A reader recently asked,”When it comes to meal variety, I'm curious about how often do you repeat meals?”
Be sure to read all of the great comments below! Here's my answer…
My friend, Anne Sergeant, explained in this post, Eating Healthy Shouldn’t Cost an Arm & a Leg, that she serves a roasted chicken once a week. Every week. Then she makes stock from the bones and later in the week she uses the leftover chicken with the stock to make soup. (See recipes below.) When I tried that, our teen was the first to complain of course (“chicken again?!”), but once a week got to be a little much even for us after a few weeks. The nice thing about it, though, was having one night a week when I didn't have to think about what we were having for dinner, and then finding a way to use up the leftovers was easy, too, so that took care of another dinner that week.
How often do you repeat meals?
Does your family complain if they see the same things appearing on the table very often?
Maybe you're like us these days and you sort of go ‘streaks' where you're making the same things for a while, and then you break out a few different or maybe even some new recipes for a while.
I'm curious how often do YOU repeat meals in your kitchen?
The Recipes:
How to bake a whole chicken (comments have info on cooking it in the crock pot!), and then see the post on how to use those bones to make homemade stock/broth.
Here are a few different things you can do with the leftovers:
- Homemade chicken noodle soup
- Chicken Ala King
- Stovetop chicken & rice
- Fettuccine Alfredo
- Chicken Stir-Fried Rice
- Low-carb white chicken chili & another similar recipe, but with only 4 ingredients
- Complete recipe index
Marta Cruz says
I wouldn’t mind that at all. You can always switch up sides and leftover chicken can be easily used in so many recipes. I would do it but rarely have few hours to bake the whole chicken. In crockpot it doesn’t roast well.
Leah Ayers says
I don’t anymore. Certain foods “Increase” in histamine levels as they age & sit in fridge etc. Bad news if you have one ore more DAO gene mutations = DAO enzyme deficiency. I also take DAO enzymes now. Learn more at The The Low Histamine Chef by Yasmina Ykelenstam
Jill Edstrom says
Most things are once a month. Tacos, chili (colder months), burgers (warmer months) and grain free pizza are about once every 3 weeks.
Sandi Caughron says
I love to cook and love variety, so I rarely repeat anything more than twice a month.
Lynn Szwalkiewicz says
I’m cooking for one, so cook 2 dinners a week and alternate leftovers. But it may be months before I work in that particular recipe again.
Jennifer Nelson DeMarcos says
I do this exact thing.
Robin Kelman says
We eat seasonally, so something might be weekly then not for months.
Connie Doty says
I do “Meal Trains ” starting with a big meaty meal, then trying to disguise it in the days following, e.g. chicken w/ tatoes –> chicken w/noodles–> chicken tacos –> chicken soup. So, we basically have the same kind of meat for most of the week before I catch another train. 🙂
Gina Marie Garino-Tavares says
Mondays are meatless meals, Tuesday tacos, Wednesday wet wed (fish), Thursday usually a casserole but not always, so that day changes. Friday is always pizza Fri, Sat and Sun are always open for changes!
Patti Walton-Dole says
I do this frequently.
Gina Marie Garino-Tavares says
Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday, wet Wednesday (fish), and pizza Friday !!! The other three days I have to think and meal plan 🙂
Rhonda Chamberlain says
I can’t stand eating the same meals all of the time. The most I will repeat meals is every 2 weeks. I plan a beef roast meal every other week; same with roast chicken. We also have Taco Tuesdays (anything Mexican-style) and anything pizza-related on Saturdays. Otherwise I vary meals to try new things along with our family faves.
Robin Kelman says
I have old standards that I cook routinely but not on a set schedule. Now that empty nest do a lot more new recipes and I cook seasonally. I always cook batch foods that freeze well so always have a good meal if no time to cook.
