Spending too much on eating out

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Okay. I've been eating kosher salt out of paper cups since I was a kid. I'm not worried about it.

Great! Just keep an eye out for the next 40 years

It can literally be the difference between an awful meal and a wonderful one.

And what I was trying to get across is that's your preference. Not everyone's taste buds tell them food is awful just because they didn't add the salt that you would. I love my mom's cookies without salt thank you I don't need salt on fruit either. Watermelon takes great to me without it and the times that I've had salt it was not to my liking. I've just seen comments that people associate poor cookers with inability to season foods. Pretty sure some of that is really just personal preference. If you feel seasoning food makes you a great cook totally fine by me, just don't make the opposite the case

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I guess it also depends on your life experience. My dad had high blood pressure and he had to watch his salt intake and that was way back in 1965, so I don't consider that to be a recent discovery. But my mom also was an RN.

It's not that it's recent discovery, it's that we've only recently been looking at it in high observation. Life experience not needed here to know that

 

[TwoMisfits]

I don't add a lot of salt to food either. My mom had high blood pressure, and we kids, even grown and out of the house, adjusted our salt intake in case it was hereditary. Once adjusted down, people generally get used to it and don't miss the salt. Store-bought foods actually begin to taste too salty.

Most Chinese restaurants will make most dishes "steamed with sauce on the side," when requested, so one can drizzle as little or as much sauce as one wants. Even then, I always request that the sauce is made with "no salt and very little soy sauce."

For foods I cook, I've discovered Pensey's spices. They have several jars of pre-mixed blends they make with no salt added. I also try not to eat a full day of store-bought, pre-packaged foods. I try to mix some with some homemade stuff that I don't salt much, to make sure my salt intake throughout a whole day is lowered.




I have this problem with cooking veggies as a side. I don't have enough recipes that are quick and easy to cook. They either require too much peeling & chopping, or adding a sauce to cook in, etc.



I used to buy chicken thighs with the bones as they were cheaper. But, then I'd spend a good half hour cutting out the bone and taking off the skin of 6 thighs. It just wasn't worth the time. Now, I buy the skinless, boneless thighs, un-roll them, so they are flat like the breasts. I freeze them that way or bake or broil them flat and whole, the way I would a whole breast.

Rarely do I cut or slice them up raw. When I make a soup, I put in the thighs in whole, (even on the bone for extra flavor,) and shred them in the soup as they are done cooking, then add the veggies that don't take as long to cook.

Few veg need recipes - roasting veg works for almost any veg - 350 at 30 minutes or 450 at 20 min and then a check (some will be done, some need 10 more minutes and a stir, some need a little more, depending how your fam likes veg). Precook, add olive oil, salt, and pepper, which also work for almost any veg and to be "special" add an extra spice.

My newest roasted veg is okra - cut off the top and bottom and slice in half and toss on the tray - 450 until it's pretty dead (I stir every 15-20) - I add garlic powder, a little cayenne, and a little dried thyme to my normal "3"...I make an entire bag, and folks here always want more. I told them it's gonna head out of season soon, so we'll have to move on to the squashes, parsnips, radishes, rutabagas, sweet potatoes of fall...

PS - For newbies, I always give the 350 at 30 advice b/c some shock me with what they roast (one person did dried off canned corn - her fam loved it). At the lower temp, while you may need a longer cook, you will almost certainly never burn anything (the higher temp, you might)...

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Once adjusted down, people generally get used to it and don't miss the salt.

Totally! While not salt I grew up on high sugar cereal. Loved cinnamon toast crunch. Then in my early 20s I started getting cereal at Aldi that had a lot less sugar (not intentionally just liked what they had). Trying to go back to what cereal I used to eat and it's like whoa this is too much.

I have this problem with cooking veggies as a side. I don't have enough recipes that are quick and easy to cook. They either require too much peeling & chopping, or adding a sauce to cook in, etc.

