Joining up and hoping to inspire new cooks like Mesha to cook at home. Food is so much better at home.

Case in point, lots of people go out and get a burger b/c its quick and easy.

With a little time and prep you can make a burger at home in minutes and it will blow away any burger you can buy.

Sirloin Burgers
1. I only buy prime steak usually its NY strip, Top Round or London Broil. When making burgers be sure to get a cut with fat on it. This is essential to making a juicy burger that does not fall apart!

2. A kitchen essential is a mini chopper or food processor. This is a must just like a food scale and measuring cups.

3. I will remove the fat and chop into tiny pieces and place in chopper/processor and grind til it is all processed to a very fine consistency.

4. Cut up 4 oz of steak into small squares and place in food processor / chopper and grind to a fine consistency.

5. Add fat and meat together in a bowl and mix in spices. I just use sea salt and black pepper.

6. Roll into a ball and then flatten out a patty to bout 1/4 inch thick, not too thin not to thick.

7. Place in a freezer bag as an individual burger.

8. Broil in oven at 450 for 5-8 minutes and make a burger how you like it.

I will saute mushrooms, onions, peppers and then cover with cheese.

You can have a healthy delicious steak burger anytime you like!

Prime Round is like 3.00 a lb in Texas I eat it every day and its very lean.

Hi everyone! I'm Jen, 30, originally from CA (Bay Area) but now living in frosty Illinois. I have a major sweet tooth, a major salt tooth (is that a thing?) and I live in one of the most restaurant-dense areas I've ever seen. I know how to cook-- in fact, I'm fairly decent at it-- but It's just so easy and delicious to get lunch on campus, and dinner on the way home. Add in my general laziness and sedentary lifestyle of a grad student and I've managed to gain 50-60 lbs since starting grad school.

I don't know if this will work, or if it will help anyone else, but here's what I'm trying out this month. I planned all my dinners for the month. Yep. A month, January 1-31. I scheduled in days for leftovers, but only 2 nights for eating out. I planned the easiest meals and crockpot meals for the nights I know I'm going to be on campus until 5 or 6 pm and the more complicated meals and new recipes for the weekends when I have more time. Here's a post about planning for a month that I found to be pretty helpful:
http://www.thescrappyhousewife.com/2012/05/how-i-menu-plan-part-2-in-series.html

I'm also using the Seinfeld "don't break the chain!" productivity goal to try to keep myself on track (that's where you make a big X on a calendar day if you make your goal for that day, and the aim is to make a big chain of X's).

I also keep a running list of the meals I've tried and liked, so that if I find myself wondering what to make I can look at a bunch of ideas. Oooh and when I want to make something I haven't tried before I'll go to foodgawker.com and search for a particular ingredient, or dish, or I'll just browse. (Although then I have to pretend not to see the delicious desserts...) Hope all this helps someone! And I'm glad to be here with some like-minded people. I'll try posting some recipes here too-- easy lasagna, anyone?

Hey everyone, I'm Nat and I'm 26. I used to struggle more with eating out too much when I lived alone, but I am currently living with my mommate to help out with some family situations, and I don't eat out once (or twice!) a day like I used to.

I do like to cook and get inventive in the kitchen and I'm pretty decent at it, but the enjoyment with that comes in waves and right now I'm in that down period of "too lazy, can't be bothered" so I have been eating out (mostly "healthier" fast food like chicken wraps or shawarma salads, mmm) at least 3-4 times a week. I'd like to cut that down to 1-2, mostly because when I put in the effort the food I cook myself is tastier than what I can buy, and because money is tight and $7 pitas add up. I'd rather save that $ for going to a swank foodie restaurant once a month.

Lunch was a big danger zone for me - I used to have a job where getting food off-site wasn't an option so I was forced to pack healthy homemade things and it worked out beautifully for my wallet and waistline. Another time I worked in a building right next door to a Whole Foods and a really great sushi place - had a pretty sore wallet from that. Now I work from home, and my problem is grazing and having lots of decadent food at my fingertips all day long (my mom has a blue cheese, pate, cracker and chocolate truffle habit so those things are always around)

Oh and I for a brief time I worked as a caterer at a cooking school, so here are some random food prep tips that I picked up:

- Invest in a good chef's knife, one that feels comfy in your grip, one size doesn't fit all. Hold the knife so that your thumb and forefinger pinch the base of the blade, like a chopstick - this gives you more control.

- For peeling garlic - cut off the root ends of the cloves, smash with flat side of a knife, then put the pieces in between two bowls, close and shake. Skins will come right off and no garlicky fingers for you.

- Save your onion skins to boil and make delicious stocks for soups, adds color and flavour.

Wanted to stop by and introduce myself. I'm a stay at home mom of 3. We tend to eat out once or twice a week out of pure convenience. It seems like we are always busy and I'm a procrastinator by nature so horrible at meal planning, although I do try. Or sometimes I'm simply tired and tacos or burgers from a fast food place is just easier.

I'm hoping to find some new creative ideas, and some motivation when it comes to meal planning and preparation. We made a 3 month goal of no eating out last January and me and my husband lost quite a bit of weight in those 3 months! I'm going to set a new goal for the entire year. Eating out only once a month with my family at a restaurant. (no fast food!!) I figure I can take the money we normally spend on fast food and actually have a nice meal somewhere that I will enjoy much more than a greasy burger, and at the same time not feel so restricted by not eating out at all.

I'm looking forward to trying some new recipes and maybe learning a better way of doing things when it comes to preparing meals.

Hi people~ I am 32, no kid. I relocated from Oregon to Lincoln about 2 years ago. I LOVE cooking. It is so fun to do, a great way to try something new without major investment, and the results are usually successful. I found if I have food at home, I am less likely to eat out. However, I do not like to eat out to start with, it is too salt. Hope we can keep the discussions going!!