Do you feel better cooking for yourself?

[uktvchat]

So I'm one of those lazy people who lives off ready meals most of the time, but recently mainly as a cost saving mechanism I've been preparing my own food more and making home cooked 'ready meals' as well as cutting down on junk food - mainly cos I'm less hungry.

I'm finding each day that I wake up with far more energy than I ever had before, does anyone else find this? 

[User 180565 is taking donation]

I wouldn't call it exactly lazy, some can't afford the ingredients a frozen meal might be $4 where as a pound of beef might be $5 a bottle of orange juice might be $4 where a bottle of soda is 80c. Some do take advantage but theirs also the family that's so busy they might not have time to prepare an entire meal.

I do like cooking for myself though if it's chicken or a good steak. I've reduced my fast food intake drastically to about 4 or 5 times a month but may splurge on myself for lunch.

[uktvchat]

May 18, 2022 7:55:38 GMT -8 User 180565 is taking donation said:

I wouldn't call it exactly lazy, some can't afford the ingredients a frozen meal might be $4 where as a pound of beef might be $5 a bottle of orange juice might be $4 where a bottle of soda is 80c. Some do take advantage but theirs also the family that's so busy they might not have time to prepare an entire meal.

I do like cooking for myself though if it's chicken or a good steak. I've reduced my fast food intake drastically to about 4 or 5 times a month but may splurge on myself for lunch.

I had no intention to suggest everybody who buys ready meals was lazy - but that I was doing it out of laziness.

It would almost certainly be cheaper for me to by a pre-packed ready meal but I usually end up wanting something else to eat an hour or two later so it's probably not.

[User 180565 is taking donation]

May 18, 2022 13:32:00 GMT -8 uktvchat said:

May 18, 2022 7:55:38 GMT -8 User 180565 is taking donation said:

I wouldn't call it exactly lazy, some can't afford the ingredients a frozen meal might be $4 where as a pound of beef might be $5 a bottle of orange juice might be $4 where a bottle of soda is 80c. Some do take advantage but theirs also the family that's so busy they might not have time to prepare an entire meal.

I do like cooking for myself though if it's chicken or a good steak. I've reduced my fast food intake drastically to about 4 or 5 times a month but may splurge on myself for lunch.

I had no intention to suggest everybody who buys ready meals was lazy - but that I was doing it out of laziness.

It would almost certainly be cheaper for me to by a pre-packed ready meal but I usually end up wanting something else to eat an hour or two later so it's probably not.

I feel you I fell into a bad habit of over eating again generally I like to try to wait around 6-8 hours before eating but cave and grab a snack, a few years ago I completely cut soda but find myself buying it more and more when I feel like I drank too much I switch to flavored water. I do add sauce onto frozen meals it helps add extra calories the salt intake on them is redicoulous and I don't even understand why they need to add that much. I once tried McDonald's without the salt and it tasted exactly the same if not better imo.

Frozen is generally okay for a little lunch then something actually cooked for dinner I've also been grabbing more salads into my diet gotta switch it up somehow or it just gets stale and boring to me anyway.

[angeldeb82]

I like cooking lunches for myself, whether it be spaghetti or shrimp or whatever.

[STLUEE]

I rarely eat out. If I'm craving a fastfood, and I have the money, I make a copy cat version. I can't bring myself to spend $7-10 on one combo meal!

I'm picky about hygiene to. I have sat and watched people wipe off tables and chairs that aren't sanitary. I give up. I'm happy at home.

Good question

[wildmaven]

I like cooking, but I hate figuring out what to make day after day after day after day after...

[harryk]

Don't order in with the exception of my traditional Christmas curry, and have never eaten a ready meal except on an airplane.

I do enjoy cooking when I have time but a slow cooker, Tupperware, freezer and microwave combo works well when I'm busy.

[Zenlethic]

May 23, 2022 13:31:51 GMT -8 wildmaven said:

I like cooking, but I hate figuring out what to make day after day after day after day after...

Same here. I like cooking for the feeling of independence, but I also have trouble deciding what to make in the days ahead. Sometimes I have to do lists for that.

[Shady]

I really don’t enjoy cooking. I try to do more because ready meals and ready to cook sauce jars are often full of salt and other stuff you won’t want too much off, but I generally find cooking tedious.

[bigballofyarn]

I feel better when all the food is free and someone else cooks it and hands it to me as needed.

[Krumm]

May 23, 2022 13:31:51 GMT -8 wildmaven said:

I like cooking, but I hate figuring out what to make day after day after day after day after...

This, oh so much this. My wife and I argue about what to cook a few times a week. It's actually exhausting. I like cooking too, but this aspect and cleaning up and time spent doing all this has me cooking far less than I should be...

[Caajscot (John)]

Being married for 40 odd years I will always have a go at cooking to give the wife a break, I wouldn't say that I am better than the wife but I get by, I will leave the likes of spaghetti bolognaise and currys to the wife's expert hands, though.

[heatherly]

Yes. Food you make at home does tend to have less sodium and sugar in it, unlike a lot of the fast food or microwavable meals, so I think that's a big part of feeling better.... At least in the US. But I do know it's becoming a bit more popular for restaurants and other food companies to make healthier meals, so that would be nice.

The main reason I also cook more so is because I have dietary restrictions (gluten free). I can't always just eat anywhere and everywhere on a whim, so that does help cut back on eating out of the home as often. I do enjoy being able to have "lazy days" where I do not have to cook, though ;p Nothing wrong with the convenience of having something premade... I do so in moderation.