Monday 2 July 2012

Taking Away the Takeaway



Recently we decided to banish the takeaway, I think we have had one since we got here in March, and that was when we were both exhausted from all the decorating, even while eating it we were considering the time it took us to go and get it (45 mins), the cost (over £15) and the main deciding factor...... the additives, not knowing exactly what was in the food and finally ...... the taste.

And anyway ordering a takeaway doesn't really fit in with our Living Simply mind set now, it smacks much too much of consumerism and paying someone else to do what we are perfectly capable of doing, and doing better, ourselves.



So now when we fancy a takeway, in this case a pizza, we do it ourselves.  I do like to make my own pizza bases, but usually when the urge for a takeway strikes it's because you are tired and don't fancy cooking and unless I have thought ahead and frozen some homemade bases I have no objection to turning to one of these in a crisis.  A Sainsburys Basic Range 12" Pizza. All the main supermarkets have their own basic ones, some do a couple of sizes too, if they are reduced in price I get individual ones, these would also be really good for children.

I usually have a stack of them tucked in the darker recesses of the freezer, in their own wrapping and then all together in a carrier bag for added protection, mostly bought when they are reduced in price, but at just £1.10 each they are still a cheap option.  As they are, they are adequate but it's what you can do to them that makes it a good and healthier and more satisfying meal.



The pictures follow the stages of last nights offering.  Take the basic pizza, you can even do all this straight from the freezer,  I added a layer of sliced onion, red and white in this case because that was what was in the fridge in the form of leftovers from another meal.  Then I topped that with slices of tomato, a Beefsteak tomato this time, so lovely large slices and then a few more onions.



Then I sliced it into portions, I find it easier to do while it is cold and it means that I can, if necessary add some meat or fish to Lovely Hubby's portions, but this time he just had it 'veggie' like me. 



Then a generous sprinkling of cheese, slightly more than usual here as I was using up all the leftovers in the fridge ready for starting Phase 1 of the Harcombe Diet today.




Twenty minutes in the oven we had this, with all the added extras it made it really filling, so there are still two slices in the fridge this morning.


So thinking about the cost, the basic pizza itself actually cost me 50p as it was reduced in price, the bits of onion about 20p and the leftover cheeses about 50p, and no fuel needed for petrol to go and pick it up, so a home prepared 'takeaway' for £1.20 that was more than enough to feed two people and make two tired hardworking weekend workers very happy...... and prepared and on our plates within 30 minutes. 

A win, win situation.......now what to do with those two slices.......we're on Phase 1 of the Harcombe Diet again this week to give us a health boost and start shifting some weight so they are completely out of bounds, I hope our landlord is hungry when he finishes his days work on the garage. maybe I can persuade him to eat them for me!!

What 'cheats' do you use to make a quick family meal or replace a takeway when the urge strikes?

Sue xx



12 comments:

  1. I love homemade everything so to have a "go to" supply in the freezer I simply double up on recipes, freeze the extras in 1 portion sizes and if I need,fancy a lazy meal the microwave comes into its own. Some weekends we are all working to different timetables so we can eat what we want when we have time. Usually we eat as a family but even then we have the option to eat separately together.

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  2. I like to make my own bases and freeze them as well although I do the same as you with shop bought ones occasionally. Our other 'takeaway' is fish and chips which I keep in the freezer and the kids LOVE these nights as we make it fun and have picnics in the lounge room. Buying takeaway for a family is just way too expensive!

    xx Susan

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  3. By the time I get in the car and drive to get takeaway (about 7kms), I could have made something better at home. This is our second year since cutting down junk food to nearly zero. We have home made pizza, chips and garlic bread often on a Friday night. Last time I decided to make hamburgers and chips...oh they are so much tastier than takeaway. My 16yo son usually doesnt eat all his takeaway, but he eats ALL the homemade stuff!

    My pizza dough is 1 cup natural yogurt to 1 cup flour...simply beautiful dough!

    x

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  4. Pam - Yes, I tend to do the same, most recipes are for 4 people, so as there are only two of us I double up and freeze half, it's so nice to have home made 'ready meals' to hand isn't it.

    Susan - I dread to think about what it would cost to get a takeaway for the whole family and yet some folks do don't they.....madness. I love the sound of your picnics in the lounge.

    Tania - What a lovely sounding pizza dough, I bet it's lovely and light, I'm going to give this a go next week, when we're back on bread.

    Sue xx
    Our New Life in the Country

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  5. I love seeing it like this in black and white and it makes so much sense. Thank you .... not I just wish I could mix carbs and fats because it does look tasty lol xx

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  6. I tend to buy those small ones and then add my own ingredients. The small one just fits in a Remoska and so I don't have to put the oven on.

    I sometimes put olives on too.

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  7. Mrs Thrifty - a pizza would be possible as a 'carb' meal, just make sure you use a low fat cheese, or even no cheese, just lots of other veggies, oven roasted mediterranean style veggies make a gorgeous pizza topping without the need for any extra cheese.

    Campfire - you know I never even thought of cooking it in the Remoska, I'll have to watch out for the little ones on offer now and stockpile a few - thanks for the tip. I've cooked just about everything else in there, why didn't I think of pizza!!

    Sue xx
    Our New Life in the Country

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  8. As a vegetarian living in a rural area, there's not a lot of takeaway I can eat. However, I am sucker for hot chips and the local deli does the B-E-S-T vego-suitable hot chips and gravy.
    I'm so easily pleased...
    ~S.

    P.S. I have a recipe for homemade vegetarian pizza on my blog: http://sorcha-sidhe.blogspot.com.au/2011/06/easy-and-very-tasty-homemade-vegetarian.html. The dough is so easy to make!

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  9. We used to make our own Pizzas but loaded stuff on & it got very expensive !
    Take aways have become very pricey...a treat rather than a regular event.

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  10. We do exactly the same with basic range pizzas, so much cheaper, and usually tastier, than takeaways. I'd like to have a go at making from scratch but I've never made pizza base, I'll definitely have to give it a go.

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  11. Thanks to Sue, we use these pizzas too and add our own ingredients. Also we use the ends of our home made bread.

    You give such great advice.

    Sft x

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  12. Sorcha - oooh you've got me drooling....hot chips straight from the chippy, so naughty but oh so nice!! I'm going to nip on over and look at your pizza recipe...NOW

    Penny - yes they are a treat, and yet some folks (you see them on these slimming shows on tele) seem to be able to virtually live on them, mind you thinking about it they usually eat the cheapest, most unhealthy stuff I guess.

    Jo - Have a look at Tanias recipe, just above in these comments, it sounds so easy and delicious, I'm going to give it a go.

    Sft - you have me blushing **turns an appealing shade of pinkish red**

    The ends of homemade bread make THE best pizzas I find - yummy!

    Sue xx
    Our New Life in the Country

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