I enjoy a nice meal out as much as the next person. Especially if we’re talking about a “candlelight and white tablecloth” sort of place. But last minute fast food because I didn’t get around to planning dinner? No thanks. So let’s talk about some easy ways to avoid unplanned take out and cook at home instead.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Read more here.

Easy Ways to Cook at Home

1. Maintain a well-stocked pantry

When the cupboards are bare it’s pretty hard to cook a decent meal. Get in the habit of keeping a well-stocked pantry. It doesn’t need to be “prepper style” with enough food to weather a zombie apocalypse. Consider the basics needed for the meals your family likes.

I like to keep a stock of pasta, rice (brown, white and arborio), a few kinds of dried beans, lentils, flour, sugar (white, brown and confectioners), salt, herbs and spices, various tomato products (sauce, diced, whole, paste), canned tuna, coconut oil, olive oil, backup condiments (mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles, a couple of kinds of mustard), etc.

In addition to shelf stable items, I nearly always have onions, garlic and potatoes. In the refrigerator I make sure to have butter, eggs, cheese, lemons, cream, good mustard and about a thousand other things which keep my fridge in a perpetually overstuffed condition. You don’t need to follow that part of my example, though.

2. Create a weekly menu

A menu is a HUGE help in avoiding take out. If I have a plan for dinner I’m pretty likely to follow through and actually cook. Not always, you understand. I’m human. But for the most part, if I have a written menu and don’t have to try to come up with an idea at 5 or 6 p.m. there’s a good chance I’ll cook.

Here is the method I use for making a menu:
How to Create a Weekly Menu Plan

3. Grocery shop on a regular schedule

Of course, the most delicious menu won’t do you any good if you don’t have the ingredients on hand. After you create your menu, the next step is to make a list of all the ingredients you’ll need for those meals and then go shopping. Or if you live where delivery is an option (lucky you!) place your order.

It’s very helpful to have a certain day of the week that you make your menu and a scheduled day for grocery shopping. Most people do this on a weekly basis but you can do it on whatever frequency works for your family. I make a weekly menu but do the bulk of my grocery shopping once a month. My daughter and I shop together in the city and make a day of it. This is when I restock my pantry and freezer. I then fill in with dairy and fresh produce as needed.

Here is how my daughter does it:
Once a Month Grocery Shopping

4. Create a list of easy meals for busy nights

Make a list of easy, go-to meals for busy nights. Sometimes you’ll know in advance that a particular night will be busy and you can take that into account when planning your menu. But we all have those unexpected situations that call for something fast and easy.

Keep these meal ideas listed in a handy place for easy reference. You can put them in the notes on your phone, tack a list to a bulletin board, stick them on the fridge with a magnet, or write them on a sticky note and stick it inside a kitchen cabinet. And then make sure you keep the necessary ingredients for these impromptu meals on hand.

Here are a handful of my favorites:

Easy Oven Spaghetti Sauce

Busy Day Swiss Steak ~ A Vintage Recipe

Homemade Tomato Soup

How to Cook a Frozen Ham in the Instant Pot

5. Invest in helpful equipment

You can most certainly put delicious meals on the table every night with little more than a basic set of pots and pans, a good knife and a wooden spoon. But if you have the funds (and the storage space) there are a few pieces of kitchen equipment that can make the whole process much easier.

A slow cooker allows you to throw in a few ingredients in the morning and have dinner ready when you are. This was a huge help to me when I was working full time as a hospice nurse and had a husband and two young children to feed at the end of long and often stressful days.

A bread maker is another item I made good use of in those busy days as a nurse. I would package up the dry ingredients for a loaf of bread in several ziploc plastic bags all at once. All I had to do in the morning before work was to dump one of these packages in the bread maker, add water and butter and turn it on. It was so nice to come home to a main dish in the slow cooker and fresh bread in the bread maker. All I had to do was make a salad and cook a vegetable.

A rice cooker is one of those items I did without for the first 20 years or so of marriage but wouldn’t want to be without now. It’s not hard to cook rice on the stove but it does bear watching if you don’t want a burned on mess to clean up afterwards. I love being able to dump in rice and water, push a button and know that the rice will be perfectly cooked and warm when we are ready for it.

The Instant Pot is the latest addition to my small appliance collection and I love it! It does a fabulous job cooking dried beans or lentils (no presoaking required!). You can even cook frozen meat in it which is great if you forgot to thaw something. I like to keep a small ham in my freezer for “emergency dinners” or unexpected company. You can even cook a whole frozen chicken in the Instant Pot.

Instant Pot

6. Consider an accountability method

Anytime we try to implement a new habit it can be helpful to have some form of accountability, at least at first. Consider joining a Facebook group where members share their dinner plans each day. Or find a friend who is also trying to cook at home more often and check in with one another each day.