Megan Futrell says
Roast chicken, something with leftover shredded chicken, Tacos(usually ground beef, but sometimes chicken or fish) and a pasta/red sauce dish whether it’s spaghetti lasagna, shells, ect. I’m thinking homemade pizza will be added weekly this summer.
Julie Long March says
We raise chickens for meat and we love our weekly roast chickens. Leftovers are used creatively.
Jodie Hagan says
Ghanaian beef stew and Jolloff 3 to 4 times a month.
Tina Bettencourt says
I buy several chickens already cooked each week to make quick meals through week. Get them at sams
Becky Deemter says
I do a monthly meal plan, and so I do: Roast chicken 2x a month, Beef roast 1x, Pork shoulder 1x….then 1-2 other meals each week are planned around the leftover meat from each of those.
Norma Johnson Hilliard says
Oxtail stew.
Kimberly Dickson says
Heavy rotation: roast chicken with root vegetables, meatloaf, sockeye salmon.
Emily Sirbaugh says
Yup! Roast chicken once a week here! Wild sockeye salmon once a week, wild haddock once a week, sometimes twice, the sides rotate between rice, mash potatoes, angel hair, and french fries lol. Also once a week we make italian chicken breast with garlic bread & angel hair and zucchini. Chili is also in heavy rotation no matter the season.
Jill-David Boman says
I’ve actually been roasting a chicken once a week too. The broth and leftovers I get out of it are really helpful.
Theresa Marie Cushing says
Taco salad, pork shoulder in crock pot, bunless burgers
Nilzed says
You dont have to roast a chicken every week. Alternate between chicken, pork, beef, lamb or other meats you have access to. A roast followed by a hash, pie or soup of whatever isnt so repetitive for the eaters, but confers the same 2-meals (or even 3) sorted at once benefit to the cook.
Sonya says
Right now I’m working on a personal project to cook through all of the recipes in my cookbooks, cooking magazines, and recipe binder. So at the moment, about 90% of what I cook are new recipes. Sometimes I’m more flexible about it and not as focused on the project, and then it’s about 50% new recipes and 50% old favorites. I am super curious about how things will be when I’m finished with this project. I have 1613 recipes to go, so it will be a while. But I am wondering if we will ever get tired of our favorites, or how many favorite recipes we’ll have at the end. I do love the quality of my cookbooks (six of them) and magazines (12ish?), so when we don’t like a recipe it’s just down to personal taste.
What I can’t decide about it is if I make a recipe that I love and my husband is ho-hum about. Do I make it again someday, or just let it go and focus on the ones we both love? There are only rare times that we’re not together for long periods of time, so waiting for those times isn’t really an option. It’s not like he would complain, but right now I’m leaning towards not making them again. Except for desserts, because I am obsessed with dessert and he doesn’t like a lot of cookies, cakes, or any peanut butter desserts, and I can’t imagine giving those up…and they keep well so I can just make another dessert for him to eat while I eat mine 🙂
KitchenKop says
Hmmm, that’s a good question. There are only a couple of things that my husband doesn’t love that I DO love, so what I do is just make them rarely, when they *really* sound good! 🙂 He doesn’t complain, as with your husband, it’s just not his favorite.
Kelly
Nilzed says
We have a roast something every week. And make broth, and try to get two meals (or a meal and something for the freezer). Other rhan that I try not to repeat an original meal in a month, though we will have leftovers.
GiGi says
I repeat them every day! That’s right, I rarely veer off my meals! ha ha. But it’s just me and I love my routine so that’s all that matter! 😉
Teresa says
I love looking at others plan–this is a great topic Kelly. I like theme nights since you can vary on all the nights and never get bored.
Sunday- crockpot (ex. roast or spagetti, meatloaf)
Monday-chinese/japanese (ex. stirfry, fried rice)
Tues. – eggs or meatless (ex. quiche, main salad, beans,
Wed.- mexican (tacos, burritos, rice bowls -so much variety)
Thurs- grilled– HB, steak, chicken, again so much variety)
Fri- fish (salmon, shrimp, etc)
Sat–always pizza from scatch–so many kinds
within each theme are so many different ideas, but this always helps so you at least have your idea for the day.. I still sometimes venture out too.
