Cooking for one can be often demotivating. First and foremost, when looking for recipes online, the vast majority will target families of 4 or more. By the time you’ve scrolled down 50 pages, or decided to take off your calculator to try and get the right proportions, you’re already tired.
At this point, most of us would settle for just about anything: scrambled eggs, cereals, you name it. Or alternatively, we’ll resort to our favorite leftover meal, which is probably hanging around our fridge already too long.
Well, to start, you need a change of mindset. Instead of looking at cooking for one as tedious or unworth it, just think: you can eat whatever you’re craving. Having midnight cravings? No problem. Dinner hours are now as flexible as they can be.
Plan your meals
If you’re lazy to cook every day, then plan your meals in advance. The trick? Choose meals with overlapping ingredients. This way you won’t waste any food, nor will you be repeating the same course for days in a row.
Also, purchase your proteins at the deli counter. Trust us: no one will shame you for ordering just one salmon fillet.
Stock up on essentials
In case you’re more of a mess than a planner. then you’ll need some room to move around. Stocking up on essentials is a great way to set yourself up for success in cooking. Fill your kitchen with eggs, lemon, beans, greek yogurt (well, this could go on for a while..). Oh, and tortillas – nothing like some good leftover tacos to give you joy!
Shallots, herbs & garlic
Believe us, these deserve a separate section. Seasoning is absolutely essential for turning any plain recipe into a delicious one. So, no matter what you’re cooking, don’t run out on these.
Remember, like anything in life, you’ll become more motivated if you like the end result. So think simple, pile up on your favorites, and smile!
You’ll see, pretty soon cooking for one will be your relaxing time of the day.
