Help cooking for two (ingredients, burgers, coupons, frozen)

[vter4ever]

Alright these may seem very weird but I'm having trouble cooking good quality meals for two people. I'm tried taking good recipes and halving them but it seems they lose some of their quality. This is a very new concept for me as you can see!! I hate wasting food but I'm not a fan of reheating past dinners, especially longer than a night ( I have odd feelings toward food sometimes ) Anyways, I really need help preparing good, healthy and appropriately sized meals for my fiance and I. I feel I just keep making the same thing over and over!!!

Also how do people grocery shop effectively!? I always feel I go to the store and spend $150 and get nothing out of it. I guess this is one of those learned talents. I can defintely say, I have way more respect for my amazing mother. People should have more respect for what these moms do!!!!!!

Thanks

[findinghope]

i think for me the easiest thing is i dont really follow a recipe when i am cooking (i do when i bake)
when i buy chicken or beef, i store it in freezer bags by how much i will need for each meal. so if its chicken breast, 2-3 breasts is enough for both of us.
if you need to, use a plate to measure things out before you cook them. try to learn simple techniques and recipes that become part of your repertoire.
if you have a recipe you like, dont try to "cut down" the amounts cause as you see it doesnt always work.
just take the ingredients in the recipe and look at them in your hand--imagine what is normal to put on the smaller amount of food

[sgresident]

I think you can check out some things on the web for "cooking for two". I know I have seen cookbooks etc. with that premise. As far as effective grocery shopping, make a list of the things you and your significant other really enjoy eating. be sure to check the weekly ads for your local grocery store and buy those favorites when on sale. make sure you have the required staples to prepare your recipes..ie..canned tomatoes, chili beans, noodles, rice etc. supplement with whatever fresh fruits and veggies you enjoy. Also, clip those coupons for the items you like to save those extra pennies!

[gentlearts]

Really, you simply must get over your aversion to leftovers. There are some things, like roasts, that don't do well if they're too small. The other day, I made a 3# pork loin roast, and immediately froze the second meal to just pop into the microwave in a week or so..no fuss, no muss.

Most of the time, we don't eat casseroles, but if we do, I split it in two before cooking and freeze the second one to bake another day. We normally eat a piece of meat/fish, potato or rice (those 90 second rice packs are great for two), and a salad or veg. This kind of eating keeps leftovers and waste at a minimum.

I can easily feed two people for under $150. We don't do a lot of snacking. We don't use many pre packaged convenience foods. In a typical week I'd buy two chicken breasts, two steaks, two pork chops, make spaghetti and meatballs or some other pasta dish, burgers, eat out once, and order pizza once. I'd buy salad fixings, some fresh or frozen vegetables, a qt. of milk, potatoes, 2 sweet potatoes to bake, and rice. A box of cereal, ice cream, eggs and bacon and sausage for weekend breakfasts, and some bread and deli meats for sandwiches. I keep baking supplies on hand. Typically, I'd bake a pie or make brownies every week.

[vter4ever]

Originally Posted by gentlearts

Really, you simply must get over your aversion to leftovers. There are some things, like roasts, that don't do well if they're too small. The other day, I made a 3# pork loin roast, and immediately froze the second meal to just pop into the microwave in a week or so..no fuss, no muss.

Most of the time, we don't eat casseroles, but if we do, I split it in two before cooking and freeze the second one to bake another day. We normally eat a piece of meat/fish, potato or rice (those 90 second rice packs are great for two), and a salad or veg. This kind of eating keeps leftovers and waste at a minimum.

I can easily feed two people for under $150. We don't do a lot of snacking. We don't use many pre packaged convenience foods. In a typical week I'd buy two chicken breasts, two steaks, two pork chops, make spaghetti and meatballs or some other pasta dish, burgers, eat out once, and order pizza once. I'd buy salad fixings, some fresh or frozen vegetables, a qt. of milk, potatoes, 2 sweet potatoes to bake, and rice. A box of cereal, ice cream, eggs and bacon and sausage for weekend breakfasts, and some bread and deli meats for sandwiches. I keep baking supplies on hand. Typically, I'd bake a pie or make brownies every week.

Ya my eating leftover thing frustrates my fiance! I don't know what it is but it might make sense once you heard about some of my other little crazy things! I usually luck out because my fiance does environmental work and is frequently outside, so he usually eats EVERYTHING and I don't have leftovers. The freezing of 1/2 the meal is a great idea and I can't understand why I hadn't thought about it.

Thanks for the advice on grocery shopping. HAHA I always make a list and then seem to forget it, which really frustrates me!! I really appreciate all the help! I guess practice makes perfect!

[cynwldkat]

I make the typical size meal--4-5 people and as another poster said--I freeze the rest for a future meal. I love those Zip-Lock plastic containers for this! Most everything freezes. Left over roast beef---hot roast beef sandwiches--left over spaghetti---I only freeze the left over sauce and another spaghetti meal---just about anything can be frozen. I gave up trying to cook for two--as you said it just doesn't seem to turn out right. So not only do I now cook half as many meals, the other meal is in the freezer, but I don't lose flavor in my meals. Saves time and waste.

[goldenplover]

I also cook for 4-5 and freeze the rest in those zip lock containers They are just so convenient! Then, a week or a week and a half later, we just microwave (or even pop the food in the oven) and presto!- dinner! This is good because then we don't get burnt out on eating the same food and since I'm in school and my boyfriend travels for work, it also makes awesome food on-the-go!