Cooking for Small Families with One or Two Members

Picture of Mindy Meuli, MS, RD

Mindy Meuli, MS, RD

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Plan Ahead for Quick, Easy Meals

The secret to a quick meal is not how fast you can cook, but rather how you plan and organize. You can have a meal on the table in 15 minutes. 

The following suggestions can help:

  • Keep meals simple
  • Decide what to prepare in advance
  • Thaw frozen food the night or the morning before in the refrigerator
  • Prepare as much as you can ahead of time
  • Slow cook meats in the over or crock pot
  • Use planned overs
  • Keep your kitchen clean with uncluttered work area

It is not a matter of time as much as a matter of planning ahead so you can enjoy an unhurried dinner. If you have meats thawed and ingredients on hand, most things can be tossed together in about the same time as it takes to order and wait for the food at a restaurant. Slow cooking something in the oven or crock pot is a hand option for making tasty food with little food preparation time. 

Menu Planning Saves Time and Money

Menu planning saves time and money. Find a time each week when you can think through meal ideas. Planning weekly meals allows for good use of leftovers and requires only one weekly trip to the grocery store. By planning, you will most likely eat a wider variety of food while limiting the number of trips to store while helping save you money.  

  • Make a list of about 20 dishes you can easily prepare.
    Keep the list on hand when menu planning and making your shopping list.

Why Meal Planning Matters for Smaller Households

By preparing your own meals, you can enjoy more nutritious foods than you get from fast food restaurants or frozen meals. You also choose what, when, and where you eat. A good starting point is to see how much food is left in your refrigerator, freezer, and panty at the end of the week. Are you purchasing too many perishable foods? Is your freezer stocked with healthy individually portioned dishes. How much food do you throw away each week? Buying less food and shopping weekly can save money and time. 

When menu planning is mentioned, people often think of planning for a large family; however, it is just as important for one or two people. If you wait until late in the afternoon to figure out what is for dinner, chances are you will order pizza, go out to eat, or have another bowl of cereal.  

  • Source: Cent$ible Nutrition Program Cooking for You or Two Cookbook, 2009 Ed.

Foil Packet Recipes

Italian Chicken and Vegetables Packet

  • Serving size: 2 adult servings

Ingredients:

  • ½ pound boneless, skinless chicken (or 2 chicken breast halves)
  • 2/3 cup Italian dressing
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 2 cups frozen broccoli, cauliflower, and/or carrots
  • 2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Cooking Instructions:

  • Tear off 2 (12×18 inch) sheets of aluminum foil. Center half of chicken on each sheet. Pour Italian dressing over chicken; sprinkle with basil. Arrange vegetables on top of chicken.
  • Wrap foil around mixture. Double fold the top and ends to seal, leaving room for heat circulation inside.
  • Place on a cookie sheet or grill grates. Bake 20 to 22 minutes in a 450-degree Fahrenheit oven or 12 to 14 minutes on a covered grill.
  • Carefully open packets and allow steam to escape. Open and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve hot whole-grain pasta or rice, if desired.

Vegetable Beef Packet

  • Serving size: 2 adult servings

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
  • 4 large mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 large carrots, thinly sliced
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • ¼ pound lean ground beef
  • ½ cup of barbeque sauce

Cooking Instructions::

  • In a bowl, mix vegetables together. Crumble beef over vegetables. Addbarbeque sauce; toss until well coated. Tear off 2 (12×18 inch) sheets of aluminum foil. Spoon half of the mixture onto each sheet of foil.
  • Wrap foil securely around mixture.Doublefold the top and ends to seal, leaving room for heat circulation inside.
  • Bake 20 minutes in a 450-degreeFahrenheit oven or grill 15 minutes on a covered medium high grill, turning packets over once until vegetables are tender.

More Recipes from the Cent$ible Nutrition Program

Looking for more budget-friendly meal ideas? Wyoming’s Cent$ible Nutrition Program (CNP) adds new recipes each week using ingredients you likely already have on hand. Browse the full collection at uwyocnp.org/recipes.

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