Arrrgh!!!

Since retirement, I start thinking about what we're having, for our 6:00 PM dinner, at about 4:00. Usually, I actually start the meal at 5:00. Most of the intervening time, I am not in the kitchen. But, our palates are not as well developed as yours, Buffy. We see a Fancy Feast commercial (in the crystal goblet) and think, "what's for dinner?" LOL I usually cook two or three kinds of meat each week, and make dinners that incorporate one or the other of them in some way. And, BTW, our meals are thrown together.
Planning meals isn't among my talents. Even in college, when my brother ate at my apartment, I made him do the meal planning (which he did down to the point of scheduling left-overs from the #202 can of whole kernel corn). During the summer that we did this I lost 12 pounds. HH won't do the planning, however, so I credit my extra 50 pounds to him--LOL.

I guess around 1 hour -- depends on if I have it thought out ahead of time or I spend time looking around and deciding (that adds to the time it takes, sometimes considerable!). I found meal prep time was much quicker when I did weekly menus and I think I'll resume that again soon.

I shop twice a week, and hit the Farmer's Market in the summer. I plan the meals, taking into consideration whether we have a lot of time, or a little. If DH has a hair or dentist appointment, I have to plan something that will either hold over if he is late, or something that is speedy to fix if he wants to eat before he goes.
I try to plan it so that we have the complete range of protein....fish, beef, pork, chicken, etc., and I also try for ethnic variety, especially when we hit the "I don't have a taste for anything" doldrums. I have a wide variety of soup recipes, and am always looking for more, and we eat out now and then. SO...I have a general guideline for shopping and meal preparation, and I have a little room to play around with which meal is to be served.

I'd really like to find healthy meals that are faster to prepare. The diabetic diet is becoming second nature now, but it's not speedy! And, wouldn't you know that I like things like spanikopeta and eggplant parmesan??

Buffy: You had to throw in the spinach and eggplant, didn't you? Just to make my mouth water. I was doing OK before them! While HH hoovers applesauce, he isn't a big soup fan (at least, not of soups that I make--into which I tend to throw cabbage, tomatoes, and okra--3 of his least favorite cooked vegetables.)
Desiree: If you go back to weekly menus, would you just ship copies of them to me, please? Now, don't go getting fancy with the cooking on this (a choosy beggar, aren't I?)

Yeah...those things make my mouth water too. I notice that you didn't ask for MY menus! lol