No Eating Out Challenge.... - Page 2

[Baby Makes 4]

Today was good and bad.

DS and I made lunch and ate it before we went out to run our errands today so we weren't tempted to get drive through. Unfortunately, Luke's psychaitrist appointment was very emotional and we both left feeling really drained so we fortified ourselves with ice cream.

It was still a minor victory though. Instead of $15 on full meals plus dessert we only spent $3.00 on 2 small cones.

[bec]

Well, I'm doing great (in the 4 days since I joined ). DH has to eat out most days for lunch, but, most of those days are reimbursed by his work as business lunches (he's a consultant), and the days he isn't with a customer, he might not be in a place where he can pack a lunch. When he is in the office, he usually eats some dried noodles at his desk. So, I've been leaving him out of it.

We made it through a couple of rough days over the weekend, and are on track for the week. I don't actually expect us to make it the entire 60 days, but we are certainly doing MUCH better.

[Zamber]

Doing great! I am thinking though about obtaining a chest freezer to help stock up on food so I have more variety to work with. The refrigerator's freezer is just not cutting it.

[bec]

Originally Posted by Zamber

Doing great! I am thinking though about obtaining a chest freezer to help stock up on food so I have more variety to work with. The refrigerator's freezer is just not cutting it.

I have a deep freezer (It's an upright), and I LOVE it. My parents bought it for us when my second was born. And it proved to be a really timely gift! The baby had a cleft palate, so I needed to pump exclusively for her. I had extra, and was able to freeze it and store it for a long time. By the time I was done, I had over 2000 ounces in the deep freeze, and was able to give her breastmilk for 6 months after I weaned myself from the pump!

[Wild Flowers]

We are very proud of ourselves. we have made it a whole week. This is a big thing for us. I haven't had a problem with figuring out what to make yet. Of course, I am also doing frugal meal planning and hoping that will help me along the way. My dh warns me not to try to do too much though.

[velochic]

I want to join, but with the caveat that planned eating out is okay. We like to join our friends for a supper out every once in a while. That is very planned. Dh's birthday and Valentine's Day are coming up and we will plan to go out for that one weekend evening.

My goal is to always have something available so that we don't go out to eat at the last minute. Seriously, I need a break every once in a while and can't commit to NEVER eating out (except for fast food... we never eat fast food). I usually get up in the morning and cook something to put in dd's thermos for school. Then I cook for our supper, which is always 100% from scratch (we don't eat processed food) and most days takes at least 1 hour of prep time. I often double-up on recipes and have a deep freeze full of things I can pull out at the last minute, including several individual casseroles and a few individual (2 person) meatloaves. So, my goal is to not get lazy about THINKING AHEAD to prevent last-minute eating out. Planned eating out is okay.

That being said, we are having friends over tonight for pizza and euchre and it will be the first time we've eaten out or ordered in since New Year's. It has been planned for over a week, though, and doesn't count.

[Zamber]

A week has passed - not once did I go out to eat. I also kept to food already in the house, so shopping was only for things I needed and ran out of (milk and eggs).
:

This calls for a mini celebration : . I have some Namaste chocolate cake mix with some frosting that has been sitting in my cubboard for a couple of months - it's been calling my name (I have been really good about the junk food too, and I'll probably end up with only one slice since DH's friends will be over).

[Wild Flowers]

It has been 10 days for us. And I am super proud of myself tonight especially. We were susposed to run some errands, well our car died. And so I ended up throwing together, now this will just sound yummy, red beans, rice, breakfast sausage and peas. They also threw a fried egg on top. But what we were going to make just needed one ingrediant from the store, but a pretty important one. So that was dinner. Yummy...I think I deserve a treat after that. Amazingly, my whole family loved it, I on the other hand was not impressed.

[sphinxie]

Hm... I'd like to join a challenge of not eating out for a week cause it's that bad over here.

