Why don't you make vegetarian main dishes and just grill or broil some meat for him -- best of both worlds. For example, I have a hearty chickpea and potato stew recipe that can stand on its own or pair nicely with grilled chicken breast; lentil stew would pair nicely with a broiled pork chop. You get the idea...

I tried Blue Apron years ago; that didn't last long. The food was always fresh, but I found it quite expensive for the amount you get. I am volume eater -- I'll limit to 3-4 oz of meat at a time but go hog-wild on the vegetables and lean seafoods and lean sides; there simply was not enough serving-wise to satisfy me, especially for what it costs, I often had supplement with other veggies and such from my own fridge.

I feel for you! First thing I'd do is make a long list of mutual benefit icky chores that the man takes resposibility for and does well. That would work for me to offset resentment. Phew!

I do know some of what you're asking, but others can tell it so much better than I, who haven't cooked that way in decades. Look for ”meal prepper recipes” and mason jar recipes”. The basic idea is to do as much research as necessary to have a big binder (or app) full of recipes for all seasons which can be prepped and stored ahead. Some can wait all in a jar. Some have a fridge jar and a shelf jar. Others require that the ingredients remain separated until you start cooking. Those do better in zipper bags (silicone if you don't like washing plastic.

So then—the way I know, and you've probably heard of before— you list the kind of meals you want for the week, and go shopping, picking the exact recipes when you get backm according to the fresh foods (vegetables) you brought home. Clean, cut and portion them as you unpack them. This is harder to do with proteins, but well sealed and stored separately, it can be done as well. Write on the container the date, what it is and what it's going into. (You can save writing by color coding if your mind works that way. Try to group or bag the items for a meal together. This takes probably an hour to prep once you're organized. The prep includes measuing out pasta or grain, spices and other pantry items, as well as fresh. Some people have a maximum of five days prep ahead because the food doesn't keep nicely in their fridges for longer. Often, they prep Sunday, afternoon/evening, and do weekends ad hoc. Others do seven days, and include breakfasts and sack lunches. Most all do some pantry only kits, for jars to throw together a casserole with what someone (John?) called refrigerator velcro, or can turn into a meal with a can of this and a frozen vegetable.

Once fully implemented, this kind of prep can save a lot of prep time, think time, cook time and bother. Done halfway, it's just more botger and noise. One advantage is you can make a lot of them just add protein, and split it, half (2/3?) for meat, the rest for vegetarian. Good luck!

Mkx3 I had heard that complaint about Blue Apron. I once got a months subscription as a wedding gift for a co-worker. They were both older working adults with a combined household so they didn't need a lot of things for setting up a home together like a younger couple. So I thought it would be fun for them because I know they enjoyed cooking and eating out. My co-worker said that the meals were only enough for one of them, lol! Plus I guess a lot of stuff he didn't like, maybe he was more of a meat and potatoes guy! Anyway, that's why I chose Dinnerly, I read some reviews and no one complained about the servings. We've had good luck with that part so far, plenty for two plus occasionally left overs. I have supplemented a bit with some of my own veggies but that's because I too am a big veggie lover. Like yesterday the meal featured roasted barbecued brussel sprouts and mushrooms, and I added carrots and onion. No biggie, but that's one reason they keep the costs down.

I don't enjoy grilling meat. In fact, I don't like to do it. The reason for the meal kit subscription was me trying to think of some things that would bring more happiness and joy into my life. I know it is hard for many on the "Cooking Forum" to wrap their heads around, but I don't enjoy cooking. I enjoy eating good food, so I cook. Of course I cook constantly to save money and have good food, along with all the other chores I do that I don't enjoy. But it is one of the least enjoyed by me, although sitting down to a good meal is one of my most enjoyed. It's a dichotomy, I know.

Of course I am a grownup and do my chores every day. Yes, hubs does things he doesn't enjoy as a chore. The point was me taking care of me for a change, because I spend most of my life taking care of others. My goal is to get good meals with less input from me. Hubs does cook a meal occasionally but he really isn't good at vegetarian meal planning so we're back to square one, him also having to do something he doesn't enjoy. I get that all of life is not a picnic, but we spend the vast majority of time doing things neither of us enjoys. Just want to balance the scales a bit if I can.

The question was, does anyone have any good resources for creating your own vegetarian meal kits in advance? I'm almost thinking I should blog about it, because a quick perusal of Amazon bookstore didn't turn up much. I have a cookbook that is based on weekly meal plans, not vegetarian but I can adapt it maybe. I like weekly meal plans put together by other people's brains because then I don't have to use mine for that purpose. I am taking a graduate certification course, believe me, my brain gets a good workout in other areas!

The Eating Well and Cooking Light web sites used to have weekly meal plans, but they were so elaborate, not really the kind of meals people would make in a practical way. Each dinner was a production in and of itself, not a lot of coordinating between meals either, like make something for dinner and then use leftovers for lunch, like apple with your lunch and then waldorf salad for dinner next day, and baked apple oatmeal later in the week for breakfast, etc.

