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Happiness in Cooking for 1

I've heard it numerous times, I don't like to cook for just me. Or, if I had roommates, or when I'm married, I'll cook more. It's hard to cook for only myself. I don't want to eat the same things over and over again for 5 days straight.

Occasionally I get in that boring routine, where I only make myself pb&j because it's simple, cheap and easy. But today as I'm alone on my day off, I really treated myself to full, healthy meals. For breakfast I made a big omelet with prosciutto, green garlic and slightly browned sautéed onions. I took my plate and a big mug of black tea out to the porch and enjoyed it all in the sun. Then for lunch, I heated thinly sliced pieces of sausage in a small plan, letting the fat in the sausage release the oil for cooking. I took some of the extra onions from this morning (there's something you'll never get sick of... caramelized onions) and threw them in near the end along with some more of that green garlic from the farmer's market just to warm it through. I poured all of it over a bowl of spring lettuce picked from my small garden this weekend and let the hot oil wilt the lettuce and create a dressing. Doesn't it sound gourmet!?! I would have take a picture had I not eaten it so quickly.

Traditional recipes and cookbooks make it difficult to cook small portions. Here are some tips to make cooking for yourself a little more pleasant!
-Make and freeze your meals. If eating the same thing is the problem, then why we settle for the same 5 freezer meals for lunch rotation? or the same sandwich every week from the deli? If you prepare a big casserole or pasta dish, freeze portions for yourself for lunch or dinner at a later date. Label them with the dish and date so you can decipher them.
-Make breakfast sandwiches in a big batch and wrap them in wax paper and freeze. When you're running late, you won't be tempted by the overprice coffee shop ones and you can use better ingredients.
-Set up a lunch buddy at work. 2 or 3 days a week, you each bring something to share with the other. Do the same for a supper club. Make reasons to cook for others...it's good for the soul!
-Invest in books or magazines on cooking for 2. Most everything out there is geared toward 4 or 6. This way you'll have only 1 leftover portion at a time and if you loved it, you'll be glad you have 1 more :)

Reading these tips, it also looks like the "stop buying overpriced, prepared foods" like I do when I get too busy. I guess I have to remember to take my own advice once in a while ;)
Happy cooking and eating solo!
-l.v.

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