Mastering the Art of Cooking For One
When you are single and live alone, or in my instance, with a roommate who is on a completely different eating schedule, eating healthy and proper meals is difficult and often time consuming. I almost never order take-out/delivery so if I don’t have a game plan in place, I have to prepare each meal individually or end up snacking. While I do enjoy cooking, I don’t have enough free time to do it every single day for each meal. Between that and all the dishes, you end up losing a lot of time which is why most people turn to frozen pizzas, snacks, unhealthy quick meals and the like. To remedy this, save money and still eat well, many people turn to meal prep.
Meal prep is basically where you cook one or two days a week and put what you make in individual containers so it is good to “grab and go” when you are hungry but in a hurry or don’t feel like cooking. This also remedies the issues of excessive leftovers and the difficulties of cooking one portion meals. With a little thought and creativity, you can be eating well throughout the week without spending all of your time on dishes and cooking.
Since I usually spend Sundays getting ready for the week, lounging, recovering from the weekend and watching football, it is my favorite day to prepare meals. It honestly always feels more intimate cooking on Sundays, perhaps because of the general mood of the day. When I meal prep on other days, I usually cook two meals at the same time, which is challenging and fun but not preferable. On Sundays I’ll cook twice (but do dishes once!) and usually I make enough food to last me most of the week, some of which I freeze so it doesn’t spoil.
For some folks, meal prep is not the way as they don’t like their own cooking or don’t like having the same meal twice or three times in a week. Fortunately for me, I am a pretty good chef and am versatile in my dishes. Often I don’t mind eating the same meals a few times in the week, especially since there were times in my younger years where I couldn’t afford food. That’s not to say I can’t understand folks who are pickier; I’ve just learned to be happy that I was eating actual food at all. And being poor really teaches you how to get creative with simple dishes which can carry over well into more elaborate meals. I can’t tell you the last time I made macaroni and cheese just as it is instructed on the box. I was never trained to cook but rather trained myself through trial and error. What makes my dishes particularly good is the use of spices. For someone just starting out, I suggest finding a spice and sticking with it. Early on, everything I made had cayenne powder and garlic powder to varying degrees, which are pretty basic spices to work with and go well with just about everything. Over time I learned to pair them with more “exotic” spices. Presently I am experimenting with Turmeric which just so happens to pair well with garlic and cayenne powders. Incidentally, while all three add to the flavor of the dish, each are great for your health in their own ways as well.
My favorite method of meal prep is by way of slow-cooker/crock-pot. I’ve learned to make something simple that I can accentuate after the fact. One example is when I get a pork loin. I’ll cook the loin on low for a few hours with a bit of water, olive oil and vinegar. Once cooked to where it pulls apart easily, I’ll remove some of the pork to use elsewhere, then I’ll add your basic chili ingredients (tomatoes, beans, mushrooms, seasonings) and give it a few more hours in the slow-cooker. I usually have some cheese and sour cream around, so I’ll have a bowl of chili that pairs quite well with beer and football. Generally I’ll keep the cooker going on its lowest setting and have a second helping later in the afternoon/evening. I’ve learned to make this chili basic enough that it also serves well as burrito filling. Burritos are my other favorite method of meal prep. Simply put, I make about twenty at a time and then freeze them. I have a number of recipes (Coming soon) elsewhere on this blog for this if you are interested. Excellent grab and go snacks, hearty and delicious!
It takes a bit of effort and thought, but meal prep saves you a TON of money in the long run and frankly, it’s a pretty nice way to do things. Once you get in the cycle and habit of it, it becomes second nature and routine. I absolutely adore my Sundays between the food, the cleaning, the relaxation and the football.
If you are a privy shopper, you can find some nice foods/ingredients on clearance to save even more money while still eating well. I often find better brands and organic foods, ones that are better quality and often more expensive, for half the price of the cheap brands. I also let the deals determine my meals. Rather than shop with intent, I get whatever is being blown out and create meals from that. Check out my blog post on that(coming soon!) for more details and tips on finding the best deals. Sometimes I get really lucky with what I am eating and I eat well at a steep discount to what I would pay if I were to order take out. I’ve learned to make it all a part of my Sunday ritual and having done so, makes cooking more joyful than laborious. Honestly, being so open to making whatever I can with what comes my way, it is kind of an adventure. Saving time, eating well and having fun doing it!
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