Disolving my mental traps

[lovcom]

Get rich and healthy at the same time:

Eat at Quiznos, and Subway. Choose sandwiches that are low in fat, calories, and go with the baked chips, or just the sandwaich. Stay clear of all softdrinks, diet too.

Have a nice sit-down dinner once a month with someone special.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

I think Radiance is cooking almost entirely at home these days and for less money and healthier than those sandwhich shops.

Actually, for a lot of people who read these forums, cutting out fast food while at work is an important way to help get their spending in line with their income.

Last time I went into Subway, I tried to order one of the small round sandwhiches, but they no longer had them on the menu.

[snafu]

I don't like restaurant food because I have no idea what has gone into the food I will eat. Was the food fresh and good quality? How much sodium and other 'preservatives' were used? What is the personal hygiene level of the prep staff? After seeing a couple of episodes of a Restaurant Makeover series & early Gordon Ramsay series, it was sickening to see sauces turned green, meat weeks past prime being served in smartly decorated restaurants on beautiful tableware.

I'd rather challenge myself to make elegant meals at home using quality ingredients. The fact that I can produce them for about 1/3 the cost is merely a bonus. If you're hung up on 'choosing' from the menu...make up a menu plan and choose anything you like from the giant food store. If that's not wide enough...you can buy ingredients on-line. If it is having someone trot out foods from kitchen to table...use the $$$ saved to hire someone to wash your floors and vacuum. Lots of food stores will shop & deliver food so long as you will pay the premium.

Buy the most expensive set of tableware you like. Use it every night and it will be worth every cent paid if it helps you enjoy your meal. I've never understood people who save tableware for 'good.' You are good enough to use your best tableware so enjoy it!

[Radiance]

Yeah, eating at fast food and the like will not work for me.

Eating super healthy is vital for me, so cooking at home is the way to go.
I am looking for ways to really enjoy it so it becomes a lifestyle and not a dragging responsibility...Last time I bought from McDonalds I couldn't even swallow the sandwich...so I wasted my 2 bucks...

At home I am happy with the tableware I have.
At the office is were I have been using plastic containers or thermos. Not doing it for me.

It doesn't have to be expensive, just inviting.

P.S. I do have a Christmas set that I really like and I only use in Christmas.

[Miss Curly]

When I was working, I found that one of the hardest attractions to fight about eating out at lunch time was the idea of a break from the office. So take your lunch out of the office to a nearby park or wherever you can find that would be a fun public place to eat.

Wraps are great for this purpose. Overcook an amount of chicken earlier for a dinner and set that aside for your lunches. Chop extra veggies when you are chopping any for dinner or salads. Assemble your wrap at your lunch site. The key is to have a really great salad dressing which makes your wrap extra special to drizzle upon as you eat it.

I saw some really cute half trays on clearance at Target that would make great plates for such a lunch. It's really important to have a lunch kit that is functional and also makes you happy. Like a present that you get to unwrap every day at lunch. Keep a blanket/beach towel in your car and you have a nice lunch OUT.

Doesn't have to be every day. Also, a good idea for getting the treat of eating out and still be frugal is to just eat dessert out. Like a happy Friday kind of thing. Especially if you have a friend to split it with you, it'll be easier on your pocketbook and your waistline.

[Radiance]

Doesn't have to be every day. Also, a good idea for getting the treat of eating out and still be frugal is to just eat dessert out. Like a happy Friday kind of thing. Especially if you have a friend to split it with you, it'll be easier on your pocketbook and your waistline.

I like that compromise! and I am sure some of my coworker friends will buy into it too!

In the mean time, still struggling, my son was sick for a week, then I came under during the weekend. My meal plan came down the drains, food spolied.... ah. How do you adapt your cooking plans when sick?

remember, single mom of toddler with full time job...
THis has been a real toughy! arg

[Miss Curly]

I like that compromise! and I am sure some of my coworker friends will buy into it too!

In the mean time, still struggling, my son was sick for a week, then I came under during the weekend. My meal plan came down the drains, food spolied.... ah. How do you adapt your cooking plans when sick?

remember, single mom of toddler with full time job...
THis has been a real toughy! arg

It all depends on what your cooking plans were. You are in a tough spot if you don't have another adult to help you in times like these. That said, you really do need a back up plan should this happen again.

It begins with your food storage. We eat a lot of fresh produce. I was having such a hard time with spoilage that I did a ton of research on it. There is an order to the food that you eat. You eat strawberries before apples. Brocolli before cauliflower. Asparagus before brocolli. That sort of thing based on typical shelf life.