Our cooking habits def. changed when we got a food chopper. It's not going to save you on every veggie but it's great for onions (we use those a lot though you peel the outside and cut it just a bit maybe quarters), bell peppers, celery stalks, etc. You could use it for carrots too. It was like $10 at Walmart. I buy minced garlic in a jar, you do have to do some adjusting on recipes to account for it not being a clove though.

One thing we have figured out we need to sparingly buy is potatoes because we seem to not eat them before they go bad, that's our fault but it's a side we know if we get it needs to be eaten quickly. But one "recipe" if you would call it that was russet potatoes cut into quarters and sprinkled with paprika and baked in the oven (I forget how long). Super easy really but quite good.

Now, I buy the skinless, boneless thighs, un-roll them, so they are flat like the breasts. I freeze them that way or bake or broil them flat and whole, the way I would a whole breast.

Before we would buy our chicken at Costco I know for sure I was more hesitant to get chicken at the store just the way it was packaged at the store and all, silly as that may be lol. So I say whatever makes it easier for someone and if it helps them make something they wouldn't have made before go for it.

 

[BayouQueen]

@DLgal I have super low BP as well, as did my mom her whole life. Since most people struggle with controlling high BP, it's hard for them to imagine having to "salt it up" to stay non lightheaded and non dizzy. Low BP is a condition, just as high BP is. I feel your pain, as a famous person once said.

 

[Heigh-Ho]

@DLgal I have super low BP as well, as did my mom her whole life. Since most people struggle with controlling high BP, it's hard for them to imagine having to "salt it up" to stay non lightheaded and non dizzy. Low BP is a condition, just as high BP is. I feel your pain, as a famous person once said.

I have to say have you looked at what sodium is in our foods? It's shockingly high at times. I can see why doctors are advising their patients now to keep an eye out for their daily intakes. If it's a medical condition that means the other person is seasoning their foods they probably should have said that instead of this 'I find that a lot of people just don't know how to properly season food or are afraid of salt. You need to use salt to cook. Otherwise your food will have no taste.' It sounded more like they have what is considered acceptable blood pressure despite the salt they consume. A medical condition is different than talking about taking on the role of cooking more at home

 

[Heigh-Ho]

These are very good advices for the author of the thread!!

Don't be afraid to experiment at home, take it slow. Find a very simple recipe and make that, don't have one with too many ingredients just keep it simple. Build from there. At the same time cut back on how often you are eating out. You don't have to go from eating out to not eating out at all but you may be surprised at how much difference a meal or two consistently not eaten out does for the budget

 

[DLgal]

@DLgal I have super low BP as well, as did my mom her whole life. Since most people struggle with controlling high BP, it's hard for them to imagine having to "salt it up" to stay non lightheaded and non dizzy. Low BP is a condition, just as high BP is. I feel your pain, as a famous person once said.

Thank you! People don't seem to understand that salt is only a problem when you ALREADY have high blood pressure. It will not, on its own, cause chronic or uncontrolled HBP. It can increase your BP by causing water retention. But, frequent exercise easily counteracts that. I have to literally TRY to retain water. It's not that easy for some people.

 

[StuckInKS]

I'm not the best cook and hate it, so we do a lot of easy stuff like sandwiches and chips, taco salad, or a couple of rotisserie chickens and baked potatoes. But honestly with grocery prices the way they are, there is less and less incentive for me to take time to cook a meal and then clean up the mess/dishes. We are spending a good $2500-$3000 a month on groceries now whereas we were only spending $1500 before we stopped eating out in March 2020. I thought we'd save money eating at home for an entire year (did not eat out again until our WDW trip in March 2021), but eating at home all the time costs us a lot more money than I thought it would.

 

[DLgal]

I have to say have you looked at what sodium is in our foods? It's shockingly high at times. I can see why doctors are advising their patients now to keep an eye out for their daily intakes. If it's a medical condition that means the other person is seasoning their foods they probably should have said that instead of this 'I find that a lot of people just don't know how to properly season food or are afraid of salt. You need to use salt to cook. Otherwise your food will have no taste.' It sounded more like they have what is considered acceptable blood pressure despite the salt they consume. A medical condition is different than talking about taking on the role of cooking more at home

I stand by what I said. It's been my own personal experience with home cooks that don't know what they are doing.

