This is a given.... Not all of us are married, cooks, have time, appliances, budget, ect ect...
Just stop there and hear me out.
If you can afford to eat out or get a drink more then once a month then you can afford to eat stuff other then ramen and snack cakes or hot pockets...
If you can read this blog, facebook, read, do ANYTHING outside of work and sleep... Then you can make time to cook!
That all being said here is my thoughts for these issues so even if your stubborn you'll get it.
1. Make Ahead Meals
There are HUNDREDS of blogs about people who only cook once a month all the way to once a YEAR but eat home cooked every night! They do this by taking 2-6 hours to prep a bunch of meals using similar ingredients so that all they have to do is thaw and heat the meal.
You can do the same! If you don't wanna COOK IT right then, then just make bags of stuff to freeze and crockpot it!
I do not suggest freezing: Uncooked potatoes (They will turn black if they were fresh ones) or pasta (if your need to this, pasta is a bad choice because it'll absorb moisture while thawing and heating leading to mushy pasta even if its uncooked. Save that for when your cooking is over 600)
But outside of that, this works great.
I personally freeze up to 70 meals plus smoothie packs once a month. I cook maybe once or twice for a few hours for a ready made meal every meal but breakfast when I blend a smoothie and have a bagel or omlet.
2. Crockpot
As mentioned above this is a great invention... Just make a large crockpot full and have 3+ meals out of it. Just turn it to warm once its cooked. Naturally it shouldn't sit out for days... But I've found that under 40 hours is fine myself... Especially with stews, soups, and chili. Just keep it warm enough to stave off bacteria and add a bit of liquid every plate full to keep it steaming.
Naturally, do that at your own risk (Its what WE do, but I am like a panda... Iron stomach. I also have enough experience to know when something has gone bad...). I don't suggest leaving things like meat or dairy type items going long after finishing..
Some of my favorites are: Baked potatoes, Chicken dishes (Tacos, BBQ, Faijtas, ect ect-Crockpots do GREAT chicken), Chili/soup/stew, and Lasanga! But check out other sites, plenty of choices.
3. Treat it like a game.
Your a gamer... Make it a game. Your leveling a skill when cooking, gaining exp, and maybe working on rep (if you feed others). Needless to say, its a lot more interesting. Have a special "Reward" like a cookie or a portion of cash towards a game/item (If you spend 7 on average in fast food per meal but what your cooking is only 5 dollar average (My meals tend to be 1-3 dollars but I'm talking more high end here) that's saving 2 bucks a meal. That means by the end of the month you've saved $180 average per person. Even with only half of that you can preorder new games, pay for time, get tokens... You get my point?
4. Go for the cold.
That longest part of cooking IS COOKING! Subs and salads are cold and very quick and can be made ahead if you know you wont have time to prep before the meal. And they are SO easy to customize to your liking. Easy!
5. Don't starve
Snacking is good because when your hungry for long periods your body starts trying to STORE fat for later thinking it wont eat again...
So have healthy, portioned out snacks on hand. A baggy of veggies, nuts, fruit, ect. Every once in awhile toss chips or cookies into the mix as a indulgent.
Now you might be asking what this shit has to do with a better body, let me tell you. Empty calories sound made up but that's mainly what fast food and snack foods are.. So by cooking your own food, knowing its made the way you like it and waiting can help fight off those tempting pit stops.
Same with those snacks... Grab pre cut veggies and a dip or dressing, or fruits... It all is a lot healthier. But if you must have a sweet, make it yourself and sneak in health things like grated carrots, banana instead of oil/eggs, pieces of dried fruit, or try a vegan option (I'm not vegan myself but they have some super creative ways to make your favorite things in a MUCH healthier way.)
Lastly, lets try and simmer away from those fizzy drinks... I know Mt Dew and Red Bull is a staple to you, but lets try Lemonade and green tea...
Keep in mind I'm not saying you can NEVER indulge... But just attempting to switch even half the time will give a Huge difference in your health. I fully believe that simply cutting fast food and soda can help most people drop 20% of their weight at the very least... Mainly because its greased up sugar and chemicals! But by making your own food your more involved in the process and more likely to add items that are healthy like veggies and fruit. And how much your eating at a time.
This also is NO diet plan... Just suggestions that I know can improve your lifestyle and the amount in your wallet... The store might be 200 up front but if your averaging 10 bucks a meal, and 20-25 a day per person to eat out then I think your wallet will look fuller too (for games!)
That's all for this installment. I know there will be atleast two more so see you next week and i'd love some feedback.
Elve
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