Cooking for One or Two

When it's just you or the two of you, cooking for a few people presents a special challenge. How do you eat a varied, healthy diet without having tons of leftovers or having to throw away food?

What has worked well for us is to make a large casserole but divide it into two smaller baking pans. Bake and wrap and freeze the other (well labeled, of course). That way you still have leftovers for lunch, and an easy dinner another day. Think about cooking once and eating twice whenever you are in the kitchen.

I also just make main dish salads in the summer and we just eat them until they are gone. I try to use lots of fruits and vegetables in them so the salads really are a one dish meal. Vary dinners by serving different kinds of whole wheat bread, or additional vegetables or fruits with the same salad.

Think about serving more unusual foods for some meals. For instance, I have found that chicken melon salad (with a yogurt dressing) makes a fabulous breakfast. Serve breakfast food for lunch or dinner. Omelets, pancakes, and scrambled eggs (maybe with sliced tomato for fresh veggies or fruit) are satisfying and comforting when eaten for dinner. You'll have fewer leftovers and more interesting meal choices. When you're cooking for two you can experiment more, so have fun!
OR
Cooking a larger quantity of food and using the leftovers in another recipes in the next day or two is also a great way to reduce time in your kitchen. An example is Roasted
chicken , you can use the leftover meat in Pasta chicken Salad the next day, or Cashew Vegetable Chicken Stir-Fry the next.

Bon Appetite!