I can hear you all asking – “so, e, how do we eat out all the time without blowing our diets”? I have two words for you my friends; stay home!
Lately my boyfriend, A, and I have been eating out a bit too much. When you walk into a restaurant and the hostess shouts “E” (think Norm from the t.v. show Cheers), you know you’ve been there a bit too often. So I sent A a text saying I’d make him dinner. His response was; “great what are we having”? I had no clue!
I decided on chicken, but only after a grocery store mishap involving frozen pizza dough, and me having a breakdown in the middle of the aisle. When I got home, I took the chicken out of my freezer and left it in the fridge to thaw. Tip for the future- don’t do this! By the time A got to my apartment it was still frozen and therefore took almost an hour to bake. Note; frozen chicken and a hungry boyfriend do not make a good combination. I chose a simple, store bought garlic and herb marinade (yes, I cheated) and served it with brown rice and broccoli. We had a much healthier meal than we would have if we had gone out – although it probably took longer!
What’s that I hear? What about dessert you ask? You’re right, I do always say that dessert is the best part, especially when going out. So what do you do about that if you’re staying home? Don’t immediatley go for the store bought solutions. Although they’re quick and easy, they usually have so many calories and other bad things in them that you may as well go to the restaurant and order an entire cake. Don’t worry though, I have a healthier alternative. Chocolate cupcakes.
That’s right, I said chocolate, cupcakes, and healthy all in the same sentence. What’s so special about these cupcakes? Of course they still have flour, sugar, eggs and all the other flavourings but they also contain a not so secret ingredient; applesauce. Applesauce has been one of my favourite baking substitutes for years. It can be used to replace the oil in just about any cake or muffin recipe and it reduces the fat and calorie content by a bunch. It also makes your cake super light and moist.
Some people can taste it and some people can’t, but it doesn’t over power the chocolate. When he ate one, A could tell there was something different about them, but he didn’t know it was applesauce. Most importantly, he said they tasted good, which is what matters.
I definitely enjoy going out for dinner, but there is something to be said for staying in and eating a great dinner that I made by myself, that kept me on track, and that saved me money.
Now if only I could get my boy, A to do the dishes.
The Twenties Project 