Regular or Random Meals?

I used to cook alot. I made everything from scratch and everyone loved my cooking. Then I had two children very close together at about age 40. At that point I was so busy with those two that I began not to cook as much and now I almost hate to. I don't have a menu I go by, its just random, whatever strikes my fancy.

Well with me its usually very different everynight because I can get tired of a food just like that. I usually just go through the fridge and freezer and see if there is anything in there that I like and might possibly want to eat....if not then i go to the pantry to see if there is anything in there(like can foods or stuff like that)and after awhile I will get tired of looking through that and if I still don't really see anything that I would like to eat I generally go and just bake a potatoe because that is my favorite food!

I was so proud of myself for a while because I was able to make up a rotating meal menu and stick to it. I did it mainly because I found that we were recycling the same three or four meals waaaay too often and I was feeling major burnout. I worked it out that if it was something bigger I was making, like a lasagna, we'd be able to kill two meals in one whack. We'd have the lasagna for supper one night and then leftovers either the next day or day after for lunch. I tried mixing in some quickie meals if I knew we were going to have a busy day with little prep and eat time available. I would try to plan meals that required a little more thought and preparation for weekends so I didn't get too rushed or stressed. To add a little more variety, I'd schedule a take-out night every other week or so. Occasionally we'd even have a 'breakfast for supper' night where I'd make scrambled eggs and vegetarian sausage patties or vegetarian bacon, or homemade pancakes. Gee, I miss being that organized! :(

Growing up with a very finnicking, picky father depending on what day it was I can still tell you what we had for dinner. It's funny my dad always said I was a picky eater but it was really him. Everything had to be well done. I really learned to appreciate food in my 20's after he passed away. My poor mom, really enjoyed cooking once she remarried. As a kid I hated hamburgers and steak because they were like hockey pucks. So now with my family, I try to keep a very well stocked freezer, refrigerater and pantry so we have a variety of meals. Plus it helps that I have a husband who loves to cook and eat!!!! I do try to plan several meals for during the week and then we always have a leftover night. My new thing is that I want to try and start using my crockpot more to have a soup night.

Used to I would make plans for the weekly meals and go grocery shopping and have it all. But not now. Now it is just what ever we want whether it be home made or take out. My son is a fantastic cook and he loves it and he will come up with some great meals for us at times. His sister tells him she is going to take him home with her and hire him to cook for them. hahaha

My family eats totally randomly. We cook whatever we have in the fridge, or if it's empty we might just get take out.

A couple yrs ago I made the same few dishes over the course of the month....not that it was a scheduled regular menu mind you, it was just that i was always preoccupied with other more pressing things in life at the time ya know...These days though and for the past couple yrs I just do the "spin a wheel" method for the most part...I have to say too that I actually enjoy doign it that way...the options are just endless IMO...

Like you, I used to cook a lot, 7 days a week. lol Of course I was married and 3 kids at home, and I cooked the same things week after week. Then the kids grew up, I got divorced and was on my own for over a year. Now it's just me and my s/o, so I usually cook 2 or 3 times a week, since he's in law enforcement and I work for the forestry service, sometimes one or both of us end up working overtime at the last minute, so kinda hard to plan meals around our schedules

Lately, I've been cooking from the pantry using up the stuff that was there. I buy a little something here and there, but basically I'm using the stuff in the freezer and the cupboards. At the end of this production, I am going to try, once again, to put together menus and make a list of what's needed. The whole idea of a menu would be for more balanced meals I guess. So to answer the question, I'm basically spinning the wheel right now and cooking what my energy levels that day will tolerate, and from what's available.

In my family we decide every night whats to be cooked the next day. There is no schedule of foods, or menu or anything, that would kinda seem like we are in a restaurant lol. And i think it would be boring too. However, we do try to have meals from different categories of foods throughout the week, and we always have meat, roasted or anything on Sunday. The other days its a random choice, or depending of the ingredients we have in house.

Normally, we have always winged it. We let our son cook one night, our daughter cook another and then we take turns cooking whatever in between. Sometimes we might plan ahead as far as a day or two to let something thaw out, but that's been the extent of the planning. Now that I'm dieting though, we need to move towards more of a menu style. Not to mention that in the long run, it might be cheaper to purchase the things we need to fulfill the menu than to just purchase based on desire or good deal.

We don't have a regular menu at home but we make sure that fish and meat are to prepared alternately. If am in the province, I would usually eat vegetables throughout a week and I don't mind it. Most of the time, I don't cook our meal so I can't tell or insist food that I wanna take. The only plan we have is, if I am allergic to the food that they prepared, I'd have to buy my own.

I find that, particularly when cooking on a budget, it becomes the norm to decide what I'm going to eat at the beginning of the week, and follow that through. Although there are obviously times when I might get to a particular night and not really want what I decided to have at the beginning of the week, I find it easier (and more cost-effective) just to stick with my initial plan.

its nothng like tht as in our indian foods thr is a lot of varities so we never end up wid d same menu plan ..n yeah we not only include indian foods but also chinese thai italian too ,it means it depends on d mind of the cook wht he/she wants 2 eat according to his/her taste ..its not essential tht u try just d famous recepies,try urself too be inventive in the kitchen ,i m sure u ll love tht then n also enjoy ur meal ..whether b it 2 times a day or more than tht ..so enjoy cooking n enjoy eating too

both i like to have regular menus with my family but random menus are alot of fun too

both i like to have regular menus with my family but random menus are alot of fun too