Welcome back!
After years of cooking my own meals, I moved in with Dad so that he could stay in his home. Cooking meals for two was a new experience for me after being on my own for so long.
Not only did I now need to consider quantity, but also because my dad is an insulin-depended diabetic, I also needed to consider food choices much more carefully than I did before.
Along the way I learned a few things about cooking meals for two:
- Plan ahead. I was used to eating whenever I felt hungry no matter where I was at. Certainly, I did not bother to eat at a specific time unless I was at work and had to take my lunch at a certain time. Now we are on a specific time-table as to when each meal should be served.
- Plan the meals. Usually I have an idea what I want to took on most days. Because Dad goes to the Senior Center for lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays, he prefers a light supper those days. I don’t plan too far ahead unless we are looking forward to a holiday or birthday celebration.
- Make a grocery list. It is extremely helpful for me to have a running list. Usually the list starts soon after our once a week trip to the grocery store. Keeping it handy in the kitchen, with a pen by its side, is an easy way to add items as soon as we think of them. Then on shopping day, we quickly go through cupboards and the fridge to see what else we might need. We have really cut down on our grocery expense this way.
- Keep trips to the grocery store to a minimum. We used to stop at the store every time we drove through town, or even got into the car. Now we make a trip once a week, and very seldom to we ever have to stop again. Once we got into the habit, we have found this to be much easier.
- Shop when the store is least busy. I love this one. I usually go shopping early in the morning – sometime between opening and 11 a.m. Too early and the crew is not quite awake yet, and any later and it gets to busy.
- Watch for sales. Another favorite. I’m great at the buy two or one specials. Also we keep an eye on coupons.
- Purchase items with leftovers in mind. Quite often I like to buy the roasted chicken provided by the store. It’s ready for a lunch of leg and thigh, then we use the white meat for whatever casserole or soup we would like. Sometimes we can get three meals out of one roast chicken.
These are just a few of the ways we cook meals for two. Over the three years we have lived together, Dad and I are pretty much on the same page as to what we like to eat, and when. Probably similar to married people, we have certainly settled into a routine.
Planning, shopping, and preparing meals doesn’t have to be a chore if you take a few minutes to make sure you have all the ingredients before you start the meal. Plan ahead and you will be able to have a nice, relaxing meal.
