View Full Version : October eat at home challenge
My goal is to eat 90% of my meals (or make and take them out) in this month. That should get me in the mood for pantry planning. Tonight, there are two chickens roasting to kick us off. Tomorrow is grocery day.
Wildflower
10-1-12, 10:14pm
We eat at home everyday except once a week we go out. I consider it a treat that I'm not willing to give up. ;) We always go to one of the local ethnic restaurants that are fairly inexpensive. I look forward to being served occasionally and not having to clean up! :)
I wouldn't want to give up dining out completely, as we enjoy it a great deal. Plus, it is nice to just go grab a bite and not have to clean up. But we are doing too much of it these days. Clean up is going to have to be a higher priority, but I may have to go to all hand washing to stay on top of the dishes. The baby is fascinated with the dishwasher, so if he is awake I can't use it really or he is pulling things out of it. I turned around to get something out of the sink and when I looked back, he was STANDING on the open door of the dishwasher the other day.
Tonight was chicken, quinoa, raw veggies in dip. Lots of leftovers so I don't have to worry about tomorrow's dinner. Grocery day is always a hard day to come home and cook because I have to pick DH up late from work, but there isn't enough time to get the groceries and cook a dinner before that.
Wildflower
10-2-12, 2:37am
I wouldn't want to give up dining out completely, as we enjoy it a great deal. Plus, it is nice to just go grab a bite and not have to clean up. But we are doing too much of it these days. Clean up is going to have to be a higher priority, but I may have to go to all hand washing to stay on top of the dishes. The baby is fascinated with the dishwasher, so if he is awake I can't use it really or he is pulling things out of it. I turned around to get something out of the sink and when I looked back, he was STANDING on the open door of the dishwasher the other day.
Tonight was chicken, quinoa, raw veggies in dip. Lots of leftovers so I don't have to worry about tomorrow's dinner. Grocery day is always a hard day to come home and cook because I have to pick DH up late from work, but there isn't enough time to get the groceries and cook a dinner before that.
When I had little ones and was working too, grocery day was the simplest dinner of all. Often it was just heat and eat stuff. Not always the healthiest fare, but sometimes a grilled cheese and tomato soup, a frozen pizza with some raw veggies, or just sandwiches we threw together, or breakfast for dinner such as omelettes are pretty easy. Keep it simple on the busiest of days was always my motto. Save money and less stress.
I didn't have a dishwasher when mine were little, but now I contend with my Pug getting in the dishwasher when I try to load it. I sympathize with you! :)
Eating at home is a strong habit for us now and I no longer have to watch the eating-out part of our budget. We will have a few planned meals out this month as my parents are visiting from out-of-state. But as far as late/busy afternoon/evenings go, as you shopping day for instance, I take those schedules into account when I'm planning meals. That's the perfect kind of day to prep a soup or stew in the crockpot earlier in the day, or to eat leftovers that are in the fridge or freezer. These kinds of meals also leave the kitchen with less clean-up as well.
Since hubby and I are trying to incorporate a new eating style, meal planning and eating out are much more complex. It truly is easier to eat at home. We are still weeding through the staples to eliminate what no longer is part of our "diet" (I hate that word for this purpose, as it's a lifestyle change).
I need to gather all the foods we won't be using and drop off at the food bank - so we have more storage space for the foods we will eat. I have already done so in the fridge and freezer, but the pantry is chock-full of prepared mixes and such that are now eliminated.
Having said that, last night was a time crunch night and I just made a quick stop at the Sam's for a rotisserie chicken ($4) and added a head of cabbage and some fresh grapes to the cart. Super fast cole slaw - only takes a minute to shred cabbage and carrots and add dressing lightly - along with the chicken and grapes made our dinner. Total cost was about $7 and it fed the three of us with another whole meal left over.
So, grab and go foods from the store will now round out our menus as opposed to fast food or restaurant meals. We have eaten much better quality food, that in the past I would have cringed at paying the price, and our eating expense is still much lower than prior habits. Organic veggie -yes, please! Cherries at $8 a pound - sure, why not? Cage free, free range eggs at $4,50 per dozen - again, well worth the expense.
domestic goddess
10-2-12, 10:56am
I'm not the one around here who eats out, but I try to make it so the others won't feel the need, since they eat fast food and don't go to real restaurants. Off to a decent start as we all ate at home, and enjoyed our dinner, even if some it wasgrocery store frozen items. And I have a dinner planned for tonight that I think will go over well. Gotta get that in the crockpot soon. I am planning that we will go out for dd's 32nd birthday, and have something special at home Holloween night. Now, if they will jus leave the McNuggets at the drive thru!
Tonight was good, we ran by the grocery store on the way home and picked up a few things. Chili at home, and we also should be good for all our meals for the next few days. I think we can make it until Saturday. We did eat lunch out today, because it is nice to reconnect after a busy morning. We would have had leftovers, but DH said he couldn't take eating chicken another meal, lol. So we will have it tomorrow and he can have a break tonight.
The hardest part about our current grocery day is that since it is the only day I have the car, I try to fit everything in on it. It's not realistic, because the baby really can only deal with one big tiring event a day and I really want it to be our weekly playdate at the library. I'm not setting either of us up for success right now, so I am switching grocery day to Saturday morning.
Off to try to do 15 minutes of dishes before hitting the sack. I need to work on dishes while baby is strapped into his high chair, but then I don't know when I will get to eat. This mom stuff, I tell you. It looks easier on tv.
We're still doing well with dinners at home! I have to think up a menu for next week. I've decided to cook every other night for family meals, and if there aren't leftovers, then we are on our own. Once I gave myself permission not to make dinner some nights, I realized it wasn't the end of the world. DH truly doesn't care if there is a meal made when he gets home--if there is, it's like a treat, and if there isn't, he heats up whatever he digs out of the pantry. Which is odd to me, because family meals are a big deal to me. But to him, it's just whatever. lol.
try2bfrugal
10-5-12, 11:02am
We do best when we plan and make the meals at home in the morning and make something in the crock pot or roaster. Worst case these days we go to Trader Joe's and get a prepared meal when we are short on time, but at least we rarely get fast food like McDonald's anymore unless we are traveling. The other night when we hadn't planned out dinner we just went to Trader Joe's and had bought prepared lasagna with sides like peas and apple slices.
I still haven't been able to go to the grocery store. It is so frustrating. At least it has cooled off to the 90's so I can walk the baby up to the corner market for a few things. Not perfect, but it will do for now.
We had veggie beef soup for dinner tonight.
We are also keeping to our eat at home plans. Last night, hubby came home with his sandwich from lunch, so I added some homemade chicken soup and called it dinner. I had the last of the coleslaw with my soup. Basically, two "found" meals for dinner - and at virtually no cost. Win!
I'm a little late to the challenge, but I'm going to estimate at 95% eat at home (4 meals out of 93 for the month.) I have one planned lunch out with a friend today. And I have learned that the weekends I work, I will eat out.
No matter how much I try to outsmart my lazy, inner child by pre-packaging the 3 healthy, home-cooked meals of the day and carrying them with me to work--by the middle of my third 12 hour day (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) I just want a soda and a bag of chips. Wah! So I am just going to plan on carryout/fast food for Saturday night, Sunday lunch and Sunday night.
At least I am just buying for me and not the whole family. :(
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