topic Re: 2023 Meal Planning in Kitchen

2023 Meal Planning

ScrapHappy — Mon, 02 Jan 2023 18:57:01 GMT

Meal planning has always been difficult. We're only a family of 3 but all with different tastes. To make 2023 meal planning even more difficult, my daughter has expressed she would like to eat more vegan meals and husband is on no carb diet. My husband has always preferred a meat (red meat) meal which my daughter would never eat. She'll eat chicken once in a while but really likes pasta, which my husband won't eat. Of course in the New Year I would like to eat healthier and drop some pounds. With the cost of groceries, I need to watch my wallet.

Re: 2023 Meal Planning

Nightowlz — Mon, 02 Jan 2023 19:15:58 GMT

Kind of hard to make meal planning when people in the house eat or won't eat certain foods. I would not be making 2 or 3 different meals to please everyone.

I don't meal plan. I generally eat what I'm hungry for. I have leftover bbq ribs so that's what I'm eating tonight. I want some pot roast so that's what I'm making tomorrow. I also want some chicken & a steak so those are coming this week. LOL!!!

DH wants Gumbo so he's making a pot of that today.

Re: 2023 Meal Planning

fthunt — Mon, 02 Jan 2023 19:16:07 GMT

OMG......plate of pasta for DD

You & DH,,,,,,,,,,,, a nice steak and salad

And You have garlic toast

Re: 2023 Meal Planning

CelticCrafter — Mon, 02 Jan 2023 19:16:20 GMT

I would have to tell the two of them, get together, come up with an agreeable plan for meals and to let you know once it's happened. Until then it would be every one for themselves, you're not running ScrapHappy's Diner.

Re: 2023 Meal Planning

Knit-Chick — Mon, 02 Jan 2023 19:29:38 GMT

I'm not too familiar with vegan or low carb diets, but I think there's probably some overlap. Maybe try googling ideas and see if you can find 1-2 meals a week that will work for everyone and start with that? Then it's not so overwhelming. I do intermittent fasting and try to eat healthy, so meal planning really helps me stick to it and also avoid running out for fast food at the last minute. My husband will usually go for what I make, but I always tell him this is dinner.... if you don't like it, you know where the kitchen is

Re: 2023 Meal Planning

Glittergal — Mon, 02 Jan 2023 19:37:37 GMT

I meal plan, and the best way I have discovered is to make one day a week a big prep day. Make a lot of meals ahead of time. Whenever you cook anything, cook in bulk and put things in the frezer. An easy vegan meal is roasted veggies over quinoa or rice cooked in veggie broth. If you make a huge batch you can use those ingredients for other meals where you add whatever protein your husband will like and whatever other igredients you would enjoy on the side. Another possibility is smashed chickpeas prepared just like you would prepare a tuna salad (vegan mayo, sweet relish, salt, pepper, diced celery, mustard). It's great on bread with tomato, sprouts, lettuce or on crackers and can be eaten alone to avoid the carbs.

Re: 2023 Meal Planning

kaydee50 — Mon, 02 Jan 2023 19:51:15 GMT

@ScrapHappy How old is your daughter? I would tell her to make her own meals and I would just cook for husband and myself. As someone pointed out, you are not a diner!!!

Re: 2023 Meal Planning

chrystaltree — Mon, 02 Jan 2023 19:51:33 GMT

Everyone should do their own shopping and cook their own meals.

Re: 2023 Meal Planning

Sooner — Mon, 02 Jan 2023 20:14:50 GMT

@ScrapHappy wrote:
Meal planning has always been difficult. We're only a family of 3 but all with different tastes. To make 2023 meal planning even more difficult, my daughter has expressed she would like to eat more vegan meals and husband is on no carb diet. My husband has always preferred a meat (red meat) meal which my daughter would never eat. She'll eat chicken once in a while but really likes pasta, which my husband won't eat. Of course in the New Year I would like to eat healthier and drop some pounds. With the cost of groceries, I need to watch my wallet.

@ScrapHappy Get a program or app that you can put in food and it tells you if you have enough protein, fiber, carbs, etc. It's a huge help!

For daughter, plain yogurt and protein powder for smoothies with protein. Quinoa has complete protein too I believe. Beans both for salads and as a main dish are helpful and easy to keep. Beans, veggies and quinoa make great meals with oil and vinegar.

Squash, potatoes, carrots and onions are easy to roast and can be eaten hot, cold, or room temperature and kept in fridge for days. Greens washed and dried are handy to combine with tomatoes, onions, bell peppers (the small ones are so good!) and tuna, chicken or beef for salads (taco salads are great).

Poach or slow cook chicken breasts in tomato juice and use for soups, salads, stir frys, or many other ways. Ground lean turkey makes wonderful chili if used with beef broth--you won't know it isn't beef! Keep in the freezer!

Le Sueur green beans or peas canned are so good--and canned kernal corn is good to add to a lot of things and put in grain salads. Get creative with soups to use up leftovers.

