10 Restaurant-Style Meals You can Create At Home
photo credit: jvree
We all know that eating out costs much more than eating at home no matter how you look at it. Therefore, a great way to save money, is by recreating your favorite restaurant-style meals at home, allowing you to eat them more often, and save money at the same time.
The following are ten restaurant-style meals that you can easily create at home:
1. Chinese takeout. From fried rice to stir fry Chinese takeout can easily be recreated at home, especially with the vast array of items available in your local store’s international foods section, you can practically be in a different country every night of the week.
2. Mexican Fiesta. Let another night create your own Mexican fare. Anything from tacos, to nachos or enchiladas, each can be recreated at home to calm your craving without paying restaurant prices.
3. Gourmet Sandwiches. There are dozens and dozens of them out there today from the gyro, to the muffaletta you can pick your sandwich apart at your favorite local gourmet deli, take a mental note and then recreate it next time at home.
4. Greek food. Greek food is hearty and contains some key healthy ingredients including spinach, meat, usually lamb or veal, feta cheese and every Greek’s favorite, garlic, and lots of it.
5. Homemade Pizza. Many times you can create a better pizza than you can buy as take-out. You can test and try until you create one that is as yummy as take-out or better.
6. Gumbo. It is a Cajun tradition and a stick to your bones type food. You can find some yummy recipes for it online or can even buy the boxed variety, though homemade is better. You can choose to create the seafood type or just use chicken and sausage, either way you’ll have a yummy meal for less than the restaurant.
7. Better burgers. You know every restaurant has it’s own variety and you can create your favorite at home, grab your grill, the meat, special buns and other condiments and build your best burger ever!
8. Catfish Dinner. In the deep south especially, a meal out at a catfish house is quite popular. Fried catfish is yummy but can be costly if eaten out. Whip up your own catfish dinner at home, and don’t forget the fries, hushpuppies and slaw.
9. Steak Dinner. Firing up the grill and preparing your own steak can result in a wonderful meal. Most times you can buy two steaks for the price of what you’ll pay in a restaurant, sides included.
10. Appetizers as a meal. We all have a favorite appetizer. Whether it be the buffalo wings or the spinach and artichoke dip. Why not create a whole meal based on your favorite appetizers? It could turn out to be a family favorite.