I have to make sure to have the ingredients on hand for cooking, because if a shopping trip is required I can get derailed very easily.

[Mama Dragon]

I wonder how long we could go Everytime we go to the store, we end up at McD's (so like, 2-5 times a WEEK)...then 2-3 times a month, we get take out - Pizza Hut, Chinese, Olive Garden, Texas Roadhouse...... I do so love food, and I really love having someone else make it (good food, DH and DD can cook, but not like me or the chefs at restaurants)...I'll shoot for a day at a time. Tomorrow I have to run by the medicaid office to drop off some paperwork for the kid's medical coverage and the store for stuff we're out of. I would definitely, normally, go to McD's because getting ready is so hectic and I forget to eat. Blood sugar drop and driving is not a good combo. So...I need to figure out what to eat. Hmmmm....

[Mama Dragon]

I just got back and managed to not get anything! I didn't even get a soda at the checkstand

[Thystle]

Now how many of you can go hardcore and NOT eat out on Valentine's Day? 7

I pledge not too. AND to up it up a "notch" my wedding anniversary is right next to Vday and I will not go out then either

[bec]

I have a prime rib roast that has been in my freezer for a while. Maybe I'll make that and some special potatoes and a yummy dessert for V-Day. I can serve it after the kids go to bed and we can have a candlelit dinner. With the baby in tow, of course.


Bec

[bec]

How's everyone doing?

I'm proud to say I haven't eaten out once, since starting this!! That's 19 down, 41 to go!

[Wild Flowers]

I am failing miserably. Okay maybe not that bad, but we were doing do good, two weeks, and then I had an orthodontist apt. It has been a kinda tradition to go out to eat the night before and me eat something that I don't get to eat that often since I won't be able to eat for a day or two. So my dh came home and said, where are we going. I was like, no where, here!!!! But he convinced me, and we went. Which wouldn't have been bad, I mean once, I only have an apt once a month so if we cut down from 8 times to 1 time a month, not so bad right? Well, then Sunday we were susposed to have someone come for freecyle. They didn't show, didn't show, everytime we called them they said they were on there way. We needed to pick up two things for dinner. And by 630 it was getting to the point of we wern't going to make it. So we ended up eating out that night also. But still, we are doing somewhat better, I am hoping to get back on track. I hope I can, I would love to save all the money that we spend eating out. I was figuring it out and it is close to $700 a month, rediculous. I had never added it up before. Do you know what I can do with that extra money a month? We could afford ALL organic!!! I need to do this.

[dervima]

i went vegan for new years, and there are no vegan restaurants in new orleans. my eating out days ended when the new year began. i'm on my 40th day, and i don't miss it at all. it has made me into quite a chef. i'm always looking up different recipies that come out surprisingly delicious. even my vegan pizza with all fresh and organic ingredients keeps my husband from buying it frozen. for what it would cost to get 1 pizza delivered, i can make 3! and even the crust is better. not to brag, but i made one last night that had crust like pie. dh called it "pastry pizza". yummy yum! once a week, we marinade tempeh with taco seasoning, and feast on some super yummy vegan tacos. i also make lots of stir fries, curried potato lentils, and gardenburger products with mashed potatoes. tonight, we're having tofu which has been marinaded in thai sweet chili sauce with fresh mushrooms, onions, garlic, and ginger on jasmine rice with a big salad. i hope i don't sound lame or anything, but it makes me really happy to be able to provide restaurant-quality meals for my family at a fraction of the cost, and with leftovers.

[Wild Flowers]

That sounds awesome. We are actually slowly working our way to vegan, don't tell my dh, or my meat loving girls though. We have cut out milk and are slowly cutting down on our cheese use. I am using up all of our meat and plan to stop buying it. It has to be very gradual though, otherwise they will know what I am up to. Is there an evil wicked planning smilie

[wife&mommy]

Well I have failed horribly at this! I tried but it didn't work. We like our lunch out on DH's day off