I wonder if this was said less out of laziness but more out of fear of choosing "the wrong thing" for dinner and wanting to avoid you being upset if he didn't adhere to your preferences.

I'm not saying this is the case with you but sometimes that is why men defer to their wives for decision making, because if they step up proactively they get met with a "you're doing it wrong, fine I'll just do it myself".

So I think it's a good idea if you want your partner to be proactive - don't criticize the way he does things, if they're not 100% to your preference.