Food

I'm proud of myself for actually cooking even when it's just for me. When I've cooked for one before, I, well...didn't. I had Trader Joe's around so why bother? Plus it was always hard to figure out what to do with the many, many leftovers and it seemed like a lot of effort to go through when a Lean Cuisine also gets the job done. There have been a Lean Cuisine or two in the past few weeks, but I have also made several home-cooked meals, and in VOLUME. And then eaten them day, after day, after day. And thus I have discovered the trick to cooking for one:

Make things that are good.

Then you will want to eat them over and over again! (Also, there are less dishes when you cook in bigger quantities. A key priority for me.) Easier said than done.

Here's how I have managed it: Budget Bytes. It is in my blog roll, but I have yet to extol its virtues. It. Is. Awesome. It motivates me to cook for myself because the author of the blog cooks for one too. And she will tell you which things freeze well--important bonus. And there are cost-breakdowns of each meal AND step-by-step photos. If that weren't enough, the recipes are generally spot-on, full of flavor, and hard to screw up.

In the last 2 weeks, I have made her Lentil and Sausage Stew (this one is really yummy) and Greek Chicken Stew. I have eaten them many times and still have leftovers in the freezer. Budget-friendly, that's what that is.

Also, tonight I made a very successful pasta dish from things in my pantry (it's an ice storm day here in Indiana) based off of this: http://shescookin.com/2010/08/16/pasta-with-red-chard-and-chickpeas/

I had kale instead of red chard and I didn't know how to blanch so I sauteed, but the trick of this one (besides the inclusion of feta, which makes anything good) is the little step of letting the chickpeas sit in lemon juice (recipe said zest, I used juice), thyme and olive oil for awhile. Made all the difference in the world.