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We met Kaitlin, a Minnesota medical mama, in her Meet a Reader put up.
Since then, she’s been thrown into single mother life, and he or she left this touch upon a current put up.
I’m curious the way you prepare dinner for 2-3 folks. I’m both making means an excessive amount of or not sufficient for my little group. Any suggestions?
-Kaitlin
Humorous sufficient, the overwhelming majority of my cooking life has been the type the place I’m feeding six folks; I cooked many of the meals for my household as a teen, and there have been six of us then.
And naturally, I received married and had 4 youngsters, so I spent a variety of time feeding six folks then as properly.
So, this cooking-for-two factor is fairly new to me, BUT I’ve been cooking for a three-person family for the final yr.
I’ll share just a few of my methods, however then I additionally wish to ask readers for his or her recommendation as a result of I do know there are a selection of individuals right here who’re cooking for even only one particular person!
1. Select recipes that work properly as leftovers
With a small family, most recipes are going to provide leftovers.
And never each recipe makes for excellent leftovers!
So, once I decide meals now, I actually, actually attempt to consider whether or not or not we’ll wish to eat the extras as leftovers, and I exploit that as a information in planning.
2. Make a complete recipe, freeze half for later
I used to make a giant pan of stuffed shells, however there’s no means Zoe and I’ll get by a complete pan of these now.
The identical goes for a giant batch of burgers or meatballs.
However for issues that freeze properly, it might nonetheless make sense to make a complete batch. As an example, once I combine up the meat for these burgers, I’ve been freezing a pair for a future meal.
Or if I make a batch of pulled pork, I divvy it up and freeze a few meals’ value of meat.
I’ve additionally been doing the identical factor for baked items; Zoe and I gained’t eat a dozen muffins shortly sufficient, so I freeze half of them after I bake them.
3. If a recipe is straightforward sufficient, simply halve it
I don’t know if that is logical, however for a really labor-intensive recipe or one thing with an extended cooking time, it feels form of annoying to undergo all that work simply to make just a few servings.
(I might not halve a pulled pork recipe, for instance!)
However for actually easy recipes, just like the baked ziti I made for Sonia and me final week, I don’t thoughts halving the recipe.
4. Put together a complete recipe however prepare dinner solely half
After I made hen katsu final week with Sonia, I pounded and breaded a complete batch of hen, however I solely fried what we might eat that night time. I put the remaining within the fridge to fry up one other night time.
That’s a method to make leftovers really feel slightly bit much less like leftovers; I’d a lot fairly eat fresh-fried hen than reheated cooked hen. And it’s not that onerous to fry the hen and reheat some rice on a future night time.
I do that if I’m making fried cornmeal mush too; I fry up solely what we’ll eat that meal after which go away the remaining within the fridge to prepare dinner up later.
After I make entire wheat pancakes for myself at breakfast, I prepare dinner half the batter after which I refrigerate the remaining to prepare dinner the subsequent morning. Recent-cooked pancakes are means higher than leftover pancakes!
5. Fill out the meal with one thing versatile
When you’re feeling iffy about how a lot meals you’re going to wish, and also you wish to err on the aspect of warning with the costlier components of the meal (just like the meat), you’ll be able to add insurance coverage by making extras of versatile sides.
As an example, you may make one burger per particular person, after which everybody can eat potato salad/chips/watermelon till they’re full.
Or you may plan for a certain quantity of hen per particular person, and if somebody remains to be hungry, they may have additional servings of candy potatoes or rolls.
That would enable you as you’re within the midst of studying. Talking of:
6. Give your self grace for the educational curve
In case your family has all of the sudden shrunk, then you definately’re going to have an adjustment interval the place you’ll not get this proper.
But it surely’s okay. You don’t should be good at this immediately; over time, you’ll determine it out!
Each time you make an excessive amount of or too little, that’s simply useful knowledge that you would be able to file away for the longer term.
Additionally: I do know this isn’t the case for everybody, but when your family is all of the sudden small for a tough/unhappy/traumatic cause, that’s all of the extra trigger for giving your self grace. Some nights may simply name for sandwiches or cereal, and that’s okay.
Kaitlin, I do know that each one the modifications you might be experiencing proper now in all probability really feel overwhelming, and the cooking is only one piece of that.
I actually struggled with making dinner for some time over this final yr and a half, so if you’re struggling, simply know you aren’t alone.
However the tremendous laborious days are momentary; you’ll regulate and get to a brand new regular with time.
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Okay, readers, I’d love to listen to your recommendation for Kaitlin (and I’ll be taking notes too!)
What recommendation do you could have for feeding a small family?
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