Food for One

Hello hello!  I’m finally settled in my “home.”  By “home,” I mean the Residence Inn that I will be living in for the next month.  My lease doesn’t start until the beginning of April, so I am taking advantage of my company’s temp housing benefit.  My room is a lot nice then I thought it would be.  I have a little kitchen that has everything I need but an oven.  The hotel even provides cookware and utensils for you.  It’s so cute!  For those of you who have never stayed in a Residence Inn, here are some pics…

Slow Down Challenge

Before heading to the hotel, I stopped for lunch at Panera.  I don’t usually like eating at sit-in restaurants by myself, but I had to suck it up because I didn’t have a choice. 😛  I ordered a half salad half soup combo.  My salad and soup of choice were the Cobb Salad with no chicken or bacon and the black bean soup.  I am happy to report that I practiced slow and mindful eating today!  I put my utensils down after every bite and savored my food, which honestly felt a little weird.  And I also took the time in between bites to look around and people watch. 🙂  It’s funny how much you notice by just slowing down.  The best part of the whole experience was that I was pretty full about 2/3 of the way into my meal!  This slowing down thing really works!

Food for One

After finishing my meal at Panera, I headed next door to a Hannaford grocery store.  In 2009, I interned in the Boston area, and Hannaford was my store of choice.  The first thing I noticed was how expensive everything was!  I guess I just got used to Tucson’s low-cost of living!  I was happy to find everything I needed/wanted except for a few items that I will try to pick up at TJs or WFs later this week.  As I was checking out, I started thinking about how shopping for one is a royal pain in the butt!  I haven’t always been the best at it either as I tend to overestimate what my food needs will be and thus overspend.  I know Boston is an expense city, so I want to be an even better money saver while I am here.  My goal is to get better at it by practicing the following with regards to grocery shopping:

• Clipping coupons – When I was younger, my family would sit around the living room every Sunday reading the newspaper and clipping coupons.  And guess what?!  I’m bringing it back to save some $$$!
• Having go to meals made with the basics – I hate wasting food, so I think that by creating a list of go to meals for days where I don’t feel like cooking something elaborate and time-consuming will help me use up and not waste my basic ingredients. 
• Creating a list and sticking to it – From now on I’m going to maintain a running grocery list, so that I don’t end up buying more than I need.  I think this will help me find good deals because I can start looking ahead of time if I know what I need. 
• Cooking freezable meals – I am definitely going to be on the lookout for recipes that freeze well.  This will help me not waste my food and save time and money.  A triple whammy!

If you cook for one or have ever had to, what are your money/time/waste saving tips? 

Here’s a peek at some of the stuff i bought today (keep in mind that I am starting from scratch)…

Tomorrow is my first day in a new role at work!  I’m really excited. 🙂  I hope everyone has a great week!