How do you decide what you are going to cook for dinner each day?

Question

I am usually at a loss as to what to cook for dinner each day, so my husband and I end up eating out a lot. It's just the two of us and it's hard to cook for two people. Most recipes call for 4-6 servings, but I am not a leftovers person so a lot of food goes to waste. My husband loves leftovers but even he gets tired of eating the same thing.

We get into arguments about what we are going to have for dinner, who's going to cook it, or where we will eat out at. It's just too expensive to eat out and it's making us gain weight. My husband doesn't care for most vegetables (except corn), whereas I love green leafy vegetables. He is a meat and potatoes guy and I love seafood and vegetables.

I really want to get my household in order this upcoming year, and this is one of the things on my list. Would it be out of order to come up with a set menu and stick by that? 10 points to the person with the best answer.

Answer 1

As pathetic as this seems - I make a "menu" at the beginning of the week before I go to the grocery store. I plan each day out in advance so that I can get the appropriate items while at the store and know what to get out in the morning or the night before so that it is thawed and ready for dinner.
I'm also a big freezer. I have a sealer that allows me to seal my left overs and have them ready for the next meal. This is particular effective when it is something that can be made in bulk easily. I do this with sauces and soups quite often. I also freeze my chicken and steaks with the marinade in with it - than all I have to do is thaw and cook.

The key is being prepared in advance! In our household there is my husband, myself, and 4 children -- both me and my husband have full time jobs, plus I have a private business, I coach sports, and we are both mentors for the high school......if we didn't plan ahead we'd be eating out at the one and only place within 20 minutes of us...MCDONALD's...every night. <>

Also try looking for cooking for two cook books, or preparing things in twos.....such as lasgna - but small disposable pans instead of a large pan - and prepare the lasagna in a couple of pans....cook one, and freeze one. (Viola - instant meal when you don't feel like cooking!)

Answer 2

In my family, we take turns deciding what's for dinner, and preparing it. The rule is that you have to have at least one thing the other family members can eat - so, in your case, if he prepares a meat and potatoes dinner, there should be a salad alongside. And maybe when you do a salad, prepare some chicken or a burger alongside.

We've also made a list of entrees, fruits, veggies and side dishes, and what each will eat. That keeps us from forgetting foods that work out well for us.

I also have a rule of thumb: Each week I try to come up with a pasta dinner, a soup dinner, an Asian dinner, and an "American" dinner. So if I get stuck, I say to myself, "well, I've had soup, American and Asian, maybe it is time for a pasta dish."

It is pretty easy to cut recipes in half, so that would take care of extra leftovers. But - you can also make a big pot of, say, stew, and freeze it in two-portion containers. Then you can have some quick dinners in the freezer.

Also, I like allrecipe.com for dinner ideas. I type what I have into the Ingredient Search and off I go! You can also specify the number of servings, and allrecipes will modify the measurements for you.

Answer 3

I cook dinner every night. We rarely eat out. It helps to keep your fridge and freeze stocked with food that is easy to cook. There are certain ingredients you must always have on hand. There are cookbooks for cooking for 1 or 2. That would be helpful for you.

When you buy meat, package it into proper serving sizes - like a 2 lb pkg of hamburger gets split into 4 half pound portions. The smaller portions thaw easily in the microwave and you get just the amount you need.

Sometimes I sit and read cookbooks while watching TV so I can come up with ideas for dinner over the next few days. I have a list food I make on a regular basis (spaghetti, tacos, chicken casserole, etc) so I know what I need.

I make big batches of some stuff (like burritos) that freeze well, then you just microwave a couple of burritos, put some chips and refried beans on a plate and there is dinner.

Some things I always have on hand:
skinless, boneless chicken breasts
hamburger
shrimp
rice, pasta, potatoes
frozen or canned veggies
canned spaghetti sauce
frozen raviolis
Fresh and frozen fruit

It is good to have a set menu and stick with it because you know the ingredients you will need and you are less likely to go out if you have a plan. Good luck.

Answer 4

Sit down together, and discuss the types of meals you generally like. I plan for what I'm having by what's on sale at the grocery store when I go (I just go to one, don't browse the ads, just simply check the aisles to see what's on sale at the particular store I'm in). Then I buy the items that are on sale and plan meals around that. I usually have at least 7 to 10 meals in mind by the time I get out of the grocery store.

If you need some additional assistance, then as soon as you've packed your groceries away, make a list and post it in the kitchen (the refrigerator is probably the easiest place), of the meals you had in mind when you were shopping, and the meals that you have ingredients for. I'm not the type of person that works well with the - Monday we'll have this, Tuesday we'll have that type of list, because I might find that evening I don't feel like that particular dish. But if you have a list available, both yourself and your husband can peruse the list for meals that you have the ingredients to make and that sound good to you.

