6 Ways to Save Money at Restaurants

The easiest way to save money on food is to skip restaurants altogether and make your own food but we know many people like to go out so we are going to share some of our favorite money saving tips with you! Not only will limiting your dining out help your wallet but it will also help your waistline. You are in complete control of what goes into your food and how much you eat. We try to limit our eating out to once or twice a week but you can use these tips no matter how often you dine out. Some of these tips seem obvious but are often overlooked.

>>>>> The Ultimate List of Ways to Save: 18 Ways to Save $15,000 in 2018!

Ways to Save Money (and Calories!) at Restaurants

• Choose an inexpensive restaurant
  • We don’t promote "fast food" but places like Moe’s, Chipotle, and other similar restaurants are surprisingly affordable and typically have healthier options!
  • Calorie Saving Tip: Ask for the extras (like cheese, guac, etc.) on the side so you can control how much you consume.
• Go for lunch
  • Most restaurants are open for lunch or early dinners. Many of them have lunch menus that are similar to their dinner menus but less expensive!
  • Calorie Saving Tip: Just eating out for lunch instead of dinner is a calorie saver because the portions are usually slightly smaller!
• Skip the soft drinks
  • Even though $2-$3 per drink doesn't sound very expensive it quickly adds up over time and water is free at every restaurant I've been to.
  • Calorie Saving Tip: Water has zero calories and the calories from those "free refill" soft drinks can quickly add up, just like the cost does.
• Skip the alcohol
  • Alcoholic beverages are very expensive when dining out. The cheapest I've seen is $6 per drink. If there's two of you there and you both have two drinks, that's $24 JUST on drinks! Talk about adding up quickly! If you need to drink, drink at home.
  • Calorie Saving Tip: Again, water has zero calories and typically doesn't lead to eating other random things because you are drinking.
• Skip the appetizers
  • Eat something small before you go to dinner if you are already starving! Appetizers are at least $8 and full of calories...see below.
  • Calories Saving Tip: Appetizers are loaded with calories, most are fried and just make you even more hungry. If you are at a restaurant that automatically gives you bread or chips, ask them not to or limit yourself to one slice, a few chips, etc.
• Skip the desserts
  • See above point on appetizers...
  • If you must have dessert, limit it to once a week and buy it from the grocery store. It’s much less expensive to go to the grocery store and buy ice cream (or make your own using frozen banana and peanut butter!) than it is to buy dessert at restaurants. We also have a lot of healthy dessert recipes that you can try (four-ingredient peanut butter balls and cookie dough are two of our most popular)!

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Below are some examples and how much is spent. Keep in mind that this is for just ONE time eating out. Many families eat out multiple times per week resulting in $800+ spent on dining out in a month.

• If a party of two gets an appetizer ($8), one alcoholic drink each ($6 each, minimum), entrees ($15 each, minimum), and a dessert ($8) that's a total of $58 plus tip.
• If a part of four (two parents and two kids) gets an appetizer ($8), four soft drinks ($3 each), entrees ($15 each adult, $8 each child), and dessert ($8) that's $74.

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Although we are fully aware that many people like to dine out and act carefree at least once a week, it's not the best idea when you are trying to save money and/or pay off debt. The hard truth is that sometimes you have to say "no". Life is about balance. That requires saying "no" more than "yes" when you have goals! As mentioned, Scott and I try to keep our dining out to once or twice a week and usually spend less than $20. Sometimes, when we are traveling or really busy, we do dine out more often but we always follow these tips and try to limit our spending as much as possible.

Bodyweight Tabata Workout + Brownie Batter Protein Shake

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of AllWhites® 100% liquid egg whites. The opinions and text are all mine.

I can't believe it was April when we shared our last Ladder Workout Challenge and Banana-Blueberry Oatmeal Recipe! I feel like I say it all the time but time FLIES! We're back with a new workout and new recipe! Let's start with the workout...

This style of workout is tabata style. Tabata training is a great way to get your heart rate up quickly and then recover. You will do each exercise for 20 seconds and then rest for 10 seconds. There are four circuits and if you repeat each one eight times this is a 32-minute workout. If you can't make it through eight rounds of each circuit, start with just doing four rounds for a 16-minute workout. This is your workout so you choose how you want to complete it. Make sure you push yourself but also use proper form. Safety first!

Most of the exercises you already know how to do but below are a few explanations if you need a little guidance.

Burpees:

1. Squat with your hands on the ground in front of you
2. Kick your feet back into plank position
3. Do a push-up (if you are up for the challenge!)
4. Quickly return to the squat position
5. Jump as high as you can as you stand back up

Jump Squat:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart
2. Lower into a squat position
3. Jump quickly straight up into the air
4. When you land, lower back into the squat position
5. Land quietly and softly

Planks (also check out this post!):

1. Get into push-up position. Lower onto your elbows.
2. With your knees and arms around shoulder-width apart hold this position as long as possible with good form.
3. Your shoulders should be in line with your elbows.
4. Engage your core by drawing your stomach in, careful not to sag or bend your bottom.

Now that you've worked up an appetite, it's time for a post-workout meal to help you recover! After my workouts, I always stretch and eat! I threw this shake together with things that we already had in our pantry! We always have AllWhites 100% liquid egg whites on hand because we use them for scrambled eggs, baking, and for adding to protein shakes! AllWhites are a convenient, fat-free, cholesterol-free and low-calorie source of lean protein. They are very convenient to use when you don't want or need to use whole eggs. The best part is that they are pasteurized for safety so you CAN use them uncooked (in protein shakes, for example!).

Brownie Batter Protein Shake

Ingredients:

• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/2 avocado
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 3 Tbsp AllWhites® 100% liquid egg whites
• 1/2 cup water or unsweetened almond milk
• Stevia or sweetener of your choice

Directions: Add all ingredients to a blender. Blend. Enjoy! :)

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Ready for a fun giveaway that, if you win, will get you set up with a personal smoothie blender AND a SPIbelt running belt?! All you have to do is comment on this post to win. Let us know how you use liquid egg whites or how you plan on incorporating them into your meals.

** Open to US citizens only - 18 or older. Open to men and women. Winner will be selected using random.org. Leave your comment by 11:59 EST on September 1, 2017 in order to be eligible.

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Greek Yogurt Protein Pancakes

We looooove pancakes and eat them multiple times per week. We don't just eat them for breakfast though, we will eat them for lunch or dinner or even as a snack. I like to make little tweaks each time and wanted to share my newest creation with you.

NOW Foods was kind enough to send me wide variety of their products (yes, for free) to try out. As you know, I went up to Chicago a few months ago and met with many people at NOW Foods and was even able to tour their facility! I was very impressed with their products and the compnay in general so I'm excited to start introducing you to even more of their awesome products over the next few months. (You can read more about my trip here.)

You can purchase many of the ingredients listed below here on Amazon or browse NOW Foods products here. They have so many products! Things like the maple syrup and sugarless sugar listed below to supplements, and even delicious energy/trail mixes!

Clean Eat Recipe: Greek Yogurt Protein Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup oat flour (we use gluten-free oat flour)
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1-2 Tbsp NOW organic maple syrup
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup Ellyndale Naturals™ Sugarless Sugar™
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl
2. Coat pan with avocado oil or coconut oil (to prevent sticking)
3. Pour batter onto pan in 1/4 cup increments
4. Once pancake cooked on one side, flip and cook on the other
5. Enjoy!

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