You've probably googled for yourself, but I found this. Might it be helpful?

Vegetarian Meal Plans

I tried googling "Make your own vegetarian meal kits" and "Do it yourself vegetarian meal kits" and all I got was page after page of ads for paid services and reviews. That one Oly found is not too bad. Good ideas there but a little confusing in the organization because I got constant pop up ads.

You might looked at itdoesnttastelikechicken.com

she is vegan, but it would be easy enough to un-vegan her recipes. I recently noticed that she is offering meal plans. I haven't looked closely, but I like her recipes. She has a 7-day plan that's free, I think. Would be a starting point.

Those sound good, and like it woukd be easy to add a portion of meat. I don't know what toloerance you have for pre-made. I know you don't have a lot of shopping optoons. But a friend uses precooked and cut up frozen chicken from Trader Joe's, frozen cooked burgers, fully cooked sausages, and the like, for easy splats of meat. If you can't buy, or they're over-priced, consider finding a teen who like playing with fire to grill portioned meat for you that you can seal and freeze.

I'm sorry I don't have time today to do searches, but there were some CF threads about this. Some weren't vegetarian, but pretty easy to adapt. A few quickies which I haven't read through:

https://www.acterra.org/meatless-alphabet?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1ozm4PzggwMVRBetBh2uxg11EAAYAyAAEgIJB_D_BwE

https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/make-ahead-vegetarian-meals/

https://www.foodnetwork.ca/article/make-ahead-vegetarian-dinners/

https://www.reddit.com/r/MealPrepSunday/comments/17lnf29/beginner_meal_prepper_looking_for_vegetarian_meal/

https://www.budgetbytes.com/category/extra-bytes/budget-friendly-meal-prep/vegetarian-meal-prep/

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/vegetarian/slideshow/easy-vegetarian-dinner-recipes

https://ohmyveggies.com/20-make-ahead-meatless-dinners/

A couple are the kind of pre-preped I was talking about, I think. The others were more cook ahead than kits, but many at a quick glance looked adaptable.

How about batch cooking? Fill your freezer with veggie meals, and if you can sous vide cook meat in single portions and freeze for your husband, then you won't have to cook very often..... just re-heat a veggie meal for you both with added meat for himself.

I don’t really have much advice. One person household here. But I certainly sympathize. I like meat but could happily eat it only once or twice a month. And for some reason I find it unappealing to handle raw or cooked.

My somewhat related 2024 goal is to be aware of what protein I am eating. How much? Not necessarily per meal - but over the day and week. And to have it not be primarily dairy. I was doing very well with having plant based proteins (legumes/tofu/peanut butter/eggs etc) around and ready to use in a variety of ways. During the holidays I was busy and I backslid.

I also struggle with meal planning. Sometimes I prepare something and happily have it for 3-5 meals. Other times not so much.

After some thought I think I like to prepare things I can put together in a variety of ways. Not complete dishes. The meal may still take a little time but if all of the components are cooked I can quickly make dinner.

Agmss, I feel the same way about protein. Trying to cut down on dairy, but dang it, it just comes in so many yummy forms! When I was younger, I weighed 115 and ate dairy and sweets no more than once a day. Cooked a lot, shopped at the co-op that I either walked or rode my bike to. All that while working full time and going to school full time at night. And my kitchen was tiny in an apartment on campus. It was my first time with my own kitchen and I was not burned out like I am now. Also, I didn't have a house and yard like I do now, which is presently where my attention and mind are focused.

I lost 25 lbs last year but I have gained 20 back. I just wanted to stop constantly having to think about meals and meal plan every single day! I was sick to death of it. I just wanted to eat, without having to think about it. I was also sick of fighting off hunger pangs, and I was not on a highly restrictive diet nor did I have an unrealistic weight goal at 135 lbs. Right now I just want to keep my weight at about 145 so I don't have to buy a whole new wardrobe.

It's a pretty tried and true vegetarian diet technique to cook a bunch of whole grains or beans ahead of time and freeze. I just don't do it so have to make sure to set aside a time to do that. I used to do it more often. Add to that clean veggies ahead of time, and right now in winter, roast up some ahead of time. Much more energy efficient to do a whole batch than a little at a time every day.

Caveat: Prepping veggies ahead does have an impact on the nutrients. The great thing about doing it is vegetables prepped and consumed later are far more nutritious than vegetables neglected or avoided and not eaten at all. :)

Thinking more on the meal delivery service, the big problem is the sales point for profit is really only achievable and sustainable at a price where they have to have a certain amount of market saturation, especially for fresh, and a fairly accurate foreknowledge of the ingredients inventory, which means lack of customization. Not so far from where I live is a lively trade in having a private chef bring the ingredients for custom meals to your house and make a week's worth of meals ready to reheat or whatever in catering containers. Great for people who work crazy hours and are tired of the time and less-than-healthy options of eating out. There are also delivery services who bring the meals in cooler bags daily, before dawn, and leave them at the door. Great for people with special diets who can't deal with making the separate meals. Both cost big time.

