Beth

Jun 15 · Posted

Sunday evenings I'm standing in the kitchen thinking right, there are four of us, my husband will eat anything, my daughter is doing some version of low carb, my son is 22 and basically a labrador, and I'm trying to get more protein in without it turning into a separate meal for every person. I've started doing three nights planned, three nights winging it, one night everyone fends for themselves. The planned nights I'm leaning into things like a big tray of chicken thighs with whatever veg is cheap that week, or a lentil and sausage thing that stretches further than it has any right to. Both do fine for protein and don't cost a fortune which matters because everything costs a fortune now. What I've noticed, and I want to mention this at my next GP appointment because I can't tell what's what, is that my weight has been slowly creeping up since about 2021 even though I genuinely don't eat more than I used to. If anything I eat less. I've been trying to write down roughly when it started and whether anything else changed at the same time, just so I have something concrete to say rather than 'I don't know, a few years maybe?' Anyway. Does the three nights planned thing work for anyone else or does it fall apart by Tuesday? x

Jun 13 · Posted

Right, bit of a rant but also a genuine question because I'm going round in circles. I've got my husband, my son (21, home from uni), and my mum round most evenings and feeding all of them while also trying to eat enough protein feels like a full time job. They want pasta, pie, something cheap and filling. I want to not feel like a deflated balloon by 8pm. I've been trying to plan three nights ahead rather than staring at the fridge at half five in a panic. Chicken thighs have become my best friend because they're cheap and you can do something different with them every time. Last week: tray bake Monday, slow cooker Tuesday, wraps with leftovers Wednesday. Everyone ate it, nobody moaned, I felt vaguely smug. The thing I'm trying to figure out before my next GP appointment is the weight bit. I've put on about half a stone over two years without changing much and I want to be able to explain that clearly rather than just saying "I don't know, it just crept on". So I've been writing it down. When it started, what I was eating roughly, whether sleep changed around the same time. Feels like building a case, which is a bit grim but there we are. Anyway. If anyone has budget dinner ideas that actually have some protein in them and don't taste like diet food I would genuinely love to hear them x