Canned tuna, sardines and chicken breasts are good to have on hand. We buy canned chicken breast meat from Costco or Sams and use it for soups and sandwiches Keep the broth (it is very salty) and freeze it for use in soup. Canned tomatoes are a staple that we use a lot too.

Good canned whole tomatoes cut up (I chop in the can using scissors) and cooked down with Italian seasoning are great for pastas (we often have pasta with sauce and top it with cottage cheese for a quick supper--or put sauce on quinoa).

Use brown rice and grains like bulgar or farro for stuffed peppers (make a bunch and freeze them--use quinoa, nuts and vegan cheese as stuffing for daughter), cold salads and as side dishes. We love grain salads with dried fruits, fresh fruits, salad veggies and sometime nuts as main dish salads.

Re: 2023 Meal Planning

Knit-Chick — Mon, 02 Jan 2023 20:16:18 GMT

If I let my husband do his own shopping and cooking, my kitchen would be a mess! I actually don't mind cooking and accommodating others, I enjoy it.

Re: 2023 Meal Planning

kate2357 — Mon, 02 Jan 2023 20:23:27 GMT

@ScrapHappy

I think your first sentence about how hard it is to do meal planning is actually your answer....sit your husband and your daughter down together and say let's plan out all of our meals together for the week.

Ask them what are WE having for dinner Monday, Tuesday...etc?Allow them the "privilege" of helping come up with agreed upon meals in order for you to be able to shop and cook.

I do this each week with my husband and it makes shopping and cooking so much easier and we have reduced food waste, etc. We also work in an open day from time to time because sometimes we might just want to have soup or a quick sandwich or toast.

Re: 2023 Meal Planning

Goldengate8361 — Tue, 03 Jan 2023 01:36:43 GMT

Meal planning....what a funny and foreign concept to me. If I were you, I'd just tell them they're now in charge of preparing their own individual meals.

Re: 2023 Meal Planning

candys mine — Wed, 04 Jan 2023 00:40:00 GMT

If your daughter want's other than you make fine. she makes her own. Every day. And cleans up afterwards. Every day. Maybe rotate recipes like taco Tuesday or the like only a couple days are vegan or veg. Everybody stretch a bit.

Re: 2023 Meal Planning

wagirl — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 15:28:56 GMT

Meal planning is the bane of my existence anymore---- DD can't eat dairy, and me, it's the carbs and red meat. We both like the vegetarian options but still eat some meats/seafood. Tried the weekly meal boxes, which were pretty good, but I object to the packs of gel stuff that is used to keep the items cold. How do you recycle them?? But the recipes included are really good. Just have to buckle down and do some planning, I guess.

Re: 2023 Meal Planning

mimomof4 — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 17:14:50 GMT

Trying to come up with a meal plan that makes everyone happy is very difficult. I gave up on that years ago. I have family of 6. While yes DH would prefer Red Meat and potatoes at every meal I don't cook that way. I try to put a vegetarian meal into our regular rotation. Regardless I make one meal and know that sometimes 1 kid won't like it. My kids can make their own food if they don't want my choice.

I cook meals mostly to my dietary needs (diabetic) and a lower carb/fat/calorie meals. I reduce the pasta or rice on my plate and eat more veggies and protein instead. I use whole wheat or Chick Pea pasta to reduce carbs. This is where the Vegan/Vegetarian lifestyle is actually not healthy for everyone - Too many carbs.

My niece became a Vegan around age 14 or 15 (after a couple years she realized vegetarian was easier for social settings than Vegan). She learned to cook on her own so she could make some of her own meals. While my sister in law would make some Vegan meals for the entire family that was not how the entire family ate. My other Sister in law and Brother in law also because vegetarians 2 years ago - they still cook meat for my teenage nephew who refused that lifestyle.

Re: 2023 Meal Planning

RollTide2008 — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 20:09:41 GMT

I would eat toast and let them fend for themselves.

Re: 2023 Meal Planning

house_cat — Fri, 06 Jan 2023 15:28:01 GMT

@ScrapHappy

I understand completely. I have a son who can't have gluten, a DIL who won't eat seafood, a husband who has so little appetite that I wonder if he's on some kind of hunger strike, and myself who needs to lose weight... and we all eat together most Sundays.

I can make that work, because it's one day a week, but trying to cook protein rich, calorie-laden foods for DH during the week, while watching my own intake is another dance completely. I find myself really envying my single friends who have only themselves to worry about.

Re: 2023 Meal Planning

RetRN — Fri, 06 Jan 2023 15:51:39 GMT

I plan meals for the upcoming week on Sundays. Then I go to the grocery store Monday if I need any items for my meal prep. It is sometimes difficult not to get in a rut but I try to get some variety in what I eat.

Re: 2023 Meal Planning

AuntG — Sat, 07 Jan 2023 00:51:57 GMT

Being single, I'd think you'd eat the same thing for several meals @RetRN . I know of a few stores that sell meat and vegetables in small portions specifically for people who prepare one and two person meals. Even though there are just two of us, I still make big meals and we eat leftovers nearly every week.