Cooking for 1 1/2 People

Dear J.,

As a mother who has had her last child move out of the home recently....I have found a great habit. One day a week I will cook up several entrees....one or two on stove top, one in the oven and maybe one in the microwave. Then after they are cooled, I divide them up in to smaller "2 meal" and "1 meal" containers and some are frozen and some are put in the refrigerator to be eaten in the next few days.

This has become quite the time and money saver and allows for alot of choices..... I do all of my shopping, then cooking, and then clean up AT ONE TIME. I have also found that I eat much better during the day because a healthy meal is already prepared and we save ALOT of money because my husband enjoys taking "home cooked" meals to work instead of going out to eat. It has even allowed him to take care of other needs at lunch instead of sitting in a restuarant waiting on others to cook the meal.

In addition about twice a week I cut up a big salad and keep extra salad "fixings" on hand.

And with all the time I have saved, I am able to pursue other interests....YEAH!

If you do not have George Foreman this would be perfect for chicken breast, pork chops, hamburgers and even breakfast meat. It cooks fast and takes out a lot of the grease. I always by the steam fresh veggie bags at Walmart and they work great. 5 minutes in the microwave and I have steamed broccoli ready to serve. They have two size bags to try and only about $1.00 for the small one.

Chicken tacos- boil the chicken and try the McCormick chicken taco seasoning- very good.

Also try the new lean breakfast pockets if you are looking for a quick breakfast. They are low in calories and really good. My son loves them..

P.S. Wed(after 4 pm) and Sat.(all day) kids eat free at Lubys!

Tuesdays- Half price burgers at Sonic

And Denny's has coupon in the paper all the time for buy an adult entree and kids eat free...

My husband recently left for active duty and I am having this is issue as well. I still seem to be cooking like he is home. What I have done it whatever I make and believe me there are plenty of leftovers I seperate into meals I know will be the rigth size and freeze for later. That way I am not wasting food and its quick and easy to just reheat frozen leftovers.

I am a big fan of things like Hamburger helper, spaghetti, soft tacos, etc. They are so easy and the only "cooking" is boiling the pasta and browning the meat. These things are even great leftover if you don't mind leftovers. I was a single mom when my son was 3 and it was hard thinking of things to cook. We did alot of carry out. Good Luck!

We have a family of four but have a similar issue with some recipes being too much food. I LOVE freezing part of the meal for later. Sometimes I double recipes so I will have multiple leftovers. It is much easier to heat up in the microwave than starting from scratch. Recently I used the HEB web page for recipe ideas. A lot of their recipes start with a pre-cooked or frozen items. Rachel Ray has lots of 30 minute meals. There is also Sandra Lee's "Semi Homemade". Not every meal has to be from scratch.

I try to find recipies with simple or few ingredients to save time. I love fresh veggies, but will also keep frozen on hand because they are so quick (no washing, cutting...)My final tip is good planning. Make sure to plan ahead when you grocery shop. I try to get some staples - jar spaghetti and noodles - that can be done quickly.

i would justt make some kraft macaroni and put some parmashon cheese on top and if he asks say it is magic dust to make you have super powers