The reasonably priced versions start out with choices and custom options, and end up as this is what you get, perhaps with an option to skip. They basically end up being restaurants with delivery rather than dining rooms.

Quite a few years ago i used a fresh daily one for a few weeks when I was injured. They were trying to be sort of custom. They accommodated all my ridiculous allergies, and one could chose which meals to buy which day so long as a minimum was met for the week. The food was good and well prepared, fresh, with plenty of produce. It worked well on the basis that I could still make a sandwich or quickie pasta or order in, especially for those meals where I didn't like or couldn't eat the options. When I had another injury a few years later, and went to their website, they had removed the options and the ability to choose meals to get vs. skip. In other words, they were trying to make a profit rather than their dream service. At that point, Instacart had started at Whole Foods, and I was able to cobble together enough between their prepared foods and salad bar, to make it through. Back then, the Instacart person would call on the phone and discuss details with you. They still will e-chat, and you probably can do a call over details.

None of the above is good for a tight food budget. The truth, as I learned in college where the meal plan was mandatory, it's not the cost of the food at issue. It's the labor. And since LPink is looking to shift labor without adding much cost, I think all the time reduction strategies are the only way to do it. The meal plans, prep ahead, make ahead, big batch/freezer, etc. I've been wracking my brain trying to think of another way to do it, but it comes down to the price of labor, which means doing the work or get another, more fun than cooking, job, or labor swap with someone, to pay someone else to it.

The only thing I can add, is I try to keep plenty of low prep produce around. Things that can be grabbed raw out of the fridge, needing little more than a rinse. Because I don't always want to be prepping for hours either! But if I'm eating with Mr. Picky, unless it's a special occasion, I'm not cooking his not-what-I'm-cooking!

I would find it drudgery to cook everyday, but I'm big on batch cooking. I have about five soups that I usually make about 3 gallons at a time and store in the freezer. I make brown rice in a giant pot and store that packaged out in the freezer. Almost everything is in the freezer! I make a steak with peppers and onions and sauce and package that up for the freezer. I do not eat a wide variety of food but I eat very healthy food. On a given day. It's usually a bowl of starch, vegetable, then meat. Lots of various healthy garnishes like pumpkin seeds, Pomegranates, almonds, red onions that kind of thing. It's not for everybody but the batch cooking is very very helpful to me. I cook for my dog too. And make a huge rubbermaid container full of pork loin, sweet potatoes, carrots and package All that up.

Most of my vegetables are fresh. Mostly kale salad, broccoli, tomatoes, asparagus. . Those I don't mind cooking fresh..

I'm also happy to see you here. Pink!

I bought a few more freezer containers. I've been trying to clear out my garage freezer for months so I can defrost and clean it. I'm pretty much done but now it is sub zero outside!! I love making soups, that is on thing I will be able to happily batch cook.

The meal order prices aren't really that expensive for just the two of us. Being mostly vegan and trying to eat local and in-season, I'm quite a frugal eater. That's a big part of the problem, I get sick of the same old stuff because I don't buy the expensive out-of-season produce. The meal service snuck them in. I also don't eat a lot of the fake meats. The meal delivery service offers a lot of options like that . . . For me that's a treat. Maybe I'll do the meal delivery service once a month . . . As is, the one week's delivery has lasted me two weeks due to me supplementing with some of my own leftover stuff from the weekend.

Thinking you might make big batches of chili and freeze it in portions for your husband, then it might not be so much work.

I make meals that can feed the 2 of us for a few days. I like to make things that are good reheated, or don't need to be.

Today I roasted a chicken, a big pan of beets and sweet potatoes, and made a green salad and I'll eat that all together as a chef's salad. The other day, I made black bean soup, cornbread with cheese and onions, and a pot of rice.

I agree about just cooking a piece of meat to add to a veggie meal. Does your husband like sausages? It's easy to add cooked sausage on top of something like bean soup, or veggie pasta. I like to make sheet pan meals with lots of cut up veggies and sausages.

I strive to make enough food so I don't have to cook again for a day or 2. Things we like reheated are lasagna and other pasta bakes, soups, stews, pasta and rice dishes. We both eat meat.

I'm the cook in our household too. I think I'd hate cooking dinner every day. My sister does, and they don't like leftovers - I'm the opposite 😀

I know this has been going on for a while but is there any reason he doesn't make his own meals?

My daughter and her wife were pretty much take out people. I gave them a Hello Fresh subscription which they didn't use for a year. Then they got pregnant with twins, and they were all about eating better! The HF dinners are fairly simple and usually take about 1/2 hour. They include everything, including spices. I've had several of their recipes, which were delicious, and have them save the recipes for me (which are included with the meal package) They are now cooking on their own, using several of the HF recipes! Expensive to start with, but can get people a little more confidant about cooking! (and, they have some great recipes!)