Some cheap meal ideas for fussy / awkward bloke?

Frugalista

Don't start all that nonsense with him!

When I married my OH almost 32 years ago he said his mother cut the rind off his bacon, took the bones out of his chicken portions, cooked him another meal if he didn't like what she'd already prepared, etc, etc :eek::eek:. When I stopped crying with laughter :rotfl::rotfl: I told him I was his wife, not his mother and, as a big, grown-up, hairy-ar$$ed married man, he'd better learn how to do all that himself pretty damned quick :cool:. So he did - eventually!

If your boyfriend wants to keep his "fussy" habits let him do the budgeting, shopping and cooking - otherwise he eats what he's given. Obviously, I'm not saying present him with stuff he absolutely hates - but he has to meet you halfway - or he does it for himself. Simples .

ubamother

I think frugalista's right about 'meeting halfway'. While you are not responsible for causing or getting rid of whatever strange eating quirks he has (and lots of grown sensible adults will scoff at one person's quirks while having different ones of their own!) the 'my way or the highway' approach isn't always the easiest or best in these circumstances.

What about he cooks half the week's evening meals, you cook the other half. If work commitments preclude that split, he chooses one half of the evening meals (or at least their base ingredients) and you choose the other half. if he wants a cheese sandwich instead fair enough - if he wants a different meal that costs more this doesn't come out of the food budget.

EstherH

I once was told of an older couple who when they married, the husband was very fussy. First cooked meal the wife made, the husband said 'I can't eat that'. She said fine, got up, threw it in the bin and sat down and ate hers. He sat there, and eventually asked what he was going to have. She said nothing. You're teas in the bin, it's that or nothing.
He has eaten everything from that day on.

Ofcourse, in those days the wife was the housekeeper and cook and I don't suppose he could have got up and made an alternative for himself but it certainly cured him.

pickledonionspaceraider

Lasagne made with sausages. I did this once when i had no mice and its really delish. Just use chopped sausages x

pickledonionspaceraider

Mice??!!! HAHAHA woops, mince..

pickledonionspaceraider

Sausage casserole

sparklewing

I can empathise as my hubby is ridiculously fussy (he basically eats meat, fish, eggs, chips and bread- no vegetables, no sauces, no pasta the list goes on). This is further complicated by me being vegetarian so what little he does eat I don't. Over the years we've been together he has tried new things but they make him sick he does now eat rice, baked potatoes and apples though :rotfl:

When I used to cook for him I'd get really frustrated firstly thinking of things to make and then watching him gagging when trying to eat it (he always tried never just said no). So now I cook for me and he cooks for him. He writes me a list of what food he wants bought from the shops each week and that's as far as my involvement with his dinner goes.

I tend to batch cook big veggie currys/chillis/stews for myself so when he makes his dinner (usually sausages or bacon) he'll throw one of my baggies from the freezer in the microwave to heat up at the same time. We still eat together every night just not the same thing.

Might not be any use for you but thought it might be useful for the future when you're sick of it :rotfl:

babyshoes

I agree with everyone who says to make him cook, at least some of the time. Also, perhaps make an agreement that you will both at least try to eat something the other person has cooked which you wouldn't normally eat, at least once a week/fortnight/month. If he doesn't like something, then make sure there is always bread/cheese/fruit, but not junk food to fill up with!

You might also involve him in cooking something with a new ingredient that neither of you are familiar with - you can both research recipes on the net and choose one you both like the look of. Whoopsies are a good way of trying new ingredients without spending lots of money if it isn't eaten. Even if you never eat this particular food again, it will show him that there are lots of different ways of preparing foods, and that maybe it isn't that he doesn't like chops, for example, but rather he doesn't like the way his mother cooks chops. If you can get to this point, you will be able to get him to try almost anything if you cook it in a different way!

maman

While I understand where all the 'militants' are coming from, letting him do his own thing could prove very expensive for the household budget. Obviously if money's no object than letting him buy/cook his own is an option. I think you need a long talk about how you're going to manage this. It is possible to think of loads of dishes that fit around his tastes. Perhaps that's what OP wanted rather than relationship advice:rotfl:

boultdj

What about stir fry's?as you said about keeping cost's down,I use 1 chicken breast/pork steak[chop]/beef steak when I do them for me and OH also I find stew's a cheap way of making a little meat go a long way