when you plan meals, then just don't feel like having what you've planned ... (restaurant, mushrooms)

[Rickcin]

I can totally relate and when trying to eat healthy, you only have so many options but you can change or alternate with different ways and ingredients. We usually decide on the main protein, like chicken, pork, beef or fish and then alternate with starch, grain and vegetables in order to change things up so that it varies and it’s never the exact same dish every week. Variety is most important since we all need to eat every day and it gets monotonous.

We’ve found that food shopping every 3 to 4 days works best for us in order to get fresh fruits and vegetables and be able to use them before they start to wilt.

If we decide to break up the routine, which can become annoying and boring, then we will order a pizza or perhaps fried chicken or takeout but only when we’ve used up fresh vegetables that are in the refrigerator.

We also keep small portions of chicken, beef, pork and frozen shrimp in the freezer so that we can easily prepare a meal using one of those proteins with rice, beans or Japanese noodles that we always have in our pantry.

We also keep a variety of pasta and marinara sauce in the pantry for emergency or last minute meals in case the situation presents itself like a sudden change in our schedule.

It’s definitely gets tiring trying to come up different things to eat and we’ve found that being flexible while having a variety of items in the pantry that have a very long shelf life, provides us with options and flexibility when coming up with meal suggestions. The items we always have on hand include, pasta’s, rice’s, farro, quinoa, polenta, beans, Japanese noodles, etc and they can be used with any protein we happed to have in the freezer along with a few bags of frozen vegetables with keep for last minute meal decisions.

It does get tiresome trying to come up with a menu and what to eat each day and week!

[Charlie&Rose]

I only go grocery shopping once a week. I find it just takes up to much time and energy, going every couple of days.Also, I really hate waiting in checkout lines....self scan is a pain, when you have lots of produce.

[TheShadow]

I usually don't plan menus more than a day or two in advance. I have a freezer and we stock it with the basic kinds of proteins that we like (salmon, mahi, pork chops, chicken breasts and thighs, and hamburger) and I buy fresh veggies every few days as needed. I have a lot of pantry staples, and I can pretty much make anything I want, as long as I have the right veggies, and possibly some dairy ingredient we might need. I only live about 3 minutes from the store, so I can run out for any last minute things. I usually don't plan "this meal on that day", I just think "What do I feel like today? And what do I have in the fridge that needs to be used while it's fresh? Then I make something with that.

[karen_in_nh_2012]

Wow, thanks for all the replies -- much appreciated (and reps to all I can!). Some responses ...

Originally Posted by kj1065

I think it's just boredom, and sometimes you have to just go with it. I have a list of easy pantry meals to pull out on such occasions. Or maybe you just want to get out of the house?

You may be right about the boredom, although I do cook lots of different ways so that cuts down on the boredom somewhat. (It's definitely not wanting to get out of the house -- total homebody here! )

Originally Posted by grampaTom

Well, for starters I would never do chicken 5 days in a row.

When we do decide to pass on a given night's menu we simply don't thaw what is frozen and try to use the fresh ingredients (mushrooms, greens etc) a different way so they don't get thrown out.

I haven't done chicken 5 days in a row too often, but it happens. It's not as bad as it sounds, though, e.g. here's chicken for a whole 8 days:
- Monday: chicken fricassee (a decadent French chicken stew made with bone-in, skin-on thighs) with mashed potatoes
- Tuesday: leftovers (it's hard to make just 1 portion of that stew)
- Wednesday: cut-up chicken breast with Asian noodles and Thai sweet chili sauce
- Thursday: bbq chicken wings with corn on the cob
- Friday: boneless thighs cooked on the stovetop with Shake & Bake parmesan coating plus mixed stir-fried veggies
- Saturday: slow cooker garlic lime chicken with rice
- Sunday: leftovers (again, it's hard to make just 1 portion in the slow cooker, but the recipe actually freezes beautifully)
- Monday: chicken curry with potatoes, onions, and carrots

Those dinners are all quite different from each other, and they're all really tasty. But they are, well, chicken over and over and over.

Originally Posted by twinkletwinkle22

We eat a lot of chicken also because we love it and like you I have many ways to cook it so it's never boring.
I never plan a weeks worth of dinners, as long as there is protein in the freezer I can make dinner pretty fast after defrost.
What we do after grocery shopping is divide all meat into .5 pound portions and freeze.

I should have mentioned in the OP that it's really the thawing that is the issue -- typically, if I know I'm going to have chicken on Wednesday, I will move it from the freezer to the refrigerator on Monday. Tuesday won't work as it won't completely thaw in the refrigerator in 24 hours. (Of course I remember growing up, my mom just left meat out on the counter every morning, then cooked it for dinner that night. We never got sick over it, but it still doesn't seem like a great idea to me now!)

