Author Topic: Your best solutions against ordering in  (Read 14808 times)

Silkspin

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Your best solutions against ordering in
« on: April 12, 2017, 07:40:36 AM »
So this weekend we derailed badly. I love to cook, I'm a good cook, and we cook every single day and take leftovers for lunch. This month I'm on track for grocery budget to be about $450 which is amazing since we've been overspending in this area. Our schedule and energy level went a bit off this weekend, and we ended up ordering in/ eating fast food 3 times.

Trying to keep costs down, and to remain healthy, we avoid buying any prepared food. But if laziness strikes, or we're feeling off or have been super-busy, we end up ordering in. At those times I think it's better to put a few junky things in the budget - like Costco frozen pizzas or something. At least that would be cheaper, but then again, when it's in the house, it could be motivation to avoid cooking on a night where I could have hustled.

What are your best strategies against ordering in, and what are your go-to lazy, I have a craving, too tired to cook but need something delicious right now meals?

Livingthedream55

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #1 on: April 12, 2017, 07:47:42 AM »
(1) The crockpot is your friend! Put frozen chicken pieces and a jar of salsa in crockpot - 4 hours on high or 8-9 hours on low. Come home and boil a bag of frozen veggies - top with grated cheese.  Heaven!

(2) Have stuff you love in the freezer. Soups and stews will reheat in minutes.

(3) As you said,allow yourself a few convenience foods (cheaper than take out or dine out) like some microwaveable meals.

(4) Microwaved baked potato and fun toppings (I love vegetarian baked beans and a dollop of sour cream, you can also do salsa, various cheeses, butter, spaghetti sauce, etc.)

Silkspin

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #2 on: April 12, 2017, 07:55:55 AM »
Have to add - no microwave. But a toaster oven and a crockpot. But if you haven't thought of your crockpot meal well in advance, you're cooked!


big_slacker

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #3 on: April 12, 2017, 08:02:14 AM »
In terms of overcoming laziness to not eat badly every fitness/nutrition nerd knows the answer and it's meal prep. Have full meals pre-made or at least staples like brown rice, frozen veggies, etc. Then when you get to the point where you're hungry and don't want to cook you just throw the rice, veggies and a protein into a bowl, nuke it and pour some teriyaki on top. Done.

Livingthedream55

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #4 on: April 12, 2017, 08:06:34 AM »
Have to add - no microwave. But a toaster oven and a crockpot. But if you haven't thought of your crockpot meal well in advance, you're cooked!

Then I would say make up a bunch of crockpot meals when you have the energy (for me it's weekends) and freeze and then boil when you need. Make it something with lots of liquid in it (Soup, casserole) and just get the frozen "soupsicle" out of the bag and reheat on the stovetop. : 0 )

I bring "soupsickes" to work and reheat there. No leakage on the train into work!
« Last Edit: April 12, 2017, 10:39:03 AM by Livingthedream55 »

Warlord1986

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #5 on: April 12, 2017, 08:11:36 AM »
1. Cook large batches on weekends.
2. Reheat during the week.
3. ????
4. Profit.

NotJen

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #6 on: April 12, 2017, 08:23:09 AM »
I never order in, but I do eat out a lot (mostly socially).

I like to do big batch cooking and have single-serve "junk food" in the freezer.  I make my own frozen pizzas, burritos (these are actually pretty healthy, I use collard greens instead of tortillas to wrap!), pocket sandwiches, and veggie burger patties.  I do use the microwave to reheat the burritos, but the others are done in the toaster oven.

StarBright

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #7 on: April 12, 2017, 08:32:07 AM »
I've been doing something new recently that has helped with this and I'm a big-time meal planner and cook. With two kids and busy jobs I was burning out majorly on the prep and clean up.

I've been planning three nights of low-effort meals into my week for the past two months. I got a great discount on a three month trial for a meal-prep service (super suppers).  We've have a super suppers meal twice a week and night three is when we eat kid food or breakfast for dinner (pb&j, piece of fruit, or scrambled eggs and toast).

We ended up only eating out one day in March (vs about 4 times a month usually). Planning the easy days in advance made the other 4 days very doable.  I also try to defrost the frozen meals two days in advance to give myself a little flexibility  on when I use them.

honeybbq

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #8 on: April 12, 2017, 08:52:53 AM »
I'm like you and I cook fresh pretty much every night. But sometimes sh&t happens:

It's not healthy but they have 'pasta in a bag' in the frozen section you can keep rather cheaply. Usually we have one that's chicken and broccoli. Throw in a pot and add some water. Ready in 10 minutes. These are for nights where I got home late and still gotta take the kid to swim lessons, etc.

