curiosity never killed the cat!

Kristie · 10-01-2004, 12:00 PM

So, i'm curious and wondering...

How do you eat when DH is gone or when DH is home? do you find it difficult to switch eating structures when he's gone vs home? What do you eat when DH is gone? If you stick to a particular plan, how do you go about making it a routine?

I'm wondering cuz i'm not the cook in our household, for the most part.. and i'd like to figure out a routine where I know i'll eat better when DH is gone cuz i always eat good when DH is home!

av8rwyf · 10-01-2004, 02:25 PM

Two words! Frozen foods! I'm a terrible cook. I think I commented on another post that I dont clean my kitchen. I dust it! Cuz it never gets used!

DH nor I are good cooks but we try. When its just me and the boys I rely alot on the frozen veggies (w/ different sauces, etc.). I dont have time to cook having two little ones so I try to scrounge up something relatively healthy while DH is gone. I tend to eat alot of salads!

When DH is home and can watch the boys, I'll try different dishes...often times they are casseroles which will provide leftovers.

Thats basically it...is that what you meant?

fly-girl · 10-01-2004, 03:21 PM

when DH is gone i like to eat meals that i like but DH doesn't. sometimes i just pick something up because it is so hard to cook for just one person. dh hates panera bread but i love it so i will stop there every now and then when he is gone. i am also highly addicted to coffee much to the dislike of DH so i tend to drink a lot more of it when he is gone. i think it is a comfort food for me. when i do cook it has to be fast if i am hungry or else i will get impatient and not cook it right. i too am a big fan of frozen meals like chicken voila! and digourno pizza. remember, its not delivery. :-D

roz · 10-01-2004, 08:20 PM

OK, you need recipes. What do you like? What don't you eat?

How long will you cook? For example, my salad dressing is normally: smush a garlic clove (you smush it first with the side of your chef's knife to release the oils before you chop it) and chop it up. Add Minute Maid lemon juice (in the freezer section) Kosher salt and Telicherry Pepper (Penzeys.com). Or add Aleppo pepper (Penzeys.com). Add mustard seed (Penzeys.com) and olive oil. If you have fresh herbs, add some too. Whisk and viola! Now, this tastes MUCH better than anything in the bottle. If you are willing to invest 5 minutes, it's done. To my salads I add protein with low fat, like pinolas (pine nuts), Trader Joe's fat free Feta, etc.

So, let's talk! I know what to get for you!

Kristie · 10-01-2004, 11:29 PM

Roz, what time do you get home from work in order to cook dinner?

See, I really do like to cook, it's just that the recipies I try to cook are too time consuming because I like a lot of flavor (stir fry, thai, real italian, real mexican stuff like that).. I make trips to the thai/oriental market & the carniceria to get the real stuff... so in a sense, it's too time consuming when I get home at 7pm. so I end up eating frozen/boxed food or just little things like a potato...

the problem is (for me) is that i don't know how to store things or how long they can be stored.. like the salad dressing your talking about sounds incredibly good, but how do you store it so that you can reuse it over and over till it's gone? or how can i make some authentic italian al forno sauce (I have an italian recipe and it takes forever to make!) and freeze it only to reuse it later (I don't want it getting watered down or getting old)? stuff like that is what i need to learn!

finding recipes and doing them is no problem, it's all about having the ingredients prepared and ready to go once you get home or when the kids (even tho i dont have any) are playing amongst themselves. I think it'd be good for all of us to learn that but i doubt a cooking school/class would really help!

how is it that you and charlie are able to create such goodies on like no time? [img]/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

Bigsweetie · 10-01-2004, 11:36 PM

I definitely eat differently when DH is gone vs. when he is home. I eat alot better when he's home because he cooks for me. When he's gone I eat frozen dinners, McD's, cans of soup, etc. I just don't see the point in cooking a "meal" for myself. I'm also not partial to leftovers.

Things I DO make for myself when he's gone:

Veggies and dip (can't get him to eat vegetables)
Shake n' Bake Chicken (cause I WILL eat leftovers of that)
Anything with Broccoli
Junk food (DH is trying to lose weight and i'm trying to gain it - so I wait til he's gone, buy junk food and have to eat all of it before he gets home :-D )

That's all I can think of - I figure I can keep doing this til we have kids - then i'll have to cook real meals all week long!!

Tanya

jamauk · 10-02-2004, 12:21 AM

I usually don't cook much when DH is gone because DS won't eat anything except Mac N Cheese, Grilled Cheese or Chicken Nuggets. So, needless to say, I'm essentially cooking for one!