In all honesty, I started posting my weekly menu on my blog in part for this very reason. Knowing that my readers expect a menu each Monday helps keep me on track. I might be inclined to skip it for myself but I’ll do it for y’all. Well, most of the time.

7. Consider a meal service or menu planning service

Many people enjoy having all the ingredients for dinner delivered, along with easy-to-follow directions. Blue Apron, Sun Basket, and HelloFresh are a few popular options. These can be somewhat expensive, especially for a family, but if it fits your budget the time saved might be worth it to you.

Another option is a menu planning service. A new one on the scene that I’m really excited about is Eat at Home. Your membership gives you access to four different meal plans: Traditional, Wholesome Traditional, Slow Cooker and No Flour, No Sugar. You get printable menus, recipes, grocery lists, 15 minute meal options, and a 1-hour freezer stash. A menu planning service such as this can save you hours every month!

8. Get started with a challenge

If you could use a little nudge to get started meal planning and cooking at home, join the Eat at Home Tonight Challenge. It runs from August 8th through August 14th. The goal is to eat at home at least six nights during this week. Participants will be cooking using recipes from Eat at Home Tonight. (You are welcome to use any recipes you’d like during the challenge, though.) There is a private Facebook group and lots of giveaways, too!

If this sounds like fun you can join by clicking here. Again, it’s completely free!

I had been hearing about Aldi for years so I was delighted when we finally got one here in our small town. As you know if you’ve been following me very long, my daughter and I do a monthly grocery shopping trip to the city together most months. We started that years ago because we try to eat a mostly organic diet and our local options for organics was pretty abysmal.

We still like to do our monthly trips together but with Aldi we now have a local store that carries a lot of organic/natural items. Here are my top 10 favorite things to buy at Aldi.

Top 10 Aldi Favorites

1. Chocolate

I have to start with the chocolate. I love the German chocolates that Aldi carries.

These little dark chocolate squares are one of my favorites. A couple of them with a cup of hot tea in the evening is a perfect way to end the day.

And then there is this. I just bought it for the first time this past week and I do believe I have found my new favorite. Dark chocolate and sea salt. What’s not to love?

2. Cottage Cheese

There were a number of culture shocks when I moved from California to Oklahoma. One that I’ve never really adjusted to is the consistency of cottage cheese around here. I grew up eating Knudsen brand which has a very small curd and an almost dry texture. This soupy stuff they call cottage cheese here just doesn’t do it for me. However, the Friendly Farms brand cottage cheese which Aldi carries is much closer to what I grew up with. I’m even willing to forego organic because of the better texture.

3. Yogurt

I made my own yogurt for years and one of these days I’ll get back into the habit. In the meantime I’m happy that Aldi carries organic whole milk yogurt. It can be rather difficult to find yogurt made with whole milk. This is what I put in our morning smoothies so I buy the plain. However, I’ve also tried the vanilla and it’s delicious if you want something to eat by itself.

4. Grass Fed Ground Beef

Grass fed beef can be really expensive so I was thrilled when our local Aldi began carrying grass fed ground beef on a regular basis. I try to always have a package in the freezer.

5. “Never Any” chicken

Organic chicken is another expensive purchase. I do still buy some on my monthly trips to the city but I also buy the Never Any brand that Aldi carries. It has no antibiotics or steroids, was raised cage-free and is fresh – never frozen. I especially like the whole chickens and the really thin chicken breast cutlets. I can cook the thin cutlets in just a few minutes and either make some sort of sauce or cut them in strips to top a salad. Very handy for a quick meal!

6. Brioche buns

I occasionally make my hamburger buns and they are really good. But these days I simply do not have time to do that very often. That’s why I’m so happy that Aldi carries these wonderful brioche buns. A grilled, grass fed burger on one of these babies is a perfect summer meal. I also like to toast one and make myself a tuna sandwich for lunch. They are soft, very slightly sweet and the ingredients are recognizable and few.

7. Organic Salad Dressing

I will always prefer a good quality bleu cheese dressing on my salad but since we are trying to eat healthier, I save that for restaurant meals. This is what we are using at home these days (unless I make a homemade lemon and olive oil dressing) and it’s really good.

8. Pasta Sauce

I generally make my own pasta sauce but I still like to keep at least one jar of the Simply Nature Organic Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce in my pantry. I always have angel hair pasta, too, so I can throw together a meal in just a few minutes. This sauce is quite good on its own but I find it difficult to leave well enough alone when it comes to cooking. A sprinkle of Penzeys Italian Herb Mix and a splash of red wine takes it up a notch with virtually no effort.

9. Organic Mixed Salad Greens

We eat a lot of salad. A LOT! I love this mix of organic greens and the price is excellent.

10. Organic Black Beans

I buy black beans in bulk and often cook them in my Instant Pot. If you take a peek at my Instant Pot recipes in the drop down menu under the header you’ll see a few there. However, like with the pasta sauce, sometimes you need something super quick. I really like Aldi’s brand of organic black beans. The texture is better than other organic brands I have tried.

