How To Cook for Yourself

Cooking for yourself is one of the essential steps you can take to becoming independent. It can be easy to just eat out all the time or order in but cooking from scratch is the least expensive and healthier option.

Cooking for yourself can be tricky at first but once you know what ingredients to use and at what temperature to cook your meals, it becomes second nature to prepare fresh food for yourself.

Motivation. If it’s only you who’s eating, it can be a hassle shopping in a supermarket for yourself but it can save you a whole lot of money in the long run. Be playful and experimental with your meals, you can try different recipes form cook books that will get you hyped up when cooking.

Planning. Do a small list of the types of meals you’d like to eat throughout the week or even month. Purchase ingredients which will cover all of these and shop for 2 weeks or a month, don’t spend too much of your time in the supermarket not knowing what you want to buy.

You can also try cooking a little extra so you only have to heat your meal the next day instead of cooking again. This will save you time and give you a rest from cooking the next day, left overs are the key. It never hurts to try new recipes unless you are allergic to the ingredients; other than that you might discover something new you truly love and hadn’t considered before.

Cook one big meal a day. For breakfast you can try oatmeal with fruits and honey or yoghurt, toast or eggs. Prepare lunch and use the left overs as your dinner, and maybe add something different on the side, like baked potatoes with mayonnaise or broccoli, whatever you like.

Keep a non perishable staple foods close by in your pantry and re stock whenever necessary. Always check expiration dates even from foods in your freezer and when shopping, this will save you money and time when it comes to preparing fresh meals you don’t have to throw away.

Buy smart. Big containers for things like rice, oatmeal, raisins, potatoes, flour, sugar, salt etc will cost significantly less than buying smaller packages of these same foods.

Split food with a friend or close neighbor. Find someone who will trade with you, litres of this for grams of that, if you both buy in large quantities. You can also invite each other for dinner now and again to save when you need to on food.

Make or buy your mixes. If you liked baked goods, like muffins or cakes, prepare these yourself and make a batch for snacking during the week if you like. Search for home made mixes to prepare and use with liquids when preparing your baked foods. These type of homemade mixes make great gifts, placed in a jar with a bow or lace.

Freeze in Portions. Freeze your cooked meals in portions if you have any left overs for later, use freezing bags to encase your food for a day that you aren’t feeling inspired to cook. Also, an omelet or tuna can be prepared easily and quickly when you don’t feel like cooking.

Treat Yourself. Prepare some muffins, cakes or some cookies for yourself and keep a batch for later to add a fun element to your cooking.

Create an atmosphere. Even if you’re eating by yourself, give your food the credit it deserves by pulling out the nice cutlery, light a candle and get into a good book with some nice music.

Keep Clean. Have the habit of cleaning pans and pots right after you’ve cooked. Nobody likes to cook in a dirty kitchen so keep the environment as neat as possible before cooking. Clean a batch of dirty dishes together while every thing is warm and easier to clean, this way you’ll save yourself a lot of hassle in the long run.

Tips

Have a guest or two now and again, you’ll be inspired to impress and your cooking will improve.

Grow your won fruits and veggies if you have the space, a few pots on a balcony can give you some good tomatoes, and save you some money.

When using bags to freeze food, use a label to write the use by date so you can keep track.

Use cooking appliances to help do the work for you. Use a cooking steam tower to cook your rice, vegetables and defrost your chicken.

For good bargains notice price structure, buy one get one free usually means a good deal; something like 2 for $4 most likely costs the same individually unless it states you must buy 2.

If you’re feeling lazy, make extra for convenience food or set 1 or 2 days a month to order or eat out.

Calculate your saving for eating out in a week, and making a packed lunch for yourself throughout 1 week. You could earn yourself an all expenses paid vacation for yourself with your savings!

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