How do you eat different now than you did before COVID or do you?

[dyna]

I had a few months there after DH passed that neighbors an I fed each other or got together for a meal each 1 cookin something, since the COVID we haven't done that. 1 time I went over asked WHAT's for dinner they didn't know, I suggested goin out to dinner at a local diner an they bought my dinner. I thought that was pretty good my idea an they pay.

I have 1 friend who has only left her house for dr visits since the COVID hit I trade food with her sometimes.

I don't think I eat out as often not even carry out.

I do still do my own shopping an I prolly keep more food here on hand so i don't have to go out as often an too so that I have it in case food goes up more.

I have also cut down on how much meat I eat per meal to make my budget go further....believe me I still get plenty of protein.

 

[GusGus77]

Well, after looking at my face when teaching zoom classes at the beginning of all of this and not liking what I saw, I started following a program and eating healthier and smaller portions plus a lot less snacking. So my personal eating habits have changed drastically. We also eat a lot less pasta, rice, and chips with meals as a family. We were doing a lot less carry out, but that has started to go back up lately. My grocery shopping has changed, though. I always stocked up when things were on sale, but now I really do as certain things do not go on sale much anymore (meats) and I keep buying those items I couldn’t find in the Spring even if we don’t need them (flour, certain type of pasta, the brand of bacon we like, etc.) I guess I am afraid I won’t be able to find them again. (Not buying as in hoarding. But buying another box of pasta while at the store every week even though we have boxes at home already.)

 

[Ellie008]

We used to go out to eat 1-3x per week every week. But I hate doing take out; always have. If I'm going to have to drive it back home, plate it, and clean up my kitchen afterward I may as well save myself the driving and just make dinner at home.
Since COVID I'm not really comfortable eating in a restaurant (when they are even open for that). So, it is take out or nothing. Most often I just cook at home instead. At this point it has been so long since we ate inside of a restaurant that I don't really even miss it anymore. I'm not sure we will go back to eating out as often as we used to once this is all over.

 

[mom2rtk]

We used to go out to eat 1-3x per week every week. But I hate doing take out; always have. If I'm going to have to drive it back home, plate it, and clean up my kitchen afterward I may as well save myself the driving and just make dinner at home.

Same. I don't see value in take out. We tried it a few times early on in the pandemic, but still needing to plate and clean up after is just a deal breaker for me.

 

[tvguy]

Still eat out twice a week, just take out not in restaurant. No real difference at the grocery store. I see sales of canned goods are up 60% since the pandemic. We have always had canned veggies, fruit and soup on hand. Maybe because my dad worked at a cannery. Or because I grew up during the JFK's cold war in the early 1960's when we kept a week's worth of canned food and water in the trunk of both cars in case we had to head to the hills in case of nuclear attack.

 

[Meriweather]

Same.....except instead of eating out once a week, we have delivery once a month

 

[design_mom]

We also used to eat out -- mostly on the weekends. We'd either be out running errands and grab something while were were out, or we'd visit family/friends and dinner was usually part of the plan. The "going out" has pretty much stopped (both for errands and visiting). I am OK with carry out (better than cooking, and some things travel better than others). However, my husband is not on board if there's "no reason" we can't eat at home. Argh.

Also, lunches. I worked from home even before the pandemic and always managed to find myself something to eat at lunch. But lunches seem to be an issue for everyone else (husband and 2 kids home most of the time too now). We have discussed it several times -- everyone is old enough to make his/her own lunch. However, unless there's something obvious (like dinner leftovers) I constantly get "What should we have for lunch?" or else they wait until I start something for myself then "Oh, can you make me some, too?" I am OK with being responsible for dinner every night but I *hate* being responsible for lunches.

 

[Pink Partridge]

We work from home for the most part now. More time to make elaborate meals. We have tried so many new recipes. Subscribed to Milk Street and love it!

Also, we have started purchasing different wines and trying new craft cocktails on the weekends. Something to look forward to every week.

We enjoy planning our menus and drinks.

I like our new eating patterns.

 

[mom2rb]

DH’s big outing for the week is picking up dinner from a local restaurant every Friday night. I order groceries and my son picks them up. I definitely miss seeing something on sale at the grocery store and creating a meal from it. I have been to a restaurant 3 times for work meetings since March. Twice I sat outside and felt fine. The last time I was indoors and didn’t care for it at all.

 

[NannyBeBe]

We don't eat out as much, but other than that not much has changed. My daughter has GERD so we try to eat a diet that is good for her.