And those are my top ten Aldi picks. I’d love to hear YOUR favorites. Tell me what is usually in your shopping cart at Aldi and why you love it.

Bonus:

11. Fresh Flowers

The very first thing I check when I walk into Aldi is their fresh flower display. Sometimes they are getting a bit tired looking but most of the time I can find a lovely little bouquet for just a few dollars. Fresh flowers are one of my favorite things in the whole wide world and if I can get some for less than $5 I’m a happy camper.

Disclosure: This post was NOT sponsored and I received no compensation. I just happen to love Aldi. 

February has arrived and that means my January No-Spend Challenge is officially over. So how did I do? Not bad. Not perfect but not bad.

Let’s start with a quick re-cap of the “rules”:

MY NO-SPEND MONTH “RULES”:

1. I will allow myself $25 a week to spend on fresh produce and dairy. But no other food items.
2. My son’s birthday is in January so I’ll purchase his gifts, of course.
3. Obviously, if someone becomes ill and needs medication we’ll buy that.
4. My monthly hair appointment is exempt from this challenge. Because…it just is.
5. Pet food is exempt. I’m currently stocked up on enough dog food for Shiloh but will likely need more cat food. Not going to starve the pets!
6. We will keep meals out to a minimum but I already know we will be going out tomorrow night with our kids to celebrate Chris’ birthday. I won’t suggest going out during this month but if David really wants to I’ll go along with it. This is MY challenge, not his.

How I did

For the most part I stuck to the rules. I did buy a can of cherry pie filling for my son’s birthday dessert early in the month. And then this week, I went to the store on Monday and went ahead a bought a whole chicken. I’m cooking it tonight, though, so I’m not sure that really counts against me. I also bought a box of cereal for David because he was almost out.

The other thing I bought Monday at Aldi’s that didn’t fit my guidelines were two pillows. I slept in our guest room a few nights when I had a cold and was reminded that we need better pillows for the guest bed. I was planning to purchase some soon. They happened to have a big shipment of surprisingly nice pillows at our Aldi for only $7.99 each. I had fully expected to pay around $40 for good pillows so I couldn’t pass up this bargain.

The only other thing I bought this month falls under the medication category. When I came down with a cold we needed more Emergen-C and elderberry syrup. David picked those up so I don’t know how much he spent. He also picked up some milk and a couple of other items when I was sick. I didn’t think to ask him for the receipt, though.

What I Spent

As for my grocery purchases, I spent a total of $107.43 for the month of January, including the pillows and the chicken for tonight.

What I Used Up

I can’t figure it out but my freezers are still full. Perhaps a little less packed but still full.

I did use the following items from the freezers:

• small turkey breast
• small ham
• 2 pkgs. grass fed ground beef
• 1 1/2 bags frozen french fries
• 1/2 bag sweet potato fries
• 1 bag green beans
• roast
• bacon
• butter
• corn
• orange juice concentrate

There may have been other items but those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

Baking

One thing I had hoped to do this month was bake bread. I did make a big batch of hamburger buns. And I made biscuits. But I never did get around to baking bread.

If you had asked me a couple of days ago I would have told you my refrigerator is less full than usual. But now I have a big pan of bread pudding and leftovers from the past couple of nights in there so it’s full again.

February Plans

So here’s the thing. I’m going to continue a modified version of the No-Spend Challenge for February. I’m going to do a monthly shopping trip with my daughter next week but I’ll aim for a much lower budget than I usually have for these monthly trips. I’ll limit my local purchases to dairy and produce again.

As for non-food purchases, I’ll keep those to a minimum, too. I do know I’m getting low on a couple of makeup items and I ran out of moisturizer this morning (I can use coconut oil in the meantime). I’m trying to come up with something to use as a blog post planner for the year so I may end up purchasing something for that unless I can repurpose something I already have.

I still want to bake bread and make yogurt. And I’ll keep planning one or two (or more!) meals a week using beans, lentils or split peas which I have a lot of in the pantry. One thing I plan to do before my monthly shopping trip next week is to make a list of 25 meals for the coming month with a focus on ingredients I already have. I won’t assign those meals to specific days. Our schedule isn’t all that consistent so planning my menu a week in advance is the best I can do. But having a list of meals to choose from when creating those weekly menus will be handy and help keep me on track in using up what we already have.

Your Thoughts

If you did a no-spend January or have done one in the past, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the experience. If you’ve never done something like this, would you consider it? Why or why not?

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Read more here.

Note: My daughter who blogs at Retro Housewife Goes Green is featured in this next book. The author also invited her to speak at a function in Tulsa so we both got to meet her and ended up back at her hotel where the three of us had the BEST time together. You can read my post about it here. It’s from my old blog and isn’t properly formatted but it’s still worth a read if you want a glimpse of the sort of thing Lisa and I do on our little adventures.