Hellobee Boards Topic: Help: after a year + at home everyone is sick of my cooking and our eating has gone down the drain

Hellobee Boards Topic: Help: after a year + at home everyone is sick of my cooking and our eating has gone down the drain https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 19 Apr 2026 17:18:27 +0000 ALV91711 on "Help: after a year + at home everyone is sick of my cooking and our eating has gone down the drain" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-after-a-year-at-home-everyone-is-sick-of-my-cooking-and-our-eating-has-gone-down-the-drain#post-2923826 Sat, 22 May 2021 09:39:36 +0000 ALV91711 2923826@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Dinner is already tough never mind all the added challenges you have. I’m so tired of planning and cooking this week I got a meal box. It was quick & easy and everyone enjoyed something different. I’m going to do them 1-2x per month as the budget allows as I find them pricey. My youngest DS is almost 3. I find when he gets home from daycare he always asks for a snack. So I’ve just recently switched from either saying no and giving in to giving him something of a small meal. Either leftovers or something easy, then I don’t have to worry if he doesn’t eat dinner. I also find he just eats in small quantities. The rule at our house is you have to come to the table(I also have an 8 year old) and you have to try dinner. If they only eat a few bites and declare themselves full their dinner stays available until bedtime. If they are hungry they have to eat that first. If they eat a good amount and then are full they can clear their plates. Family dinners can be worried about later. They get the social eating aspect at daycare. I’d say we only all eat together half of the week depending on work schedules etc. Hang in there, meal time is tough. Mama Bird on "Help: after a year + at home everyone is sick of my cooking and our eating has gone down the drain" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-after-a-year-at-home-everyone-is-sick-of-my-cooking-and-our-eating-has-gone-down-the-drain#post-2923719 Mon, 10 May 2021 22:32:34 +0000 Mama Bird 2923719@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I feel for you! We're in the same boat, minus food allergies and pregnancy. I'm over the food I cook - no wonder everyone else is, too! And I've given up trying to get anyone to come to the dinner table. There's no second dinner if you don't bother to come to the first, I just assume they're not hungry and let it go. Not making it into a battle of wills, no thank you. periwinklebee on "Help: after a year + at home everyone is sick of my cooking and our eating has gone down the drain" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-after-a-year-at-home-everyone-is-sick-of-my-cooking-and-our-eating-has-gone-down-the-drain#post-2923705 Mon, 10 May 2021 09:40:04 +0000 periwinklebee 2923705@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @catgirl: @snarkybiochemist: Thank you so much :heart: I agree that dinner can just be rough for so many reasons, grumpy kids, tired parents, work schedules, will try to remind myself this and cut us some slack... @JennyPenny: The bowl idea is brilliant! JennyPenny on "Help: after a year + at home everyone is sick of my cooking and our eating has gone down the drain" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-after-a-year-at-home-everyone-is-sick-of-my-cooking-and-our-eating-has-gone-down-the-drain#post-2923686 Fri, 07 May 2021 16:07:38 +0000 JennyPenny 2923686@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I totally agree with the others. Picky eating is not worth a battle (and battles often make it worse) and you should cut yourself all kinds of slack because of pregnancy, pandemic, allergies - so many challenges. One thing we do that works well with my picky eater is bowls. Kind of like the deconstructed thing @catgirl mentioned. We'll do various themes which usually just involve a grain, a protein, some veggies and a sauce that go together but don't have to. For example: Greek: quinoa, pork, tomato, cucumber, feta, hummus Mexican: brown rice, beef, black beans, corn, salsa, cheddar Italian: cous cous, chicken, tomato, zucchini, mozz balls, pesto Asian: white rice, shrimp, edamame, carrots, avocado, soy sauce DH and I usually pile it all together as a bowl and the kids eat the items they like, usually separately. Bonus is I usually buy the grains frozen so they take 3 min in the microwave and so the prep is usually just cooking the protein and chopping veggies