Whats for dinner? Who cooks what?

carolynhart01

OK, so I started a thread about noticing others carts at the grocery store and it brought up a whole new question I am curoius about. But first, this is what I am working with.

My hubby and I are both on this journey together, by choice
I do all the grocery shopping. Hubby and I set a menu and a list for the week before I go.
There are some kids odds and ends in there like lunch fixings for my 7 year old. Chicken nuggets for the twins for "weird grown up food night"
Hubby cooks breakfast, I cook dinner

Aside from occasional menu switchups because I know the two year olds won't eat sauteed cabbage my question is two part. 1.) do you have different lists for different members of your household? 2.) do you make multiple meals (on a regular basis) to feed your household if picky eaters, vegans, gluton free, dieters, non dieters? If so, why? Medical reason, allergies?

Now I know I am in a lucky boat that hubby wants to diet with me and my kids have no allergies or medical reasons to eat differantly but has the old addage of you eat what was cooked for dinner gone out the window? I like to think we are all on a healthier path together in my house and part of that is the same meal. I have heard some people say well hubs is picky or son is picky but I though I was the Mom. So ok son you don't like brussel sprouts, that doesn't mean we have mac and cheese, that means we have (other veggie) with dinner. I want to educate my kids on these choices so they don't end up where I was/am.

majope

Weekdays, we all have different breakfasts, and get our own. I often cook something like French toast on weekends for all of us, or pick up a coffee cake or similar.

Most nights, I cook dinner. Sometimes I plan ahead, sometimes I don't even pick up the grocery items I need for the meal until just before I start cooking. My teenage son doesn't care for all the veggies my husband and I eat, so I keep a bag of baby carrots on hand or let him sub in some fruit if we are eating something he doesn't like. When the kid was younger, there were a lot of things he didn't like, so we used to keep something handy to feed him when our food was too weird--chicken nuggets, mac n' cheese, Kid Cuisine dinners. He's come around considerably with age, except for the occasional vegetable.

We snack a bit differently, but usually overlap with one of the other household members. Like, my husband and son eat most of the ice cream between them, my son and I split packs of TastyKakes several times a week, my husband and I like nuts.

It all works out somehow.

ThatSoundsHard

I shop and the husband does the majority of the cooking.

I wouldn't say I have different "lists" but I make an effort to buy something for everyone. Luckily everyone likes pretty much all the same foods. I guess I do have "kid items" that I buy, nuggets, kraft dinner, lunch meats, granola bars and hot dogs, right off the top od my head. Because kids love those things (so does my husband)

As far as cooking different meals goes, we kind of do that. If we're having steak and my kids don't want it then we'll toss a couple of chicken legs or hot dogs on the bbq too. It happens regularly that my daughter only wants to eat the pasta we've cooked to go with dinner, or I'll cut up some apples instead potatoes or something.

From time to time, I will make an entirely different meal for the kids, mostly only if we're having a stew or chilli or curry, something they really won't eat at all. Mostly the only reason we would make something different is my 5 year old can be picky and I'd much rather let her eat buttered noodles for dinner than fight with her.

So I guess the short answer is: Sometimes, because kids are friggin picky. But we're more likely to prepare a little something extra that we know they will eat rather than something completely different.

I do a lot of trying to explain to my kids that hot dogs are not as good for you as chicken, LOL. Telling my 5 year old that it's junk food seems to be working out alright. We talk a lot about hos junk food doesn't have as much nutrition as healthy food and how much she needs thos vitamins for energy, thinking, growing and playing.

It's also worth noting that sometimes I will make a completely different meal for myself, or if we order in I will go get something else for myself due to dietary issues that the rest of my family doesn't have.

TimeForMe99

Like you, I believe children should be exposed to good healthy food. We've never made different meals and we still don't. We cook the same foods as always but I watch portions and occasionally omit the starchy side if it doesn't fit. We all cook, depending on who's home and when. Currently I'm working from home so I cook most days with DD and DH splitting the rest.

My daughter is grown but even when she was a toddler we served her the same foods we ate for the most part. Only when we had highly spiced or "weird grownup" food did we give her something different, which was usually leftover meat and veg. When she got older we had her try everything and she would say "I'm not ready for this, maybe next time" which left the door open. Now as a college student she has friends who will only eat chicken nuggets and mac-and-cheese, which I find very sad. I've seen parents reminding their children that they don't like certain foods, or steering them toward the nuggets and junk at restaurants; now these kids have grown and are still eating that way.