Courtney Burkholder

I have a confession to make. I am obsessed with eating out. I simply adore it. And it doesn’t even have to be a fancy meal at Frederick’s. I’m good with a burger at Cheesy Jane’s, a chalupa compuesta from La Fonda, or pizza at Double Dave’s.

As long as someone else is doing the cooking and the cleaning, you can count me in. I’ve even been known to shove a fully-cooked pot roast into the back of the refrigerator while claiming I hadn’t had two minutes to think about cooking when my husband called and suggested we meet somewhere for dinner. Sad, but true.

In a 2006 Zagat Survey, findings revealed that Texans ate out an average of four meals per week, 25 percent more than the national average. I thought back over my own week. I went out to lunch three times and “picked up” dinner twice – and that’s not including weekends when I consider myself off-the-clock. That gave me an average of seven meals out per week - an embarrassing reality. So what is it that makes eating out so much more appealing than eating at home?

Dining out is fun. It’s social. I enjoy the atmosphere, the food, the convenience. Dining out requires no trip to the grocery store, no preparation, and no messy clean-up. Dining out provides options for all the likes and dislikes in one’s family. At a restaurant, they’re paid to be a short-order cook. But do these benefits outweigh the disadvantages?

According to the same Zagat survey, an average Texas meal costs $28.67. The majority of us don’t spend that much on breakfast or lunch, but that’s a very accurate number for dinner in a nice restaurant. For me, $12 to $15 dollars is a good estimate of what I spend eating out at lunch. In the aforementioned week, and using these numbers, I spent an average of $144.68 eating out. (I hope my husband isn’t reading this!) And remember, that’s not including the other members of my family who undoubtedly were with me during many of these outings. Financially, eating out is certainly not in our best interest.

And how about health? Although many restaurants offer healthy alternatives these days, a chicken breast and steamed vegetables rarely find their way to my plate when I’m sitting in Paesano’s. Portion sizes are also much larger in restaurants and the calorie count is higher.

The bottom line is we need to cut back on eating out, and get busy eating in. So, what can we do to increase the appeal of dining at home?

First of all, plan ahead. Sunday evening is a good time to sit down with pen, paper and your weekly calendar to plan your menu. There’s no bigger detriment to eating at home than looking in the refrigerator at five o’clock and trying to decide what to cook for dinner. If another trip to the grocery store is the bane of your day, then planning ahead will also alleviate excessive trips up and down the aisle.

Get creative. You don’t have to cook meatloaf every week. Get out the old cookbook and try something new. I guarantee you, I wouldn’t shove bubbling hot chicken mavis to the back of the refrigerator. And many recipes make enough to feed a small army. Plan to serve something two nights in a row, or freeze half of it for the following week. I still give myself full credit for a home-cooked meal the second time around!

Set the table and make it special. Once a week, we have “manners night” where we gather around the dining room table for a family meal and a refresher course on table manners. These are great opportunities to create lasting family memories.

Simplify when you can. Pre-packaged salads and pre-cut raw vegetables can really cut down on preparation time. They may cost a little more, but you’re still way ahead of the $28.64-permeal game. There are also many frozen meal options that are healthy, tasty and affordable.

And if these tips aren’t enough to motivate you, think of all you can buy with that extra cash on hand. If you’re careful, you might just save enough for a fabulously fine evening at Ruth’s Chris Steak House. That’s what I’m saving for!