This was the bento box meal I ordered when we took Kat out to her favorite Japanese restaurant over the holidays. Like a lot of my dining out experiences it's becoming a fond memory, because it's just too expensive to eat out anymore.
Since going out to lunch now costs $20.00 for the two of us, and dinner runs $35.00 to $40.00, we're dining at home almost exclusively now. This doesn't instantly tame our food budget either; prices at the market require us to shop at four different stores to get the foods we need for the least amount of $$$. I've become an aggressive bargain hunter, too, and never pass up a good deal on anything I regularly use.
I want us to eat well, too, but inflation has prompted me to make some changes to how I cook. When I used to make my guy's favorite pasta sauce I thought nothing of adding a pound of lean ground beef (which is now $10.00/lb.). Not anymore; I've cut back on the meat in that recipe to 1/4 of a pound. That still gives it the flavor he likes, we've discovered, and I can make a pound of ground beef stretch to make a quadruple batch, which helps when I freeze portions for future meals.
I make my guy aware of the cost of pricey foods now, and what he can do to help out with the budget. He used to go through a dozen eggs per week making three fried egg sandwiches for breakfast whenever he wanted them (every other day, really); I've asked him to only make them once a week now and have cereal, waffles, english muffins or bagels instead, which are better for him anyway.
Another thing I'm doing is making half-batches, especially when I try a new recipe for something. I wanted to taste-test a new slow-cooker chili recipe, but I didn't want to waste ingredients if we didn't like it. So I made a half-batch (and we liked it, but it needs some tweaks with the heat level and the ingredients, so I was glad I made a smaller batch.) I also make my staple quickie dinners with less ingredients so I can eliminate any waste. That means two cans of tuna instead of four when I make tuna salad, but my guy and I can eat it for dinner and there's still enough for a sandwich for lunch the next day.
No leftovers go to waste in this house, but I find we get recipe fatigue if I make the same thing over and over, as we're probably going to be eating it for two or three nights. To combat this I'm trying new recipes at least once a week again, and also discussing the week's menu with my guy before we do our weekly shopping to assure I've got things planned that he wants to eat.
Scaling back while dining well puts a lot of pressure on me, both in the shopping and cooking phases, but as any woman will tell you, what else is new? I do what I can to keep my spirits up, and trying new recipes definitely helps. I also give myself permission not to cook if I don't feel like it. That's when my guy gets tuna salad sandwiches, or some of the frozen pizza bread he likes for dinner (as long as I can find them on sale.)
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We have chickens so eggs are overflowing right now. We also hooked up with a neighbor who bought herself half a cow. She couldn't store it all so I bought some from her. It was better than the grocery store, so I've already asked to buy some more meat from her.
Vegetables are in short supply though and I spend a lot for them at the store. It's time to plant.
If you have a Costco near you, stock up on their canned chicken when it goes on sale. It makes great chicken salad sandwiches. Their rotisserie chicken is good too. I use the leftovers to make chicken fajitas with grilled onions and peppers. It's another family favorite.
Inflation has made cooking incredibly frustrating. I miss going out to eat too.