Time to make dinner

I am heading out with my daughter to take her to college. For the past 10 years, it has been the two of us, since her dad and I split. For the past 10 years, I have been meal planning for two. I am so used to meal planning that now it will be for one.

“There are a lot of reasons why I think meal planning and meal prepping rock, but I think they all fit into three main categories: saving time, saving money, and having more control over your food choices.” — Danielle, Project Meal Plan

There are three basic ways to meal plan:

1.    By ingredient as in Monday chicken, Tuesday fish, Wednesday pasta, etc.

2.   By theme as in meatless Mondays, taco Tuesdays, around the world Wednesdays, etc.

3.    Choose a recipe for the 1st of the month, the second, then the third, etc.

At this point, I peruse my recipes and cookbooks and plan my weekly dinner menu this way. Can I still do this for one? You bet! I’ll just need to use my freezer to freeze individual servings of items that come in bulk like a package of chicken, sausage, tofu (yes, it can be frozen uncooked), etc. Not to mention buying frozen veggies as I cannot eat a whole head of broccoli by myself even over several days.

Part of meal planning is the food preparation. “With busy schedules in full swing, maintaining a healthy diet can be challenging. Meal preparation is one way to maintain control over your food intake for a stress-free, cost-effective approach in achieving your summer diet goals.” — Northshore.org

You can prep a single meal, many meals, or individual ingredients. Also, you can cook ahead and freeze. This means you defrost and reheat saving you time in the kitchen. If you think about it more than 100 years ago, canning vegetables, pickling vegetables and drying meats was preparation for the winter.

I have been thinking about planning and preparing for one. I have concluded that buying meat, chicken, and fish in bulk and freezing single servings is the way to go. Then I defrost, cook, and eat. As to vegetables, I will buy frozen ones that also come in bulk and use what I need. Say hello to broccoli, cauliflower, corn, etc.

The point is that meal planning and prepping can help you keep control of what you eat and make it easier to eat healthier and stay on track with your health goals. Don’t worry, you can still have nachos every once in a while.