Provided by IMC! Peer Mentor: Erika B
When I had to start cooking for myself, I was at a loss with what to do. It is hard to find food portions small enough to cook for just one and I ended up eating out way too much. Once I realized that it was too expensive a habit to continue, I started looking for recipes that I could make and eat continuously throughout the week. Sometimes if I am really motivated I will make two meals for the week and then it lowers my want to go get takeout.
A few guidelines I use for buying ingredients is to shop generic and buy ingredients that can be used in different recipes. Generic brands are essentially the same but cost less. If there is an option between Quaker Oats and the Great Value brand I always choose the Great Value because that little saving does add up. Another plus is that my roommates are less likely to want to use my food because they aren’t the name brand. The second guideline of buying common ingredients is really important because most recipes won’t call for the two full cups of cheese that comes in a package or the entire pack of spinach. Finding multiple recipes that have these ingredients is crucial, and it ensures that you aren’t left with unique ingredients that will go to waste.
There are a lot of great recipes to choose from and I find a lot of mine by scrolling through Pinterest and talking to my friends about what they make. Some of my most common recipes are pastas, ground turkey stir fry, or baked chicken with rice. These are not only somewhat healthy, but they also are delicious and make me excited to eat them. I usually make sure to add veggies to every recipe, like broccoli in stir fry, and find some way to mask the flavor. There are some people that can eat chicken and rice every day of the week, but I find that incredibly boring and I would end up eating more junk food to avoid the chicken and rice. Switching it up every week is important and don’t be afraid to try different recipes.
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