Addicted to eating out???
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Addicted to eating out???
| Mon, 10-03-2005 - 12:41pm |
I know that our biggest money blower is eating out. DH and I both work 40+ hours a week and I know by the time we both get home we are drained and don't feel like cooking. Also sometimes I just really don't feel like cooking. (I know that sounds so lazy.. lol) Do you have an addiction to eating out? How do you make yourself cook and eat at home?

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We used to be addicted to eating out. Why not McDonald's is so quick. The steak house so yummy and and and. Then we realized we don't have the money to eat out. Not even the 1 Euro it costs to get a cheeseburger at McDondald's. About 4 weeks ago, could be 6 weeks ago too, we went to Mc Donald's and spent 5 Euros on 2 Cheeseburgers 1 coke and fries and we realized... with 5 Euros, we could have had a fabulous dinner for 2 at home and besides the burgers weren't that good and the fries soggy. So we have been eating at home ever since. I work 8 hours a day and when I get home I have to cook, but I cook something that is quick. Like chicken or turkey breast. Since I have a crock-pot (I inherited it from a lady that went back to the US and it is a 220 Volt crock-pot) I am in hog heaven. Put the stuff in in the morning (usually spare-ribs, bbq-sauce or a roast Cream of Mushroom soup and onion soup) put it on low and when you get home dinner is ready. Instant mashed potatos are quick when you heat the water in the microwave. I also bake potatos in the microwave for baked potatos. That way I can have dinner within 30 minutes. Tonight we are having fish-sticks, potato wedges and salad. :) Tomorrow I'm thinking about chicken breast coverd with with store-bought Spaghetti sauce ((I don't know how that tastes yet, have to try it out) and noodles. Left-overs I take with me to have lunch at work.
Okay time to go, the bus isn't waiting....
Sushi
OH yah, this was us a couple of years ago. We ate out, several times a week, we often would eat out for breakfast buffet on Sunday, one family supper, and a few fast food meals. We were spendinf $ 150-200 a week eating out, plus buying groceries. We things got tight, it was hard to curb this habit. We still often go out for sunday breakfast, and will hit the fast food joint is we are travelling. We have gotten our spending far more under control now.
I do use my crockpot, I often pair it with my bread machine, and set the timer so it is ready when I get home from work. I will then throw a salad, or veggies, and we can be ready to eat within a few minutes of getting home. I also keep some ready to eat foods, like frozen pizza, or meat pies in the freezer, so that we can feed the kids easily if we are in a hurry, or just not up to cooking. I also keep a big stack of paper plates, we eat off these when I get frazzled. It is such a relief sometimes to not have to worry about the dishes.....
Out of curiosity, what didn't you like about the meat in the crockpot???
I do some of the things others have suggested like making extra for leftovers, but lately I've tried something different, and it's been working really well for me.
I usually do grocery shopping on a weekend morning, and when I get home I spend an hour or so listening to the radio and doing all of the chopping, measuring, and as much other prep work as possible for the meals I'm going to have that week. All of the ingredients get put in containers in the fridge or cabinet in stacks by which meal they're for. It means planning ahead, but it's so much easier to cook something healthy and cheap during the week when all the ingredients are prepped already. I feel like a chef on a TV cooking show.
Also, I have to say that I'm single, so no hubby or kids around to eat the containers of prepared ingredients ahead of time. Marrieds might have to come up with a "do not disturb" zone of the fridge. ;-)
Wendy
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