We also have a quesadilla maker (were gifted it!). It's easy to throw a can of beans and shredded cheese, maybe corn, onion, zucchini etc in between 2 tortillas and you have diner in 5.

Other last resorts: Amy's canned lentil soup from Costco.

marielle

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #9 on: April 12, 2017, 09:03:24 AM »
Waffles and grits are my go-to solutions for laziness, not super healthy by any means but probably better than a frozen pizza.

Of course this requires you to buy a waffle maker, but I think mine has made its money back just from the ease of a quick meal. I mix all the dry ingredients in a large bin, then day of just add water and a little bit of olive oil until the consistency is close. Done! I actually did the math and it costs 30 cents for two waffles. I buy 25 lbs of bread flour for $7 at Sam's.

I'm a red panda

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #10 on: April 12, 2017, 09:20:10 AM »
A bowl of cereal.


DH also makes multiple pizzas anytime he cooks so we always have some in the freezer.

We actually just bought some convience meals...about $5 for 3-4 servings of Chinese frozen food. Not something we ever do, but I just had a c section and husband an appendectomy, so we won't be scratch cooking every night. (Though we do still have a few leftovers to work through.)

rantk81

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #11 on: April 12, 2017, 09:27:53 AM »
I'm on the ketogenic diet. Most dinners for me are as easy as just pan-cooking either chicken, center cut pork chops, or ground beef... along with some frozen veggies microwaved and smothered with butter.  Or the protein cooked and cut up and thrown into a spinach salad.

Most dinners take less than 15 mins to prepare.

Breakfasts?  I hard-boil 5 eggs and have one each day for breakfast, along with heavy whipping cream in my coffee.


calimom

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #12 on: April 12, 2017, 09:40:50 AM »
Annie Chun's frozen wontons. Bring veggie broth (I usually have this in the freezer) to a boil, throw the wontons in, let cook, add scallions and handfuls of spinach. Pretty good and fast!

Some pantry items I keep on hand: linguini, capers, olives, tuna, jarred sauce. For those nights when I'm too busy/tired to have much motivation to cook anything more elaborate. I can generally scrounge some fresh broccoli or a salad together and have a meal on the table  in about 10 minutes or so.

partgypsy

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #13 on: April 12, 2017, 10:16:53 AM »
I spend too much on groceries, but I rarely do take out, eat out, etc. Kids love the frozen potstickers, also do a frozen pizza or some other frozen entrée once a week. Made a big batch of meatballs and froze some so pasta with sauce and meatballs. Other easy meals are tuna melts or tuna pasta salad, loaded baked potatoes, quesadillas/bean burritos/nachos, and canned soup (lentil with a squeeze of lemon). Supplement with steamed vegetables or fresh fruit.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #14 on: April 12, 2017, 10:22:27 AM »
I always have eggs, and I always have boxed broth. Egg drop soup can be ready basically instantly. I often also keep 'soup bags' in the freezer- that's pre-chopped veggies (usually celery, carrots, and green beans) in individual sized portions. You can dump these into broth, simmer like 3-4 min, then stir in a couple whipped eggs. Tada, dinner. If I'm feeling really fancy I might even start with rice, but then the whole meal takes longer than 5 minutes ;) Waaaaay quicker than waiting for takeout/delivery.

I also made a point, when I moved, to NOT know what would deliver to me. It is just something we cut out of our lives. We don't moderate well, so it's zero tolerance around here. We NEVER eat out for the sake of convenience. It just isn't a choice. If it was, we would do it way too often. Likewise unhealthy quick foods. If there was pizza in the freezer, we would use it on days that really don't justify it.

It's important to know if you are the type of person that can moderate or not, and on what. We know we can't. So it's a hard line. Some people can, and feel smothered by hardline options, so this does NOT work for them. Know thyself.

MrsPete

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #15 on: April 12, 2017, 10:25:37 AM »
I'm just jumping on the bandwagon here, but I like "batch cooking".  By that, I mean cooking in LARGE QUANTITY and freezing portions for future meals.  I love it because I can work hard on one day ... and eat several other days with only minimal effort. 

Good choices for "batch cooking":

- Soups
- Spaghetti sauce
- Burritos /Enchiladas, including scrambled egg versions for breakfast
- Chicken (or turkey) and stuffing casseroles

I usually do this when I find a main ingredient on sale.

