Cooking for 1-2 can be challenging…if you let it be. Not knowing how to cook for 1-2 and in turn eating eat out more or eating more packaged/boxed foods is just an excuse! You can cook healthy when it’s just for 1-2…it just takes a little planning and scheming to make it work right! It’s just myself and husband Adam and right now Adam is in Russia for work, so it’s just me and as I was making supper last night I was thinking this would be a perfect blog topic! If you’re like me, you probably don’t feel like making a new meal every night, so try out batch cooking. Instead of just making one chicken breast for supper last night, I made 3 and I also made a double batch of vegetables on the grill. I only ate my portion of this for last night’s supper and separated the rest in Tupperware containers. I brought one for lunch today and will eat the other for supper another night. It didn’t take any extra time to make 3 chicken breasts compared to one and now I’m set for the next few meals.
Here are some other tips for you:
Plan your meals
Planning can help you can get the most meals out of your time in the kitchen. For instance, cook chicken once a week, but use it in two or three dishes over the next few days (like I did!). You can even freeze some of the cooked chicken for use at another time. I feel this tip is the most important. Lack of planning always results in going for convenience foods, so get our your calendar or planner on Saturday or Sunday and look at your week’s schedule and plan accordingly. Take meat out of the freezer to prepare or pre-prep some of your food items to lessen time and efforts later. Another example of this would be browning 2 lbs of hamburger and using it in several meals. Your first step is done (browning) so the next steps to complete your meal will take less time and less effort.
Purchase individually frozen foods
Look for foods that are individually frozen, so that you only need to thaw out the portion that you are going to use. If you thaw a whole chicken, you only have a few days to eat it. If you buy chicken breasts that are individually frozen, you can thaw them one at a time if you want. You also can break up some packages of food as soon as you get home from the store. Place each portion into an individual freezer bag to save time in the future.
Rethink cooking full meals
Many people who live alone cook themselves meals, promising that they will eat the leftovers during the next few days. Then they find that they do not want to eat this food again when tomorrow comes. This is a big waste of time and money. Either freeze your leftovers in individual containers or consider switching to easily prepared “small meals” throughout the day. You can easily half your recipe to reduce the amount of food as well.
Search for recipes
Many cookbooks feature recipes for one or two people. Look for them at your local library or search on the Internet. Web sites such as www.allrecipes.com allow you to alter the number of servings that a recipe will serve.
Use a Crock-Pot®
Discover all of the things that you can make in a Crock-Pot. You can make stew, a casserole, bread, or fruit cobbler and have it waiting for you when you get home. I like to slow cook chicken breasts and use them in a variety of meals. I also like to make roasts in the crockpot and then make them into BBQ beef sandwiches, beef stew, etc.
Practice FIFO
Remember to practice the FIFO principle in your kitchen—first in, first out. Make sure to use the products that expire the soonest first. This seems elementary, but many people do not practice this. Also make sure to eat your most perishable produce first (ie, berries before apples). Many charts are available that describe how long different fruits and vegetables will last after you purchase them.
Shop the deli and salad bar
Use the deli and salad bar to your advantage. Go ahead and buy ¼ pound of sliced turkey or a ½ cup of broccoli. You might pay a higher price than you would if you purchased a larger amount, but think about how much money you waste when you throw out spoiled food that you do not eat.
There are ways to eat healthy when you’re cooking for 1-2…give these suggestions a try…I am sure you’ll be surprised how much better you feel when you eat a well-balanced meal versus convenience foods or toast for supper!
-Kelsey
