treat - remorse = exceeding expectations

Quite often when I "treat" myself I am happy with my decision...for about three months until buyers remorse sticks it to me.  I look at my bank account and then start back tracking on things I spent money on that were not needs and so regret presents itself.  Been there?

Well, one way that I treat myself is by purchasing colourful, delicious and easy to cook food.  When cooking at home you can always avoid buyers remorse by tracking the cost of the food, evaluating how much a meal actually cost.  Then, compare it to what you could buy from a vending machine, convenience store, fast food or sit down restaurant and you are always feeling very good about your purchase. 

I know that some people are reading this and thinking colourful, delicious and easy: Kraft Dinner! 
That is not what I had in mind (that would only lead to a different kind of remorse). 

Here's an example of what I'm talking about.  Today it took me 4 minutes to prepare my meal (and I am not an efficient person), and 15 minutes for it to cook.  Last night I took a trout fillet out of the freezer (still from my collection of high quality meats) and let it thaw in the fridge over night.  

To prepare I put some olive oil in the pan, placed the fillet on it with some butter and a little dash of Montreal Steak Spice then put the pan in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes.  In the meantime I rinsed some broccoli and broke it up into a microwavable dish- put it in the microwave for two minutes.  Done!  

 That my friends is a feel good meal!  These pictures are of my half eaten meal.  I cook the trout with the skin on but I don't eat it, just personal preference. 

Total cost/serving: $3.75
Total prep time: 4mins
Total cook time: 15mins
Taste: pleasant 
Level of feel good quality (outcome): exceeding expectations