Reply
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,077
Registered: ‎05-11-2013

Planning meals when nothing sounds good..................

Do you ever have periods when nothing sounds good food wise?  I think it makes planning meals difficult. The last few weeks most days I just don't care about food. I have gone through my favorite cookbooks and looked online for inspiration, nada.

 

If it were just me I wouldn't worry about it but DH loves his food.  I ask for ideas and get "I don't know, whatever you make."

 

Anybody else feel this way from time to time?

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,473
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Planning meals when nothing sounds good..................

[ Edited ]

Yessss, happens in spurts. My biggest go to is to get rotisserie chickens from the store, you can make all kinds of dishes with it.  An amazing meal in no time.  Order food in.  Pick up food and bring home or take-out.  Going out to dinner is also an option but my least used.

Also my family love subs, so I buy fresh French loaves and make them.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 30,238
Registered: ‎03-12-2010

Re: Planning meals when nothing sounds good..................

Well I can't smell (very little) or taste (very little)....so I just don't get hungry.

 

It's easy for me to go an entire day without eating.  It's surprising to me (still) how connected smell and taste are to getting a person hungry.

 

Every now and then I'll feel like I want to eat something but it needs to be spicy so I can really taste it.

 

Back when my family lived at home and my husband was alive, I could taste back then...But I dreaded having to come up with dinner for everyone.  Well, dreaded is a stupid word, I guess I should say I found it 'challenging'.

 

My husband was very easy to please and my girls loved vegetables, so it wasn't them, it was me.  I felt like I needed to come up with 'different' meals.

 

I think most people will tell you the same thing.  Now I eat lunch out with a friend and I'm 'done' for the day.  I TRY to eat a little something later in the day but I have no taste for it.

 

When my husband was alive we still ate out at least once or twice a week.

 

One thing I've learned, I've repeated it here and will do it again...."The more we are different ....the more we are similar".  

Honored Contributor
Posts: 18,776
Registered: ‎03-13-2010

Re: Planning meals when nothing sounds good..................

I live alone, so a "protein bar" will suffice.

♥Surface of the Sun♥
Honored Contributor
Posts: 14,935
Registered: ‎03-11-2010

Re: Planning meals when nothing sounds good..................

I know what you mean. Don't want any meat but want to eat dinner. I have been eating a lot of fruit & salads. Even if I do eat some meat I eat fruit & salad with it instead of different sides.

DH does not like it because he wants a full meal. I find myself not eating like that anymore.

DH picked up a slab of ribs, potato salad, baked beans the other day. I ate 2 ribs a salad & an apple.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,113
Registered: ‎09-30-2010

Re: Planning meals when nothing sounds good..................

[ Edited ]

@CrazyKittyLvr2  This rarely happens to me, since that is the one domestic area I enjoy completely.  

 

When inspiration doesn't arise one of my standbys is spaghetti and home made meat sauce (or doctored up) jarred sauce, with a loaf of Italian bread and green beans as sides.  Alternatively, shrimp scampi works, or linguine with red or white clam sauce.  ( I prefer white.)  Or pasta with butter or olive oil, grated cheese and festooned with a vegetable--peas, broccoli rabe or florets, or asparagus tips.  A small side salad goes well with any of these.

 

Or I might do a far from authentic Chinese stir fry.  Peg Bracken's Jolly Rice Roger chicken and rice casserole is another favorite.  Pressure cooker or stove stop pot roast or beef stew is another reliable.  Baked cod with an easy, quick, mornay sauce on a bed of garlicky spinach is another.

 

When my budget permits there is always steak, lamb or pork chops, a baked potato, and a frozen vegetable as another side.  If I want to jazz it up I usually have a few twice baked stuffed potatoes (I make extra and use my Food Saver) in the freezer.

 

Good question, by the way, since we all get in a rut once in a while.  I look forward to reading the suggestions of others.

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,630
Registered: ‎08-19-2014

Re: Planning meals when nothing sounds good..................

When that happens I order in or DH will run out & pick something up. I don’t cook as often as I used to.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,875
Registered: ‎04-27-2015

Re: Planning meals when nothing sounds good..................

I love to cook but run out of ideas. My go to is Pinterest, have found lots of good things.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 9,012
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Planning meals when nothing sounds good..................

I just cook for myself, but do cook every day.  Air fryer is great and I use it at least 4 or 5 times a week.  Some days I just don't know what to make, but always think of something.  I have many dietary restrictions, but always come up with something.  Again, air fryer to the rescue!  Miss eating out with DH, but do the best  I can.  I've always enjoyed cooking and would rather cook something than get in the car and go pick something up.

Valued Contributor
Posts: 860
Registered: ‎10-05-2012

Re: Planning meals when nothing sounds good..................

I feel very stuck in a rut w/meals.  BF is struggling type 2 diabetic and normally we have a piece of meat and a vegetable........most of the time it's some form of chicken breast, pork chop, occasional steak or ground beef and occasional fish. We rarely do pastas or potato or macaroni salads any longer. He's picky about his veggies so it's salad, cauliflower, sauerkraut, cabbage and occasionally broccoli, maybe pickled beets, maybe roasted green beans.  He won't eat spaghetti squash and we try to stay away from corn and peas and potatoes. 

 

Frustrating at times. I get sick of the meat. LOL