Paula’s Five Best Tips for a “Cooking-for-One” Newbie

So it turns out that I’m all talk and no substance when it comes to my “Twins Blog”.  I crumbled under the pressure (I put on myself) to be a Twins expert outside my own little world of pretend, where I have Supreme Knowledge of All Things Twins.  In crashing down to earth, I have not abandoned the idea of blogging!  I’ve just taken a hiatus of about 10 months or so to gather courage once again…

…and as you can see from my updated “Paula’s Pitch” description, I’ve decided to tell the world about, well, whatever comes to mind!

I’ve been thinking a lot about “Cooking for One” as a way to save money and to eat healthier.  And of course, simply because I love to cook.  With that in mind, and the encouragement of several friends, here is the inaugural post of my (re)new(ed) blog.  This post is a revised response to a friend’s request to the Google world, which was an appeal for tips about starting to cook for one’s self with minimal planning.  Without further ado...

How can I get started cooking for myself...especially if planning scares me???

A little planning is inevitable if you want to avoid the drive-thru and cook for yourself, but it can be kept to a minimum if you’re willing to adopt a few basic habits.  There are five tips I would give to those who want to begin cooking for themselves. These are all things that can give you easy options and remove the pressure to make a gourmet meal every night.  It’s also important to try to pick one or two of these tips to help kick-start you.  Don’t try to adopt them all overnight!  As you get comfortable, you can add a new habit to your routine.

Paula’s Five Best Tips for a “Cooking-for-One” Newbie:

1) Keep a “standard” stock of canned/dry goods and frozen foods on hand to help avoid giving in to the drive-thru temptation.  An easy plan is to make sure you always have pasta, red sauce, canned black beans, rice, pre-cooked frozen chicken strips, and a frozen veggie on hand. The great thing is a lot of these things mix-n-match surprisingly well, so limited ingredients create options. Sometimes, you might go a long time before breaking into them, but they’re always there to prevent an excuse for that drive-thru drive-by.  Pick your favorites, so you’ll like them and want to eat what’s on hand.

2) Keep fresh fruits and veggies on hand and invest time once or twice a week in "prepping" them; or invest the money in buying them already prepped.  It also helps to keep it pretty simple, choosing what you like and what you can eat before it spoils.  For example, you might keep apples in the fridge, lettuce, a salad "throw in" veggie, and onions.  (Onions are one of my favorite ingredients.)

3) Keep a grocery list & a pen in a standard and accessible place, and write items down when they get low. Then, without having to plan what you will eat for the next month, week, or even for a day, you’ll find you have your favorite standbys on hand.  It makes it harder to justify a stop at the drive-thru.  Or, better yet, download a grocery list app and enjoy the ease and convenience of a paperless list.

4) Spend some time each week cooking one "big" dish – a favorite or a new recipe that interests you – and package the leftovers in single servings. Most things can freeze, so half or two-thirds of the portioned containers in the freezer for the future.  For a lunch or dinner on the fly, pop it in the microwave (probably on defrost first), and you have your own “TV Dinner” – no planning required.  This can be a great way to break up the monotony of eating boxed spaghetti with jarred sauce one more time.

5) It helps to have spices, condiments, and shredded cheese on hand. These can add pizzazz to a simple dish or change a third-day-in-a-row leftover into a new dish.