Cooking for one

Despite recent changes in my life, I still take great pleasure in cooking.  However, cooking for one is something I am not used to and it's an adjustment, that's for sure!  But it's a challenge that I am totally up for and will master!  One of the challenges that I am facing right now is using the food that I already have that's in the cupboard and the freezer.  And by challenge, I mean that most of what is in the freezer are things that I bought to cook for more than one person.  So, when I take something out to thaw meat you can be assured that there will be more than one or two pieces in the package.  It's amazing what good deals I have found when shopping for meat and I'm blessed to have a good amount of it in my freezer.  Anyway, I don't want to refreeze things, so I end up cooking all of it.  On the plus side, I end up making several good sized meals out of the first cooking and I am much less wasteful of leftovers than I used to be.  It can get tiring eating the same thing over and over, but it's saving on my budget!

In order to not have to eat the same thing over and over, I am trying to have at least two kinds of entrees available to me during the week.  Sometimes it's going to be something as simple as making a sandwich instead of having the pork loin, but it works and breaks up the monotony.  Another plus of cooking for one is shopping for one.  I have done a pretty good job of sticking to my grocery list and not straying.  Of course, there was that one time last week when packages of ground angus beef were on sale at a third of their normal price and I had to put a couple packs into my grocery cart.  And luckily, Food Lion has amazingly good house brand products that are a fraction of the cost of their competitors, so that is quite helpful.  And most times, because I'm shopping for just myself, I normally have enough items in my cart to justify the express lane!

Even though this cookbook is about cooking for two, I've found it pretty helpful in preparing meals for myself. I know that I will continue this trend of better meal planning and shopping.  I can already see a change in my bank account.  And I'm also not eating as much, which is good.  But I would like to cook for people again soon because I love it.  Life has changed but my passion for cooking has not.  Thank goodness!