A different topic:  My new favorite cooking method is the "One sheet pan meal".  Check it out on Pinterest.  Chop meat into bite-sized pieces, add chopped fresh vegetables and roast at a high temperature for a short time.  I suggest you do Chicken and Vegetables in Balsamic vinegar (or Italian dressing) first.  We also like Sweet Potatoes and Kiebalsa sausage.  Steak was a big failure; no more beef this way.  I have some shrimp in the freezer and intend to try it next.  Look over the Pinterest sheet pan recipes, try 1-2, and you'll be ready to improvise -- you can use any vegetables you happen to have.  This method takes no time, and you'll be impressed with the effort-to-quality ratio.  You could chop the vegetables in advance and freeze them, but I don't think I'd bother.  Oh, I usually serve this with rice, which takes no effort in the rice cooker. 
« Last Edit: April 12, 2017, 10:27:36 AM by MrsPete »

Goldielocks

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #16 on: April 12, 2017, 10:31:49 AM »
I am glad my choices mirror some of the suggestions here:

1)  Bowl of cereal
2) Container of yogurt (yes, half of the large container makes a yummy meal)
3) Eggs / omelettes  -- perfect for when I am tired, and when I need to get to the store.  I usually have left over veggies I can throw in.
4)  I always have cheese, crackers on hand.  Apples in crisper.
5)  Pancakes (when DH is away, I am tired, kids hungry, and I need to shop)

I agree that keeping some junky fast frozen food is not a great idea.   It never stays more than 5 days in there, its often what is eaten first (not last) and I end up just buying a LOT more than I really want to be eating.   The other problem is now that I have a 15 y.o. son, anything in a bright box just disappears quickly, and he develops a taste / strong preference for it, and I by a ton more.  $$ and health impact.


Another actual meal idea --  Shrimp, rice and frozen peas / vegetable.   Cook Rice on stove per normal but with garlic salt.  In the last 5 minutes add a bag of frozen shrimp and frozen peas.  Cook until shrimp are pink.   
« Last Edit: April 12, 2017, 10:35:56 AM by Goldielocks »

dougules

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #17 on: April 12, 2017, 10:35:27 AM »
+1 on the batch cooking + freezer ideas.

Another two
- Sandwiches.  They're easy and they go well with some previously-cut fresh fruit or homemade apple sauce in the fridge.  For some reason egg sandwiches specifically have become a thing at our house.  They're not super healthy, but they're better than most take-out. 
- Homemade hamburgers. Also not the healthiest, but still better than their fast-food cousins IMHO.  If you pre-pat and pre-season the patties then freeze them, they cook pretty fast.  I go straight from frozen with really thin patties and a searing hot sandwich press on a searing hot griddle.   I also use veg black bean patties from Aldi for a healthier option.  They're really good.

Davids

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #18 on: April 12, 2017, 10:36:32 AM »
Once in awhile we will order a pizza. I always do carryout though. Not posting any delivery charge and tip when the joint is a 5 min drive from my home.

TOgirl

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #19 on: April 12, 2017, 10:40:28 AM »
We mostly batch cook a few proteins, pre-chop veggies and fruits, and make a pot of sweet potatoes and rice or pasta, all to keep in the fridge for the week (or however long they last).

I find this helps us eat well, and not spend so much effort on the "what will I make" - we grab protein, veggies, and a healthy carb, and put them together for a meal.

Additionally, we sometimes do breakfast for dinner - so easy to whip up eggs and pancakes for dinner, and I often do "picnic plates" with the kids when I don't feel like cooking - I cut up cheese, some cold meats, naan or crackers, veggies and fruits, and we pretend we're on a picnic (or if the weather is nice, we actually picnic in the yard)


Tyson

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #20 on: April 12, 2017, 10:42:26 AM »
Yep, batch cooking plus sandwiches is the best/cheapest/easiest method we've found here. 

One other dish I've been working on is eggs over-easy on rice.  With a good bit of salt and lemon-pepper on the eggs, it's quite tasty and super fast (and easy clean up).  I always keep a good bit of cooked rice in the fridge as a base for all kinds of meals.  My other favorite is cooked sausage and mixed veggies (and rice!).  Literally just dump them into a bowl, heat and eat. 

For me, I think about the fact that I can get the food made and cleaned up in less time than the order would get to me.  So I use my basic impatience about things to help against ordering (because it's usually 30 minutes or more to get food delivered). 

ooeei

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #21 on: April 12, 2017, 11:16:33 AM »
Cook up a pork shoulder (boiling is fine) and shred it into small containers to freeze.  When you want a meal, thaw it in the microwave or straight on a pan, and add a good bit of oil (frying, not olive) or rendered animal fat, and crisp it up in the pan with salt and whatever seasonings you want.  Toss in some frozen veggies, then leftover rice.  Put it all in a bowl and use the pan to fry up a runny egg to go on top.  Drizzle with soy sauce or whatever flavoring you'd like.

~20 minutes start to finish including thawing.  You just need some on hand cooked rice which I make once a week or so and have in the fridge.  You can also substitute store bought sausage links and slice them up instead of using the shoulder, I'm partial to jalapeno ones.