Jill says
Love this–I was inspired enough to write it down! I tend to be too spontaneous and usually don’t plan ahead, but this is a nice, flexible–allowing variety within each category–structure that I can work with! Maybe I will get more organized now!
shannon says
Love this too! I do it on Saturdays but not really other days. I may try it soon! Thanks for sharing
shannon says
Pizza on homemade sourdough crust every week! We never get tired of that because I like to vary the toppings and it is so quick. Other things I rotate every few weeks but pizza is every Saturday night, unless we’ve got something special going on.
Rivki Locker (Ordinary Blogger) says
Great topic. I make roast chicken TWICE a week. Wednesday and Friday. The kids and adults love it, no matter how often I make it, and I love having two nights that i just don’t have to think about dinner. I vary the side dishes to keep things interesting.
Melissa @ Dyno-mom says
So I asked the kids about this, how often do I repeat meals and are you sick of it? The only complaint was eggs, which we had again for lunch today. Scrambled with cream and cheese. Suppers they like but they are apparently tired of eggs. Funny thing is that I remember their excitement at the warmer nights and longer days, so much so that I made quiche when we got some more eggs. Well, winter is coming and the folks we get them from won’t always have them. So when November rolls around and we are digging out from another snowstorm, I will remind them! Take that kids, you are a slave to the seasons so eat up while the gettin’s good.
Tiffany says
Every two weeks works well for us. I have a two week menu set in my google calendar. When I shop on the weekend, I look ahead to see what is on my schedule and then make my list for the week. This is a recent change that has been a huge help to my daily cooking and weekly shopping.
I have trouble coordinating with my CSA box, though. It arrives on Mondays when I have just done my shopping. It would be better if I could shop every Tuesday or Wednesday. How does everyone coordinate their meal-planning, CSA and weekly shopping.
ValerieH says
This is a great discussion. We have no set schedule, but we do have taco night about once a week. I think pastured chicken is too expensive but we have it every week because the kids really like it. Sometimes it is a package of wings. I save the bones and freeze for when I make stock. Once in a few weeks we will have pork shoulder steaks. To stretch it I make stir fry.
My husband and kids like food more plain than I do. I prefer more variety, like branching out into various ethnic seasonings. I signed up for the CSA for the first time. I am getting lots of kale and greens. I’m the only one eating it. I am making the kids taste it before they can have the yummy stuff for dinner.
From reading the comments, I’m going to try keeping a dinner journal to track what we served and how we liked it.
Amber says
I don’t really repeat “meals” per se but like others here I definitely have a theme that I tend to follow:
Monday – one pot wonder or crockpot dish that usually involves either a chicken, ground beef, or stew meat, I alternate weeks so it doesn’t get too old (this is usually a huge amount of food just for the two of us, so the leftovers are useful as lunches or our quick dinner that we eat every Wednesday night before prayer service). At the end of the week I freeze the leftovers for emergency dishes later.
Tuesday – Seafood night. No idea how this came into being, it just happened. The only meal of the week hubby is largely bored with mainly due to my lack of creativity with seafood.
Wednesday – quickie dinner of leftovers or “gourmet” sandwiches that we can eat before church
Thursday – “Fancy meat” night, LOL — lamb chops, pork chops, steak, whatever I can find/afford that is grassfed, etc
Friday – date night, we usually go out. If the hubby doesn’t take me out, he gets stuck with whatever can be whipped up. This has taught him to take me out 😉
Saturday – leftovers from the week, gobble up what we can/want before freezing
Sunday – The only meal of the week I don’t plan, too many variables. Might end up at one of the parents’ house for dinner. Might eat a huge after church lunch so dinner will be light. If I do “cook” a dinner this night, it’s usually a little more complicated since I have more time to prep it.
