How Not to Cook

Image via WikipediaIf you are trying to eat without cooking, and you don't want to spend a lot of money, let's talk:

• Look for the fruits and vegetable that are good raw.  Rinse, dry and eat.  (You have to peel some things.)
• Add sliced or diced meat to your salad.  You don't have to make a sandwich. Even bologna takes on a new character when you do something different with it.
• Warming something in the microwave doesn't heat your kitchen or you.  You can heat one serving on the plate from a pre-made dish.
• If you take home leftovers from a restaurant, try to match them with your own choices to make a new meal.

I have had the problem of cooking for one and struggled with a way to prevent boredom and food waste.  One strategy involves considerable planning.  Buy cheap storage containers and sectioned plates.  When you buy prepared food or prepared it yourself, place portions into the containers and freeze it.  Be sure to label it.  Sometime I forget what I put in the container.

Even when eating alone, I enjoy a little ritual to a meal.  I often use a tray in front of the TV, but I still want meat, vegetable, bread, and some kind of  treat or desert.  Seeing the food on the plate helps me gauge how much I am eating and prevents me from stuffing myself.  I really wish my mother hadn't always insisted that I eat everything on my plate.

Remember when you buy prepared food that you are still getting it cheaper that from a restaurant.  If you waste it, your saving is lost.  Make the best of it and remember: Be frugal.