Weinberger MS, RD

Health & F tness

Dinner for Two, Please

Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN

One of the many challenging parts of eating healthy is food preparation. Finding the time to exercise and choosing the right foods can be easier for some than others, yet food preparation is the challenging part for most. A common complaint I hear is that, “My kids won’t eat those foods. I don’t have time to cook two different dinners.” Or, “My husband doesn’t want to go on the diet with me. How can I cook just for one person?” My response to these complaints is to get your spouse, or someone else in your household, on board. Dieting, or healthy eating, is a lot easier when you have a partner and the proper support. It definitely makes it easier to cook for two than to cook for one. Of course, try to get your kids to eat what you are having too, but that’s a whole other battle.

Following this suggestion, clients often ask how to cook for only two people. Many people are used to cooking for a big family and don’t know how to portion for just two people. This results in a lot of waste and the disposal of the uneaten food. Aside from food wasting, this puts all of your hard work and time to waste. Below are some ways to properly cook for two.

Firstly, plan a menu. Find suitable foods for the both of you. This includes finding foods that fit into each of your diets and that you and your healthy eating partner each enjoy. Cooking for two is useless if one of you dislikes the dish. Meal planning is vital. If you have time, go through recipes and cookbooks together to get both parties involved in the process. Your husband might have some good ideas, too!

Something else to keep in mind when looking through recipes: look for one-dish meals, especially if you’re cooking this meal in addition to one for the rest of your family. This will make it easier to prepare and clean up. The simpler the recipe is, the more likely you are to make it. Some great options are one-pot din-

ners such as chicken with brown rice and zucchini. There are many easy options for one-pot dinners. You don’t even need a recipe. Be creative and throw your favorite foods into a pot with some spices and, voila, an easy, delicious, healthy dinner!

When shopping for foods, look for foods that you will be able to use for two dishes. For example, if you buy broccoli, you can roast half the bunch and make the other half into broccoli salad. Or, you can cook one meal and, after you cook it, you can transform it into something else. For example, if you make chicken burgers with a whole wheat bun for dinner one night, cut up the leftover burgers and throw them into a salad for lunch the next day. This way, even though the meal you cook is in a larger quantity, it still won’t go to waste. The same goes for grilled chicken and grilled salmon. Use the leftovers for a sandwich or to add to a sandwich for lunch. When you make brown rice or quinoa as a side dish for dinner, throw the leftovers into your salad for lunch the next day, too.

Leftovers are a great option when cooking for two. If you prefer to cook in larger quantities, and you don’t mind eating leftovers, cook as much as you want and eat it throughout the

whole week. However, some people don’t like eating the same thing every day. Another option would be to cook meals that you love in the beginning of the week, let’s say Sunday and have the leftovers on Wednesday. Or cook it Monday and have it again on Thursday. This way, it doesn’t feel like you just had it, yet the leftovers don’t go to waste and you’re free from cooking that night!

Another method that many people feel works for them is to cook in large quantities and freeze the meals in smaller portions once it is cooked and completed. Label the food with the date, the food item, and the serving size to make it easier to recognize and pull out of the freezer on a later date. This way, you can simply pull a prepared meal out of the freezer and pop it in the oven for a fresh meal.

If you prefer not to freeze food, there are a lot of cookbooks featuring recipes for two, and many websites have a feature to change the amount serving to adjust the recipe measurements.

If you prefer not to have leftovers, buy chicken and meats in small packages, just enough for one meal. Yes, it is more expensive to buy many food items in small packages, but it’s worth it if you will end up throwing out the rest of the food that you don’t end up eating.

Another tip is to buy a family pack (since it’s cheaper to buy in bulk), clean the chicken, and separate the family pack into small portions. Store the small portions in Ziploc bags and freeze them. This way, you can easily take one portion out of the freezer in the morning, let it thaw out in the fridge, and make a fresh meal for two for dinner.

There are many ways to cook for two without the headache and without the waste. Find a way that works for you and support each other on the diet journey.

Meal planning is vital.

Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN, is a Master’s level Registered Dietitian and Certified Dietitian-Nutritionist. She graduated CUNY Brooklyn College receiving a Bachelor’s in Science and Master’s degree in Nutrition and Food Sciences. She is currently a dietitian at Boro Park Center and a private nutrition consultant. She can be reached at CindyWeinberger1@gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram @EatBetterandFeelBetter.