I've been trying to eat better since I'm expecting and one thing I found that works really well is this: I find a few marinades that I really like (either homemade or out of a bottle) (I have one really yummy one, I'll post it under recipes) and I put a chicken breast or pork chop in a ziploc bag and pour some marinade over it. Then I stick it in the freezer. I'll get a baggie out when DH leaves, so it'll be thawed for dinner the next day. I either grill it, broil it, bake it in the marinade, anything that strikes your fancy that day....Then I make some rice in the rice cooker or throw a potato in the microwave, steam some veggies. The "hard" part is done already (preparing the chicken, making the marinade, letting it marinade, etc....)

I can eat leftovers, so I also will make extra dinner when DH is home. I won't eat anything if its been in the fridge longer than 3 days and I usually try to limit my freezing to under 6 months (sometimes 3 depending on what it is.)

Also, check out www.epicurious.com If you go to the "enhanced search" section, you can plug in ingredients, time restrictions, preperation methods, etc...and it will give you a list of recipes based on what you entered. I LOVE that site!

Good luck!

Kristie · 10-02-2004, 01:12 AM

[quote:786bfa7c76="jamauk"]I usually don't cook much when DH is gone because DS won't eat anything except Mac N Cheese, Grilled Cheese or Chicken Nuggets. So, needless to say, I'm essentially cooking for one![/quote:786bfa7c76] Jessica, are you constantly trying to change that pattern or making it a point to get him to eat other foods? I know a couple of 7 year olds (twins), that when i met them (at 4), they wouldn't eat anything but pizza and french fries...to this day.. they still won't eat anything but pizza and fries and the parents don't try to change it because they think they'll "grow out of it" [img]/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

not that i'm inching my way in here, but i just wondered cuz i can see how it might affect kids as they gets older by never going out of the norm, not being as outgoing (at least foodwise) and continuing to eat only those things etc.... sorry if i'm busting in my 0.02 cents but I just wondered and don't mean to offend!! [img]/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

I just wish my friends would make their kids either eat something different, open their minds to trying new things whether they like it or not or make it similar to the "eat what's on the table or go hungry" deal like my parents & DH's parents used to do!

btw - epicurious is an awesome site.. that's where i usually get my recipes from.. but i haven't tried the search engine yet, so i'll have to check that out!

and i'm not really a leftover person! haha

Wish i was!

roz · 10-02-2004, 05:00 AM

I get home at 7 PM ish sometimes later since it's 1 1/4 hours to commute. I make that salad dressing fresh each night. I sometimes make extra for lunch the next day if I'm having salad.

You could do things like roast a chicken on Sunday, and have the leftovers for use during the week to put into things.

It doesn't take a lot of time to make whole wheat couscous (a few minutes prep time and 7 minutes to sit). You can quickly marinate shrimp or chicken and stir fry or grill. You can marinate beef overnight in a ziploc bag. If I'm making brown rice I put that on first since it takes 50 minutes.

You can prep your veggies by cutting them up the night before and storing in a zip lock bag in the fridge.

I don't buy any bottled marinades because most have sugar in them. So I make everything fresh for that meal.

As an aside, we have friends who just sent their son off to college. To this day he will only eat hamburgers. The only veggie he will eat is raw broccoli dipped in Marie's creamy Italian dressing. I guess they sent him off with his own case of dressing since I don't know of any college cafeteria that serves Marie's! [img]/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

MQAAord · 10-02-2004, 08:51 AM

When Bill is gone it's whatever I can scavenge from the cupboards without too much effort. Now that Alex is eating 'people' food, I'm actually having to make sure he eats well, so that is becoming a challenge. I'd like to do the freezer-cooking thing, but our freezer is pretty small and can't accomodate all the food I'd want to make.

Maybe someday we'll get a big chest freezer for the basement...... That's what I really want, we had one growing up and it was SO handy. When my grandparents would send a couple head of cattle off, we'd get a full or half side of beef, and it would keep forever in that freezer!

10-01-2004, 12:00 PM	#1 (permalink)
Kristie Admin/Owner Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Scottsdale, Arizona Posts: 6,630 Recipes: Thanks: 7 Thanked 17 Times in 17 Posts	curiosity never killed the cat! So, i'm curious and wondering... How do you eat when DH is gone or when DH is home? do you find it difficult to switch eating structures when he's gone vs home? What do you eat when DH is gone? If you stick to a particular plan, how do you go about making it a routine? I'm wondering cuz i'm not the cook in our household, for the most part.. and i'd like to figure out a routine where I know i'll eat better when DH is gone cuz i always eat good when DH is home!