You have to keep fruit/veggies that emit off gases away from those that don't. Etc etc.

I'm sure you've read on other threads that I have purchased some specialty food storage containers for the things that I was having the most trouble with. Even if you didn't do this, I have found that the way I organize my fridge will go a long way to helping me use what needs to be used. Produce drawers are virtually worthless, you need to get those items up on the shelves.

And if possible, get your produce prepped when you can. It'll help you use them later when time is short. Don't put half an onion in a baggie in the fridge and hide in your produce drawer. Chop the whole onion and put the unused chopped onion in an inexpensive, washable (trashable) plastic container. Now you have chopped onion ready for the next usage.

Don't wash one leaf of lettuce, dry it and put it on a sandwich. Wash the whole head, wrap it in a damp paper towel and have it be ready to go. Don't just wash a single stalk of celery, wash the whole thing, shorten the stalks, put in plain site.

I had a saying. If you are going to cook, cook a lot. It doesn't take much more time to prep the entirety of whatever you are dealing with than asingle serving.

Finally, it's good to know what can be frozen and how. You can freeze fresh fruit, but you often steam veggies before freezing. Have the tools on hand so that even if you aren't sick, you can deal with what's happening to the items in your fridge.

Know some recipes that will make use of overripe items. Like broth, soup (good for most veggies), or chili (great for wrinkled bell peppers). Or baked fruit.

It's lateand I see that I'm typing a lot. I like to talk. I hope I've offered some helpful suggestions. I've been struggling with this very same issue and have figured out ways to deal. I'll stop now. Let me know if this info sparks any more specifics...

[cptacek]

Someone here in the forums or in the blogs suggested "serving" the leftover container at the same time you serve the rest of your family. I have found that if I don't do this, the leftovers stay in their bowl in the fridge until I throw them out.

But I've been doing this lately: for instance, we had rotini and meat sauce for supper tonight. I'll put the rotini in the bottom of the zip loc bag (actually, the thin generic kind, cause I'm cheap and I'm going to eat it tomorrow) and then the meat sauce on top. I'll then freeze it. I'll take that frozen hunk of lunch to work tomorrow and put it in the fridge. This way, even if the cheap bag gets a leak, it won't leak all over. For lunch, I'll heat it up in the bag and pour it out on the plate.

[snafu]

http://www.foodtv.ca/recipes/browse/browse_result.aspx?PageNumber=2&DropHost=39355

I hope this link works as Sandi Richard's recipes are quick, easy to prepare, and delicious using normal products we all have in our pantries. Her cookbooks are worth the cost just for the menu plan and grocery list you can Xerox and take with you.

Sorry you're sick. A crockpot [slo cooker] could be utilized for chili, chowder, ragout, soup or stew. Any casserole you care to eat can start with leftovers...just google.... cooks.com 'leftovers'
Depending on your energy level and the things you like to eat you could make...Quiche, Chow Mein, Tortillas, Chix [Mac'n Cheese + choice of meat/veg], Enchilladas, Hash, Meat Pie, London Broil, Mulliganawny, bread pudding, fajitas, paella pilaf, spanish rice, curry.

[Miss Curly]

Someone here in the forums or in the blogs suggested "serving" the leftover container at the same time you serve the rest of your family. I have found that if I don't do this, the leftovers stay in their bowl in the fridge until I throw them out.

But I've been doing this lately: for instance, we had rotini and meat sauce for supper tonight. I'll put the rotini in the bottom of the zip loc bag (actually, the thin generic kind, cause I'm cheap and I'm going to eat it tomorrow) and then the meat sauce on top. I'll then freeze it. I'll take that frozen hunk of lunch to work tomorrow and put it in the fridge. This way, even if the cheap bag gets a leak, it won't leak all over. For lunch, I'll heat it up in the bag and pour it out on the plate.

I definitely do this. It's even easier when you have designated dishes for the lunch kit. We purchased several dishes that fit nicely into my husbands lunch bag (he takes a softsided, cube-like, 12-can sized cooler). I often pack breakfast, lunch, and a couple snacks for him. (He commutes 120+ miles a day, so he needs to take a bunch of food with him for a long work day).

I have a couple different smaller Pyrex dishes with rubber lids that I use that for things going in the microwave. (Plastic bags are seldom rated for microwave use, be careful there). I also have a whole set of durable plastic containers for refrigerated foods. I often increase a salad or veggie side by at least one serving and dish that out into the lunch kit as well.