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Am I the only one out there who enjoys eating out immensely? I think I have cooking burnout. And I like eating out. How do I break this habit? For some reason, eating at home just loses its appeal. I'm tired of the same dishes I cook. The same boring sides.
A few years back, I was going to college at night. My DH cooked more then, and I didn't mind whatever he put in front of me, of course I was starved and tired.
Now the situation is reversed, and I've been cooking 90% of our meals. The other 10% is us dining out. He's in school and I'm not anymore. Thing is, I still like to eat out! He thinks it's a bad habit on our money, which I agree, but I am just sick of cooking!!
I love eating out also, and it is an expensive habit.
Get some cook books, and try cooking stuff you haven't made before...and there are recipes online for just about everything! Experiment. You might be boring yourself with the same old thing.
I end up meeting in the middle by buying a lot of pre-made stuff (usually healthier items from Trader Joes or low-cal meals). I hate cooking because of the time expense. By the time dinner rolls around, I like to just have the food ready! Even buying the healthy stuff at the grocery store (fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains) in easy-to-make items and meals is cheaper than going out. Also end up snacking a lot.
I usually reserve going out for once a week or so with my fiance, or a latte.
hi guys, definitely boring myself with the same ol. We usually make a menu with day to day meals, which helps, because Fri. is always reserved for eating out. Problem is, some weeknights I just don't want to cook. And by getting pre-made meals, I indulge in high sodium, high fat meals. : (
There's gotta be a way! Today we decided we 'd try to find healthy recipes to pot pies, since the ones in the grocery store are evil. So there's hope yet! I guess I just hit boredom/tiredness/frustration at times.
Cook books are a great idea... but I would recommend ones with the pictures. Of course, it's probably just me, but I skim over the recipes I can't see if they look good.
Branch out from what you eat normally. Meaning, if you cook mostly American or Italian, try some Mexican, or Asian. The family loves most of what I cook (kids are picky) but I tried to make enchiladas off the cuff the other day. I'm sure that any Mexican might argue that they're aren't "real" enchiladas, but the family loved it and I added it to the mix.
Another option is recipe magazines sent to you. I get a "Kraft" magazine with very simple recipes sent to me either monthly or bi-monthly, I don't remember. But that way I can try new stuff.
thanks, good ideas. I'm now thinking of planning meals to cook on Sunday, for that one day of the week I just don't want to cook. That way I get my healthy meal and still don't have to cook. My most recent thought: homemade pot pies, minus the fat and calories and sodium.
I hate cooking so love eating out but lately I have been finding myself getting more and more disenchanted about the quality of many restaurants. There seems to be an increasing trend into generic bland food and the endless chains are making good cooking more and more of a rarity.
I am finding that the decor ,style and looks of places has become more slick but the food in many places seems to take second place to looks. It is a question of style over substance.
I am a bit of a foodie and love eating out at gastronomic restaurants but I also love simple, home-style cooking and it is becoming almost impossible to find. Good food is about fresh and excellent ingredients cooked simply to enable all the flavours to marry together and come in a harmonious whole.
Sadly most restaurants nowadays have little idea about what good cooking is like and a lot of customers don't seem to expect better if critics are anything to go by.
For example I adore good Italian cooking, and yet more and more Italian restaurants seem to think over-salty , over seasoned pizzas and pasta dishes with horrible fake ingredients is what Italian cuisine is about when there is so much wonderful regional cuisines including the best of fresh vegetables, fish, seafood, game and meats. It saddens me as I feel we are heading towards a mono-block version of gastronomy where originality and freshness will be completely eschewed in favour of gleaming surfaces and pretty waitresses.
The service is definitely getting worse too.
I used to love going out, one of my favourite hobbies but it is getting harder and harder to get excited about a lot of places. So now we tend to stick to known favourites and are becoming less and less adventurous. Which is a real shame.
Too many chains, not enough independent chefs with a passion and flair for true gastronomy , posh or cheap and cheerful.
Mooseketeer, I'm in the USA and agree with much of your sentiments, especially the sodium/salty foods. I adore eating out, but even my fav Italian place I don't like much anymore because I can hardly swallow the salt they put in my dish.
I guess some days I'm just tired and don't want to cook. It's tough sometimes. I think I need to prepare more and like everyone here says, be more adventurous. Of course, adventure is fine on the weekends, but I do need quick recipes for weekdays.
I looove eating out, but like Moose and wanttomoveast, I am finding it harder and harder to find edible food that is not a load of processed junk. I love simple foods, made from good ingredients. Good ingredients make such a difference. I hate the salty, chemical laden foods that many restaurants now serve. I wonder if some of them even employ a "real" cook, or if most of what they serve is purchased premade and frozen and reheated in their microwave. So, we have almost finished remodeling our kitchen and I plan on doing a lot more cooking at home.
__________________
The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it. ~Henry David Thoreau
Am I the only one out there who enjoys eating out immensely? I think I have cooking burnout. And I like eating out. How do I break this habit? For some reason, eating at home just loses its appeal. I'm tired of the same dishes I cook. The same boring sides.
A few years back, I was going to college at night. My DH cooked more then, and I didn't mind whatever he put in front of me, of course I was starved and tired.
Now the situation is reversed, and I've been cooking 90% of our meals. The other 10% is us dining out. He's in school and I'm not anymore. Thing is, I still like to eat out! He thinks it's a bad habit on our money, which I agree, but I am just sick of cooking!!
What to do?
Don't feel bad. Eating out is wonderful. It's an escape, a diversion, an alternative, a rush. Every now and then, it's OK to go someplace and eat what someone else fixes, and to try new things you might not see every day when you cook at home. I am blessed to live in an area where there is so much variety. You've got variety, hopefully, where you are.
Trust me on this. It's nothing to be ashamed of.
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