Originally Posted by twinkletwinkle22

Tonight having sauteed chicken breast in butter wine sauce with fresh pesto pasta with fresh tomato slices. Most time required goes to heating water to boil pasta, chicken cooks quickly and pesto already made with basil from garden, garlic and parmesan.

That ^^^ sounds wonderful!

Originally Posted by Charlie&Rose

Why not throw in a pasta, or burger meal, or a fav of mine pork tenderloin, in the middle of all those chicken days. I like chicken too, but enough is enough.

I do pork tenderloin pretty frequently, and pasta (often with chicken ), and salmon too. But the tenderloin and salmon are WAY more expensive than the chicken, which is why I have chicken so frequently.

Originally Posted by JeepGirl118

Meal planning sounds exhausting.

Like planning outfits for the next week.

Won't eat pasta if I'm in the mood for tacos.

Won't wear green if I want to wear black.

Less stress.

Um, it's not exhausting at all, I actually LIKE doing the planning. And given the need to defrost the protein, I can't just decide to have tacos on a Thursday because the ground beef would take 2 days to defrost. (My clothes don't need to defrost so I don't have to plan THOSE! )

Originally Posted by fleetiebelle

But for me, I don't want to think about what I'm going to eat and have to make something different every single day. So I plan meals and I have leftovers and freeze things. There's always a few things in the freezer or pantry to throw together if I'm not feeling having lasagna again (and takeout is an option,) but often it's a huge relief to know that I've planned ahead.

^^^ Exactly, fleetiebelle! Thanks!

Originally Posted by Bellacatahoula

Hello Karen, I know exactly what you mean. I cook about 75% of our meals, do the planning, and buy or grow our vegetables. I can't begin to tell you how many times I put my foot down and change up the "lightly written in pencil" menu that I put together! LOL! Most times something else catches my attention or I get a craving for Italian, Mexican, Indian,etc. My suggestion to you would be to not go 5 days straight with chicken, go 2 or 3 and slot in pizza, or whatever you enjoy, just to break up any monotony that might be going on. Plan on these diversions....

Great suggestions, as always.

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

I will have a few days planned, like when meat has to come out of the freezer three days in advance for barbecue, and a few days of the week when I decide what sounds good at the moment.

Mostly the only thing that dictates what must be cooked for dinner is what needs to be used before it spoils, which is mostly the produce. Like the last spears of asparagus that I must use tonight, so I will cook something that goes with asparagus. And what doesn't go with asparagus? Any meal, any time of the day, asparagus is good.

When I grocery shop, whatever prey I drag home from the market is prepared to be stored so I am not tied down to a schedule. Except for the fresh fruit and produce which has a time limit on it.

If I am in the mood for something special, I check ingredients and add whatever I need to the shopping list. I keep a list and I also keep an eye open for a good unadvertised special. In the produce department, I buy what looks good on the day and seldom have a list, except for "onions" and then I arrange meals around the produce when it is meal time.

If I had a menu for the week and woke up not in the mood, then the ingredients for that meal would go into the freezer, or whatever method of storing, and I'd do something else and have that waiting to be done at a later date.

Lots of great suggestions -- thanks!

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

In your case, because your default is pizza, and the budget is a concern, I suggest that you buy a few frozen pizzas to keep in the freezer, and keep a few toppings and some frozen shredded mozzarella cheese to dress them up. Ordering pizza can be a budget buster and you know that you are going to do it, so prepare to fix pizza at home on the days that you don't want chicken.

Good suggestion, although I like my local mom-and-pop pizza places more than I like any frozen pizza (although some are quite good).

Originally Posted by Sand&Salt

Asparagus dictates for us, too, lol. And to a lesser degree, other veg's. Especially lettuce. If we are lucky enough to get romaine, it's Caesar salads with a side of protein, before it goes bad.

I guess we've never "not felt like" having what we oh-so-loosely-planned, so that's a novel concept. I cook for leftovers, whether it's meatballs (now---the so-called IKEA recipe) or pork loin, or bean dishes like chickpea salad with homemade bread. We like it all. Only have to do real cooking twice a week.

We're "meh" about chicken so rarely have it. Having chickens as pets kind of does that to an animal lover!

Originally Posted by pathrunner

Totally relate to this thread topic. I still have 3-4 pounds of chicken in the fridge that I don't feel like cooking. It has become very humid and I have no energy to cook.