I'd also recommend getting a microwave, if only to reheat rice or the occasional lasagna/chicken/whatever quickly.  I use these containers in various sizes to prevent the inevitable Tupperware chaos with matching lids up: https://www.amazon.com/Reditainer-Extreme-Containers-16-Ounce-36-Pack/dp/B00HG8YTB0.  The 16 and 8 oz get the most use, the 32 oz are convenient for stock and whatnot but not really necessary.  All use the same lids, and can go in the freezer.  At any given time we have 2-5 different options in the chest freezer for a quick reheat. 

PiobStache

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #22 on: April 12, 2017, 11:29:17 AM »
Big batch cooking and two chest freezers full of stuff at our house, so basically the same strategy as everyone else.  I will also add we have a sous vide circulator, the ANova, and it is highly practical for the straight from the freezer cooking method.  It also does wonders with inexpensive cuts of meat if used properly.

engineermom21

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #23 on: April 12, 2017, 11:41:11 AM »
Everyone has already given some great advice, so I'll just add a few more things (that may already be on here, but I might have missed while skimming down....)

* Get an Instant Pot.  Such an easy, great way to cook quick meals.  It's honestly my new favorite thing in my kitchen.
* Always freeze your leftovers before they do bad.  This has saved me many times from eating out lunch or dinner when I don't have time to make something.  I always have a few options in there that I threw in the freezer after I knew no one was going to eat them out of the fridge in time.
* And along those same lines (and the best advice already been given on here by everyone above me) is batch cooking.  I always make extras of things I know will freeze well when I am making dinner (meatballs, pot pies, pulled pork, shredded chicken, etc.).  This is your best defense against eating out - always having something on hand in the freezer that you can pull out and heat up for a quick meal.

Digital Dogma

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #24 on: April 12, 2017, 12:06:10 PM »
My go-to lazy meals in no particular order

-breakfast for dinner with french toast/eggs, add bacon/sausage/corned beef hash
-grilled cheese and tomato soup
-costco vegetarian burrito with a packet of madras lentils
-mac n cheese with bacon bits mixed in
-coldcut sandwiches (we buy cold cuts on sale, remove them from the original package/deli paper, bag and freeze them for longevity)
-pack of hotdogs in the freezer
-canned Tuna for quick tuna salad with some onion
-large batch of hard boiled eggs for egg salad
-beans n rice

All low-intensity cooking and totally manageable after a long day of work.

HipGnosis

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #25 on: April 12, 2017, 12:12:28 PM »
Sorry, but cravings and crockpot just don't go together.

My go-to is chicken nachos or burrito.  Boil or broil chicken (I buy thighs unless breasts are on a good sale), onion and peppers (from frozen, aka fajita mix), tomatoes (sometimes rotel), salsa, cheese, hot sauce, jalapenos or salad peppers and seasonings.

Cranky

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #26 on: April 12, 2017, 12:24:36 PM »
Nothing delivers except pizza around here, and I don't love pizza, so that's not a temptation.

When I run out of dinner inspiration, I fix breakfast for dinner, or grilled cheese.

ltt

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #27 on: April 12, 2017, 12:25:17 PM »
When you are tired and simply don't want to cook, I really like frozen pizza.  However, you have to make sure it's a brand you like.  Some are very good.  Also, a loaf of bread you like and deli sandwich meat.  Cut up some lettuce and onions and you're good to go. 

There are also some very good frozen foods, you just have to try some out, see what you like, and keep some in the freezer for those nights that are busy/tired.

There are some soups that can be dumped/mixed together--usually tomato or potato--different canned brands that turn out really good and are very easy.

Eggs, always have eggs on hand. 

I agree that a crockpot meal usually has to be planned.   

lizzzi

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #28 on: April 12, 2017, 12:52:25 PM »
Cheese, crackers, fresh fruit, handful of nuts, possibly some charcuterie like those little slices of dried salami.
Grilled cheese sandwich (or just melt some cheese on top of bread in oven or microwave), tomato soup.
Can of chili, salmon, or chicken..
Instant mashed potatoes (flakes in box.) Top with salt, pepper, lots of cheese.
Burritos--I usually have some in the freezer, but very quick to throw together with flour tortillas, canned re-fried beans, any kind of cheese, canned tomatoes with chilies. Maybe green or black olives.
Cut up fresh vegetables to go along with the above suggestions, or a pack of steam-in-the-bag vegetables.
Sardines mashed up with a little mustard, mayo, worcestershire sauce to taste, warmed under broiler on toast--or just put in sandwich with bread.

I use groceries from Aldi for all of the above ideas. (Some are kind of lame, I know, but these are meant for exhausted nights of desperation--not what I eat on a regular basis--you know I'm desperate when I'm suggesting instant potato flakes!)