My personal BP hovers around 100/65. It's been lower, the lowest being 93/60. I sometimes have symptoms. It's been diagnosed by my doctor, BUT I don't only cook for myself, I cook for the rest of my family who all have normal readings.

Again, I am NOT overly salting my food and I don't really understand how this has been the takeaway from what I said. I said you have to use salt to make food taste good. There is actual science behind this. Every good cook knows this basic fact.

 

[Heigh-Ho]

Thank you! People don't seem to understand that salt is only a problem when you ALREADY have high blood pressure. It will not, on its own, cause chronic or uncontrolled HBP. It can increase your BP by causing water retention. But, frequent exercise easily counteracts that. I have to literally TRY to retain water. It's not that easy for some people.

I'm not so sure on that?? Are you sure that it's only a problem with people with high blood pressure? I read that it can lead to multiple health conditions including high blood pressure, kidney issues, heart disease and other such medical conditions. I was curious what that other person was talking about (I was just at the store yesterday getting soup and saw all the health-conscious varieties they have so their comment made me think of it) so I looked it up like they mentioned. Nothing I read says it's only a problem if you have high blood pressure.

I was just reading this a moment ago so I'll paste this in here from Harvard: '... too much sodium in the diet can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. It can also cause calcium losses, some of which may be pulled from bone. Most Americans consume at least 1.5 teaspoons of salt per day, or about 3400 mg of sodium, which contains far more than our bodies need. A Chronic Disease Risk Reduction (CDRR) Intake has also been established, based on the evidence of benefit of a reduced sodium intake on the risk of cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure. Reducing sodium intakes below the CDRR is expected to lower the risk of chronic disease in the general healthy population.'

Then there was this from webMD (I know maybe it's like the wiki of health haha) 'It might raise your chances of things like enlarged heart muscle, headaches, heart failure, high blood pressure, kidney disease, kidney stones, osteoporosis, stomach cancer, and stroke.'

Every good cook knows this basic fact.

I'm just guessing but maybe saying 'good' cook rubs people the wrong way I do think a lot of foods made at home have a tiny bit of salt added to them, but does that really make you a good cook? This thread seems to be about encouraging the author of the thread to try out home cooking more so they don't feel the pinch on their wallet as much. Probably doesn't seem very encouraging to tell someone they aren't a good cook if they aren't salting their foods. But being creative or not afraid to experiment with seasonings (whatever that is to someone if it's salt, or pepper or some spices or herbs) that may help elevate a dish may be more uplifting

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

We eat out more than I would like. It costs too much and it's extra calories I don't need/want. As far as saving money when we do, I will NEVER order a drink. I think they are a ripoff. I usually also order salad, which that is cheaper and (lower in calories) usually.

 

[BayouQueen]

One thing I read years ago really stuck with me. A budget-minded mom who had a lot of kids to feed said that if she was sick of cooking and thinking of going out for pizza or something, she would instead make grilled cheese sandwiches and canned tomato soup for dinner. That is really a break from cooking and you spend less than a normal night and it tastes very good.

 

[Tink3815]

Prices for eating out or take out after Covid are getting just too much for us. We normally will do once a week, especially after a crazy day at work. Working from home has given me more time to cook and we try to resist the temptation to do more than 1 day a week.

We don’t pre plan meals but do have a list on the freezer of what we have in it to cook. We have a chest freezer and things tend to get lost. I separate the different meats in the ex-large storage bags to keep things organized. I’ll pre make burgers, pounded out chicken breast and thighs and strips of beef and chicken in 1 lb. packages to cut down on prep time. We try to buy in bulk when we can and freeze in smaller packages.

I like to watch the Food Network for different ideas. My favorite is Ray Drummond the Pioneer Women. Her recipes are usually simple and easy to follow. A lot of my normal go to recipes are from her. I would try a new recipe every week. You won’t like them all, but you will find some keepers.