January 26, 2015

Monday menu: cooking for 1

This was me last week when Brian came into the room while I was putting green felt on top of red balloons & making black marks on them to make them look like strawberries for Annabeth's Strawberry Shortcake birthday party! They turned out great BTW :)

My husband recently went out of town for his annual snowboarding trip so I was cooking for one for a week. Cooking for one shouldn't seem that much different but after three years of testing, it is. The first few times I was cooking for just me, I made way too much food or ate out with friends all week and had so much left over or wasted food in the end.



This time around I changed up a few things in my normal meal planning that really seemed to help.

1. Don't over plan.
    - Typically I make a recipe a day but when my husband is gone I tend to plan dinner with friends or just don't feel like cooking so I definitely don't need as much food in the house

2. Stock up on healthy, smart choices
    - If I have junk in the house I will eat it. When I'm shopping for a week of cooking for just me, I load my basket with fruit and veggies that I can eat for quick snacks or throw together for smoothies.

3. Treat yourself
    - When I am cooking for others I tend to choose recipes that I know they will like. This is a chance to be a little selfish and cook those things your family and friends won't typically eat.

**Don't forget! If you are making a recipe you normally use try cutting the ingredients in half. This way you will have enough for your lunch if you like leftovers or a portion to save for dinner the next night. 

By the way, is anyone cooking for Super Bowl Sunday? I still don't know what I'm going to make. I'm trying to decide between something healthy and green or dessert! What do you think?

Monday: Spicy Sweet Potato and Green Rice Burrito Bowl (this is amazing I've made it three times already) 
Roasted sweet potatoes with green rice and black beans. #vegan cookieandkate.com

Tuesday: Taco night with a friend! If you are making tacos at home check out my Pinterest board for lots of ideas. This one is a Crane favorite. 
Chickpea Tacos W/ Peach Salsa

Wednesday: Winter Chickpea Salad (I think I might add kale or tofu to bulk it up for dinner) 
Warm Winter Chickpeas I howsweeteats.com

Thursday: Leftovers! I'm not cutting the recipes in half so that I will have leftovers for tonight and the weekend. Did you guys try Monday's recipe? It is seriously so good. 


Friday: Girls night in, I;m going to try out this amazing soup
Our New Halloween Tradition | Cupcakes & Cashmere



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