1) Cheaper. Healthier. Tailored to my personal tastes, accounts for my particular allergies/sensitivities. Saves time and aggravation with my autistic four year old. And it's enjoyable.
2) If something is on sale at the grocery store, I'll plan out a specific meal around it (steak and peppers, for example) but otherwise I don't make a detailed plan.
3) I do a lot of one-pot or two-pot meals. One pot is grain (rice, pasta, or potatoes) and the other is a meat-veggie mix. Sometimes it's curry, sometimes it's more beef-and-tomatoes, sometimes lemon chicken with asparagus.
4) I have in the past done weight watchers (the points plan that was popular in ~2008). This is easily adaptable -- the meat-and-veggie dish is usually fairly low calorie and nutritiously filling, and using brown rice or whole wheat pasta with a small portion size keeps the points down.
5) I think of the dishes I make as essentially templates. I know how to make a decent Chicken Vindaloo, but I can turn it into Pork With A Different Blend of Spices And Veggies using the exact same cooking techniques and it's still good.
My favorite tools: a deep frying pan with a lid, a slow cooker, and a pressure cooker (especially for rice -- I live at altitude.)
2) If something is on sale at the grocery store, I'll plan out a specific meal around it (steak and peppers, for example) but otherwise I don't make a detailed plan.
3) I do a lot of one-pot or two-pot meals. One pot is grain (rice, pasta, or potatoes) and the other is a meat-veggie mix. Sometimes it's curry, sometimes it's more beef-and-tomatoes, sometimes lemon chicken with asparagus.
4) I have in the past done weight watchers (the points plan that was popular in ~2008). This is easily adaptable -- the meat-and-veggie dish is usually fairly low calorie and nutritiously filling, and using brown rice or whole wheat pasta with a small portion size keeps the points down.
5) I think of the dishes I make as essentially templates. I know how to make a decent Chicken Vindaloo, but I can turn it into Pork With A Different Blend of Spices And Veggies using the exact same cooking techniques and it's still good.
My favorite tools: a deep frying pan with a lid, a slow cooker, and a pressure cooker (especially for rice -- I live at altitude.)