Two questions. Any suggestions?

[zenmommy526]

My OH hates vegetables well all of them other than green beans. So what kinf of recipes could I make without veggies. With plenty of meat. (I'll make some veggies for me on the side)

Also...before baby, OH and I would just get take out every day and night. But now we are a proper family I figured I should start making dinner. I have never budgeted for groceries like I will have to now. So...how do you do it? Do you plan what your going to make every night that week and buy the stuff to make it, plus snacks, breakfast items etc.? This seems like it would rack up quite a grocery bill!!

 

[snowy-willow]

Personally if my OH didn't like veggies I would hide them in meals i.e start off literally blending them up and then slowly make them more lumpy. if then when he can see and can see and identify them you can point out he liked them last time!

Regards meal planning I tend to look in the cupboard and freezer and see what we have and try and work around that and then only buy what we actually need. I find if I don't plan meals then I buy things that we don't end up eating.

I don't tend to plan breakfasts but make sure we have cereal, bread and fruit in so we can take our pick from them.

Due to my bf's work hours we have our main meal in the day most days so thats our planned meal. I also often make extra to freeze so we have homemade ready meals in the freezer.

In the evening my bf tends to have sandwich and crisps more often than not. So its a case of making sure we have the basics in such as cheese, cucumber, tomatoes etc. We do sometime specifically plan something different so we can ensure we have it in. In the evenings I will either also have a sandwich or have leftovers from lunch or take a pick from the homemade ready meals.

When I shop I only buy what we need unless there is a good offer on things that can be kept or frozen such as tins, meat etc, these then get worked into future meal plans.

We do tend to cook mostly from scratch which although isn't as cheap as some ready made stuff, it does taste much better and doesn't have the rubbish in it.

Regards snacks we have fruit, homemade goodies such as cakes, and then anything we can get cheap from the local bargain man (usually stuff around its sell by date or just past) such as biscuits, crisps etc. We also have yogurts in the fridge which double up as a pudding if one is wanted and something specific hasn't been arranged.

I like to keep a check on what we are spending on food and then each month try and beat it! This doesn't always happen but does feel good when I do!

 

[KrisKitten]

i agree with the above in regards to veges - im guilty of 'tricking' my OH into eating tons of things he 'hates' lol.
Also i actually find a lot of men insist on hatng vegetables on principle, but when it comes down to it most like things like peas, sweetcorn and green beans. They're all quite satisfying foods when you forget their label, fresh and sweet. Maybe try making steak/lamp chops and making a sweet smooth veg sauce to go with them? Pass it off as a nice steak sauce and tell him whats in it once hes half way through and has told you how nice it is
As for the weekly shop i tend to buy plenty 'staple' foods like potatoes, pasta, rice and then figure the rest out from there. I wouldnt reccomend planning a meal for every night because you've got to account for leftovers etc as well. We enjoy a kkind of buffet most weeks of attacking all the left over food thats built up in the fridge, plus a few snacks we've bought especially (usually from the reduced bit in the supermarket on the same day, scotch eggs/sausage rolls etc)
Hth xxxx

 

[zenmommy526]

thanks girls. My OH does not eat leftovers! We go to my mom's house every sunday for dinner, and she allways packs a dinner plate full of leftovers to take home with us. I eat these the next day and then my OH ends up making a box of maccaroni and cheese. And eats the whole box as a main meal! I will try tricking my OH into eating veggies. He needs them. He is the most unhealthy eater I know!

When I go to buy groceries I always buy snack foods. Like piergoies, premade waffles that you pop in the toaster, cereal, and cookies. lol. OH and I 'snack' all day long. And unfortunately, unhealthy.

 

[snowy-willow]

don't let him know they are left overs. If you batch cook they are not leftovers!