Alternatives to Dining Out
Most of us love to dine out. It takes a whole lot of hassle out of something that many of us deem a chore - cooking at home. When you cook at home, you have to source ingredients yourself. For high quality meals, you probably have to spend about an hour or two preparing ingredients and cooking them to perfection. You then have to deal with the mess in the kitchen afterwards when you’ve finished eating. Dining provides an alternative experience. Instead of having to put hard work and effort into your meals, someone else takes care of all of it for you. You simply place your order and your food and drinks are brought right to you. When you’re finished, everything is taken away and cleaned up without you having to lift a finger. Plus, dining out has a sense of occasion to it. You find yourself in a great atmosphere, in great company, surrounded by plenty of other people having a great time. However, with the rise of coronavirus and Covid-19 around the world, dining out has been taken off the menu for many of us. Government guidelines and rules around the world have seen many countries closing their restaurants, cafes, bars and other dining out facilities in a bid to slow the spread of the virus. So, right now, many of us are having to turn to other alternatives. The good news is that there are plenty of ways you can enjoy your food from home. Here are a few ideas to help you make the most of your home meals!
Take Cookery Classes
If you’re not the best chef, you may be finding that you’re not enjoying eating at home because your dishes simply don’t taste too great. This is unfortunate, but it is a situation that can be improved upon. We’re not all brought up cooking from a young age and some of us simply don’t have the natural talent. But it can be taught during adulthood. You just need to dedicate some time and effort towards actually learning how to cook. Now, seeing as we’re in a pandemic, chances are, you won’t be able to attend classes in person. But this doesn’t mean that cooking classes are off the table. Instead, there are many online courses that you can tune into from your own kitchen. Take a look at the different options available to you. Some will be interactive and take place via video call apps and programmes such as Zoom. Some will be pre recorded tutorials that you simply watch and follow along with. Regardless of the type of class or course you take, you’re bound to find your cooking skills increasing and you’ll likely produce more enjoyable meals yourself!
Invest in Some Recipe Books
There are plenty of recipes online that you can follow, but many of us become frustrated by the advertisements and unnecessary stories that you tend to have to get through before actually reaching the ingredients list and recipe. If this sounds familiar, you may find that it’s more than worth investing in some recipe books. A recipe book is straightforward. It will generally offer up a picture of the final dish alongside an ingredients list and comprehensive instructions. There are all sorts of recipe books out there, ranging from those containing instructions for full blown three course meals to those that have easy oatmeal breakfast tips. So, no matter what you feel like eating, there will likely be a recipe book that will have a delicious recipe that will fulfill your wants and needs. If unsure, you can browse your different options and then read other’s reviews. Books with plenty of recommendations tend to be a safe bet, as they’ve already left a smile on someone else’s face.
Learn About Nutritional Requirements
Of course, if you’re going to take to cooking, you’re also going to need to make sure that your meals are nutritionally dense and provide your body with everything it needs to get by. This is easier said than done. At the end of the day, your body will require all sorts of food groups, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients to operate to peak condition. This may take a lot to learn at first, but eventually, what you learn will become a habit. Let’s start out by determining how many calories you should be incorporating into your meals each day. The guide below should help to some extent.
Children aged 2 to 8 - 1000 to 1400 calories
Girls aged 9 to 13 - 1400 to 1600 calories
Boys aged 9 to 13 - 1600 to 2000 calories
Active women aged 14 to 30 - 2400 calories
Sedentary women aged 14 to 30 - 1800 to 2000 calories
Active men aged 14 to 30 - 2800 to 3200 calories
Sedentary men aged 14 to 30 - 2000 to 2600 calories
Active adults over 30 - 2000 to 3000 calories
Sedentary adults over 30 - 1600 to 2400 calories
As you can see, factors such as age, sex and activity levels can all impact how many calories you should be working with throughout each day. On top of calorie contents in your meals, you need to make sure that you’re getting all of the vitamins and minerals your body requires too. This means incorporating different ingredients and food groups into your diet. This can include fruit and vegetables, carbohydrates, healthy fats and oils and more. If you’re struggling to determine what you should be adding into your meals, you can always reach out to your doctor or nutritionist. They’ll be able to advise you further based on your individual needs, circumstances and preferences. On top of this, if you have specific nutritional preferences or requirements, such as allergies or following a vegetarian or vegan diet, they can recommend alternatives to staple foods that can ensure you still give your body everything that it needs!
Try Home Meal Kits
If you’re struggling to come up with your own ideas, or find that you need a little more guidance with your home cooking, you may want to try out home meal kits. These kits will be delivered straight to your door, providing everything that you need to create a delicious meal. Often, the herbs, spices and other ingredients will already be weighed out and ready to cook. This makes the entire process simpler, more straightforward and - for many - more enjoyable due to its ease. These kits will often come with step by step guides that will take you from the entire process of preparing and cooking your chosen dish, removing room for error and helping you to create something truly delicious. Of course, there are plenty of different meal kits out there on the market. The past year has seen increased demand for them and the market has delivered! So, no matter what type of cuisine or which specific dish you’re interested in, chances are, there’s a meal kit out there that will help you to make it!
Give Restaurant Deliveries a Go
Of course, if you’re really craving quality food directly delivered to your door, there are options. Sure, we’re all used to takeaway foods being delivered, but these tend to be takeaway standard rather than restaurant quality. Things, however, have changed a little over the past twelve or so months. Many restaurants have turned to creating takeaway or collection options for those who are missing their signature dishes. This can give you the opportunity to collect your favourite meals to return home with. This may feel a little odd. After all, you’ll end up plating this quality meal up back at home. But it is a great way to enjoy the authentic taste of your favourite eateries in spite of the pandemic and while following guidelines safely. Browse different options and see what’s available. Some restaurants will require you to order in advance, others will take orders as and when they come through. This will depend entirely on the individual establishment.
Hopefully, restaurants will be back up and running sooner rather than later. The vaccine roll out across the world should see life begin to resume as normal in the not so distant future and many of us are already looking forward to getting back to doing the things we love and enjoying the things that we used to before the pandemic - including restaurants, cafes and bars. But for now, if restaurants are closed in your area, the above information and suggestions should help to make sure that you still get plenty of delicious meals into your routine regardless. Try a few options out and see what works for you. At the end of the day, only a process of trial and error will see you find the dining option that ticks all of your boxes.
