My husbands epic list of all the foods he will eat

SarahCW1979

I try to put other things in and he wont' eat it.. i use a different type or brand of sauce and he wont eat it.. foods cannot touch so throwing chicken and potatoes into a crock pot is out.

My main issue is that its soooooo expensive to buy the groceries for me and the two kids, then separate groceries for him : (

there is litterally one way that he will eat each meal, it gets super tiring having a weekly list that looks exactly the same....every week... for the rest of my life...

Please dont take offence but is he autistic/Aspergers? My son is exactly the same, foods cant touch, he wont try new stuff unless Ive put it in front of him so many times he forgets its 'new' and he is very picky about what he eats and how its arranged on his plate.
I know its a far cry from your situation but I do understand how tiring it is, frustrating even. You may find that he is what and who he is and nothing will change him but you can try. Just do it slowly.

Meggles63

Sorry, I don't see what the problem is...that list could be rotated over the course of a month, and you don't have to repeat it very often. What are you trying to feed him - tofu???

hazelovesfood

Pizza
Lasagna
Spaghetti
Fettuccini

Tacos (all types)
Taquitos
Enchaladas (the kind you make)

Hamburgers
Sloppy Joes

Steak
Shrimp

Chicken (BBQ, fried, any other way you can think of)
Orange Chicken
Chicken Strips
Turkey (BBQ)

Roast (beef, made into sandwiches or taquitos)

Potatoes (preferred mashed, but also baked and fried)
Corn
Salad (with ranch dressing and croutons)


Seriously this took him 3 or 4 days to come up with and the worst part is its true! I have been cooking for him for 8 years and I can't think of anything he left out! : ( I need help .... ugh

your problem, that essentially most of the foods o this list arnt going to help him lose weight, or you if you eat the same. I have a hubby abit like that, but mine wouldnt eat half the stuff on your list. Mine will only eat certain vegetables, wont eat chicken ,unless its in a curry, wont eat salad, cheese, eggs, yogurts. But ive got him to eat some new things now, its took forever mind, but he was told he was type 2 last years, and ive got him off the crap and on more good stuff. You need to make things at home, use healthy breads etc, say you want to make something ice for him, buy lowfat etc, swap all the things you possibly can.

chubbygirl253

I'm not picky about veggies. I like most of them except sauerkraut and beets. Not wild about turnips, parsnips, or brussel sprouts but I'll eat them.
Meats I am very picky about. Only boneless and extra lean cuts for me. Zero seafood.
I'm picky about weird sauces and condiments though.

I'm lucky because I'm not picky enough that there is no variety. And my fiance isn't picky at all. There are some veggies he thinks he doesnt like but hes willing to try anything and if I make it flavorful, hes happy. He doesnt like cooked cauliflower because he says it smells terrible and makes the whole house stink. I may make it sometime and put it in a cheese sauce just to see if he likes it that way. His mom is a terrible cook. Especially with vegetables. She cooks every vegetable till it is mush. All green veg like broccoli is boiled till its brown. No wonder my hunny didn't like vegetables much!

55tolose

Very simple meal plan:

1) Salad night. Grill some meat and have a variety of toppings. Your DH can eat his with ranch and you can switch yours up depending on your mood. Salad, even with full fat ranch dressing can be a healthy meal if the toppings are portion controlled. Go for a lot of protein on yours and a smaller amount of dressing.

2) Mexican night. Switch up the fillings and toppings and you could have tacos every week without repeating the same meal in months. We make buffalo chicken tacos with chicken breast chunks sauteed in hot sauce and then topped with lettuce and I like pineapple, salsa and BBQ sauce, DH likes salsa and ranch. We sometimes do shredded beef tacos and do them flatbread style. We ALWAYS have the stuff in the house for plain old tacos. They can be pretty healthy and fit well in to an eating plan. You could even put your toppings over salad to save the calories if need be. Or, do enchiladas.

3) Poultry night. Grill chicken or turkey, add a potato side and whatever other veggies you feel like having. Or, make your orange chicken and sautee some veggies for yourself and DH can have some rice or whatever he wants with it. Roasted broccoli is GREAT tossed with orange or general tso's sauce. It's the only way I'll eat the stuff.

I have read your post over and over and I love it! This is such a refreshing menu! You have helped me so much thank you... ps hubby hates all breakfast foods except pancakes but will not eat breakfast for dinner
4) Italian (Pizza night or pasta) night. Homemade pizza - you control the toppings. Noodles, lean meat, sauce. Change up the pasta or pizza choices for variety. Add a side salad or veggies to round out the meal.

5) Loaded baked potatoes. Variety here - change up the toppings to suit tastes. DH has his with just low fat sour cream, a little bacon and a little cheese. Last time we did it, I had all that stuff and added grilled chicken and salsa and jalapenos. It was like a big plate of nachos, but more filling and lower calories and the potato is a great source of nutrients.

6) Beef night. Make burgers or sloppy joes or roast, etc. Each week, choose a different "beef" item for variety. Again, add sides and veggies to suit everyone's tastes.

7) Free night for whatever sounds good. Sometimes you could do breakfast for dinner. I don't know many people who don't like breakfast foods and there are tons of cheap, healthy choices out there.

I also always make sure we have 1 pound packages of ground beef that's been cooked up and portioned out in the freezer. It's really fast to throw that in some spaghetti sauce or add some taco seasoning or even sloppy joe sauce and the taste doesn't suffer. I won't do this with chicken, though, just ground beef.

If you follow a simple plan like this, then you can get tons of variety with minimal extra cooking time and everyone can be happy. DH and I menu plan a month at a time now, and we often will first start with what's sounding good to us, then we'll go through and say, okay, we're only having mexican/italian once, what else can we make along those lines?

To be honest, I've read that most people have a limited number of "go to" foods and meals and repeat those in some fashion over and over. Sit down with his list and expand on it. List all the different types of tacos he will eat. List all the ways you can use bbq chicken or turkey. List the different types of enchiladas and different choices you can make (for yourself and him) with different pastas/sauces. You will probably find that you have a good list to start with and you really don't have to eat the same boring things over and over. Even if he is still resistant, keep some grilled chicken always available and/or the ground beef in the freezer and he can make his own choices.

Edited to fix quotes and also ETA: I think some of the posters are being kind of harsh here. WE all make decisions when we enter relationships and roles are decided. We don't know what roles the OP and her spouse settled on, but it's apparent that it's her role to cook. She seems fine with this but just seems a little lost right now. We all get frustrated sometimes and can't see a simple solution when it's in front of us. My DH and I have different roles than that, we both share cooking responsibilities and we also share our money. Guess what? There are foods/snacks that I love that he has no interest in. We buy those. There are things he loves that I have no interest in. We buy those. We compromise when it comes to meal times spent as a family because we are both interested in raising our children to like a variety of healthy foods, but there are still limits. He would be very upset if all I ever cooked were soups and stews because he doesn't care for them. I would be upset if all he ever cooked was seafood. We compromise. Sometimes I make a soup or stew that I think sounds good and he usually eats it; sometimes he eats whatever else is around. Sometimes he makes seafood and I eat it; sometimes I fend for myself. MOST of the time, though, we both make an effort to plan and cook main dishes that are at least mainly enjoyed by everyone. Side dishes are usually easy so we have no problem fixing 2 or 3 sides so that everyone has enough food to satisfy them and everyone is happy.