Are you tired of recipes that will feed an army when you’re only cooking for one or two? Are you bored with eating the same thing several days in a row, or feeling guilty when throwing away uneaten leftovers?

Well, my healthy eating friend, you’re not alone.

Earlier this week, I sent an email with these thoughts and the #1 comment I received which was along the lines of “I can’t believe how much my family was on board.”

Here’s the #2 most frequent comment I got: “I’m having a hard time with variety because I cook for two and we need to eat the leftovers.”

I hear you! I cook for two as well. Firstly, I’ll say that the freezer is my friend. I often cook and get a portion of what I make right into the freezer. This way, on nights when I know we’ll be too busy to cook, I grab something from the freezer in the morning and set it out to thaw.

That’s also how I use close-to-spoiling veggies. Every so often, I get all the veggies that are in danger into a soup or stew and then into the freezer it goes.

For fruit, I peel, chop, de-seed and freeze everything that’s going bad. I can then put any fruit from the freezer right into a smoothie. (That’s why I take the seeds out, so they don’t end up in my smoothie.)

Here are my other top tips:

• Buy pre-cut/chopped fruits and vegetables to cut down on food waste, prep time and leftovers. When planning and preparing meals for two, purchasing a small container of pre-washed, cut ingredients means less food waste and you don’t need to eat butternut squash soup six days in a row,
• Purchase frozen fruits and vegetables. You can’t beat the convenience of frozen. You can use just what you need and put the rest back in the freezer.
• Shop from the bulk bins.  Have a recipe that uses a handful of hemp seeds or want to try an ancient grain before you buy a whole bag? Shopping from the bins means you can buy only what you need and that can translate to smaller grocery bills and less waste.
• Stick mostly to the perimeter of your store. That’s where you’ll find the fresh fruits and veggies and where you can select the quantity you buy. Processed foods in boxes are in the middle.

With grocery bills at record highs and restaurant prices through the roof, cooking our own healthy food the most economical way has never been more important and that’s truly where plants shine!

We really can’t put a price on our health, so the investment in good homemade meals is worth it. Especially when it’s tasty and there’s no waste. It’s win-win-win: great for our bodies, great for our planet and as great as possible for our wallet.