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

[thene]

I mostly rely on produce that lasts a long time - frozen veggies (they are every bit as good for you as fresh, but the textures are different and they tend to be slightly more expensive), root veggies that reliably last for 2-3 weeks, other things that stick around like celery, bell peppers to some extent, etc. I keep meat in the freezer unless I know I'll need it in less than 3 days. I weigh meat before cooking - keeping around 5oz/serving works well for us.

I'm sure it's mostly a matter of learning how much is right for your household's needs. I'd suggest keeping a recipe log as you go? If you write down how much you put in, and how many servings that created, you can get a sense of where you might have done better to cut back.