won Ton Soup and low fat cottage cheese with some asparagus on the side    (Veggies in the soup: broccoli and bok choy and mushrooms and spinach ~ that's 5 veggies for dinner)

Tonight's plan:

THURSDAY DINNER: grilled chicken sausage (Trader Joes) with toast, fresh asparagus, baby bok choy, fresh corn on the cob, and a salad: romaine, hearts of palm, red pepper, and mushrooms. (That's 7 veggies for dinner)

I think I hate you.... Give me a few minutes. I might own it and take out the " I think".

[Pants]

What's with all the toast?

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

I like toast   

It's Sarah Lee light multigrain bread, just 90 calories/12 carbs for two slices. I'm dieting and diabetic and I count every single calorie and every single carb, so my life is simpler when I find a dinner carb that works for me .... so I tend to eat it over and over again. Changing food too much from my system pretty much involves a complex math word problem ... and I detest math word problems.

And there was no toast on Friday, Sunday, Tuesday or Wednesday .... just Thursday, Saturday, Monday and Tonight. (I don't get toast every day)

(I don't get bread at breakfast, I rarely get bread at lunch, and I only get it about 3x a week for dinner)

[sarcasticgirl]

Oct 23, 2014 16:18:55 GMT -5 @debthaven2 said:

I too don't see why you are meal-planning for a grown man, but, that's your decision. 

I explained my reasons... But it was so nice of you to get that dig in anyway!

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[sarcasticgirl]

Oct 23, 2014 17:22:59 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

I love potatoes. Scalloped, baked, fried, mashed, turned into hash browns, whatever. I can do without tator tots though. I think they remind me of school lunch when I was a kid.

This.
Tater tots are my least favorite form of potato.

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[Deleted]

I explained my reasons... But it was so nice of you to get that dig in anyway!

I skimmed, I either missed it or forgot, my apologies. 

Hopefully the suggestion about keeping a variety of frozen veggies may go over better!

ETA: I reread my post. Wow, that was exactly one line in a long post (albeit the first line). I'm sorry you chose to focus on that. I'm sorry if I hit a sore spot but I hope you may find an idea or two in the rest. I think even you would have to admit that 11 of the 12 lines of my post offered sincere and hopefully constructive advice. 

[yogiii]

I've never had a tater tot

[Deleted]

Oct 23, 2014 18:24:52 GMT -5 yogiii said:

I've never had a tater tot

If you've ever eaten regularly at school when you were little, you probably have ... (But maybe you have never eaten regularly at school?)

[yogiii]

Oh I know what they are, just have never had one.  And you're right, also no hot lunch.

[sarcasticgirl]

Oct 23, 2014 18:08:46 GMT -5 @debthaven2 said:

I explained my reasons... But it was so nice of you to get that dig in anyway!

I skimmed, I either missed it or forgot, my apologies. 

Hopefully the suggestion about keeping a variety of frozen veggies may go over better!

ETA: I reread my post. Wow, that was exactly one line in a long post (albeit the first line). I'm sorry you chose to focus on that. I'm sorry if I hit a sore spot but I hope you may find an idea or two in the rest. I think even you would have to admit that 11 of the 12 lines of my post offered sincere and hopefully constructive advice. 

You're correct, it is touchy and after the first line, I stopped reading because I didn't want to deal with unconstructive judgment.
You did offer up some nice pointers. We keep frozen veg at all times. We buy fresh produce but generally only what is in season. Someone else offered up the freezing meat in single / small portions and I like that idea.


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[Deleted]

I hope that you find things that will work for you and your DH and that the food situation will get better.

I can't remember what I read that made me think of this, but my sister used to make a fantastic spinach and ricotta lasagne. I made it for a while too, then stopped (for no reason. I tend to do recipes for a while until the next one comes along, but I'm not a great or creative cook. I should probably make it again.)

But since it's vegetarian, you don't have to worry about reheating meat (which I agree, generally doesn't taste very good).

DH is the King of Leftovers. He is very good at taking leftover meat and totally transforming it: he'll make a sauce from it, or use it in a stir-fry. But, you need to have imagination, patience and time for that (if only the time to think about what to do with what you have.)

[Deleted]

Cooking meals is a constant struggle for me too, Sarcastic, so I sympathize. Batch cooking worked really, really well for me for many years, but as my kids have gotten older and "flown the nest", I've been much less disciplined about it than I used to be. I think the key to batch cooking is discipline. But it's great, if you can bring yourself to do it. 

Even if you don't want to dedicate a day on a weekend to it, when you do cook, try to cook double or triple portions, and freeze the rest, in individual or (at most) 2 person portions. If you can keep it up for even 2 or 3 weeks at a time, you will end up with a bunch of healthy, home-cooked meals in the freezer. 

Also, my DH has a HUGE appetite. So one of the things I used to do when I batch cooked (and still do when I have leftovers) is to freeze the rest IMMEDIATELY. 

[sarcasticgirl]

apparently DH tried to wear a couple of shirts from last winter... 2 that he tried were too tight. He is now sitting on the sofa looking through one of my cookbooks. 

We joined a meat CSA (we'll join a produce CSA in may when they start again) and get our first month's worth of meat on saturday. There will be lots of planning then, he will be FORCED to plan things because we will be getting beef, which I don't eat and therefore I don't cook it. He also will be planning and cooking at least 2 dinners a week. 

It is a start and hopefully it will stick and life will be a little easier around here. 

if not...