10-01-2004, 02:25 PM	#2 (permalink)
av8rwyf Jetgirls Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: CLT Posts: 284 Recipes: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: curiosity never killed the cat! Two words! Frozen foods! I'm a terrible cook. I think I commented on another post that I dont clean my kitchen. I dust it! Cuz it never gets used! DH nor I are good cooks but we try. When its just me and the boys I rely alot on the frozen veggies (w/ different sauces, etc.). I dont have time to cook having two little ones so I try to scrounge up something relatively healthy while DH is gone. I tend to eat alot of salads! When DH is home and can watch the boys, I'll try different dishes...often times they are casseroles which will provide leftovers. Thats basically it...is that what you meant?

10-01-2004, 03:21 PM	#3 (permalink)
fly-girl Jetgirls Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: CVG Posts: 126 Recipes: Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: curiosity never killed the cat! when DH is gone i like to eat meals that i like but DH doesn't. sometimes i just pick something up because it is so hard to cook for just one person. dh hates panera bread but i love it so i will stop there every now and then when he is gone. i am also highly addicted to coffee much to the dislike of DH so i tend to drink a lot more of it when he is gone. i think it is a comfort food for me. when i do cook it has to be fast if i am hungry or else i will get impatient and not cook it right. i too am a big fan of frozen meals like chicken voila! and digourno pizza. remember, its not delivery. :-D

10-01-2004, 08:20 PM	#4 (permalink)
roz Jetgirls Ol' School Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Philly Posts: 2,252 Recipes: Thanks: 0 Thanked 6 Times in 6 Posts	Re: curiosity never killed the cat! OK, you need recipes. What do you like? What don't you eat? How long will you cook? For example, my salad dressing is normally: smush a garlic clove (you smush it first with the side of your chef's knife to release the oils before you chop it) and chop it up. Add Minute Maid lemon juice (in the freezer section) Kosher salt and Telicherry Pepper (Penzeys.com). Or add Aleppo pepper (Penzeys.com). Add mustard seed (Penzeys.com) and olive oil. If you have fresh herbs, add some too. Whisk and viola! Now, this tastes MUCH better than anything in the bottle. If you are willing to invest 5 minutes, it's done. To my salads I add protein with low fat, like pinolas (pine nuts), Trader Joe's fat free Feta, etc. So, let's talk! I know what to get for you!

10-01-2004, 11:29 PM	#5 (permalink)
Kristie Admin/Owner Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Scottsdale, Arizona Posts: 6,630 Recipes: Thanks: 7 Thanked 17 Times in 17 Posts	Re: curiosity never killed the cat! Roz, what time do you get home from work in order to cook dinner? See, I really do like to cook, it's just that the recipies I try to cook are too time consuming because I like a lot of flavor (stir fry, thai, real italian, real mexican stuff like that).. I make trips to the thai/oriental market & the carniceria to get the real stuff... so in a sense, it's too time consuming when I get home at 7pm. so I end up eating frozen/boxed food or just little things like a potato... the problem is (for me) is that i don't know how to store things or how long they can be stored.. like the salad dressing your talking about sounds incredibly good, but how do you store it so that you can reuse it over and over till it's gone? or how can i make some authentic italian al forno sauce (I have an italian recipe and it takes forever to make!) and freeze it only to reuse it later (I don't want it getting watered down or getting old)? stuff like that is what i need to learn! finding recipes and doing them is no problem, it's all about having the ingredients prepared and ready to go once you get home or when the kids (even tho i dont have any) are playing amongst themselves. I think it'd be good for all of us to learn that but i doubt a cooking school/class would really help! how is it that you and charlie are able to create such goodies on like no time? [img]/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

10-01-2004, 11:36 PM	#6 (permalink)
Bigsweetie Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Clinton Township, Michigan Posts: 1,561 Recipes: Thanks: 8 Thanked 6 Times in 6 Posts	Re: curiosity never killed the cat! I definitely eat differently when DH is gone vs. when he is home. I eat alot better when he's home because he cooks for me. When he's gone I eat frozen dinners, McD's, cans of soup, etc. I just don't see the point in cooking a "meal" for myself. I'm also not partial to leftovers. Things I DO make for myself when he's gone: Veggies and dip (can't get him to eat vegetables) Shake n' Bake Chicken (cause I WILL eat leftovers of that) Anything with Broccoli Junk food (DH is trying to lose weight and i'm trying to gain it - so I wait til he's gone, buy junk food and have to eat all of it before he gets home :-D ) That's all I can think of - I figure I can keep doing this til we have kids - then i'll have to cook real meals all week long!! Tanya

