+1 with empathy.
Similar situation here, with food intolerances and other issues. At the end of the day, I’m just tired. It would be so easy if there was just one meal that could be eaten by all, and at the same time.
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For us, that’s burrito bowls. And maybe the SK garlic-lime steak noodle salad, which is also a choose-your-own-toppings dish. Or maybe lasagna (my family actually prefers the gf lasagna noodles).
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Depending on family tastes, bibimbap could also work? It does for my sister’s family when I am feeding them. So does a taco salad bar. And baked potato bar. But every family is different!!
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How to cook when you don’t feel like cooking https://www.npr.org/2025/01/18/nx-s1-5226105/hate-cooking-3-mindsets-to-make-it-less-of-a-chore
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Ernie - Thsnksfor
Ernie - Thanks for the gift link.
After more than 30 years, I still do.
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Some days I knownwhat ai want and look forward to preparing it.
Other days I end up scrolling through the delivery services.
Still other days I end up with a bowl of cereal.
It’s compounded further now that Im down to 1 or 2 to feed.
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I need to batch cook some sausage rolls or “saucijzenbroodjes” and freeze them. There are nights I just don’t feel like cooking, so I grab a couple of those & put them in the convection oven. Make up some “Rice-a-Roni” or “Knorr Rice Sides”, in the microwave and do the same to a can of peas.
Probably not the healthiest of meals – but it puts dinner on the table with minimal effort.
As a suggestion, on nights I don’t have to feed Sunshine – I’ll open a can of tomato soup and mix it with milk vs. water. The milk makes it more of a meal. Moreover, there is only one (microwave safe) bowl & a spoon to clean up.
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I try to always have something on hand that I can toss together with minimal effort but sometimes even that’s too much.
Ive been keeping stir fry kits (Taylor Farms and Fresh Express both have one) on hand. Theyre in rhe produce department next to the bagged salads, and they have a good variety of chopped veggies. They come with a sauce packet…one of those bags, a handful of leftover protein (or a scrambled egg) and dinner is on the table in 10-25 minutes and I feel at least halfway like Ive made a good choice.
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For me, it’s like washing the apple first before cutting it…because cutting it gets what’s on the outside into the inside. As Desert-Dan says about dirty potatoes…
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Revisiting this thread made me think of the main thing I do to get off the treadmill without thinking about it anymore. I refrigerate our leftovers in Pyrex or ceramic baking dishes. ETA: Most of my stuff is vintage and/or I checked for suitability before doing this. Also I remove the dishes from the fridge for a bit before reheating to avoid a dish shattering from thermal shock.
That allows me the option of reheating a dinner in the oven a day or two later with practically zero effort. Minimal cleanup on the second round, too.
Think: rice and beans, roasted vegetables, baked pasta (or pasta that I will turn into baked pasta), any meat entree (either to be served with salad or a leftover veg side refrigerated in a separate baking dish), quiche, frittata.
What makes this possible is that I have collected a bunch of Pyrex and ceramic dishes in different sizes over the years. Most of the Pyrex pieces have glass lids that eliminate the need for foil or wrap. Most of the stuff I have was channeled to me via family members who didn’t/don’t cook. Some of it probably even predates my adulthood.
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We “splurged” on a bunch of glass containers for leftovers a while ago. I’ve yet to put them directly in the oven or MW, mostly bc I worry them shattering from the rapid temperature change (?). I haven’t really checked whether they are safe for either, but being glass I suppose they should be?
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Check into what you have. Most of my Pyrex is vintage and/or I checked before use. Newer stuff isn’t as sturdy, I’m told. Maybe someone else who’s been using newer stuff on the regular can advise?
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These aren’t Pyrex (or pyrex, there’s a difference in material), just Sam’s Club glass containers.
I had a pyrex (Pyrex?) mishap once when I took a lovely gratin of sorts out of the oven, set it down on the stovetop, and the entire casserole shattered into a million pieces.
Good times!
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Yikes! I have been incident-free, lo these many years, but there’s always a first time for everything. 
Well, let’s hope not! 
This was a huge mess — tiny shards and food all over the kitchen floor, counter, and stove.
Plus we had no dinner 
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Thanks for mentioning that thermal shock can have shattering consequences, @linguafood. I added caveats to my original post above.
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Apropos: Corelle Bowl EXPLODED
I think it was mentioned that the Pyrex brand was bought up, and is now made with lesser materials.
But I didn’t scroll through the entire thread, so maybe it was somewhere else (?).
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don’t remember how old i was, but my parents were out and i wanted to make brownies. i knew you had to melt the chocolate over water, so i put some water in the big yellow pyrex mixing bowl and set in on the burner.
well, you can imagine… when my mother got back and saw what happened, she explained the difference between pyrex and corning ware.
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For anyone’s who’s interested in durable, vintage PYREX:
Look for PYREX (all caps) on the container, and not Pyrex (both upper and lower case).
When the Pyrex people converted from borosilicate glass (can withstand high heat) to something else more prone to exploding in the oven, they also changed the branding/logo.
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