Gransnet forums

Food

Do you have a full cooked meal every night?

(69 Posts)
minimo Thu 11-Aug-16 15:51:00

My other half likes to have a 'proper meal' every night. He does cook so it's not like he expects me to do it all. But I do find planning meals etc quite tiring and unnecessary when sometimes I'd be happy with a simple soup or piece of toast - my waistline certainly would! We eat together most nights though so we're not going to go making separate meals. What do others do? Do you eat a full meal every night?

Charleygirl Thu 11-Aug-16 15:54:38

Yes, if I possibly can and I live on my own. I do have the odd ready meal but never ever a takeaway. I am not the world's greatest cook but I do try. I will cook eg a chicken curry for tonight, have the same again tomorrow and hope to freeze at least 2 portions for later in the month. I still prefer to dine in the evening than at lunchtime. Many times I skip lunch.

tanith Thu 11-Aug-16 16:02:33

Yes we do also but quite often its a different meal as OH is a meat and two veg sausage and mash man, I will eat most things but do like salads, curries and pasta dishes which I always cook from scratch.
I like to cook although I'm not that good but we do like to sit down at the table together each evening for a good catch up and food.

BBbevan Thu 11-Aug-16 16:03:36

Yes we sit down together for both breakfast and dinner. Lunch is a moveable feast as we can both be out or one in. I tend to cook all meals from scratch. Though at this time of year we have a lot of salads.Chilli tonight with cauli rice. All made by me. DH does cook occasionally but can never seem to get all components of a meal ready at the same time. Bless him
No pudding though.

whitewave Thu 11-Aug-16 16:13:31

Usually, but I do get cheesed off after a few days -like today - when I cba- I should be having steak with crushed potatoes green beans and mushrooms which is dead easy but really can't be bothered, I shall have to move my lazy self as the meat is defrosted so no alternative.BUM.

SueDonim Thu 11-Aug-16 16:33:09

We tend to have a couple of meat-free, easy prepare 'dinners' each week when it's just the two of us. We'll have beans on toast or scrambled egg, that sort of thing. I mostly make my own bread for that.

f77ms Thu 11-Aug-16 16:42:49

I was only thinking about this the other day . We were brought up to 3 meals a day , no snacks or supper and I think it stays with you . Younger people I know are not as rigid and seem to eat when it is convenient , they also have a lot more in the way of ready meals/ takeaways or something from the Chip shop . I do the cooking at home and always make a meal in the evening , usually something substantial and including all the necessary elements ie protein, carbs and veg . Breakfast is always cereal and lunch is a light meal ie cheese on toast , baked potato or similar . Two of my sons are the sole cooks in their houses , I find it strange probably because I was married to a man who refused to do anything he considered `womens work` ( hence X husband)

Ruthyo Thu 11-Aug-16 17:07:53

Yes, despite working full time I still cook from scratch every night. I enjoy it and my OH is hopeless in the kitchen but very appreciative of a nice meal! Tend to be healthy menus as I'm following WW and at weekends we like a fakeaway e.g a curry, stir fry etc made at home.

Marmark1 Thu 11-Aug-16 17:16:37

Yes we do.Its the way your brought up isn't it sometimes,Breakfast Dinner Tea and Supper for us as kids,but I just do Breakfast Lunch and Tea.usually lots of veg,but I do have a very sweet tooth,so more interested in puddings.

hulahoop Thu 11-Aug-16 17:22:08

Yes most evenings get fed up of thinking what to have though fish pie cauli and peas tonight I tend to make it but oh always washes up so its not too bad .

henetha Thu 11-Aug-16 17:23:59

One of the best things about living alone is not having to cook every night if I don't feel like it. Mostly in the winter I do cook proper meals, with the occasional ready meal instead if I'm tired. But at this time of year I often just have soup and toast, or salad, or just chomp on a piece of grilled fish or a chicken leg, - and sometimes nothing at all.

Jalima Thu 11-Aug-16 17:24:25

Yes, very rarely have a 'scratch' meal.
Tonight we're having a chicken stirfry, lots of veg and Singapore noodles (the noodles were from M&S not home-made!)
If I was on my own I would probably eat more pasta dishes and jacket potatoes with fillings and salad.
We do have a M&S ready meal sometimes if it's been a long shopping day.

