Meal Planning Tip: How to Plan Takeout

Every now and again we all need a break from cooking! Sometimes the work day, unexpected monkey wrenches, or just time slipping away derails my plans for dinner. With the rising cost of basically everything it’s helpful to save wherever I can and avoid that 4:30 PM “I guess we’re ordering out tonight” moment. While a night off from chef duty is a nice break, doing takeout this way doesn’t leave me feeling guilty after seeing the bill.

Find out if your favorite restaurant offers catering! Restaurants usually offer a discount on large trays. This chicken parm dinner is one of our favorites. My guys order it every time we go to this restaurant. They don’t even look at the menu anymore. This tray costs us $75 where as the individual dinner is about $25 after tax and tip. Ask about catering and their prices. Do the math and see if it works out for you! This offers a guilt free take out night for us because it’s a nice treat for everyone, but I know I’m still stretching our dollar to make it work for us.

Divide the tray into whatever portions make the most sense for your family. I cut this tray into 6 even servings and put them in the perfect sized containers. These will go into the freezer until I’m ready to use them!

These will be good for 6 lunches (probably more like 2 lunch servings per container) or 3 dinners for my whole family. I’ll take them out as needed and serve it with a side vegetable to complete the meal!

Sound Delish? Read our other Recipes!