How do you plan your main meal of the day?

hearlady said:
I keep food stocked and buy fresh every few days. Our meals depend on what's on hand, leftover, or needs to be used up.
Today I'll make something to go with 2 small servings of leftover stew. Big salad or sandwich or small salad and sandwich.
DH just brought in a load of tomatoes so they will definitely be a big component.
I have some small four tortillas that need using........thinking.
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@hearlady I love quesadillas! Tortilla, one side covered with cheese, fold it in half and cook it like you would a grilled cheese sandwich till the cheese melts. Personally I like mine super xrispy and well browned.

Sometimes I’ll add some chicken, or ham, or tomatoes. Once it’s cooked I serve it smeared with sour cream and sprinkled with chopped green onions.
 

I shop in 3 different stores, each one has something I really like. But what and when I eat for dinner is mostly random, decided the day before or that morning. I always buy the same foods, rarely try new, and I cook as little as possible now. Bc I cooked so much my whole life, for family and guests.
 
Muskrat said:
Depends upon where I am in the left-over cycle. I cook “real meals” usually about four times a week…then have several “just pick thru it” days. I HATE to throw away food. Frozen dabs of little bits usually end up as “stir fry”. Easy and good.
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Me too!

My compatible odds and ends go into a soup bucket in the freezer, when it gets full I make a sort of minestrone with whatever else I can find in the refrigerator.
 
Ronni said:
@hearlady I love quesadillas! Tortilla, one side covered with cheese, fold it in half and cook it like you would a grilled cheese sandwich till the cheese melts. Personally I like mine super xrispy and well browned.

Sometimes I’ll add some chicken, or ham, or tomatoes. Once it’s cooked I serve it smeared with sour cream and sprinkled with chopped green onions.
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I ended up with veggie soft tacos. Tomato, American cheese (needed to use up), onion, avocado, a little garlic, a little fresh jalepeno. The American cheese was good! And, the leftover venison and sausage stew.
 
My main meal is lunch. I'm not hungry at night so a sandwich or any snack will do.

No, I don't have rotating meals or make plans way ahead of time, or shop to buy ingredients for a particular meal, so I always keep bags of all kinds of frozen vegetables in the freezer, and some fresh vegetables like Zucchini, and potatoes in the crisper.

There are different kinds of pre-cooked and uncooked meats in the freezer (mostly chicken or fish). When I start the day, I usually make a spontaneous choice from what I have and start something in the crock pot, or 2 crock pots. Even frozen chicken is ready in 4-6 hours. I never fry anything, or use long recipes to bake some special oven dish. What I do sounds dull, but it's all healthy, and I only have to please myself.

If I fail to make a decision, I always have cans of chili in the pantry, or other such convenience foods I can fix quick. Things like that aren't too healthy, but I don't have those very often.

I eat out almost every Sunday afternoon with friends, which gives me enough of a change to keep from getting too bored with my own cooking. If they can't go on Sunday, I usually pick up something at a fast food place and bring it home.
 
I love reading recipes and love grocery shopping, so the menu changes on a regular basis. I’d happily go to a grocery store or two every day. Since transportation is limited now, my grocery shopping addiction is stifled. I’m going to make a plan to do a couple of major shopping trips and take a taxi home. Life changes.

This afternoon I’ll be prepping some vegetables into jars so cooking is easier when our company is here.
 
jujube said:
Well, one of us says, "Whadda you want for dinner?" and the other one says, "I dunno, whadda  you want for dinner?" and the first one says, "You decide." and the other one says, "No,  you decide!" and it continues until someone goes out for Chinese takeout.

That's a relationship: Two people asking each other what they want for dinner until one of them dies.....
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Even though hubby makes out menus and grocery lists i shop and do the prep. Then often the "do you really want XYZ today" game begins anyway.
 
Meals are random no real planning other than reviewing what protein we have in the freezer. Even then no protein meals are in the mix.

Then there is this. Tomorrow Albertson's has 1/2 pork loins on sale for 99 cents a lb. They average 5 to 7 lbs. No way for us to eat that amount in one meal. So what can be done?

100 Best Pork Loin Recipes ideas

Pinterest
Pinterest › juanitasolley › pork-loin-re...
100 different ways to cook a pork loin from www.pinterest.com

Finding recipes to alter how something is made beats same old way.
 

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