Jan 5, 2011

New Years Resolution + Cry for Help

Among my New Years Resolutions: Eat out three or less times per week.

I know that eating out three times a week is a massive amount to some of you (Valerie's succeeding at not eating out at all...), but it would represent a cutback from Trevor's and my current lifestyle. We'll be making progress while still eating out for our weekly date nights (couple's tradition), comedy nights (we often have to head up to Salt Lake straight from work so a home-cooked dinner is out of the question) and a freebie here and there (because I'm still lazy).

So here's the cry for help part. If you have any awesome ideas for a) packed lunches at work, and/or b) easy-to-make dinners at home, please provide in the comments below. I feel like my rotation of things I make is far too small.

A few things to keep in mind:
  • The reasons for this goal are to be more healthy and save money, so think nutritious and think cheap.
  • Trevor and I do have microwave access at work.
  • The reason we eat out so much is mostly because I just straight up hate cooking and/or packing a lunch for the next day in the evening after work (weekends aren't so bad). Maybe that's something I should just get over, but faster and easier things are more likely to be actually tried.
  • We don't really eat out for breakfast, so no worries there (Clif bars and juice bottles are breakfast on-the-go pretty much every workday, and then cereal/oatmeal works fine for weekends).

8 comments:

Allison said...

My vote: crockpot cooking. There are lots of recipes online. You throw stuff in a pot. Leave it all day, and it is ready for you to eat when you get home and delicious. And there are always plenty of crockpots for sale at DI.

Rachael said...

Maybe you need one of those "101 ways to fix mac&cheese" (or fill in your preferred vile college student food here) books.

In seriousness though, I have a few recipes I could send you. Do you have a crock pot? I don't know how well they would do as cold leftovers for lunch though, but you could just have the same dinner two days in a row. :) Interested?

Charlotte said...

Everything goes with pasta. And google is your friend ;)

- Charlotte.
procrastinationsquared.blogspot.com

Valerie said...

I don't think 3 is a massive amount.

Rachael Ray has some of the best ideas for quick, nutritious meals. There are lots of recipes to choose from, but one category that might interest you are her "rollover" meals: a meal that can easily be turned into another meal the next day.

rachaelray.com

M said...

Drew and I have the same problem. We pack foods like nuts, weight loss shakes (they're quick to grab and come in good flavors), salad in tupperware, bars, and sandwiches. It at least tides you over till you get home and can make something simple like nachos and spaghetti.
I'm not sure if that's helpful or not, but I like it.

Ellie said...

I'm with Allison, crockpot is the way to go for ease. For lunches we normally do leftovers. I pack Rob's lunch up while I'm putting dinner away. Also, fruit and veggies require little to no prep work and can be thrown in a lunch box. Apples, carrots, banana, ect. But I also like to cut up a bunch of veggies on Monday (broccoli, peppers, carrots, cucumbers) and then I can throw those into a lunch as well for a few days without having to do the work everyday. Just make sure you eat them up before they go bad. Fruit/Veggies is way cheaper than most people think. We save a lot of money staying away from the packaged, prepared stuff (less than 250 a month on food for the 3 of us).

Ellie said...

Also, thanks for following the new blog. You are the best.

Steff said...

totally disagree... yes, babies do pretty much look the same in ultrasound pics, but that doesn't mean they can't be cute! Especially the profile pictures --they are sooo adorable to me no matter whose baby it is! Maybe it's cuter when you're actually in the room watching the baby roll around and suck her thumb etc.

Anywho, the only way I prevent myself from eating out is by having some meals in the freezer that don't take any time to prepare for the days that I don't have time or am just plain to lazy to cook. It works well for me to just double or triple a recipe on days I do feel like cooking (or the weekend) and then throw the extra into meal-size portions in the freezer. Things I like to freeze... enchiladas, soups, lasagna, chili, etc. I don't do this, but once a month my mom will make a huge batch of breakfast burritos or bean and cheese burritos and roll them up individually and freeze them for quick lunches or snacks for my bros. I think that's a good idea because sandwiches for lunch get really old after a while...