Cooking for Two

How to buy
The best way to avoid a large bowl of leftovers is to not buy too much food.  These days’ portion sizes seem to be much larger.  Manufacturers and store are bombarding us with the “get more for your money” bulk sizes.  That is a great concept if you have a large family or want to store food, but for those who aren’t cooking for an army, bulk doesn’t end up beng cheaper.  You seem to waste more if you don’t end up using the whole package.

So the idea is to plan and shop for smaller portions.  You can  freeze things like meats, chopped fruits and vegetables for later use.  In that case it would make sense to buy in bulk.  For those who don’t want to spend the extra money or like to eat fresh ingredients like salads more often, freezing isn’t the best option.
Although the stores are providing larger bulk items, they are also catering to those with smaller households and are selling smaller portion packages.  You can buy lots of fresh produce in the amounts that you need. They have also started making can goods in single or double sized portions.  Bakeries, butchers and deli’s also sell in the sizes that best fit your family needs.

Cookware
Choose the perfect pan or dish size.  Choose smaller pans that will fit smaller portions.  Instead of using a large casserole dish, consider purchasing a small glass pan.

Cook Once, Eat Twice or even Three Times   
If you do choose to make a large casserole, divide it into two smaller baking pans. Bake one for dinner that night and wrap and freeze the other.  Freezing is a great option because you can freeze in smaller meal portions and cut down on half your cooking time.

If you don’t enjoy leftovers, make the whole batch and eat it until it’s gone.  Another great option is to grill more meat than needed that night for a grilled chicken salad later in the week. You can turn left over ingredients into a great meal.  Throw them in soups, salads, casseroles, pasta or basically anything your family enjoys eating.  You will be surprised as to what you can make with leftover food.
As long as you eat what you cook, you will not feel like you are wasting food.

Great Resources
Most recipes make at least 4-6 servings.  In this case, you would need to cut the recipe in half.  There are lots of great cookbooks designed especially for cooking for two.  They provide recipes that take the guess work out of having to adjust the recipe measurement.

Many food websites also have recipe calculators.  Find a recipe you want and have it calculate the measurements for you.
Cooking for two can be challenging, but with these few simple tips you are off to a great start.

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