As for leftovers, I try to plan so that any foods that I am going to have "leftovers" of can be eaten many different ways. For example, I might have fajitas or burritos with chicken one night, then use any leftover chicken to top a salad the next day. It's not too difficult, once you've had some practice, to think ahead on different ways to use foods so they don't feel so "left-over." And once you begin to do this, you'll find that it's great to use left-overs in different ways, because it makes the meal so much quicker to prepare.

Also, don't be afraid to cut in half (or 2/3rds), those recipes for 4 to 6 servings. Some recipes can be cut quite easily.

Answer 5

We have a similar situation, with the addition of an 8 year old boy who doesn't eat everything in sight! We often go out to dinner as well just because it's "easier".

I truly doubt by your description that either of you will like have chicken a la king every other Tuesday when it's a fully moon. Why not do it together and find recipes you both like and every month make a change. You'll end up after a year with many of them that you enjoy and you'll keep on a rotating menu!

Let us know what you do decide to do.

Answer 6

Whatever is in the freezer, and in the cabinets, kind of makes up my meal. If my creative side is turned on, I can make something that won't be considered BORING!
Best way to avoid "the just grab something while we're out" trap is to decide a few meals ahead of time, and then wing it from there. When shopping, grab whatever meats and veggies you like, and get extras for yourself, since you like them. Plan your meals before going to the store, and this will help you know exactly what you are looking for before gong into the store and looking like a lost pup.

Like: Instead of just spaghetti with meat sauce, I'll make a pizza casserole: Thin spaghetti with marinara and ground beef, with chopped onions and peppers and mushrooms topped with pizza blend cheese.

Good Luck!

Answer 7

Make a list before going to the grocery on an entree and sides for each day. Go shopping and stick to it. Pick one day to eat out, a treat. When we finish one meal I am already thinking what the next meal will consist of. I cook two meals a day breakfast and supper. Go to college in between.

Answer 8

You two need to sit down together with several cookbooks on easy and quick recipes (check out a bookstore for good selections). Both of you should glance over recipes and see what sounds good to the both of you. Make a list of entrees that you both like, make a different list of veggies or sides that you both like. Keep a 'master list' of both and mix them up together for variety. Examples of sides: mashed potatoes (you can do instant in 5 minutes), sauteed mushrooms, salad, etc. Its hard to pick healthy and quick sides if he doesn't like veggies, but maybe you can figure out different ways to dress up the veggies and hope that he likes them? Will he eat broccoli with cheese sauce? What about fresh spinach leaves in a salad? You can hide them in the salad and he probably won't even know they're there and they are super healthy! If you take canned black-eyed peas and heat them up and top them with Pace Picante sauce, my husband LOVES them like that.
I know many recipes are not for 2, but if you go to allrecipes.com you can change the serving sizes to 2 and they will automatically adjust the recipe. No matter how you do it, you're going to need to sit down together and come up with some creative ideas for your Master menu, things you can both live with.
Another thing we do is when I cook spaghetti sauce, i cook extra and freeze a bunch of sauce. That way next time we want spaghetti, we just have to cook the noodles and defrost the sauce! It doesn't taste like leftovers that way and it makes for a fast and easy meal. You can do this with lots of things you cook. Any time you brown meat, brown an extra pound and freeze it.
Also, grocery stores have frozen pasta meals in bags. They aren't frozen dinners, it is actually really good pasta meals that you dump in to a skillet and cook for 10 minutes. We do that a lot and they have several brands and a good variety at any grocery store in the frozen food section.

Answer 9

My husband and I have very different food preferences. Its just us and a 2 month old baby, so we're cooking for two as well. We have found several dishes that we both like. Since we like different veggies, I'll often by frozen vegetables that have resealable bags in kinds that I like and in kinds he likes. That way, I can just take a little of each type and make it.

Here's a normal week's dinner menu for us

Sloppy joes with french fries and veggies
Tacos or fajitas with black beans or refried beans
Hot dogs with chili, veggies, and rice
BBQ Chicken with veggies and stuffing
Spaghetti with garlic bread
Pizza bagels (just plain bagels, pizza sauce, mozz cheese, and pepperoni -- pop in oven until chz is melted.)
Stir-fries of meat with veggies and some sort of pre-made bottled sauce

There are lots of stuff like that that we make. We buy our meat in small portions. We usually keep cans of baked beans, black beans, and ravioli on hand as those are always easy add ons. We always have bags of rice and noodles. Its just about stocking up on cheap, easy options that you can throw together in about 10-15 minutes a night.

Answer 10

I have a dinner plan stuck on my fridge. I seldom follow it but if I'm stuck I get ideas from it. I have at least 10 meals in it. List your options down.

I love left overs but I also dont want to eat the same thing everyday.