Wednesday, December 8, 2010

daily dinner dilemma

There’s a simple question that my husband and I ask ourselves every day and yet we almost always have trouble answering. The simple question of ‘what’s for dinner?’ seems to stump us on a very regular basis, getting more “I don’t know” answers than a 4 year-old being questioned by his parents. Once 4 o’clock rolls around, we seem to have the same discussion every day, trying to figure out what it is we feel like eating, and shaking our heads at ourselves that, yet again, we have forgotten to take anything out for dinner. It should be simple, considering we have to eat dinner every day, but having to decide the night before or the morning of what we might feel like eating that night seems to be harder than it sounds.
Along with many other things, planning ahead what I want for dinner is a habit I should have inherited from my mother. Her reminders to take chicken out of the freezer before leaving home for the day is not something I seem to remember to do in my own adult life. A simple task that I probably thought she was weird for doing is now something that I wish I could remember to do. I’m hoping that it’s one of those things that come with being a mom so that when I have children, they won’t come home from school to find me staring aimlessly into the fridge hoping the food will tell me what to do. There are certain responsibilities that come with growing up and while some I’ve mastered, there are others that I’m still working on. For example, I may have inherited the need for clean countertops and a spotless bathroom but I still have trouble seeing the dust that my mom always seemed to spot. I know when she would ask “am I the only one that sees the dust in the house?”, the answer “yes, Mom” was not what she was looking for! And so with that in mind, I figure there’s still hope for my husband and I. One day, we will wake up, get ready for work and remember to defrost the steaks. We will wake up the next day knowing we want a stirfry and we’ll have already bought everything we need. And hopefully the day after that, it will become a habit and our daily dilemma won’t be so hard to solve. Until then, trips to the grocery store will probably continue to be a part of our daily routine. (Umm, honey?…what’s for dinner?...)

Do you plan your meals ahead of time? What ‘grown up’ things are you still working on?

20 comments:

Diana Mieczan said...

Like you, we are working on it...Balazs is the one who mostly cooks so he will ask me about 5 times what am I in a mood that day and what do we have at home to eat..hahaha...Maybe one day:)
But also I like the element of surprice...haha..Its just fun!
Kisses

Ps: I am hosting a stunning leather clutch GIVEAWAY today, just in time for Holiday Parties!

Chiara said...

I LOVE cooking! I usually go get most of my groceries once a week, but I make a list before going... and I use a cookbook to get inspiration for different meals I can prepare, and buy all the ingredients needed.
I hope that helps.
xoxo

Ren- Lady Of The Arts said...

I don't plan ahead that much- and I usually let the food speak to me- I think it is easier once you have kids for the simple reason that you have more food in the house to be creative with!

Anonymous said...

we really do have the same problem! For a little bit, every other Sat or Sunday, I would make a meal plan for the next two weeks. I always thought that this was sooo cheesy! but It really did help me out through out the weeks. Grocery shopping was even easier because I knew what I would need. And i hung up the list on the fridge so that i could see it every night. I still stink at pulling out what we'll need though. good luck!

a little black cloud in a dress said...

I plan my meals for the week, and then I never follow the list.. so I'm not sure which is worse, not planning at all.. or wasting my time! haha.

stephiejane said...

we do the same thing, and with stephen's schedule the meals we get to eat together are few and far between...however, when it comes to laying stuff out, he is the one who always remembers to do so...now it took a while to get into the swing of it, so don't despair, it will come soon enough.

Kaylia Payne said...

Not at all, like you I hope it comes with getting older! Often I'll just have an omelet or toast for dinner because I forgot to actually buy any food for dinner. Maybe that should be our new years resolution? :)

Jude said...

It sounds terrible coming from someone who loves eating, but I hardly ever plan! My S.O. and I have jobs that sometimes include 14 hour workdays and is very bursty, so even best-laid plans go awry :) We usually buy enough on weekends to see us through the week, but some days, the cooking plans just go into the gutter because of work and we nuke frozen pizza or get takeout/delivery because we're both too dead exhausted by day's end to cook a meal!

A Crimson Kiss said...

I admit, I am a planner. Sometimes planning for dinner is tricky (you want to make sure you and the honey are both happy), but if you have a repertoire of favorite dishes, it's easier!

jenn from midlife modern said...

Right? I start asking myself this question everyday right after lunch. I too try to make a list at the beginning of the week, but rarely stick with it. I usually just end up throwing whatever veggies I have on hand over quinoa or rice. Works well for me!

Allison said...

I'm terrible too - I always think about stuff I want to eat then realize I didn't defrost it. And then I'm too lazy to go buy stuff, so I end up making eggs.

Connie @ SogniESorrisi said...

I try but some days I just forget...I'm also terrible about forgetting to defrost which can be frusterating.

My struggle is trying to come up with somewhat healthy meals that are relatively quick and easy. I find that all too often I fall back on a handful of dishes I know I can make well and fast.

Jenni Austria Germany said...

oh, just being a grown-up in general is something i am working on... :)

k said...

I go through phases...haha...sometimes i can be good at it and sometimes i just give up :)

Krysten @ Why Girls Are Weird said...

Yeah I totally don't plan ahead. Half the time we have to run to the grocery store to pick something up for dinner that evening.

I'm HOPING it'll be different when we have kids. Maybe...

Unknown said...

Man, we totally have the exact same problem. I swear, we waste so much money on groceries. If only we would just plan ahead, our problems would be solved! We never even think about it until we're both hungry, which usually leaves us with eating pasta or frozen food of some sort :(

Baglady said...

We plan our meals at the weekend and have it scheduled out for the week. I had never done this before I met my husband but I love knowing it's all sorted and we don't have to have that "what shall we eat tonight" question. Besides if we did I BET we'd end up in a restaurant EVERY NIGHT.

abigail said...

this summer for about 3 weeks I planned our meals ahead of time and it was wonderful. Easier to shop, easier to cook etc. But we didn't keep it up, and I still regret it.

Tiffany Kadani said...

I am the worst at planning meals! I seriously have such a weird schedule that it never gets done. That potato looks amazing!

Unknown said...

yum, i totally want that baked potato now :)

Nicole
http://nicolefranzen.blogspot.com/