Just like in the movie, ‘Ratatouille’ says, “Anyone can cook”.
There are those out there who like to either order in a lot or buy all pre-prepared foods (typically loaded with unhealthy additives). There are also the people who just hate having to cook after a long day at work. Or hate to have to clean up the mess after cooking. Or don’t want to cook after a long day of work followed by an hour or so of grocery shopping.
But if someone wants to cook they can. Today all you need to do is ‘Google’ the keyword recipe and you get a plethora of websites with ones ranging from simple to difficult recipes, posted with delicious-looking pictures.
So, why are some people not cooking more? Ever-increasing food costs at grocery stores are a huge factor. But if you’re able and have a (large) freezer, buying larger portions or in bulk may be an option for you. For example, you can purchase a large piece of pork from Walmart, cut chops from that then cut a roast-sized piece to stuff. You may have enough for a slow cooker pulled pork too. All from one $16 (CDN) package of pork.
Think of cooking as a game of “How to stretch you dollar the furthest”. Meal planning is a huge part of this. Going through the never ending stack of fliers from your local grocery. Seeing the deals you can get and making a plan for the next week or two. There are also surprises in store that may not be in the flier. You can make something today and reheat the leftovers and add something else and totally change the dish for another meal.
You can have the best meal planning for your budget but it sometimes comes down to the simple case of “best laid plans”. What we mean by this is you have pork roast planned for tonight and have it in the slow cooker and by the time you get home from work it smells amazing and perfectly done. The problem is you aren’t in the mood for pork tonight, but pizza instead.
So what now? Think about the meal you have prepared and whether to keep on your meal plan. Or have a cheat night of pizza and come up with ways to use the pork in sliders, hot pork sandwiches or warmed up pork slices with mashed potatoes. Being on a meal plan doesn’t mean you can’t change your mind.
I guess what we’re trying to say is you can make good food at home and cheaper than from a restaurant – it just takes some thought and pre-planning. We recommend you find a good meal plan online you can work with and change it to your particular diet and follow it for a month or two and see how it works for you.
If you have any problems with finding a meal plan you can always click the link to Eat Right Ontario and it will walk you through what you want it 
for (healthier, weight management, budgetary, etc.). And definitely share your tricks and meal plans with people who ask for the help.
“It’s not the plan that’s important, it’s the planning.” Dr. Gramme Edwards