Having these themes really help me focus in on what recipes to look for, what to buy, etc. 🙂
Primal Toad says
I repeat meals often. I’ll make 2 lbs of ground beef at one time for just myself and then use that for the next few meals. I love it. Make it easy and its not boring. My meals are always different but always have the same meat. I sometimes use 2 meats for a 3-4 period.
Love it!
Emily says
Monday: Ground meat; either grass-fed beef, buffalo, or turkey
Tues, Th, Sat: eggs
Wed and Sunday: cheese
Fri: Salmon
Large salad with every meal. DH and DS don’t seem to mind. I change things up when I get bored. Usually every 6-12 months.
Amanda says
Weekly we have about the same thing, but then we change it up after six months depending on the season. For my family (two babies), consistency is the only thing that gets us to bed at a decent hour!
Amanda says
I can MAYBE go two weeks without repeating. The stand-bys like roast chicken, baked chicken or meatloaf may appear more frequently. My hubby could live off of those three things – especially if I bought him a pork loin or a steak once a month or so. He could literally eat the same meal for months. He’s a little picky, so when I find things he really likes (hey ~ who doesn’t like to be complimented on a meal!) I make them a lot.
I get bored really really fast. The roast chicken once a week thing bores me terribly after about 3 weeks. The hubby is one of those who always always always orders the same thing in a restaurant, and I ALWAYS want to try something new. Makes meal planning on a budget really challenging!
Peggy says
I did the roast chicken once a week until the weather got too hot to run the oven. Once it cools off, I’ll do that again. But with 7 of us, there’s barely enough for one go-round, there’s never leftovers for another meal, and I can rarely afford two pastured chickens a week. The bones do go in the stockpot, though.
We have a rotation of about 30 meals that we have, but some are seasonal, so it’s more like a two-week rotation with a few special things thrown in here and there. During summer, one dinner a week is always a huge salad with sourdough biscuits. We don’t have a grill, but we pan fry burgers once every couple weeks. I remember as a kid, “Tuesday Meatloaf” and “Friday Fish” and I cooked that way when I was first married. It wasn’t a month before hubby was buying me cookbooks and making suggestions for meals.
Year round, we have one lunch and one dinner a week of leftovers. That’s where I get complaints, but I steadfastly refuse to throw away leftovers.
Kathryn says
Do you have a crock pot? I make a chicken about once a week in the crock pot and don’t have to heat up the house from the oven 🙂
Peggy says
Yes, and we’ve done stewed chicken sometimes, but the kids love roasted chicken because of the crispy skin!
Kate @ Modern Alternative Mama says
My husband could eat the same 2 – 3 things over and over, he is not picky. I usually repeat meals at least every two weeks, although some less or more often. “Tacos” (in various forms) is more often. We probably have 5 – 6 “staples” that are on our meal plan every two weeks, then I fill in with other stuff as I have ingredients. We always roast a chicken every two weeks, because that is a favorite and gets used for other meals too!
Magda says
We’re pretty much like that, too!! I’ve been eating a lot of beef lately – I seem to crave it and I just love plain hamburgers. DH loves roast chicken and rice so I make that every 2-3 weeks. I’m on GAPS so we don’t do meatless around here now (DH was never a fan, anyway). I plan my meals on Friday, do shopping Saturday and cook on Sat/Sun for most of the week. I always cook for at least 2 days and on days I don’t cook, I prep for next day (I work during the week so I have to have things prepped). We usually go out to eat on Fridays so that gives me a day off. It’s been a challenge with me being on GAPS but it’s working! But.. meal planning is a must. I usually plan 2-3 meals and with each being at least 2 days, that covers the week! I repeat meals probably every 3 weeks or so…
Jill says
One meal that we always make once a week (it usually works out to two because of leftovers) is taco/burrito/taco salad night. I make a big pot of beans and freeze about half of it (my son is a bean freak and will eat them with almost every meal) and then everyone assembles what they want from seasoned ground beef, beans, lettuce, cheese, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, corn chips, and flour tortillas. My daughter is doing GAPS (and I “sort of” am) so she forgoes the chips and tortillas.