TravelJunkyQC

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #29 on: April 12, 2017, 01:11:59 PM »
I'm a fan of the Costco frozen pizzas. I just hide them in the back so that they aren't tempting, but I know they're there when need-be. Also, frozen fish filets and frozen or canned vegetables aren't the most delicious, but they do the trick in a pinch.

Hadilly

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #30 on: April 12, 2017, 01:26:02 PM »
Soup! Up your soup game and find some recipes you like. Double and freeze.  It is an easy way to eat veggies, filling, healthy, etc. Pair with chicken, grilled cheese, a sausage and so on and so on. Seriously, I always have a big batch in the fridge and freezer.

My second suggestion is to always have a batch of pinto beans (use Anna Thomas' recipe) and a batch of cubed, roasted sweet potatoes around. A lot of times, I also have shredded cabbage in lemon/salt/oil. With those things, and maybe some tortillas, eggs, and salsa, you can make really yummy and fast meals.

Zikoris

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #31 on: April 12, 2017, 01:38:03 PM »
We bulk cook on the weekenda, and always make stuff that produces lots of leftovers. I also keep some supplies around that are really fast and easy to turn into a meal, like pitas or wraps.

I also think it's worth having a chat from time to time with your inner two year old (we all have one) regarding what is and is not an acceptable reason to not do something. Go with whatever you'd say to your kid who didn't feel like doing its homework or cleaning its room or whatever. I.e. "Too bad, do it anyway."

Silkspin

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #32 on: April 12, 2017, 02:31:22 PM »
Such great ideas! Zikoris, so true - that conversation inside with the 2 year old. Also someone said you have to know yourself and decide if this is something you want to take or leave.

What happened this weekend was exceptional, but as a family we do have our breakdown moments where you simply want and need a messy mom and pop pizza and poutine, Indian etc. It's the psychological fight that happens here, because soup and sandwiches simply may not cut it. We sit down and have a family meal just about every single mealtime, but those breakdown times are usually Fridays, we're tired, hubby picks up the food, and we eat in the living room while having a movie night. I love those nights where we just throw it to the wind, but need better options because the takeout isn't so healthy and really not nice on our wallet.

I do make meals in advance but it comes in waves when I have extra time. I think we can do better here. I like the idea of making some of our 'vice' delicious alternatives ahead (pizza, mexican). We usually make our own pizza - but we've always eaten it fresh and I've not really considered freezing it. I think it's also about having a meal already ready to pop into the oven, versus some of the pre-cooked items that you still have to add veggies, rice, sauce etc. It's not the wait time versus prep time, it's about pure old I feel like not lifting a finger but having something super yummy placed in front of my face!!!

Awesome responses everyone, thank you!

mm1970

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #33 on: April 12, 2017, 03:07:34 PM »
So this weekend we derailed badly. I love to cook, I'm a good cook, and we cook every single day and take leftovers for lunch. This month I'm on track for grocery budget to be about $450 which is amazing since we've been overspending in this area. Our schedule and energy level went a bit off this weekend, and we ended up ordering in/ eating fast food 3 times.

Trying to keep costs down, and to remain healthy, we avoid buying any prepared food. But if laziness strikes, or we're feeling off or have been super-busy, we end up ordering in. At those times I think it's better to put a few junky things in the budget - like Costco frozen pizzas or something. At least that would be cheaper, but then again, when it's in the house, it could be motivation to avoid cooking on a night where I could have hustled.

What are your best strategies against ordering in, and what are your go-to lazy, I have a craving, too tired to cook but need something delicious right now meals?

Costco pizza
Trader Joe's chicken fingers
Grilled cheese
Quesadillas
Scrambled eggs and stir-fried frozen vegetables
One pot pasta (instant pot)
Some random things that I threw in the freezer a month ago

These days we pretty much live on these things

redbird

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #34 on: April 12, 2017, 03:27:22 PM »
I hate the concept of tips, so it's been many, many years since I last ordered in. You have to deal with tips at sit down restaurants too, but sit down restaurants usually give you more complicated meals (plus I also eat at those extremely rarely anyway...). Most order-in places you can actually get the same food with zero tip to a driver (and no delivery fees either) if you go pick it up from the store.

The worst thing to all of me for waiting for ordering in is that you have to wait generally 30 minutes-1 hour to get your food. Many dinners can actually be made for 30 minutes or less. And meals that take a long time you can generally bulk prep, freeze some for later, and then just have to heat it up when you're ready to eat it. The Instant Pot also helps take down cook time. I love my Instant Pot and how quick it makes stuff. I wish I had one of these when I still worked! I probably would've eaten a bit healthier then!

