I think I hit my limit. I don't think that I want to eat out anymore. OK, maybe not never, but definitely less. I will be the first to admit I love queso from Mexican restaurants and half price apps from Applebee's, but something about this past week has made me want to adult and start cooking and eating in more.
For anyone who knows me, I'm usually the first person to ask if anyone wants to go get food. Hour before chapter? Let's grab takeout. Friday night? Let's go get food before drinks. Random Tuesday night with nothing to do? Let's go get Swenson's. I've known for a while that not only is this extremely not healthy for me, but that my bank account also hates me. This past semester got really bad. I would eat out at least eight or nine meals a week. Eight or nine! I would look at my bank account and just see "Chipotle- $6.50. Subway- $7.00. Pita Pit- $6.50. EuroGyro- $16.50." At the time of each purchase a few dollars here and there didn't seem like much, but at the end of the week I wanted to actually be able to do more than just pay my bills and eat. So I decided that this semester it was time to make a change.
I sat down last week on Pinterest and made searches such as "easy dinner recipes" and "quick, portable lunches." I was actually quite nervous that I wouldn't find anything that I liked. I'm a pretty picky eater, and I don't deviate very much from what I know I like. I was overwhelmed by the amount of posts and I found some really great ideas that I can make and even use as leftovers for lunch the next day. Some example I found were: Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken Ranch Casserole, Loaded Chicken and Potatoes and pretty much anything off of Cooking In College by Declan and Erica. There are tons of things that are easy that I can make and take with my busy schedule.
For lunch I can pack it the night before or if I have time, make it in the morning. I love sandwich wraps with turkey, shredded cheese, field greens, and maybe some honey mustard and bacon. I can pair that with some fruits and veggies or maybe some pretzels and hummus (I especially enjoy the roasted red pepper from Sabra). A go to for me are the mini pizza crescent rolls. All it is are your favorite pizza toppings, minus the sauce, rolled up in a crescent roll. Follow the baking instructions on the tube. You can then add marinara or pizza sauce for dipping on the side. They heat up great the next day or even night if you know you're going to have a busy day.
A salad is a good go-to for any meal. It can be so much more than just lettuce, maybe some protein and a light dressing. You can add different kinds of produce (I love fruit, especially strawberries and mandarin oranges on mine), croutons, cheese, chicken and dressing to spice it up. If you want to add more crunch, get some chow mein or wonton strips to give some flavor too.
I know there are going to be times when I just want to get a burrito bowl, and I know that that's okay. But I definitely need to make sure that I'm not doing that every day — and I might even learn to make my own at home. This is a new journey that I'm embarking on and I'm excited to eat!
