How to make eating at home more interesting

[Gemini]

In normal life, I eat out regularly. In the evening at least a once or twice a month, maybe more , with friends. OH and I eat out in the evening alone far less, but do have lunches out when shopping, or coffee and cake.
I meet various friends or DD3 for lunch or coffee. So although I am not in the eating out a two or three times a week camp, I never have to eat all my meals at home.

Now apart from takeaways we are all stuck at home with our own meals.

Have you done anything to make this more interesting? Have you tried different meals, ordered takeaways, had a 'date night' meal with special food, wine and candles?

We order a takeaway every 10 days or so. OH has cooked a couple of very nice meals recently that she hasn't cooked for a very long time. Much appreciated by me!
I find lunch every day the most boring. I have started to order prawn cocktail on our supermarket order. I make a proper bed of shredded lettuce, put it in little cocktail dishes and cut bread and butter cut into triangles to go with it. My version of going out to lunch!!

[Oma]

We have had some different meals , things that take longer but haven't had the time to do ,
B made a Turkey roast dinner on New years day and opened a bottle of wine , I had a none alcoholic wine ,

We have had some meals that we forgot we liked it's so long since we had them .

We don't often have takeaway's , in fact I cant remember when the last one was .

Lunch time I tend to have just a sandwich and always a yoghurt plus fruit , but its always a puzzle what to have in a sandwich
Sometimes I opt for Rivita with Philly and tomatoes or Crisp bakes ,
B will have a Pizza Baguette or some soup .
Its always difficult thinking of something new for lunch

[Nana]

I agree. My OH now does the cooking.... lovely. I did make a nice Toad in the hole though last week. For lunches I tend to like crackers with cheese, philly, paté sometimes.

No special romantic meals for us tho' I'm afraid.🙄 I do miss a pub lunch.

[Plantaholic]

I usually eat out for lunch at least once a week, quite happy to be on my own, I like to people watch. Never been a person to have take-aways, not even when OH was alive, we usually had a pub lunch on a Sat. I sometimes join in with family next-door if they are having an Indian take-away. My lunch can be a sandwich of sorts or soup, usually followed by a banana. I eat quite a few nuts in the evening. Cooking and buying food for one isn't easy, I mostly am cooking meals to use things up. I do like to treat myself and like to try something new.

[Gemini]

We had our prawn cocktail lunch today. I cooked some chips so we had a small portion each, a bit like sharing a bowl of chips at a pub lunch

[Nanto2girls]

I hate cooking,and have no intention of trying to jazz things up.

[Daisy]

Nanto - I'm pretty much in the same camp. I do have odd occasions when I feel like cooking, and I do try to vary things because I get fed up otherwise.

OH never, ever wants a takeaway of any sort. Sometimes I can persuade him but not often. In normal times we don't eat out very much unless we're out shopping or on some sort of outing with friends or family. So in a way lockdown hasn't made a huge difference.

Anyway, last week I decided I was fed up and ordered some ready meals on my Sainsbury's order. I have to say, apart from the lamb shanks which were delicious, we've both been underwhelmed. So it's back to the kitchen for me - unless I can persuade my beloved OH to learn to cook.

Sometimes we have a late breakfast and no lunch, and sometimes we have no breakfast, but mostly we have cereal or fruit and yoghurt for breakfast and a sandwich for lunch, with fruit and maybe a packet of crisps. In the winter I also make soup for a change. Dinner these days depends on what's going out of date in the fridge!

[Glammanana]

I have missed going out for a pub lunch with my friend Margaret on Saturdays I also enjoy going to our local Bistro for a coffee and cinnermon bun mid week,they also do the most delicious roast beef sourdough sandwich with horseradish & salad which I will sometimes order for a take a way and have for tea time.
When I eat at home I always set the table and eat at the table whilst I watch the local news at 6pm.
This week I have ordered from Hello Fresh I got a coupon for 60% off 1st order so 3 x meals cost £10.80 I can always just give them a try and not bother again if they don't come up to scratch.

[Gemini]

I think part of my particular problem is that I have a low boredom threshold! I get bored quickly with things others are happy to do the same way for years. It applies to meals too.

[Nana]

Nan2 I thought you enjoyed cooking as you seem to always have something on the go in your slow cooker. Lots of different meals too. My DD tried Hello Fresh once Glam but found the portions not up to scratch, ie, too small. Maybe you'll find them just right for you. I hope so.

Gem, I get bored with the same things too.

[Daisy]

I have missed going out for a pub lunch with my friend Margaret on Saturdays I also enjoy going to our local Bistro for a coffee and cinnermon bun mid week,they also do the most delicious roast beef sourdough sandwich with horseradish & salad which I will sometimes order for a take a way and have for tea time.
When I eat at home I always set the table and eat at the table whilst I watch the local news at 6pm.
This week I have ordered from Hello Fresh I got a coupon for 60% off 1st order so 3 x meals cost £10.80 I can always just give them a try and not bother again if they don't come up to scratch.

Glamm - it's a pity Nana's DD didn't get on very well with HelloFresh. My DS2 and DIL used them for well over a year. DS2 credits them with giving him the interest and the skills to cook. The portions were ample, and they never had anything that wasn't really good, tasty, fresh food. They stopped using them when they found out DS was gluten-intolerant, and at that stage they didn't do GF meals. (I think they do now.) It introduced him to cooking with all sorts of different ingredients and, several years on, he still uses several of their recipes. But equally important, it gave him the confidence to cook things he'd never have dreamed of. He still does most of the cooking.

The other big advantage was not having to buy a whole bottle, jar, packet of something you might only need a little bit of, and then having it sitting in the fridge for months afterwards. There's no waste.

[Daisy]

Gem - I sympathise. My boredom threshold is very low. I tend to buy something for two or three weeks then get fed up with it and don't buy it again for ages. Part of the trouble is with online ordering, if I'm hungry I fancy anything and everything. If I'm not hungry when I'm doing the order I don't fancy anything and can't imagine either cooking or eating it!

[Plantaholic]

I think I will have a look at those.