I also tend to make meat balls a lot–usually curry meat balls baked in the oven and then dipped in a jarred curry simmer sauce. I’ll make roasted beets/winter squash/potatoes (to accommodate whatever everyone eats–thinking of my daughter here) to go along with it too.
Liz Ferguson says
I struggle at consistent meal planning, but what has worked well for me is a flexible schedule that goes something like this: Monday = a crockpot meal, Tuesday = grill, Wednesday = mexican food, Thursday = salad & soup, etc… With a framework in place I can easily rotate our favorites with new recipes. Obviously, in the warm weather the grill rotates in more often and the soup does not.
Also, we totally go in streaks where we eat the same thing over and over. Usually it’s because we’re craving it. I made a great Greek salad the other day with grilled chicken and it was so good that I made it again 2 days later.
Erica says
I heard Paul Chek stating that meat sources should be rotated once every four days, like beef one day, chicken the next, then fish, and then pork. You can’t eat beef or dairy everyday, and you can only eat those on the same day only 2x a week at the most. What do you think about this?
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
Erica,
I have no idea what to think about that (maybe someone else does), but we rotate things up similar to that anyway, only I often throw a meatless meal in there, too, just because there are a lot we all like & it saves $. (Often one made w/ bone broth.)
Kelly
Jill says
I’ll bet the rotation thing is about food allergies. We got some information about this same thing when my daughter was diagnosed with food allergies. We were told to avoid the allergic foods for at least 6 months and then if we reintroduced them, make sure not to eat any of them more frequently than every 4 days. Of course, if your gut is in good shape (health bacteria and gut wall), you shouldn’t have to worry about that anyway.
Erica says
Thanks, Jill! For the GAPS diet, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride didn’t mention anything about rotating meat sources. It is easy to rotate meat sources when you live in the Southern California. However, when you live in different parts of the country, it is quite hard to do this due to limited availability.
Sue E. says
Recently, I looked back on meal planning menus I have from about a year (I look back to see what I have missed, what I have made for holidays, visitors, etc.), and realized that I have about 30 meals I rotate. I ususally look back and go about 3-4 weeks before repeating meals. I plan once a week and only shop that often, too. I do chicken about once every 3 weeks, especially in the winter, and then make soup, too. But, with 6 in our family, in order to have leftovers, I have to buy about a 7 or 8 pounder! Not so cheap when they are $2.50-$3.00 a pound!
Sue E.
Amanda Y. says
I can’t eat pork and haven’t found a responsible source of seafood so we don’t do that very often, so we are OFTEN bored with our chicken and beef go to dishes!!! I wish I knew how to break this monatony, esp. because trying most new recipes seems to just end up tasting horrible or blah.
Marta says
I usually roast a chicken once a week and then make broth for soup in the end of the week too. It doesn’t get boring to us at all. We just do different sides to the chicken, so it’s never exactly the same dish. Soups, it’s always something different too. Plus I’m roasting chicken partly just to have the leftover meat for casseroles, mexican dishes, salads etc. I cook the chicken in slowcooker with some onions and carrots in the bottom. When done I put these veggies and any odd chicken meat like skins and little bits of meat to a food processor. I add some herbs and olive oil and we have a great pate, way better than any deli meat you can buy 🙂
As far as other dishes I have few nights when I do family favorites and others I’m trying new recipes, so we don’t feel like we always eat the same.
Musings of a Housewife says
In the winter, I do a chicken every week and make stock and chicken and rice soup. I haven’t roasted one all summer, though, and I have several in the freezer, so I think I’ll go grab one and defrost it! LOL.
