With our hectic schedules, most of us cannot find the time to prepare a homemade meal and end up resorting to take-out.  As the economy slows and our budgets tighten, our dining practices are hard hit.  Most of us are cutting back on spending and are opting to prepare more meals at home and choosing inexpensive restaurants when dining out.

Due to the current economic downturn, fast food services have been benefiting from their “value menus”.  But is fast food a safer/better/healthier option than homemade? Personally, I would rather spend the extra dollar and prepare the burger myself then drive up to McDonald’s and order something that I am not even sure is real meat.  I would rather a natural, unprocessed meal than a sodium-laden, processed, “fake” impostors. 

I was brought up eating natural foods–not the impostors, therefore I tend to follow this tradition and eat as wholesome and clean as possible.  Now, don’t get me wrong, once in awhile we’ll all reach for something that isn’t so good for me but makes me “feel” better…and at those times, it’s okay to give your body what it wants/craves/needs. 

What happened to the good ol’ days of home economics when our mothers and grandmothers prepared delicious, natural meals in the kitchens and families would take the time to sit down together for dinner?  It seems those days are long gone in this day n’ age, but they don’t have to be.  Try to take time each week (perhaps on your Sunday evening) to jot down meal ideas for the week ahead.  Moreover, cook and prepare some of the ingredients for these dishes ahead of time so that they are readily available when you need them at 5pm on a weeknight…the kids are cranky and tired and your husband walks in from a long day and you are all in need of a nice, filling meal.  By simply taking some time to plan ahead, you can do wonders for yourself and your family, not to mention saving time as well as taking control over the ingredients and nutritional benefits of your homemade meals.

What are your thoughts on homemade cooking versus dining out? Despite the rough economic state and the craziness of our hectic schedules, what do you prefer?

Feel free to share some of your homemade tips.