Have it Your Way

Burger King tells me that I can "have it my way".  Yay!  Thank goodness I can get food just the way I want it.  But wait...shouldn't this almost always be the case?  I don't grow my own fruits and vegetables or have cattle, so I only have so much control over my food, but I get quite a bit of control over what I am eating.  You can too.  How?  Don't go out to eat as much and buy less pre-made items.

According to an article about eating out, about half of our food consumption is "away from home food".  HALF.  According to the same study, about 38% of 700 consumers living in New Jersey eat out once a week.  25% eat out 2-3 times a week.  Only 10% claim to eat out almost every day.  Based on my own observations, listening to people talk about what they have done over the last few days, I feel like more people eat out more than once a week.  Why eat out so much?

This guy would have to forage for his food in the wild.  We've got it easy.

As I'm sure you have noticed, I blame a lot of the changes in the American culture on this belief that there just isn't enough time in a day to get everything done.  Now if I believed this, why would I want to take the time to go get groceries, put them away, figure out what I want to eat, and then (gasp!) take the time to actually make it?  That's a whole lot of time that I could probably be doing something else.  Probably easier to just run through the drive thru at a local fast food joint (which, I admit, I did on Monday because I didn't feel like making anything when I got back from my Fillmore Glen trip), or take an hour or so and go to a tasty sit-down restaurant.  But what about that dreaded wait if the place is busy?  Talk about wasted time.

What else is to blame?  Some people just lack the skills to throw some ingredients together and create something edible let alone tasty.  I would describe myself more as a baker than a cook.  I do not possess the skills to mix ingredients together all on my own and make something that I can eat and enjoy.  But give me a recipe for about anything and we're talking!  I actually just got done making some homemade Rice Krispie Treats...which, in my opinion, are a million times tastier and fresh than the pre-made store bought ones.

When was the last time you had a nice sit down meal with your entire family?  Considering I do not live at home with my family anymore it was some time ago, but when I do go home we will most likely be sitting down at the table and eating together.  We're even likely to wait until my sister to get home around 7 and have her join us (a typical dinner time would be between 5-6).  It makes me sad to think that so many American families no longer sit down and enjoy each others company, talking about their days at school, work, or at home.  I even saw a commercial the other day for some kind of ready-made dinner (or something of the sort) that was giving tips on how to have a good family dinner (turn off that TV).  Last time I checked, it was pretty common sense on how to have a family dinner.  I was a spoiled child, especially in comparison to many others out there.  My mom, known as the barefoot baker in our house, always made sure we had some tasty homemade treat to eat in our lunches that we brought to school and my dad brought to work.  Even to this day, I know I can count on going home and there will be at least a container of brownies and usually another thing of some homemade cookies.  I would take home-baked treats any day over Chips Ahoy, Oreos, and the cute little Keebler Elf.  Growing up, my mom made my lunch for me to take to school and always included a little note.  Meals were always when dad got home and we always sat at the table.  As a result, I have a strong relationship with my mom, dad, and sister, did well in school, made mostly good choices all through college, and now live a happy and balanced life as an adult.  I was absolutely thrilled when I met my boyfriend and found out his family was the same way and still is!  Anytime we visit there, we have some sort of home-cooked meal, eating it together at the table.

I am very glad the feminist movement happened.  I love that I can hold a job and have a job in a leadership role.  I enjoy my right to vote.  I am glad that I am not expected to stay at home and be "barefoot and pregnant".  So don't get me wrong about what I'm saying next.  I believe that the fact that so many mothers now have full time jobs heavily contributes to the fact that meals are grab and go.  By the time that both mom and dad get home after a long day at work, who wants to slave in the kitchen?  Instead it's here kids, have some Chinese tonight! I'm sure you can tell that I grew up with a stay at home mom.  For most of my childhood she stayed home and worked her booty off making a great home for her family.  Despite the fact that society almost seems to frown upon this "old-fashioned" idea of mothers staying at home, I consider myself the luckiest child growing up and to this day.

Even if you spend your days working, it's still possible to make yourself something tasty.  I currently have a boneless pork roast in my slow cooker, covered in Dinosaur BBQ sauce that has been cooking all day.  All I had to do was spend about $8 at Price Chopper for the pork, $2.50 for a pack of 6 Kaiser rolls, and around $3.50 for the BBQ sauce.  I could have pinched a few more pennies by opting for the non-Dinosaur BBQ brand of BBQ sauce.  You might think this sounds pricey when you add it up, but it's not.  I can easily get 6 Pulled Pork sandwiches out of the $14 I spent.  That's about $2.30 per sandwich.  And the best part?  I got it yesterday before it got cold, rainy, and windy.  I don't even have to go outside to eat it.

Something else that I will probably make over the course of the weekend is some Baked Macaroni and Cheese.  Mmm, my mouth waters just thinking about it!  Most of the ingredients I already have on hand...flour, margarine, salt, pepper, and milk.  I just have to get a box of pasta (88 cents) and 2 blocks of cheese ($2-4/block, depending on brands/sales).  It takes about a half hour to make the cheese sauce.  But once I do that I just have to heat my oven to 375 degrees and pop it in for a half hour.  You can do this too!  On Sunday, get the macaroni and cheese all made, cover it, and toss it in the fridge.  Now all you need to do when you get home is throw it in the oven!  And you don't have to deal with the lines and people.

One other great thing about cooking at home is having a lot of control over the ingredients going in.  I can use low-fat milk in my macaroni and cheese instead of whole.  I can put in as much salt as I want to.  I could use only organic if I choose.

If you are looking to save on some money, eat healthier, build better relationships with your family, or spend some more time relaxing try making your own food at home.  Have your spouse and kids help out with cooking and setting the table.  It's a great bonding time.  Get everyone involved in the clean up efforts too!  If you happen to be single, still prepare the food and then you have all sorts of left overs for other meals throughout the week (think spaghetti and meatballs tonight, a meatball sandwich tomorrow).  Just take some time to think about what you'd like to have for your meals (time you'd spend looking over a menu), make a list for grocery shopping (time waiting for the food to be made), and make a visit to the grocery store (time spent waiting in line at a restaurant).  The time you take to make a list will help cut down on the time you need in the store.  Then all you need to do is store your groceries and then prepare your meals!  Not so bad.  Plus, you'll burn some calories walking around the store, putting your goods away, and then making the food.  It's a win/win situation. 

Burger King is right.  You can totally have it your way.  And you don't need to eat at Burger King to have it that way.  Thank you to whoever created that great slogan!