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The weirdest thing about cooking for one after 15 years of meal planning for a family of 4
I used to spend every Sunday afternoon making a big batch of something like chili or lasagna that would last us all week. Now I buy single servings of stuff and half the time I end up eating a bowl of cereal for dinner because it's not worth washing a whole pan for one person. It's been about 6 months since the divorce was finalized and I still catch myself grabbing the big bag of rice at the store before I remember I don't need it. The worst part is that I used to love cooking, but now I just stare at the fridge for 10 minutes and give up. I find myself eating more frozen meals or just picking up takeout from the diner down the street because it feels like less effort. Has anyone else struggled to adjust their food habits after the split? Like how do you stop feeling guilty about throwing out leftovers that nobody is gonna eat?
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hart.mark29d ago
Oh man, do I ever get this. Have you tried just cooking one really good meal on Sunday and eating the leftovers for a couple days instead of making a whole week's worth? That's what helped me when I went through my split - I'd roast a chicken on Sunday, eat some that night, then use the rest for sandwiches or salads until Wednesday or so. The cereal for dinner thing hit me hard too, I ate so much peanut butter toast those first months. It does get easier though, I promise. The fridge staring contest stops happening as much once you figure out a few go-to meals that don't feel like a chore.
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the_angela27d ago
Cook one big batch of something versatile like spaghetti sauce then use it different ways through the week.
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I read somewhere that our brains associate food with social connection, so cooking just for yourself can actually feel weird on a neurological level. That checked out for me. I started treating my solo meals like a weird science experiment and it helped.
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