snarkybiochemist on "Help: after a year + at home everyone is sick of my cooking and our eating has gone down the drain" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-after-a-year-at-home-everyone-is-sick-of-my-cooking-and-our-eating-has-gone-down-the-drain#post-2923684 Fri, 07 May 2021 12:20:48 +0000 snarkybiochemist 2923684@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @periwinklebee: E's pediatrician also said that part of the family meal thing is the social aspect of sitting and talking and being together even if everyone is eating different things or some people aren't eating at all. We have had rough times with work schedules and illness and just life and I tried to take it to heart that hanging out with E and talking while she ate meatballs for the 3rd night in a week. Sometimes it was just me, some times it was just DH and sometimes we could both sit. It comes and goes for us the ability to do true family eating together meals. @catgirl: we do easily deconstructed meals or a wide variety of taco type meals a lot too. Kid hates cheese this week, fine weird but fine, don't add, no to tortillas yay to on top of salad you do you. catgirl on "Help: after a year + at home everyone is sick of my cooking and our eating has gone down the drain" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-after-a-year-at-home-everyone-is-sick-of-my-cooking-and-our-eating-has-gone-down-the-drain#post-2923682 Fri, 07 May 2021 11:12:06 +0000 catgirl 2923682@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Something to keep in mind - family meal time doesn’t have to mean dinner. On the days that DH is home we try to make a big deal about a fun family breakfast or lunch - breakfast foods always feel easier to please everyone with. And my DD isn’t a tired grump like she can be at dinner time. Or for family dinner serve a variety of things all on the table. You can all mix and match the individual items you want to eat and you can make sure there are safe foods for your LO but you’re all eating together. I often look for recipes that can be served deconstructed- I might put things on top of salad greens, DH might put his on top of a potato, rice, or pasta, and DD can eat hers however she likes. All that said - it’s totally okay for food to be the thing you let go of. As long as everyone is being offered food - you’re set! If you want to go back to family meals later, you can! If you don’t, well, you’ll figure out what works for your family. :heart: periwinklebee on "Help: after a year + at home everyone is sick of my cooking and our eating has gone down the drain" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-after-a-year-at-home-everyone-is-sick-of-my-cooking-and-our-eating-has-gone-down-the-drain#post-2923676 Fri, 07 May 2021 10:46:45 +0000 periwinklebee 2923676@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @MoonMoon: @josina: @krispi: @Lahela017: @LemonJack: @bhbee: Thank you all so much - you all are making me feel way better about my picky three year old. I struggle so much with which battles to fight. I'm ready to give up on the family meals for the time, I think everyone will be happier. We did it in part to be completely safe (LO has a history of anaphylaxis) and in part because the ped tells us every single visit about the importance of family meals for building good eating habits. But with over a dozen allergies, it's just too restrictive, and what's the point if my allergic LO won't eat it, my other kid throws it on the floor one year old style, my husband isn't into it, and I'm in the bathroom puking, ugh... These are all awesome suggestions that I'm taking into account with my grocery list - thank you so much! josina on "Help: after a year + at home everyone is sick of my cooking and our eating has gone down the drain" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-after-a-year-at-home-everyone-is-sick-of-my-cooking-and-our-eating-has-gone-down-the-drain#post-2923675 Fri, 07 May 2021 08:51:34 +0000 josina 2923675@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I've gotten bad at making meals lately because DH is on and off dieting and the kids prefer spaghettios or mac and cheese usually. Other than those two things everything is homemade, I am fructose intolerant and fructose is in practically everything so it gets hard! We keep deli turkey and ham in the fridge as well as lettuce/salad mix for easy salads. My new fav salad is mixed greens with craisins, strawberries, blueberries, feta cheese and a raspberry dressing with grilled chicken. I cook it on the stove top in sesame