FI4good

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #35 on: April 12, 2017, 04:24:45 PM »
Think i've done it 3 times in 6 months spending £25 each time ( £20 min for delivery here )

I don't think my £150 a year habit, £3750 lump sum required for a couple of pizzas on a meal deal every other month for life at 4% SWR is going to derail my FIRE ( something i can cut back on if markets plunge) . Although i'm sure i can hear the mr money mustache on my shoulder clucking his teeth.

I might infact go mad and have 7 pizza nights in a leap year in future just because i'm so spendy pants and like being the rebel .. come live life in the fast lane risking a 5% SWR on your pizza account like me. 

dude

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #36 on: April 13, 2017, 05:19:08 AM »
So this weekend we derailed badly. I love to cook, I'm a good cook, and we cook every single day and take leftovers for lunch. This month I'm on track for grocery budget to be about $450 which is amazing since we've been overspending in this area. Our schedule and energy level went a bit off this weekend, and we ended up ordering in/ eating fast food 3 times.

Trying to keep costs down, and to remain healthy, we avoid buying any prepared food. But if laziness strikes, or we're feeling off or have been super-busy, we end up ordering in. At those times I think it's better to put a few junky things in the budget - like Costco frozen pizzas or something. At least that would be cheaper, but then again, when it's in the house, it could be motivation to avoid cooking on a night where I could have hustled.

What are your best strategies against ordering in, and what are your go-to lazy, I have a craving, too tired to cook but need something delicious right now meals?

Trader Joe's has healthy prepared (i.e. canned) options.  They have a Dal Masala (lentils and beans) that is delicious and has no preservatives or the like. Whip up a quick pot of rice, heat the stuff up, maybe toss in some shrimp or additional vegetables like spinach, and voila!  I use it as a go-to for a brown bag lunch when I don't have any leftovers or time to prepare something, usually with some rice and I'll bring a Japanese yam and bake it in the office toaster oven. 

Otherwise, it's all about the grill -- boneless chicken thighs rubbed down with some southwest spice is my favorite easy thing to do.  Can eat them with a salad, or quickly steam up some broccoli (tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper), or if you have a little more time, broccoli rabe (I blanche mine, quick ice bath, sauté in olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes).

davisgang90

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #37 on: April 13, 2017, 05:36:14 AM »
Lots of great advice above.

I'll echo:
Have a plan for meals for the week
Food prep ahead of time (biggest thing for me is making sure meat is thawed)
Have a cheat meal (like cereal or pancakes) that is super easy for when you are tired/late etc.

sw1tch

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #38 on: April 13, 2017, 07:07:51 AM »
Our go-to is usually some kind of instant noodle packs (Asian stores have a lot of variations so you don't have to settle for Maruchan Ramen) w/ hard boiled eggs and some kind of vegetable if we're not too lazy.

lentil

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #39 on: April 13, 2017, 08:07:44 AM »
We struggle with this periodically, and have used some (many!) of the strategies listed above. I go through periods of total disinterest in cooking, as well as times when our staple foods seem really boring, which is a tricky combination for me -- more novel flavors mean more elaborate prep for me, and I'm just not always up for it.

One thing I worked out is that there are cheaper "treats" than delivery food. Take-out for the two of us is anywhere from $10-$40 for just one meal, with maybe some leftovers. For less than that (on a per-meal basis), I can hit the grocery store and get things that are more prepared than we're usually eating, and fancy enough to feel just as good as take-out. Examples would be: cheese, crackers, hummus, & cut veggies (no cooking, and feels like snacking); really fancy, really huge salads (no cooking); sliced bread and sandwich fixings (I think you see the trend here!).

I actually did the math on a couple of these, just to satisfy my curiosity, and it tends to work out to about 3-4 times more expensive (per person, per meal) than our staples, but is way, way, way less than delivery. It helps me deal with those occasional weeks where I am just not feeling it, and I can still space things out with some bulk freezer meals.

Tyson

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #40 on: April 13, 2017, 10:23:33 AM »
Also I noticed that sometimes I was just 'craving' Chinese food.  Or Indian food.  Or whatever.  So I did (and am doing) 2 things.  First, learn to make those types of food myself.  If you can make it regularly, it cuts down on those cravings.  The second thing I did was get some decent frozen versions of those foods.  Like fried rice - Costco has a very good chicken fried rice that comes in individual packets.  Yum. 

Other things that drove eating out was my daughter wanting to go to Sonic.  What I learned is that she didn't 'really' want the burger or tater tots, but she wanted a milkshake.  So I learned to make milkshakes and real whipped cream at home and she loves that far more and we never, ever go to Sonic anymore. 

ambimammular

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #41 on: April 13, 2017, 07:35:52 PM »
Scrambled eggs with salsa, cheddar, and tortilla chips crumbled in for the last minute or two of cooking.