Originally Posted by saibot

I’m a planner, but not an “It’s Tuesday so today is tacos” kind of planner. I just write down a list of 7 meals to have in the next week and make sure I have all the ingredients. Then every day, I look at the list and pick one. If we end up eating out or finishing last night’s leftover lasagna instead of cooking a new meal, that’s fine too.

What I can’t do is either a totally rigid plan or total spontaneity. The one is as stressful as the other to me. The only occasional issue I run into with my method is produce needing to be used, but even most vegetables will keep a few extra days in the refrigerator. And I am careful not to overbuy produce or other perishables. We have so many grocery options within 5 minutes, it’s better to run out and get something I ran out of than to throw out something I bought too much of.

Good comments/info from all of you too -- thanks!

Originally Posted by evening sun

I plan only 2 or 3 days ahead, because I like to defrost the proteins in the fridge. If we decide to eat out one of those nights, the meat is still available the next day. Don't do chicken for 5 days in a row, anyone would be sick of that. You can have a loose plan of meals to make, & then decide in the morning which one you want & get the ingredients ready.

Good suggestions, but again, defrosting is the issue. Skipping 1 day isn't a problem (e.g., if I spontaneously go out for dinner with a friend), but ordering take-out usually leaves me with 3 meals, and the defrosted meat usually won't wait that long.

Originally Posted by TamaraSavannah

My planned, prepared meals can usually wait for another day in such events. They are usually a stew and a cornbread in the frig. It is my lettuce and avocados that usually buy the farm from not being used.

I am a romantic cowgirl, so there is usually several days of dinner in the fridge, waiting.

Ha! Avocados are my downfall. The cheapest they ever go around here is 99 cents each (they can be up to $1.89 each), but it's so hard to TIME THEM. I love them with all meat/fish/poultry so I'd love to have one every day -- but then I'd need a budget line item for "avocados," LOL!

Originally Posted by Serious Conversation

I don't plan that far ahead, but there are plenty of evenings where I need to run out, and I know XYZ has a special, so I go. I had some pork chop laid out for tonight. I went to the gym, and there are several places nearby with specials. I stopped. I can cook the chops either for tomorrow's lunch or supper.

Hmmm ... pork chops. Haven't had them in a while, and they DO go on sale (not quite as often as chicken does, but still) ...

Originally Posted by aliasfinn

Last year I was given 18 pork chops by some relatives and had plans of barbecuing them one day and keeping them in the icebox where I could just microwave a couple each day for lunch. It had been a few years since I barbecued.
I dragged my old Weber out of the garage and took the lid off and discovered wasp nests all attached to the inside of the lid and around the grill. They were as surprised to see me as much as I was surprised to see them.
I didn't want to get wasp spray all over my grill so I attacked them with a stick and removed their nests. I then brought out an old bag of charcoal from the garage and when I started pouring it in a dead mouse rolled in with the charcoal.
After plucking his carcass out of there I lit the coals.
Then the flies showed up, by the hundreds. I didn't even have any meat on the grill yet, didn't recall sending out invitations. They were placing their orders, " make mine rare with plenty of barbecue sauce." The impatient little bastards began biting me.
I quickly lost interest in my barbecue plans and decided to fry the chops in the kitchen. I could see the looks of disappointment on the flies as they were peeking through my kitchen window.

Originally Posted by Rickcin

I can totally relate and when trying to eat healthy, you only have so many options but you can change or alternate with different ways and ingredients. We usually decide on the main protein, like chicken, pork, beef or fish and then alternate with starch, grain and vegetables in order to change things up so that it varies and it’s never the exact same dish every week. Variety is most important since we all need to eat every day and it gets monotonous.

I know your meals quite well from the "what's for dinner" thread -- they ALWAYS look delicious and healthy too!

Originally Posted by Rickcin

We’ve found that food shopping every 3 to 4 days works best for us in order to get fresh fruits and vegetables and be able to use them before they start to wilt.

I try to go grocery shopping only once every week or two, although that doesn't work well when I'm eating lots of veggies (alas, I have strayed from that healthful pattern lately, although I WILL get back into it!).

Originally Posted by Rickcin

We also keep small portions of chicken, beef, pork and frozen shrimp in the freezer so that we can easily prepare a meal using one of those proteins with rice, beans or Japanese noodles that we always have in our pantry.

We also keep a variety of pasta and marinara sauce in the pantry for emergency or last minute meals in case the situation presents itself like a sudden change in our schedule.

