(post, Tiffany Westlie)
When I was a little girl my favorite gift on a holiday or birthday was a new cookbook. I would go through the pages and cook for my parents, even taking over holiday dinners. In college and in New York when I first moved here I had roommates and enjoyed making big meals for crowded apartments. A couple years ago, realizing that I couldn't deal with roommates into my late 20s I moved into an apartment of my own. Problem became I stopped cooking as much. Without the ooohhhhhs and ahhhhs of my friends, family or roommates I wasn't motivated to cook for myself. It is hard to cook for one. You always cook too much and need to make sure that you aren't wasting money on too many supplies that will go to waste. Of course ordering in and quick food lead to a few extra pounds on my small frame. I realized I needed to start cooking again and focus on fresh produce and lean meats. I now am cooking quinoa in batches and keeping it in my fridge to add to soup and as sides. I am looking at my fridge and making sure that I look at every possible food combo that uses fresh and frozen foods I already have. With left-overs so I am not getting bored I am changing things up. Hopefully with my new experiments with cooking for just me (and my dog... she gets to taste) I can save money and lose some weight!