Crepes. Seriously, not a lot of work. The ingredients go straight from the blender to the frying pan.

Miso soup. It's a tablespoon of the bullion-style mix added to noodles that boil for three minutes tops. Frozen corn cools it down to eating temp. My kids cheer and it's the laziest meal.

Apples with peanut butter

Good old cereal

MrDelane

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #42 on: April 13, 2017, 08:02:54 PM »
I'll add to the many people who have already talked about batch cooking.

We try to keep a combination of 'ready to eat' frozen meals as well as a stockpile of frozen components.
You don't necessarily need to cook all week to make that happen, just choose meals that lend themselves to freezing and instead cook two or four times as much as you normally would when you're cooking for the family on a day you feel like it.

For our frozen meals we usually keep:

Quiche
Meatloaf
Soups
Chili

For our frozen components we usually keep:

Pie crust
Pizza Dough
Tortillas
Shredded Chicken
Pulled Pork


When it comes to freezing, the key for me is making the thawing and cooking as easy as possible.
For quiche and meatloaf, I will freeze them in the pan they will be cooked in (wrapped in plastic wrap).
Once frozen I can pop them out, wrap, and store in the freezer.  When its time to cook you can just pop it back in the pan and it will fit perfectly... then cook.

For soups and chili I filled our usual bowls with water and then poured the contents into a big measuring pitcher - that way you know exactly how much you need for 1 serving for your family.  Then get a bunch of Ziploc or Tupperware freezer containers that are close to that size.  Make as much soup as you can and then fill the containers.  Last time I made chili I made enough for 30 servings (yeah, I'm a bit ridiculous).

When it comes to some things, like chicken noodle soup, just freeze the soup without the noodles (because they won't thaw well).  The day you decide you want that soup, just make some pasta and add it to the soup.  It won't feel like you're eating a frozen meal at all.

If you are grillers and meat eaters I would urge you to grill in quantity.  It's just as easy to grill 8 chicken breasts as it is 4.  When I grill I'll usually make extras.  We'll chop it up, shred it, or whatever we prefer and then freeze.  It can be used with rice, pasta, or any number of things.

Tortillas are amazingly easy to make, cheap, and SO much better fresh than store bought.  I'll usually make a large batch and then only cook the ones we're going to eat that night.  You can freeze them as individual dough balls and then thaw as needed.  They thaw quickly and cook in less than a minute and taste amazing.

By having MULTIPLE frozen options that require different levels of assembly you make it a lot harder for yourself to order food from somewhere.  In my house when one of us says 'I don't feel like cooking' we wind up going down the list of what we have, trying to decide how much work we feel like doing.

Don't want to cook but don't mind putting something together?  How about some chicken tacos?  Of chicken noodle soup?  Or rice and pork?

Don't want to cook and don't want to put anything together? How about some quiche?  Or meatloaf? Or chili?

Having multiple options ready to go keeps us from getting bored of one thing, and forces us to go through multiple options before we give in to the temptation of convenience foods.

meandmyfamily

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #43 on: April 14, 2017, 09:39:36 PM »
For us we always have stuff on hand to make burritos (homemade beans or canned-Trader Joes ones- as a last resort, cheese, onions, tortillas, etc.), pasta and pb and j sandwiches.  Lately we also pick up some frozen Costco pizzas.  This way we never "have" to order in.

It just isn't an option for us anymore.  That helps too-take it off the table as an option.

MMMaybe

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #44 on: April 15, 2017, 02:05:15 PM »
We keep some easy options sitting in the freezer. Sausages, felafels or burgers perhaps. Some sides such as prepared cauliflower cheese live in there too. Its pretty easy to throw together a meal.

Other times, nothing but a curry or sushi will do and so we pick up the phone and order!

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #45 on: April 16, 2017, 02:32:48 PM »
I have a few quick meals on hand (canned tuna to make sandwiches and frozen French fries or fried eggs and French fries). Usually if I want to order in I'm craving a quick junk food type meal so I try and have a few things which are quick like that.
But really what works best for me is to give myself permission several times a year to order in.
Usually when I give myself permission, I end up not ordering in because I know the food won't be great; I can make better tasting junk food!

Bee21

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #46 on: April 16, 2017, 08:54:06 PM »
Ordering in is not that convenient if you think about it. In those 30 minutes you can cook a lot of things for a fraction of the price.

Meal plan. Batch cook. These are non negotiable. It saves time and money. I started batch cooking and planning meals to save time and my sanity, and they really make a difference. Since i am doing these religiously, I never ran out of food for dinner. All I have to do is take it out of the freezer the night before on the days when I work.

