I love a takeaway but I only allow myself this treat on special occasions. Why? Well, for me, it’s always about the cost.
As you know, I’m a frugal person and I love to save money wherever I can. So, when I’ve got the opportunity to DIY my own treat meals rather than splashing the cash on a food delivery, I always choose that option.
Plus, I know that I can make my meals just a little more healthy by cooking them myself at home. Plus, I can cook the right sized portion for the two of us, so there’s no temptation to overeat just to ‘tidy up’ or ‘get my money’s worth’ (which I know I would do haha!).
Additionally, there’s zero food waste when you make your own portions. We all know that we don’t really want leftovers the next day and those takeaway cartons will probably sit in the fridge until next week when we chuck them out with the recycling.
So, if you’re convinced that making your work Friday night takeaway is a good idea for your purse, your bin and your waistline, here are some recipe ideas to DIY your own delicious ‘fakeaway’ meals…
Shrimp & chicken fried rice
A favourite of mine is always fried rice, but I always want to make it into a meal by adding plenty of protein and some veggies. I found an awesome recipe on the My Tasty Wall website by Daria where she shares the step-by-step to make your own shrimp & chicken fried rice so be sure to check that out.
Another bonus of this recipe is that you can use up leftover cold rice from the day before (if you’ve chilled and stored it safely) in this takeaway dish, so there really is no food waste when you make a treat meal this Friday night.
Vegetarian curry feast
I’ve previously shared this recipe on my blog but it’s so tasty that I simply had to mention it again. My blogging buddy LucyLovesYa showed me how she makes a selection of vegetarian curry dishes a few years ago and I know you’ll enjoy them.
From bhajis and dahl to chickpea curry, if you try making this vegetarian curry feast at the weekend, you’ll be sure to have everything you need for a family gathering and a delicious meal. If you want to add any extra dishes you could also try my own butter chicken curry recipe or my spiced bombay potatoes.
Perfect pizzas
My favourite ever takeaway is always a pizza – or at least, I love the idea of it. Because we live so far away from any pizza shops, we can never get a pizza delivered and if we ever go to pick one up, tit’s usually just a little too cool by the time we get it home to eat it.
So I personally prefer to make our own pizza dough to DIY a takeaway pizza. That way, I can choose all my own favourite toppings on my own me-sized pizza, while my husband piles his own pizza base with pepperoni and spicy sausage.
Also, I’m pretty sure that it’s loads cheaper to make your own pizzas at home than it is to order one! We’ve always used the Jamie Oliver pizza dough recipe so that’s a good place to start.
Sunday Brunch
And, after all those gorgeous takeaway meals, you probably won’t be hungry enough for breakfast the next morning. However, if you start getting peckish mid-morning, my DIY MaccyD’s breakfast wrap is another money-saving and time-saving option for your Sunday brunch.
I hope that you’ll check out these recipes and will enjoy making your own Friday night takeaway soon. Hopefully, it’ll save you money and will be a fun activity too! Let me know your own favourite recipes in the comments below, I’d love to hear what takeaway treats you enjoy DIYing. 🙂
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