It’s definitely gets tiring trying to come up different things to eat and we’ve found that being flexible while having a variety of items in the pantry that have a very long shelf life, provides us with options and flexibility when coming up with meal suggestions. The items we always have on hand include, pasta’s, rice’s, farro, quinoa, polenta, beans, Japanese noodles, etc and they can be used with any protein we happed to have in the freezer along with a few bags of frozen vegetables with keep for last minute meal decisions.

It does get tiresome trying to come up with a menu and what to eat each day and week!

My pantry is very well-stocked too, so pasta, noodles, rice, etc. are usually not a problem (and I like them all a lot!). I should probably try more frozen veggies -- right now the only ones I use are broccoli (I actually like frozen better than fresh -- the fresh I've gotten has tended to be bitter) and spinach (although I get fresh spinach a lot too). What kinds of frozen veggies do you think are (almost) as good as fresh?

Originally Posted by Charlie&Rose

I only go grocery shopping once a week. I find it just takes up to much time and energy, going every couple of days.Also, I really hate waiting in checkout lines....self scan is a pain, when you have lots of produce.

Ha! Totally agree with you about grocery shopping. These days I try to go really early (e.g. 7 a.m.) so it's a bit quieter and faster.

Originally Posted by TheShadow

I usually don't plan menus more than a day or two in advance. I have a freezer and we stock it with the basic kinds of proteins that we like (salmon, mahi, pork chops, chicken breasts and thighs, and hamburger) and I buy fresh veggies every few days as needed. I have a lot of pantry staples, and I can pretty much make anything I want, as long as I have the right veggies, and possibly some dairy ingredient we might need. I only live about 3 minutes from the store, so I can run out for any last minute things. I usually don't plan "this meal on that day", I just think "What do I feel like today? And what do I have in the fridge that needs to be used while it's fresh? Then I make something with that.

But alas, the defrosting is the problem. If I decide in the morning that I want something from my freezer for dinner, it won't defrost in time. Otherwise everything you've written makes a lot of sense!

=====

Again, thanks to all of you! And many happy meals to you too!

[twinkletwinkle22]

Originally Posted by karen_in_nh_2012

But alas, the defrosting is the problem. If I decide in the morning that I want something from my freezer for dinner, it won't defrost in time.

I have always defrosted on kitchen countertop and because we pre-pack the frozen portion it is defrosted in coupla hours. NEVER gotten sick doing this.

But if you are worried about defrosting this way please use your microwaves defrost function--takes just a little practice to defrost and not cook but it really works--try it.

[karen_in_nh_2012]

Originally Posted by twinkletwinkle22

I have always defrosted on kitchen countertop and because we pre-pack the frozen portion it is defrosted in coupla hours. NEVER gotten sick doing this.

But if you are worried about defrosting this way please use your microwaves defrost function--takes just a little practice to defrost and not cook but it really works--try it.

Interesting you mentioned the microwave, as I HAVE tried that but can't seem to hit the sweet spot between just defrosting and not starting to cook. I think I will try packing my meats/etc. into smaller packs, then microwave-defrosting for just a couple of minutes, then countertop as long as it's only for a few hours. Hmmm, that could work -- thanks!

[saibot]

Originally Posted by twinkletwinkle22

I have always defrosted on kitchen countertop and because we pre-pack the frozen portion it is defrosted in coupla hours. NEVER gotten sick doing this.

But if you are worried about defrosting this way please use your microwaves defrost function--takes just a little practice to defrost and not cook but it really works--try it.

I always defrost at room temperature (actually, inside the cold oven--with cats around I can't leave meat out in the open!) If it's a big piece, I take it out the night before and put it in the refrigerator in the morning. If it's something small, then out in the morning and in the refrigerator after a few hours or whenever it seems thawed. I've never had a problem with this, either. It does take days to defrost meat in the fridge, and that's too much strenuous planning for me.

[Charlie&Rose]

Originally Posted by saibot

I always defrost at room temperature (actually, inside the cold oven--with cats around I can't leave meat out in the open!) If it's a big piece, I take it out the night before and put it in the refrigerator in the morning. If it's something small, then out in the morning and in the refrigerator after a few hours or whenever it seems thawed. I've never had a problem with this, either. It does take days to defrost meat in the fridge, and that's too much strenuous planning for me.

I usually defrost in cold water.....take no time at all.

[TheShadow]

I also defrost in cold water. All my meats are vacuum sealed in plastic, so i just pop them into the sink with a few inches of water and they defrost in less than an hour.

Sometimes I don't even decide what's for dinner until 4 pm.

[karen_in_nh_2012]

OK, I'm going to feel like a dope if defrosting is really this easy and fast ... Will try the next time I have to get something out of the freezer! (I still have leftover chicken curry from yesterday so that's for today. )