I have a guest post at Keeping the Kingdom First today on the topic of eating out versus eating in. I wrote about the six benefits I see from eating at home most of the time. I’d love for you to stop by there, read the article, and let me know what you think!
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Hi, I'm Catherine Gillespie and A Spirited Mind is where I post about reading, writing, and parenting and the lessons I'm learning as a result. Thanks for stopping by!
Well, the Kingdom First website had some technical difficulties but I was able to read about 4 of the 6 and I agree with them – those are what keep us home most of the time. I don’t know about your family (and my kids are a little older, so I’m guessing this makes a big difference too) but eating out is one of our most favorite things to do. It’s a VERY infrequent indulgence but we look forward to it so, so much. What really bugs me though is when I have a restaurant fave that is absolutely impossible to duplicate.
I’ve been on the search for P.F. Chang’s kung pao chicken for years and a couple dozen recipes later, I’ve just given up. Nothing is close enough. 
I’m sorry the site gave you trouble! The last two were that I’m a better nutritional gatekeeper when we eat at home, and that I get a sense of satisfaction from it.
I think it’s easier to replicate a food when you have a general craving (like “Chinese food”) rather than a specific one (like “P.F. Chang’s kung pao chicken”). Eating out is most fun for me when I can get something I absolutely CAN’T make myself and when it’s an occasional treat so it feels really special.