 

[nw6675]

We are 100% grocery and meal delivery. Walmart delivers once a week and then Kroger once or twice a month for things I like better there. Meal delivery about twice a week, but I cook all other meals. We definitely ate out more before, but I enjoy getting it delivered better for the most part.

 

[BadPinkTink]

We work from home for the most part now. More time to make elaborate meals. We have tried so many new recipes. Subscribed to Milk Street and love it!

Also, we have started purchasing different wines and trying new craft cocktails on the weekends. Something to look forward to every week.

We enjoy planning our menus and drinks.

I like our new eating patterns.

Same now that I am working from home and don't have a 90 minute commute every evening I have more time and energy to cook time consuming meals. Doing a weekly grocery delivery makes it easier to meal plan and I can buy items I wouldn't have bought when I was actually going to the store every week. Instead of take out I'm doing copy cat recipes of restaurant food.

 

[kdonnel]

We go through cycles of eating out a lot (10 or so meals a week) and trying to cook at home more. All the restaurants being closed forced us into a cook at home more cycle. We have slipped back into eating out more, the holidays will accelerate that transition back to eating out.

Ultimately the pandemic has not changed how we eat.

 

[ronandannette]

Same. I don't see value in take out. We tried it a few times early on in the pandemic, but still needing to plate and clean up after is just a deal breaker for me.

Yeah, we used to eat out at least once a week and had our favourite places. We tried take out from a few of them and it was disappointing. The type of things we like to order just aren’t conducive to being packaged up, travelling for 20 minutes and then reheating. We do still eat our fair share of fast food though and it has stayed as consistently gross as it ever was. To break the crushing monotony we tried one of those meal-subscription services and DH and DS did the cooking. That part was delightful but they both chose to end the experiment after a single week.

The main change in our food habits is not entertaining or being hosted at other people’s homes for meals, or sharing food at larger events. Food was a HUGE part of our social life and I miss that terribly.

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

We switched to eating our big meal at lunch. So a small breakfast, a big lunch, and then a small dinner. I've found I snack less during the day; DH's numbers stay steadier, so less insulin needed; and no one seems to be getting hangry. The rule is if you don't like what I'm cooking, make yourself a sandwich, heat up chicken nuggets, cook a frozen pizza, whatever. The only shortorder cooking I do now are different eggs if I'm doing breakfast, or if we have sloppy joes, I'll make DS a hamburger as he doesn't like the sloppy joe sauce.

We still get takeout or delivery once a week, just so I can get a break from cooking. Some days I cook breakfast, anything from scrambled eggs and toast to a full omelet with potatoes to waffles or pancakes. Then I make our lunch, and sometimes I will do a small dinner; other nights, it's leftovers, sandwiches, tv dinner, pizza rolls, etc. Like today, I did not make breakfast (DH had yogurt and a protein granola bar, DS is still in bed, and I just had coffee) because I was busy getting lunch in the crockpot: Pasta Fagioli soup (well, my version of it, hah) with garlic bread for lunch, and we can have leftovers for dinner.

I've cut back on soda/tea/coffee. If I have coffee in the am, then I usually drink just water the rest of the day; rarely will I have a soda in the afternoon now. If I don't have my coffee, for whatever reason, then I'll make some iced tea or have a soda around lunch, so I don't get a headache. I've been managing about 64 oz of water each day; I've dropped 5 lbs in the last 3 weeks (and can stand to lose a lot more, lol) with just the dietary changes, and going for a walk 3x a week. Not even a strenous walk; I can only manage betwen 1/2 and 3/4 of a mile out before we have to head home. (bad knees, ankles and hips)

 

[DLgal]

Pretty much the same, although our grocery bill has gone up because we are all home more and are eating less convenience foods like protein bars and greek yogurts as meal replacements.

We are spending less on what would have been restaurant meals, but we are eating more often cheap fast food like Chick Fil a and In n Out. We get takeout from a real restaurant maybe once or twice a month now. Earlier in the pandemic, we would do that once a week.

 

[Kittyblue]

I'm still eating the same types of foods, but working from home I'm not tied to a snack/lunch schedule so I'm better able to eat when I'm actually hungry rather that eating at specific times.

 

[Pooh2]

We used to go to local diners a few times per week now we do take-out at those same establishments in hopes they will survive the restrictions.

Still do Sunday dinners with our kids and grandkids, glad we did not give that up.

Our grocery bill is way up due to eating in more and baking a ton more and sharing meals with neighbors.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

We don't eat out. And though my game in the kitchen was quite good, I upped it even further.

 

[amcnj]

I don’t think there have been any drastic changes, other than earlier when sometimes some items were not available for purchase. I am out and about less so maybe a decline in dining out.