Cooking For Two Or Less

When you live alone, or there's just the two of you, cooking a home made meal can seem like a much bigger hassle than it has to be or than it actually is. There are plenty of ways to cook for two people or less, skip over the pre-packaged meals and not take a lifetime to prepare and cook a meal. Here are some ways you can avoid the hassle and learn to love cooking from scratch for two or less.

* Understand your portions-When you're cooking for two or less people, the last thing you want to do is make that chicken cattciatore you've been craving because the recipe makes enough servings for 12 people. First of all, you need to remember what you actually eat. You're probably not going to eat only one serving. What a cookbook may fail to tell you is that one serving of chicken cattciatore is about ¾ of a cup. You're going to eat more than that! In fact, most people will eat 3 or more servings when the serving is so small.

* Learn to divide-Even though you ignored and abhorred your math teacher in the 7th grade, division (short, not long) has its place in the kitchen and has many applications in cooking that could come in handy for someone who has relatively few people to cook for. If the recipe serves 12 but you only want to make enough for 6, divide everything by 2. This doesn't necessarily mean you'll divide the cooking time by 2 or the amount of time it takes to stir, etc. but be mindful because you will save time in those areas.

* Make the most of the items you have-There is a laundry list of items to have in your home that will make your cooking easier, especially when you want to make a quick dinner for two. A food chopper that can chop up an onion in 3 taps is one of those items. And don't forget your crock pot-it's that big heavy object that's been neatly tucked away in the back of your cupboard for 10 years. A crock pot can be your best friend for a few reasons. Not only can you simply throw everything in, set it and forget it, but you can also cook enough food for an entire week or more all at the same time, eliminating your need to start from scratch every time. Just freeze the leftovers and voila! You have homemade chicken cattciatore anytime you like.

* Use smaller plates-This tip can actually help you when cooking for two or less and it can help you lose weight as well. If you cook only enough for two people, it will help your brain feel fuller faster so you're not scrounging for extra food later. That way, you can store any leftovers and have a pre-made meal for another day.

Remember, cooking for two or less is about learning to eat right and to use the right tools.

Lisa is "The Crock Cook" and you can take a look here for all her own crock pot recipes including her delicious beef crock pot recipes.

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