Earlier I shared my goal of eating more fruits and veggies regularly. I'm also trying to dine in more and dine out less. While this is a challenging proposition, following through with this goal has multiple benefits. Dining at home more means having the opportunity to try out new recipes and know exactly what is going into my food and consequently, my body. The conscious decision to eat more real foods is becoming easier, not only because I feel more energetic, but it's also refreshing to try new recipes. I mean it.
A second benefit is that I spend less money by preparing meals at home, instead of going out to eat. Now, this doesn't mean that I quit eating out all together. However, I try to pack a lunch and eat dinner at home during the week, unless I'm having one of those days. You know what kind of day I’m talking about! Those days when you crave comfort food and the couch, and indulge in a chicken pot pie.
In my opinion, it's totally OK to have a bad day or to veer off course a little but it's important to make good choices most of the time, so that I can make exceptions when it's really necessary. Like when Friday finally rolls around and I'm ready to celebrate the start of the weekend with my favorite pizza (and arugula salad), I can enjoy it without guilt.
I know that I'm only a few weeks into this effort but so far one unexpected outcome is that Ben and I enjoy eating out even more now. Since we only eat out a couple of times a week, we choose our outings more thoughtfully and in some ways, these outings feel more special.
Lately I've had a thing for this arugula salad from one of our favorite eateries so I attempted to recreate it at home. It's pretty simple with just arugula, cherry tomatoes, sunflower seeds and a light vinaigrette dressing. Since I'm not sure which vinaigrette they use, I decided to try out this lemon vinaigrette recipe via epicurious. I liked it pretty well but I'm totally up for trying other recipes, if you have any recommendations.
Do you have a dine out favorite that you've tried to recreate at home?