10-02-2004, 12:21 AM	#7 (permalink)
jamauk Jetgirls Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Poulsbo, WA Posts: 257 Recipes: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: curiosity never killed the cat! I usually don't cook much when DH is gone because DS won't eat anything except Mac N Cheese, Grilled Cheese or Chicken Nuggets. So, needless to say, I'm essentially cooking for one! I've been trying to eat better since I'm expecting and one thing I found that works really well is this: I find a few marinades that I really like (either homemade or out of a bottle) (I have one really yummy one, I'll post it under recipes) and I put a chicken breast or pork chop in a ziploc bag and pour some marinade over it. Then I stick it in the freezer. I'll get a baggie out when DH leaves, so it'll be thawed for dinner the next day. I either grill it, broil it, bake it in the marinade, anything that strikes your fancy that day....Then I make some rice in the rice cooker or throw a potato in the microwave, steam some veggies. The "hard" part is done already (preparing the chicken, making the marinade, letting it marinade, etc....) I can eat leftovers, so I also will make extra dinner when DH is home. I won't eat anything if its been in the fridge longer than 3 days and I usually try to limit my freezing to under 6 months (sometimes 3 depending on what it is.) Also, check out www.epicurious.com If you go to the "enhanced search" section, you can plug in ingredients, time restrictions, preperation methods, etc...and it will give you a list of recipes based on what you entered. I LOVE that site! Good luck!

10-02-2004, 01:12 AM	#8 (permalink)
Kristie Admin/Owner Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Scottsdale, Arizona Posts: 6,630 Recipes: Thanks: 7 Thanked 17 Times in 17 Posts	Re: curiosity never killed the cat! [quote:786bfa7c76="jamauk"]I usually don't cook much when DH is gone because DS won't eat anything except Mac N Cheese, Grilled Cheese or Chicken Nuggets. So, needless to say, I'm essentially cooking for one![/quote:786bfa7c76] Jessica, are you constantly trying to change that pattern or making it a point to get him to eat other foods? I know a couple of 7 year olds (twins), that when i met them (at 4), they wouldn't eat anything but pizza and french fries...to this day.. they still won't eat anything but pizza and fries and the parents don't try to change it because they think they'll "grow out of it" [img]/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] not that i'm inching my way in here, but i just wondered cuz i can see how it might affect kids as they gets older by never going out of the norm, not being as outgoing (at least foodwise) and continuing to eat only those things etc.... sorry if i'm busting in my 0.02 cents but I just wondered and don't mean to offend!! [img]/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img] I just wish my friends would make their kids either eat something different, open their minds to trying new things whether they like it or not or make it similar to the "eat what's on the table or go hungry" deal like my parents & DH's parents used to do! btw - epicurious is an awesome site.. that's where i usually get my recipes from.. but i haven't tried the search engine yet, so i'll have to check that out! and i'm not really a leftover person! haha Wish i was!

10-02-2004, 05:00 AM	#9 (permalink)
roz Jetgirls Ol' School Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Philly Posts: 2,252 Recipes: Thanks: 0 Thanked 6 Times in 6 Posts	Re: curiosity never killed the cat! I get home at 7 PM ish sometimes later since it's 1 1/4 hours to commute. I make that salad dressing fresh each night. I sometimes make extra for lunch the next day if I'm having salad. You could do things like roast a chicken on Sunday, and have the leftovers for use during the week to put into things. It doesn't take a lot of time to make whole wheat couscous (a few minutes prep time and 7 minutes to sit). You can quickly marinate shrimp or chicken and stir fry or grill. You can marinate beef overnight in a ziploc bag. If I'm making brown rice I put that on first since it takes 50 minutes. You can prep your veggies by cutting them up the night before and storing in a zip lock bag in the fridge. I don't buy any bottled marinades because most have sugar in them. So I make everything fresh for that meal. As an aside, we have friends who just sent their son off to college. To this day he will only eat hamburgers. The only veggie he will eat is raw broccoli dipped in Marie's creamy Italian dressing. I guess they sent him off with his own case of dressing since I don't know of any college cafeteria that serves Marie's! [img]/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

10-02-2004, 08:51 AM	#10 (permalink)
MQAAord Jetgirls Ol' School Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: A Happy Place Posts: 668 Recipes: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: curiosity never killed the cat! When Bill is gone it's whatever I can scavenge from the cupboards without too much effort. Now that Alex is eating 'people' food, I'm actually having to make sure he eats well, so that is becoming a challenge. I'd like to do the freezer-cooking thing, but our freezer is pretty small and can't accomodate all the food I'd want to make. Maybe someday we'll get a big chest freezer for the basement...... That's what I really want, we had one growing up and it was SO handy. When my grandparents would send a couple head of cattle off, we'd get a full or half side of beef, and it would keep forever in that freezer!

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