Cooking meals for one or two? This one’s for you
Are you cooking meals for one or two and you feel like it’s not worth the effort? HINT: we’re all jealous of you.
You may say things like: – Does this recipe work for just one or two people? – It’s cheaper to order takeaway – It’s quicker to order takeaway – Why both when I’m only one person – I’ll cook once I’m pregnant / on maternity leave / have kids.
Hold your horses for a sec because – most parents are looking at you thinking – YOU’VE GOT THE JACKPOT RIGHT NOW. You can cook whatever you want. When you want.
Today I’m talking about how you can capitalise on this and what some signs are that there *might* be more going on than the excuse you’re using.
Watch the video: Cooking meals for one or two? This one’s for you
Read the transcript: Cooking meals for one or two? This one’s for you
This is a written transcript of the video above. Sometimes it reads a little funny. It helps if you imagine I’m speaking to you.
Are you cooking for one or two and you feel like it’s not worth it listen up.
You may say things like does this recipe work for just one or two people or?
There’s no point cooking for just one or two people. I may as well order takeaway or what’s the point in cooking for one or two people when I can order takeaway?
There’s too many leftovers. I don’t know what to do with them all for cooking for one or two people.
It’s really hard cooking for one or two people now.
Stop right, there. You are a lucky duck lucky. You don’t have to cook for four people who sit around the table saying:
“hmm too much salt” “
Hmm not enough noodles”
“You forgot to add bacon don’t you know, I like my bacon like this”
“Don’t you know, I like my chicken like this”
“What happened to how you did it last time”
and all the other comments that you get from mini Masterchefs that sit around your table you cooking for one or two people are lucky. So let’s hold up though.
Because if you cooking for one or two people, it’s likely you’re here because you are the cook and maybe you don’t totally want to be the cook and you’re like that you fight about it all the time. Maybe the other person just assumes that you’re going to cook because well, who knows? They think it’s your role even though you’re busier you have more work to do you have more responsibilities at work you work longer they just get home and they assume you’re gonna do it. Sound familiar?
So that can lead you to feel like cooking for one or two is somehow more difficult. Let’s play this out:
You go and have a baby. And then you got to think about them. You’ve got to think about pureeing the food so they can actually digest it without choking.
You’ve got to think about where they are on the allergy schedule and have you introduced eggs or dairy or fish or nuts or every different type of nut that there is because you can’t do it all at once you need to worry about what other people think did you cook their bacon the right way don’t you know that they like it crispy you need to think about
how the little toddler is gonna handle your epic spicy spicy. So so spicy luck so that you make PS they’re not you need to think about that. There are so many extra complications.
This is what I’m trying to say. So many extra complications complexities. All that that comes into it when you add in more and more and more people.
So what’s really underlying this: I only cook for one. I only cook for two excuse.
Well, probably your skills. You probably not loving cooking and if you’re not loving cooking it’s because you don’t have the right skills, or you’re not allowing the mental space to actually cook properly.
You’re likely following someone else’s recipe you just going with the Motions. You just being told what to do. What do I do next? What do I do next? Recipe on my phone tell me what to do.
I couldn’t possibly freestyle this. It’s likely Underneath It all you got some cooking issues going on. You don’t understand basic foundations. You don’t understand flavour. You’ve never given yourself the bandwidth to go home. Do I like this? Should I add more salt? Should I freestyle with a little bit of coriander on top or basil or pesto or feta whatever it is so many options to go with it’s likely that’s getting in the way of cooking.
Tips for when you’re cooking for one or two people only
- You could half the recipe if it was such an issue cooking for one or two you could half the recipe.
- You could also batch cook it which you don’t even need to double that recipe. You’ve already got a double portion. So what can you do you could freeze half. Which means you could cook 15 days out of 30.
- How good does that sound cooking 50% less all from cooking the same one recipe and then putting half in the freezer for later. That means you’re so much closer to dinner. You just like open the freezer get the oven. It goes 10 minutes later. However, long dinner is ready.
The best bonus for cooking for one or two – you get to eat whatever you want.
You could also get home from work and go I don’t want to cook a whole meal. I’m gonna have an omelette I’m going to have bacon and eggs. I’m gonna have a cheese plate with crackers and olives and sun-dried tomatoes and I’m gonna buy an epic dip from the supermarket or the fruit market wherever that’s amazing that’s made with good quality produce. Vegetable oil-free, please. And I’m just gonna have that for dinner PS. If you’re a you’re a mum or you cook for lots of people and you’re watching this that is appropriate dinner for everyone. Your kids will love it, too.
You have so much more freedom in the kitchen. You’re one to two. Excuse is an excuse.
You also get to eat at whatever time you want us parents. We’re eating at 5pm or 5:30 anytime after that. It’s a total s*** show. You can’t go to dinner after that. You’re going to be there at the table. Otherwise, they’re too tired to eat and then they’re too hungry to eat and then they’re too tired and hungry to eat and I’m painting the worst picture of parenthood. It’s not really that bad. But there are so many extra complexities in there that when you say to us, I’m only cooking for one or two.
It’s the hardest thing in the world where they’re going. Oh my God, we love it. We wait for the night when everyone is out so we can cook for one. We wait for it. We love it. We get to do whatever we want.
Take the opportunity while you can and if you’re someone who wants to have kids you want to start a family wonderful come and join us, but don’t wait. Don’t let this excuse of cooking for one or two be the reason that you don’t up your skills. Now, don’t let it be the reason that you keep on following a recipe step by step. Oh my god. What have I got to do now? I’ve got to chop the onions.
How do I chop the onions? Should I slice them? Should I do a large chunk? Should I dice them? How small should I dice them? Should it be one centimeter? Should it be too? Oh my God, how long do I cook them for? All of these questions. Get rid of them now. Get rid of your excuses of cooking for one or two now because it only gets more complicated.
When you’re adding more people. And you won’t have time you think I’m gonna cook on mat leave. I’m gonna cook here when they’re little babies. Oh I’ll finally get my s*** together and cook. You won’t you then you have so many extra responsibilities people who say that never cook. It’s just pushing it back. You just it’s not a priority. So you push it back to when it’s like the person that says I’m gonna do this on holidays, but they still never do it because Pub dates come up beach dates come up cool parties come up cool boat trips come up, whatever else happens in summer holidays. That’s what I’m thinking of anything. That’s way cooler than doing the thing that you have been procrastinating on doing.
So the next time you see a recipe that serves four. You know exactly what to do.
- You’re going to half it
- You’re going to batch it put it in the freezer for later or
- You’re just going flick it off all together and go hahaha. I’m so lucky. I can do whatever I want right now.
