AITA for refusing to cook for my wife anymore after she ate 3 of my meal prepped meals?

A kitchen showdown brews hotter than a summer grill! One man, a meal-prepping maestro, whips up macro-friendly breakfasts, lunches, and dinners to fuel his fitness journey. His wife, a nurse with a packed schedule, opts out of cooking—leaving him to sizzling pans and savory plans. But when he steps away for a 24-hour work stint, chaos erupts: she devours three of his carefully portioned meals in one night!

Starving and stunned, he confronts her, only to be dubbed “selfish” for expecting her to fend for herself. Now, he’s on strike—cooking for their kid but stashing his meals at work. She cries petty; he says it’s a push for her to learn a skill. Who’s right in this culinary clash? Grab a snack and let’s dig into this tasty drama!

‘AITA for refusing to cook for my wife anymore after she ate 3 of my meal prepped meals?’

In my household my wife doesn't cook. She sucks at it and it's just easier on our taste buds if I cook for us. Earlier this year we both decided that it was time for us to get back in shape, I decided to research some macro/calorie friendly cooking recipes and got big in to meal prepping. My wife stuck with it for a few weeks but ultimately decided to quit.

Luckily, this wasn't too much of an issue for me. She's a nurse and frequently works much later than I do as my typical work day is from 6am to 2pm. So I would make my meal prepped meals for the week on on my off day and then I would make dinner like I did prior. When I meal prep, I make 6 days worth of 3 meals. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and just swap around lunch and dinner.

Last week Thursday morning for work and planned on coming back Friday morning and stopping through home, grabbing anything I needed then heading into the office. This was known for weeks in advance, so I didn't spring this on my wife. I figured that she would be able to make sure, she and our kid got dinner that night and breakfast that next morning.

The next morning, I'm running late and drive through home looking for my last breakfast and lunch for the week and they're gone. I don't have time to ask my wife, nor do I wanna wake her up early before her shift so I just go. I end up skipping breakfast and lunch. I get off of work and I'm starving and decide I'm just gonna eat dinner early and when I look for my dinner for that night, it's not there.

This is what set me off, when my wife gets home I ask her what's up and and she admits to eating the meals. I tell her that I had portioned out food for an entire day and and she ate all of it in a single night. She said it was my fault as I didn't make anything for her and our kid to eat and I just left the meal prepped things, so they had to eat those. We got into an argument and she told me I was being selfish.

So now I decided that if I'm selfish for expecting her to feed herself for one night, I would just not cook anymore as I'm doing a lot of work for a selfish person. For the past week, I made my meal prep meals and store them at work and let her figure out what she wants do for dinner by herself. Of course I still cook for our kid, but only one portion small enough for him to eat by himself.

I told her I would keep this up and that she should learn to cook for herself if she's not happy about it. She told me that she's too tired when she comes home from work to cook and that I'm being incredibly petty. I think I'm justified and I'm pushing her to learn a life skill she should have by now.. AITA?

A missing meal turning into a marital standoff? This guy’s fridge raid left him hangry and his wife unapologetic—quite the recipe for tension! He meal-prepped for himself after she ditched their fitness pact, a fair move, but her snacking on his stash—without a backup plan—stirred the pot. She’s exhausted from nursing, he’s drained from early shifts, yet only one’s chopping veggies. Her “selfish” jab at him for one night’s independence? A touch overdone.

This boils down to a classic: division of household labor. A 2023 Bureau of Labor Statistics report notes 49% of married women handle most cooking, but roles flip too—communication is key (BLS, 2023, source). Dr. Harriet Lerner, a relationship expert, says, “Resentment brews when couples don’t negotiate who does what—fairness, not perfection, keeps the peace” (Psychology Today, source). Here, he cooked faithfully; her move undermined that.

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He’s not wrong to feel burned, but going on strike risks a cold war. Try this: chat calmly—acknowledge her long hours, suggest easy fixes like takeout or pre-made meals. Teach her a simple dish together—pasta, anyone?

Take a look at the comments from fellow users:

The Reddit crew serves up a buffet of takes—some spicy, some sage! From cheers of “NTA” for standing his ground to a pinch of “ESH” for petty vibes, the comments sizzle. Check out the heat below!

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BringMeInfo - NTA. When a man does what your wife is doing, we call it weaponized incompetence.

POP-RAVEN - Omg. She's not helpless she could totally learn to cook. How are people saying he is abusing his kid when. 1) he said he did cook for him. 2) they're a grown ass person, the second parent, who has the responsibility to actually feed the child. He prepared meal for himself, told her. He happened to not make anything ONE night and suddenly he's abusive because apparently his adult wife can't cook

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It the role were reversed (and I hate to say this) everyone would say the wife is the abusive one for not being capable to feed her child A plate of pasta and some nuggets shouldn't be to hard to do for one night and every kid like those like.... NTA, but your wife sure is, and a bad parent, and a bad spouse

aeroeagleAC - Is it petty, 100%. Is it deserved petty, 100%. To be called selfish because you expect her to figure something out for one night is ridiculous and insulting. NTA.

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underthesea345 - I’m going to say NTA. I think you’ve clearly established that you’re meal prepping for yourself as she no longer wanted to participate. She can’t be THAT bad at cooking that she couldn’t have made something easy for one night or at least ordered take out or something.

Ok-Context1168 - NTA. You clearly meal-prepped for work. I'd be really upset if I thought I had food and my partner ate all of it. Then had the nerve to call me petty when I'm the one cooking all the meals. She only had to make something else for one night. Even if you aren't a great cook, you should be able to feed yourself *something.*

Nervous_Principle_99 - NTA - if she can't cook, they make these handy, pre-made meals you can purchase by the dozen and store in the freezer. Or she could order takeout. You made the same things she knows you make for yourself, but decided to take for them to eat.

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295Phoenix - NTA Cooking is one of those things every adult SHOULD know and CAN learn. If she doesn't WANT to learn then she can pay more for pre-packaged meals.

BeepBop05 - NTA Both work, both are exhausted after work yet only one is willing to prepare food while the other person just calls them selfish due to them being incapable of preparing food whilst still being an adult. 🤦‍♂️

bbbriz - ESH. This is a ridiculous and petty situation all around. You're an adult married couple raising a child together, yet your communication and conflict solution skills are worse than a preschooler's. ETA: Your partner is not your child to be educated by you, nor your enemy to be taught a lesson.

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groovymama98 - NTA. Wife needs to learn the moral behind ' don't bite the hand that feeds you'. 😂

These are Reddit’s top bites, but do they dish out reality? Maybe the wife could trade her stethoscope for a spatula—or at least a takeout menu—for one night!

From meal prep to marital mess, this saga simmers with effort, exhaustion, and a three-meal munch. He’s justified in guarding his grub, but is a cooking boycott the tastiest fix? The wife’s got a grueling job, yet basic skills or a pizza order could’ve saved the day. Reddit’s split—some back his stand, others see a stew of stubbornness. What would you do if your partner raided your rations? Toss your thoughts below—spill your sauce, share your fix, or season this couple’s next step!

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