Morn's Going Out Guide

MORN'S GOING OUT & ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE is a collection of the Food and Beverage products, Gourmet Food, Fine Dining, Healthy Eating, Culinary and Catering tips. Here's just a snapshot of what you will find by browsing the website:

BUYING FOOD & GROCERIES
Using these 6 Grocery Shopping Tips will help you find ways to spend less on groceries while still getting the things that you  need to feed your families:
1. Clipping coupons
2. Buy more staples than prepared Foods

3. Buy in bulk.
4. Don’t shop when you are hungry.
5. Take a grocery list with you.
6. Shop at the same stores.

Consider also comparing:
•    prices of different brands.
•    cost of frozen, fresh, dried and canned items of the same food.
•    prices at different stores.
•    number of servings in each food package.
•    prices of similar foods, such as fresh peaches and pears.
•    the cost of convenience foods vs. the cost of making it from scratch.
•    larger packages and two smaller ones of the same product to get the better value.

DINING OUT

When it comes to dining out, it's always very easy to stick with what you know. Trying somewhere new can be a bit hit and miss - you don't want to pay out good money for a mediocre experience, or mismatch the Restaurant to the occasion. How can you minimise the mediocre and maximise the great dining experiences?
This is where Morn's Going Out Guide comes in. Browse through the posts and read reviews submitted by other diners. Did they have a great time? Was the service awesome? Food divine? Would they recommend the restaurant?

HEALTHY EATING

Eating Out is a nice treat once in a while or a convenient option when you don't have time to cook a meal. Here are some tips to help you make smart, Healthy Choices the next time you Eat Out or eat on the run from Morn's Going Out Guide:
1.    Keep it small. Share a large meal with a friend, or ask to take leftovers home.
2.    Pick Nutrition over value. Special super-sized meal combinations might seem like a good deal, but they're often packed with "extras" – like fat, calories, sugar and/or sodium .
3.    Preparation is key. Order foods that have been steamed, baked, broiled, grilled, stir-fried or roasted.
4.    Watch the amount of sodium that you eat by choosing fewer foods that have been smoked or made with soy sauce or teriyaki sauce.
5.    Go full steam ahead with vegetables. You can't go wrong ordering an extra side salad or dish of vegetables.
6.    Look for ways to boost your fibre intake . Many restaurants now offer whole wheat or whole grain buns, tortilla wraps, pasta or pizza crust upon request.
7.    Drink water, low-fat milk or 100% fruit Juice instead of soda pop. If you drink alcohol, limit it to one or two Drinks for the day.
8.    Ask for the nutrition information of menu choices or surf the restaurant's website ahead of time to look for healthier options.

GOURMET GOOD

When you face a wall of 20 brands of gourmet olive oil and vinegar, pricey chocolates and cheeses, or 10 types of sea salt, dozens of gourmet preserves, tea and other specialties...how do you know what’s good versus what’s great? There are incredible Gourmet Foods that never make it into food shops—the best smoked hams, amazing cookies and other products—but how do you find them?

Sometimes finding Specialty Foods or tools in your local area can be a daunting task. Lucky for you, the internet, along with mail-order, have made gourmet shopping as easy as boiling water. Morn's Going Out Guide will show you some of my favourite places to buy gourmet goodies.

CATERING TIPS:

Although it's a lot of work, catering an event can be very rewarding and doing it yourself can save a lot of money. Here are eight self catering tips that you can use to make the job easier.

1. Organization. Make lists and notes which can be organized in a worksheet on the computer as well as the supplies that you will need for the event.

2. Make Lists. This includes list of invited guests, equipment you need to rent, food you have to buy, supplies like tablecloths, napkins and dinnerware

3. Make a menu. Figure out everything you are going to serve from appetizers to Desserts and don't forget to include drinks. When making a menu, take into consideration any food allergies or food preferences that you know the guests might have.

4. Shop around. Go to your local Sam's Club or bargain club and compare prices. Don't be afraid to look online where you might be able to save money especially for things like decorations, napkins, imitations and dinnerware.

5. Schedule it out. You will need to come up with a timeline so that the foods are ready at the appropriate time. A lot of the things can be made in advance and then kept frozen up until the day of the event.

6. Guest count. You want to be sure you have enough food but having too much would be wasteful.

7. Throw it out. You can make things a lot easier on yourself if you use disposable dinnerware. Suxch a time saver!

8. Enjoy! Just because you are self catering the event doesn't mean you can't enjoy it. If you are well-organized and plan for things you can participate in the event as well as host it!