When attempting to cook for two people, one of the easiest methods for doing so, especially if they’re two professionals with a hectic schedule, is to plan meals together.
Sometimes it can be more challenging than doing so for an entire family since recipes generally accommodate a grouping of four or more people and grocery store packages are larger than two-people serving sizes.
And usually, your pots will cook more evenly if you use a greater portion size, especially with a slow cooker for things like soups and chilis.
Still, meal planning is so much more cost-effective and less time intrusive whether you have a group or merely the two of you. That’s especially true if you’re attempting to be more conservative, maintain a budget, and eat more healthfully.
So, let’s look at a few tips that will help you as a couple develop meal planning for dinners that work for only the two of you.
Ideas For Easy Dinner Meal Planning For Two
Today, most people can’t cook from scratch every night when they come home after a hectic day of work or even after working remotely.
Generally, when cooking is left for the evening, people tend to grab a bite out, which can involve fast food since most are too tired to wait on a reservation for a sit-down restaurant. Click for fast healthy dinner recipe ideas for two.
Plus, when it’s just the two of you, it seems like a bother to go through all that after a long day for only two people. That means no one is getting the healthy nutrients they need on a regular basis.
What’s the answer to this conundrum? More couples are turning to meal planning like their larger family counterparts, and it’s working for them in the same way it works for them. Let’s look at a few tips on making the option work for you.
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Planning is the priority
When it comes to the two of you, planning is key since many recipes and stocked items in the market are not especially accommodating. With recipes, it might be a matter of breaking the recipe down or freezing what you don’t use for another week.
You could also do the same thing with some of the larger packages of food products you buy at the market, but many people aren’t fond of frozen meats. They like to get them fresh, come home on the day they decide is their prep day, and cook them immediately. Then they’ll microwave through the week.
The first step is to plan foods that the two of you agree on for the entire week of dinners. You will shop for those ingredients and use a day to prepare those foods. It’s usually a weekend project. Learn meal plant tips for two at https://www.thekitchn.com/meal-plan-tips-for-couples-22993236/
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Save time and money
When you know you’ll have too much food on a particular day, say you have sloppy joes on Monday, and there’s more than enough left over, use the remainder for tacos on another night. Again, a fast dinner that saves time, money, and there’s no waste.
That’s how you plan for the week; determine the main meal a couple of nights and then leftovers a few nights. Ensure that you’re buying just a bit extra for the main meals, so a few of the nights, there’s minimal to do except assembling some leftovers that take on a different life.
Make some chicken salad sandwiches out of some leftover roasted chicken from one of your meals; superfast and easy.
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Create a market list
Put everything on the list you need, including essentials for around the house, so there’s no need to stop at the market during the week. Make sure that you don’t stray from the list.
When planning, incorporate sides into the meals and anything else that you might want to include, whether bread, desserts, whatever you need, so you don’t wander around the store adding things to the cart that you don’t need, especially processed or junk-type foods.
Staying with the items that you planned for will save money in the long run and ensure that you enjoy a healthy, nutritious meal plan.
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Prepping
Some people prepare the main meals on certain nights of the week and use the leftovers the rest of the week. Many prepare on a weekend day, package the meals and warm them up through the week, so there’s no need to hurry home and cook a meal any evening after a long day at work.
It’s a matter of preference and what works better for your particular circumstances. If you’re not fond of warmed-up food, you might need to do a little bit in the kitchen a couple of nights a week.
Fortunately, you’ll find some healthy easy dinner ideas for two with recipes that are quick online from which you can gather some delicious leftovers.
Final Thought
Meal planning is not only for a family of four or more. It works as effectively for a couple looking for dinner for two. It takes some careful thought and working together on the plan, will take time at the market, and requires a list that you don’t stray from, but a healthy dinner is possible.