For lunches, we have
Leftovers (cook more so that you have them)
Soup and grilled cheese sandwich
Stir fry veg with eggs
Egg fried rice (use frozen leftover rice and frozen veg)
Pasta salad with whatever you find in the fridge.
Omelettes.
Quesadillas.
French toast.
Tuna melt.
Anything on toast (beans with cheese are the kid's favourites)
Salad with roasted vegetables

These days we I pre roast the vegetables (pumpkin, sweet potatoes) and just add water/stock from the freezer for soup or add them to salads. I also batch cook stews, bolognese sauce, lasagna, shepherd pie and meatballs, so there is always something in the freezer. It is also a good idea to buy larger than necessary roasts and use the leftovers during the week.

Plan for the leftovers, there are some great books around about using them creatively, the River cottage guys (hugh whatshisname) has a great one, and my favourite is Suzy Bowler's Leftover handbook, she also has a blog with great ideas called Sudden lunch. I also recommend Tamar Adler's book, The everlasting meal, it changed the way I plan for my meals and prepare food.

It is really about planning and a bit of prep.


backyardfeast

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #47 on: April 16, 2017, 09:42:28 PM »
Two things: big +1 to lentil's suggestion of doing "take out" from the grocery store.  It's a big improvement for us (financially), to decide we're not cooking (usually because we're out running around and not actually at home at all) and head to the grocery store.  A rotisserie chicken, some deli salads, and maybe a bottle of wine and we've spent $20-30 instead of $50-60, and we have leftovers for lunch the next day and then soup from the chicken carcass.  It's not as frugal as roasting the chicken ourselves, etc, but it hits the spot.

We eat tons of eggs for dinner as quick meals.  During a couple of our busiest weeks around here, I was eating 3 fried eggs on toast almost every day for dinner, and DH was fending for himself!  I figure if I'm still eating fruit and veg throughout the day, the occasional day without a balanced dinner isn't the end of the world!

My other suggestion for the situation you're describing is what my family did when we were growing up.  I think those end of the week family movie nights are really great and having those rituals is awesome too.  Growing up, my mom and dad would cook the staple dinner rotation through the week.  Pasta, sheet pan meal, maybe a curry night, a stir-fry, whatever.  Leftovers would go in the fridge and sometimes get nibbled on for lunches, but we would often have sandwiches or other stuff for lunch.  So Friday was leftover day!  All the containers would get taken out of the fridge, heated up, and then set out on the table buffet-style.  Presto! Restaurant night.  We could all pick what we wanted for our own plates, maybe add something special/ unusual to us (like sodas or potato chips or veggies and dip) and we had a fun, relaxed family routine.

These days I mostly try to cycle leftover ingredients through the week so as to minimize our food waste, but we're only 2 adults now, so maybe the above would work for you. :-)

milliemchi

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #48 on: April 16, 2017, 10:59:49 PM »
Always have:

- bread/sliced ham and cheese and baby carrots. A sandwich and fresh vegs/fruit is not a junk meal. Grilled is a bonus, lettuce/tomato is luxuirous. (5-15 mnin)
- canned soup/stew (5 min)
- frozen pasta meals (chicken stir fry/other asian bags) (15 min)
- a pack of 'already cooked' chicken sausages or such; microwave, add instant mashed potatoes, chopped tomato - full healthy meal (15 min)
- frozen home cooked bean soup, microwave (10-20 min but minimum supervision)
- eggs; scramble; eat with bread and side raw vegetable (tomato, cucumber, baby carrots, also zucchini (unpealed) (10-15 min)
- frozen bags of steamable veggies (microwave), to go with any quick protein (eggs, chicken sausage, sardines or canned tuna/other fish, poached eggs (in microweave poachers - spray lightly with oil before use) (5-10 min)
- a batch of hard boiled eggs (I boils 6 every weekend and mostly feed the kids with those, mostly for breakfast/supper, but can have other uses
- frozen pizza; these can be broken in half and made in the toaster over (20-30 min, but unsupervised)

If these seem too simple, add instant chicken soup as the first entree. cans (5 min) or bags (10 min) work well. These are cooked in parallel with the above, so they don't add time. Finish with fresh fruit (apples, pears, peaches, berries, etc.) for desert.

But I have to say we use these mainly because the thought of ordering in is completely foreign to us. I also have to point out that it's quicker to prepare any of these than to order in. I also have to say that it's much cheaper to get a microwave than to order in twice or trice.

ambimammular

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Re: Your best solutions against ordering in
« Reply #49 on: April 17, 2017, 07:02:58 PM »
Forgot about hot ham & cheese. Thin sliced ham and your favorite cheese in a bun, wrapped in foil in the oven.

Although, I'm hearing bad things about cooking with foil these day :/