oil with salt, pepper, and parmesean, so good! I like to make a bunch of taco meat and keep that in the fridge for easy nachos or tacos. Same with cooking up a bunch of plain chicken in the crockpot for enchiladas or quesadillas, wraps, whatever! Look up some one-pot skillet meals on pinterest. I do a yummy chicken enchilada one, a mexican skillet with beef, salsa, black beans and corn, and a sausage spinach pasta. All are sooo good and easy! I'm sure I can find the recipes if you want them. krispi on "Help: after a year + at home everyone is sick of my cooking and our eating has gone down the drain" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-after-a-year-at-home-everyone-is-sick-of-my-cooking-and-our-eating-has-gone-down-the-drain#post-2923674 Fri, 07 May 2021 07:55:34 +0000 krispi 2923674@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We had gotten into a serious rut with our cooking, so we've been doing Hello Fresh for the last several weeks. They do have recipes that cater to different diets, so you may want to browse their meals and see if that might work for you. My 5 year old isn't too picky, but she gets really excited about making the Hello Fresh recipes, and helping with dinner leads to her being more adventurous with her eating than she would normally be. Our first week, I was surprised at how much prep time was involved in the cooking. For example, peeling and chopping potatoes and carrots - I typically save time and buy the ones already chopped up! Since then, I've focused on picking meals that are family friendly and have super fast prep times. We've been pleasantly surprised at how much we've enjoyed it and have learned some new tricks in cooking that we'll continue to do in the future. And even if Hello Fresh doesn't accommodate all your dietary needs, there may be a different service out there that does? Lahela017 on "Help: after a year + at home everyone is sick of my cooking and our eating has gone down the drain" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-after-a-year-at-home-everyone-is-sick-of-my-cooking-and-our-eating-has-gone-down-the-drain#post-2923672 Fri, 07 May 2021 07:24:48 +0000 Lahela017 2923672@https://boards.hellobee.com/ That sounds really hard. Honestly, I feel like your husband should step up and do some cooking.... I would try to have healthier snack options at home, fruit, veggies, crackers with cheese or hummus, etc. We eat that kind of thing for lunch and and snacks. For dinner, I'd make the kiddo with allergies something sperate maybe and stick to easier stuff for the rest of the family. Pasta with store bought sauce, pancakes and eggs, tacos, dinner salads, burgers, stuff like that. I hate meal planning too. Even if you can't get your husband to cook at all, at least have make him participate in meal planning. Maybe that would help too. As for the toddler, I think that's totally normal. Hard as it is, try not to stress about it. It will pass. LemonJack on "Help: after a year + at home everyone is sick of my cooking and our eating has gone down the drain" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-after-a-year-at-home-everyone-is-sick-of-my-cooking-and-our-eating-has-gone-down-the-drain#post-2923670 Fri, 07 May 2021 06:48:51 +0000 LemonJack 2923670@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I’m sorry! I’m in a food rut too, but being pregnant makes it so much harder. Two things that come to mind are shredded chicken and hard boiled eggs since they’re both so versatile. We make the chicken in the slow cooker. And go easy on yourself with your three year old. I think that’s a pretty common phase. bhbee on "Help: after a year + at home everyone is sick of my cooking and our eating has gone down the drain" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-after-a-year-at-home-everyone-is-sick-of-my-cooking-and-our-eating-has-gone-down-the-drain#post-2923666 Thu, 06 May 2021 17:52:56 +0000 bhbee 2923666@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Cooking while nauseous is the worst. Anything to survive! I agree, let it go for the 3 year old. Tons of fruit is great. My 6 year old lives on pbj, fruit and cheese still (I know those aren’t options for you) and at 3 he almost never ate dinner. He would always just wait for breakfast! It’s hard with snacks at daycare but I say just feed him whatever nutrition you can without huge effort and let it go. If he eats fruit and bread for dinner every night (or whatever works) he’ll be totally fine. Do you have to avoid allergens for everyone or just 3 year old? Maybe it’s worth