Cooking for one or two 

by Samar Milan, RD, MPH, Public Health Nutritionist

Cooking at home offers many benefits – from saving money and choosing healthy ingredients to preparing nutritious meals. However, preparing small portions can be challenging since many recipes make large servings, potentially leading to food waste. Here are some tips to help you cook for one or two people! 

Senior man cutting tomatoes in the kitchen

Plan your meals 

Meal planning helps you make healthier choices and use ingredients that you already have. It also saves time and reduces stress by providing a structure for meals, making cooking more enjoyable.  

Steps to plan your meals: 

  1. Start by writing down meal and snacks ideas. Are there ingredients in your fridge or kitchen cupboard that you can use up? Use ingredients that you have at home that can go bad quickly first.  

Experiment with new recipes every once in a while to keep meals interesting. Choose recipes that are prepared with common ingredients that can be used in a variety of ways, instead of ingredients that are only used once.
 

  1. Create a grocery list. Try using flyers or apps to find foods on sale and choosing vegetables and fruits in season. This can help you save money. 

Not sure which vegetables and fruits are in season in Ontario? Check out this guide:
https://www.ontario.ca/foodland/page/availability-guide 
 

  1. Bring the grocery list to the store and buy the foods you need and will use. This helps prevent buying unhealthy or unnecessary foods that will likely go bad.
     

Batch cooking 

Batch cooking simply means preparing a large amount and dividing the dish into smaller portions for future meals. You can double up a recipe and portion leftovers in smaller containers.  

These meals can be stored in the fridge and can be eaten in the next few days or kept for longer in the freezer and defrosted when needed. This is a great way to portion meals when the quantity is too big for one or two people and helps reduce food waste.  

Don’t forget to label meals that are going in the freezer – write down what the meal is and the date you prepared it on. Store newer meals at the back of the shelf and older ones at the front. This way, you can make sure older food does not get forgotten and is eaten before going bad. 

Most cooked meals can be stored in the freezer for a few months. Store leftovers in the fridge for two to three days or for up to two to three months in the freezer.  

You can also freeze leftover ingredients that were not completely used up and defrost for future meals. Yams, cassava, callaloo, kale, okra, bell peppers, ginger, and sweet potato leaves are examples of foods that freeze well, even if uncooked. Bananas, mangos, and berries are examples of fruits that freeze well. 

Repurpose foods 

Prepare different meals using the same ingredients or use leftovers and make into new, appetizing dishes. This will help you save time in the kitchen, use up foods before they go bad, and save money. Below are ideas to get inspired: 

Leftover Jollof rice, rice Pilau, rice Pilaf or Barris 

  • Serve with grilled fish and a salad. 
  • Make a stir-fry by adding sauteed vegetables and scrambled eggs or leftover meat. 
  • Use as a filling for stuffed bell peppers, topped with shredded cheese. Bake until the bell pepper is softened, and the cheese is melted.
     

Leftover yams 

  • Combine with black beans, brown rice and cooked vegetables such as spinach and okra.  
  • Make a bean and brown rice stew with tomatoes and spices. 
  • Prepare yam and fish cakes.
     

Leftover curry chicken 

  • Serve with peas and brown rice. 
  • Add to a tortilla wrap with vegetables and a squeeze of lime juice. 
  • Shred chicken and add to a pot of simmering egusi soup. Serve with yam.
     

Leftover leafy greens (such as collard greens, spinach, cassava leaves) 

  • Add to a hearty soup or stew with beans and turkey. 
  • Make a leafy green, cornbread, and cheese casserole. 
  • Incorporate in traditional Akara, bean cakes. 
     

Leftover corn flour based fufu 

  • Slice and add to a shrimp stir-fry. 
  • Serve with Ewedu soup, Okra soup or grilled fish. 
  • Prepare fufu pancakes by mixing fufu with a small amount of flour, eggs, and spices. Pan-fry with a small amount of oil until slightly golden and serve with your favourite cooked vegetables. 

Adjust recipes 

To make smaller portions of a recipe, divide the ingredient quantities by 2. Alternatively, you could make the full recipe and enjoy leftovers for the next day or freeze them for future use. This can help you save time and effort! 

Samar Milan OPH Nutritionist

Samar Milan RD, MPH is a Public Health Nutritionist with Ottawa Public Health | Santé publique Ottawa