A table filled with fresh, healthy alternatives to fast food and sauce-heavy restaurant fare (photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/avlxyz/55346526/)
The stay-at-home mantra has been around as long as fast food has been luring an unsuspecting public out to eat with super-size french fries: Eating at home (and takeout doesn't count) saves money and calories. Compared with just a few years ago, more people are dealing with their current economic situation by following that mantra and eating at home more often.
Think about it. When a family of four goes out for dinner, the expenses build up:
• Gas to and from the restaurant—hybrid or no, the miles add up.
• Drinks—a soda or iced tea at home costs almost a dollar less than it does in a restaurant, and a cocktail or two build the tab up quickly.
• Appetizer and/or dessert—servers always try to up-sell a table by suggesting these extras, which up the calorie intake and wreak havoc on portion control efforts.
• Meals—considering how much it would cost to make the meals at home, the restaurant is making a killing on each meal while often passing on extra calories and fat, which would not make it onto the plate at home.
•Tip—for average service, a 20 percent tip is the norm; a bill of $30 calls for a $6 tip.
It makes sense on a lot of levels to eat at home. Try these tested tips to save money and calories on homemade meals:
Do some savvy grocery shopping and plan each week's meals ahead of time. Savvy grocery shopping includes using coupons for items normally purchased or for items that pique interest; don't use coupons just to use coupons, because generic items can still cost less than a name-brand item with a coupon. Do the quick math at the store to see which item is the true bargain. Not all generics are created equal, but many are hard to tell apart from the name brands.
Pay attention to what's on sale, and where. Don't drive to one store for just one or two items; make the gas to and from the store(s) worth using by consolidating all your shopping into one trip per week.
Stick to a list. Knowing what is needed in advance keeps the shopping excursion on track and the receipt shorter. Also, whatever happens,do not go to the market while hungry; those hunger pangs make picking up an extra bag of chips or container of ice cream seem like a perfectly logical idea. Remember: If it's not on the list, don't buy it.
Shop the perimeter of the store for the majority of the list. That's where most of the fresh items (i.e., not high-sodium, processed boxed items) are located. The fruits and vegetables, dairy case, meat counter and bakery line the building, and those are the kinds of foods that add up to a healthy diet.
Try new recipes to keep meals interesting. Stay away from frying foods and using heavy creams for sauces. For example, gazpacho—a cold summer soup—is about as low in calories as a meal gets, and it's loaded with fresh veggies: tomatoes, cucumbers, green pepper, onion, fresh basil all thrown into a food processor. The stove doesn't even get turned on and the table is set with a gorgeous, healthy, exciting meal. Or try an Italian caprese salad, made with sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil leaves, drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette. Or slice up several cheeses with crusty bread and a salad. Or create a hearty stock-based soup with whatever vegetables are in season. Or fire up the charcoal and grill tilapia, new potatoes and asparagus. The healthy choices are boundless.
Pay attention to the monthly bills. While grocery shopping ups the monthly expenses a bit, the drop from not eating out as often is noticeably greater. Notice, too, what the bathroom scale says. Chances are that at least a few pounds will slowly come off, and possibly more. And perhaps most important, check with the entire family to see how they feel since limiting outside meals and processed, fat-laden foods in enormous portions. The benefits of home cooking will surely outweigh the lure of monstrous meals that bust a gut and break the bank.
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