making two things. I try to do a lot of meals where I can deconstruct based on what various kids will eat. Budget bytes (blog) has a lot of meal prep ideas that you could batch, I think they’re tagged in a section. I always batch cook chicken with various rubs and then freeze it - then thaw in small portions and often use cold - salad, hummus wraps, or heat in quesadillas with beans. Maybe even go out of the usual definition of dinner - overnight oats that can be eaten warm or cold are super easy to batch and pretty filling. I don’t know if they meet your allergen needs but Stonefire mini naan are the best for keeping in the freezer and making wraps and pizzas and things like that. Hugs! Third pregnancy is just hard :heart: MoonMoon on "Help: after a year + at home everyone is sick of my cooking and our eating has gone down the drain" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-after-a-year-at-home-everyone-is-sick-of-my-cooking-and-our-eating-has-gone-down-the-drain#post-2923664 Thu, 06 May 2021 16:56:51 +0000 MoonMoon 2923664@https://boards.hellobee.com/ That sounds like such a lot on your plate (excuse the pun) and especially since you're pregnant! I'm sorry. I know cooking is one of the first things that goes out the window for us when things are hectic. I'm vegetarian and my husband is not, so he always has some deli meat and cheese, a store-bought rotisserie chicken, and/or some ready things from Trader Joe's (like pulled pork etc) for when he wants to make his own quick thing. I don't know if these would appeal to your husband. How about eggs? He could make quick fried eggs for sandwiches? What are the allergen foods you need to avoid? Maybe some of us have recipes to share. Would a meal kit like Hello Fresh be within budget/appealing? I know a lot of them let you narrow down based on diet. As for your toddler, it sounds normal to me and as hard as it sounds I'd let it go. Keep offering him a variety at every meal but let him pick what he'll eat. He'll come around eventually! I think little ones are finding their own coping mechanisms to all the pandemic craziness, just like we are. Fruit is good! Let him fill up on fruit for the short term! Maybe get some pouches if he's willing to try, that combine veggies or protein with fruit. Hugs! You'll get through this. I don't blame you for not feeling inspired in the kitchen right now. periwinklebee on "Help: after a year + at home everyone is sick of my cooking and our eating has gone down the drain" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/help-after-a-year-at-home-everyone-is-sick-of-my-cooking-and-our-eating-has-gone-down-the-drain#post-2923663 Thu, 06 May 2021 15:38:39 +0000 periwinklebee 2923663@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Right now the meal situation at our house is not good, and I feel a ton of guilt that my family is not eating healthy. However, I'm not really sure sustainable ways to fix it and hoping for some tips. There are a few challenges. One of my kids has a lot of food allergies (to over a dozen common foods), so all his food has to be cooked from scratch. For most of the pandemic, I've just been doing cooking for the week on weekends, making large batches of stuff that's easy and everyone can eat. However, I think my DH doesn't care much for what I cook/gets tired of it given we eat all meals at home, so he eats a bunch of snacks and has gained a fair amount of weight. Honestly I am super sick of my cooking too, especially given all the limits placed if we want meals that adhere to everyone's allergy restrictions. But anyways, I am concerned about his health. Second challenge is my 3 yo has become insanely picky. It takes a ridiculous amount of effort to get him to eat anything of nutritional value (beyond fruit) and when I send healthy stuff in his lunch, he doesn't eat it and just fills up on school provided snacks. Do I chalk this up as a toddler phase that will pass before too much damage is done, or take a hard line (if you don't eat it for dinner, you get it for breakfast, etc...)? Things really went south when I got pregnant recently. Cooking nauseates me and I have bad MS/can barely eat, my DH doesn't cook. I have been relying more on takeout for DH and I, which is super unhealthy. I think what I need is some ideas for finding things that are easy, healthy, and diverse. What are healthy things I can put in the fridge that my husband can easily use to make his own food? Beyond giant pots of soup, what are healthy things that can be made in large quantity and easily reheated? Thanks :heart: