Homemade or store bought?

I have always been a home cook (even prior to MFP we rarely had take aways / conveneince food but we did go out to restaurants a lot more!). The problem was never really what I cooked but the amounts I ate. My mammoth portion sizes and the fact I'd sometimes have 2 carbs with one meal meant I gained a lot of weight - garlic bread goes with pasta so well though LOL

I now portion control which means I can still have my home cooked food but I just eat less and have made lots of healthy swaps!

I commute 2 hours a day so do need to use cheats here and there. I may sometimes buy a packet of cubed potaoes that just go in the oven (140 cals per half pack). We have fresh veg or salad with every evening meal.

I do sometimes buy ready meals but always go for the low cal options and always serve something healthy on the side.

OH has a lot more processes stuff than I do [he doesn't have to watch his weight - his job burns 1000 cals per day] so I will sometimes do myself a healthy salad and stick him a pie in the oven.

I do try to have one evening a week that is my night off cooking though - so OH cooks or we go out or get a chicken shish kebab from the local Turkish restaurant.

90% homemade, 5% going out, and 5% prepackaged.

It's always a toss-up. How much Time and Money do you have?

I like to make homemade whole-wheat bread. It costs about $.89 per loaf and is delicious. But it takes all morning and makes a ton of mess/dishes, for three loaves (I stick two in the freezer). So for the money I've saved, I don't know if it's worth my time, especially if my kids aren't playing well together.

You can pay through the nose for GOOD whole-grain bread, but a lot of us can't afford that. Or buy cheap white bread and "pay for it" with stopped up intestines and empty carbs, KWIM?

I do a lot from scratch because it's cheaper. Buy in bulk, divide and cook down myself (beans, cheeses, pantry items) and I buy meats, eggs, and milk from a local farm.

I only buy pre-packaged things like spaghetti sauces, crackers, and frozen veggies that I use in cooking.

Occasionally I'll throw in a DiGiorno or use a frozen meal that I made weeks ago.

Always, always a balance between time and money. And priorities.

I love to cook, but the more I think about food, the more I eat, so the only way for me to cut calories is to stay out of the kitchen as much as I can.

Definitely home cooking. I used to eat the Lean Cuisine's and the Lean Pockets but the sodium content is just way too much.

I eat out too, but no more processed/frozen meals from the freezer section for me!

I cook! We buy the little things, spaghetti/pizza sauce, the rare can of soup (we don't really eat it) condiments, cereal and crackers. I make all our lunches/dinner. No pre-packaged lunchables for the kids or frozen dinners/pizzas for us. I make our own pizza shells, all baked items and except for a rare fast food meal, I make all our dinners from scratch.

I do have to admit that if my kids didn't have allergies,we would probably eat a bit more store bought stuff. Especially things like waffles and cookies. But as fate had it, they do have allergies and I learned to make pretty much everything myself so that everyone can have some.

I do homemade most of the time...sometimes semi-homemade and sometimes store bought for when we are in a hurry and want something hot to eat.

I def love to cook but need those fast things at hand as well for when I am rushed & hungry!

I LOVE to cook. My grandparents were chefs & I like to think I have some of the talent in my blood. Tonight I'm having baked tilapia & broccoli with steamed white rice. I love coming up with new sauces for rice or pasta and mixing it with chicken and spinach or whatever vegetable I'm craving.