Food

[wallwalker]

I don't like convenience foods. I don't want to eat them anymore. But every time I try to cook from scratch - or from "scratch," even, using a few shortcuts - we end up with more than we can eat. Every recipe I've tried to make ahead has resulted in more waste than I'm comfortable with, because we just can't eat it in time. That's why my attempt at make-ahead slow-cooked food hasn't lasted. Every dish I've made I had to either throw away or give part of it away! (The pot roast was quite a hit.)

How do you cook for two using fresh ingredients, not spend a ton more money than necessary on small amounts of produce and whatnot (so that they don't go bad,) and not have leftovers to the point that everyone gets sick of them? I seriously do not know.

Comments

[owlmoose]

It took us awhile to figure out what recipes worked for us, in terms of making no more than two or three meals for each of us. I don't like eating the same meal two nights in a row, either, so typically we cook twice each week: one meal that makes substantial leftovers and one that doesn't. Stir fry can usually be adjusted to make only 1-2 meals worth, as can pasta. Some things, we freeze -- chili does very well in the freezer, and so does lasagna. If three meals total (one fresh, two leftover) is too many for you, that does make it more of a challenge. You might try buying smaller cuts of meat -- like half a pot roast rather than a full one, for example, or a getting a selection of chicken parts rather than roasting a whole chicken, tricks like that can help. Also, I know there are cookbooks that talk specifically about cooking for one or two people, so you might try finding one of those.