Jalima Thu 11-Aug-16 17:26:15

and sometimes nothing at all.
henetha shock, or do you have a large lunch? which is supposed to be better for you
I can't sleep if I'm hungry.

shandi6570 Thu 11-Aug-16 17:36:12

Yes, I have an OH who lives by his stomach and thinks he will die if he doesn't get his three meals at more or less the usual time everyday. Sadly cooking is not his best skill and although he will cobble together breakfast and lunches for himself, he does like a cooked evening meal. Fortunately he will happily go and buy fish and chips, or take me out to our local pub if I really don't want to cook (not very often, but great when I am having an off day). However like Minimo I'm finding that I would be quite happy to have soup or something similar in the evenings these days, but don't want to start down the route of separate meals, so I just have a much smaller portion, or just the vegetable part of the meal. Do like something sweet afterwards though smile

Alima Thu 11-Aug-16 17:41:16

I only really cook from scratch at weekends even though I am retired now. During the week DH will have a hot meal, pie and pots or something from the freezer, some of which I may actually have cooked. In the summer I eat a lot of salads or omelettes and in the winter something on toast or jacket potato. We do eat at the same time though, bowls permitting. (That's the game bowls and not pudding bowls, we do have enough of them!)

granjura Thu 11-Aug-16 17:55:08

Always used to when we were both working. Now we have a main meal lunch and something light in the evening- and feel much the better for it, sleep better too.

M0nica Thu 11-Aug-16 17:56:32

Since we retired we have had our main meal at lunch time. I have always enjoyed good food well cooked and I am always on the look out for new recipes. We have a proper cooked meal everyday because I want one and DH enjoys it as well. I do bulk cook and freeze portions so that about 2 days a week our meal comes from the freezer.

I also have odd days when I do not feel like cooking so we go out and no-one does steak and kidney puddings like Waitrose or steak pies like our local farm shop.

In the evenings we have salads in summer, soup, baked potatoes, omelettes, something on toast in winter. We rarely have desserts as neither of us has a sweet tooth. We finish a meal with fresh or stewed fruit and DH sometimes has yoghourt.

Liz46 Thu 11-Aug-16 17:57:58

We sort out our own breakfast and lunch but take it in turns to make a proper evening meal. This evening I cooked a beautiful thick cod loin, new potatoes and several vegetables picked today from our allotment.

We'll probably go to the pub tomorrow and undo all the good!

hildajenniJ Thu 11-Aug-16 17:58:15

No we don't. We have our main meal at lunchtime. I was brought up to eat breakfast, dinner, tea and supper, these days it's breakfast, dinner and supper.

jinglbellsfrocks Thu 11-Aug-16 18:07:33

Yes. But sometimes it has already been cooked by Mr Waitrose.

Tonight my DD is cooking. It will be delicious but will take ages. So I am munching chocolate covered raisins to keep me going.

jinglbellsfrocks Thu 11-Aug-16 18:09:26

I have quite a lot of days when I don't feel like cooking Monica.

grannylyn65 Thu 11-Aug-16 18:09:32

Because of my condition, can only eat once a day, usually early evening.

TerriBull Thu 11-Aug-16 18:24:10

Yes most evenings, mainly I cook from scratch, but if my husband produces a meal usually on a Saturday, it will be a curry via a box or two from M&S although he does the accompanying rice, unaided and from scratch grin

Greyduster Thu 11-Aug-16 18:30:01

Mostly. It's a habit left over from when we were working I suppose. We will have meat or fish and vegetables; chilli or risotto, or home made quiche and salad. But sometimes it will just be an omelette or home made soup. I find I like cooking less and less these days though.

Coolgran65 Thu 11-Aug-16 18:43:26

Yes, we have dinner together each evening, the timing changes according to our plans. Usually once a week we eat out, not posh. On a Saturday night it's either takeaway or Asda 2 for £7 rib eye steaks.

DH does breakfast each morning for both of us which might not materialise until about 11am so often we don't have lunch.

This evening I did 2 salmont fillets in the oven for 20 minutes, served with wild rice (Uncle Ben's microwave) and some stir fried asparagus/mushrooms and sugar snap peas. There was also a rather brutal corn-on-the-cob on the side of each plate but it was delicious.