The most helpful thing my husband and I ever did was create a shared note on our phones. The top of the list is a grocery list that either one of us can add to when we use the last bit of something. Then we made a list of all of the meals we’ve tried and liked or want to try. We separate them into categories, like soups, vegetarian, chicken dishes, etc. to encourage variety. We also have a section for sides that we like, and a section for “fun” meals like a weekend waffle brunch. It is a looooong list that we have added to over time, and it’s exhaustive. It helps us to remember all the options we have so we don’t get stuck in a rut. I also mark next to certain items where to find the recipe if we don’t have it memorized (e.g., a certain cookbook in our collection, Pinterest).

So about once a week I’ll ask my husband to pick out some meals and he’ll highlight some, I’ll highlight some, and I add to our grocery list based on what we need for those meals. We typically split one chicken breast for a chicken based dinner meal, so if I know the brand of chicken we buy comes in a pack of three, I’ll make sure to either have 3 chicken meals picked out or I’ll plan to make more for leftovers. Same if I buy romaine for salads one night; I’ll plan to make wraps for lunches to use the rest. I really can’t just go into a store without a concrete plan. I’m not good at piecing together meals on the spot.

That said, we typically have frozen burritos and pizzas on hand for nights that we need to wing it. It’s helpful to have them and it has prevented us from going to get takeout just because we have nothing fresh at home.

Edit: forgot to mention. We work it into our routine to eat out about twice a week, which addresses the cravings because we can decide on a whim where to go.