I don’t mind repeating meals. Sometimes I’ll do the same meal 2 weeks in a row if everyone really liked it, and if it’s easy and affordable.
lara says
could you please tell me how you make your tortillas from scratch
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
Here you go, Lara: https://kellythekitchenkop.com/2011/03/homemade-soaked-flour-tortillas-keep-on-hand-for-fast-meal-ideas.html
Kathryn says
Every Sunday I meal plan for the week. Then on Monday I have a list when I go to the Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Bill the Butcher, or Costco instead of putting random stuff in my cart. Each week we get a variety of dishes to eat (many recipes from Real Food Wednesday, big thank you to all that post). Although there are some things that are in constant rotation because they are favorites. Sunday is usually a pot roast or chicken in the crock pot while we are at church. Wednesday is usually taco night. It’s an all out taco bar. I make the corn tortilla’s from scratch and everyone can pick what they put on them: soaked black beans, organic meat, fresh jalapenos, cilantro, fresh salsa, avocado, lettuce, cheese, and full fat sour cream.
Irene says
Bill the Butcher . . . you must be in the PNW.
There was an article about him in the Stranger . . . you can search online for the text . . . not so good.
PCC will order cuts for you AND tell you exactly where it is from.
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
OK, girls, I give up, what’s the PNW & the PCC?
Irene says
Pacific NW and PCC is our local health food store. 🙂
Kathryn says
Here is the recipe for my homemade corn tortillas https://cookinkkitchen.blogspot.com/2010/02/corn-tortillas.html
Irene I hit up PCC all the time (I live in Wedgewood) I haven’t had them cut me any meat though, not sure why. I just read the article you suggested in the stranger “mystery meat” and I feel duped!!! So frustrating!
Irene says
Yes it is very frustrating! (I almost went there too.)
I would try one of the butchers in Ballard. (Ask if they make their own meat stuff.)
You can stop and get Essential Baking bread too! (Their “George bread” is fermented whole wheat – so delicious.)
The Redmond PCC meat lady found LOTS of pastured pork fat, this made me very happy on this yucky day.
She ordered a beef tongue for me, too.
Kathryn says
I have a recipe saved on my computer for beef tongue, I’ve been wanting to try! I’m not in Redmond much but maybe the PCC in Viewridge will hook me up as well.
I would love to try the “George bread” but for now I make my own gf bread. I have several food sensitivities due to being on antibiotics for 3 years straight as a teenager. I can thank the dermatologist for acne meds, that totally messed me up.
Teresa says
I also would like your homemade corn torilla recipe, please.
KitchenKop says
I don’t make my own corn tortillas yet, I buy them organic at the health food store. Here’s Ann Marie’s recipe, but it looks to be quite a process: https://www.cheeseslave.com/2008/08/03/homemade-corn-tortillas-part-one/
Kathryn says
Here is the recipe for my homemade corn tortillas https://cookinkkitchen.blogspot.com/2010/02/corn-tortillas.html
Erin C says
oh, and I usually cook a whole chicken once every other week. I try to rotate meals so that our meals repeat every other week. We still get tired of them though. It is especially difficult when I am more strict on the low-carb diet. (which is now, since I’m going to the beach in 2 weeks!)
Erin C says
I don’t have any kids yet, but my husband gets really sick of eating the same things over and over. It doesn’t bother me as much. I buy a lot of grass-fed ground beef because it is the cheapest way to get it, of course. So, he gets really sick of taco salad, meatloaf, hamburger steaks, etc. It would be awesome to find a “real food” blog post with some new creative ways to use grass-fed ground beef! *hint, hint*
Meagan says
Ground beef chili, ground beef curry, meat balls, meat sauce, Meat-za (primal pizza), spaghetti squash marinara, stir-fry, ground beef sausage, stuff red bell peppers, ground beef lettuce wraps, cottage pie, grass fed beef casserole, sweet potato and ground beef hash, coconut flour sausage patties…. the list is endless for ground beef ideas!!