How I Eat: Relying on Staples to Make Cooking for Two Easy

Welcome to How I Eat: Meal Planning for Normal People. (If you missed it, click over to read more about this series on The Pajama Chef.) This series is meant to inspire readers (and myself!) with tips and tricks for meal planning and getting dinner on the table. Whether you’re cooking for one or a crowd, I firmly believe that good food shouldn’t be sacrificed just because life is busy.

Today’s feature on How I Eat is Colleen from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice. Colleen is a Virginia food blogger who specializes in serving her recipes for feel-good southern comfort food with a side of sarcasm and a little bit of cat hair thrown in for good luck. Colleen and her adorable yet extremely neurotic Bengal cat Brenna are known for their not always successful, but often dare devilish food endeavors in the kitchen together. Things don’t always go as expected, but in the end there is always a delicious recipe that will make you wish the two of these girls were your neighbors, because not only do these two love to share their story, but they love feeding anyone who should just happen to stop by for a visit. To learn more about Colleen and Brenna, or just to find a delicious recipe for mouth watering cookies, flaky southern biscuits, sinfully delicious deviled eggs, or numerous other scrumptious treats you’ll just be dying to try, please stop by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice for a visit.

Tell us about yourself. Who are you cooking for? What else influences how you get meals on the table?

Most days I cook for two people, me and B.O.B. Bob, however, I do have people over often fairly regularly, which gives me the opportunity to cook larger meals.

What meals do you plan?

• Dinner

In a typical week, approximately how many meals per week do you plan to eat at home or prepare to take with you (e.g., to work or school)? No shame… curious minds want to know! For this, I would include any food purchased at the grocery store (e.g., rotisserie chicken, bagged salad mix, etc.) but not takeout.

• 14-15: I eat out almost everyday.

What is your basic meal planning method?

My best meal planning method doesn’t exactly involve having a plan other than always making sure certain staples are in our house to create last-minute meals.

What are your favorite weeknight meals?

Breakfast for dinner is a real favorite. Salads with anything and everything thrown on top are a huge hit too. Soup, however, is the ultimate weeknight meal…it can be made ahead and takes very little time to heat up. My Soup Saturday Swappers page has links to several soup recipes perfect for weeknight meals.

What are your “no-brainer” meals? Or what meals do you make when there’s “nothing” to eat?

Grilled cheese, scrambled egg soft tacos with whatever fixings we have on hand, and grilled sausages are a real favorite with our neighbors when we get together as well because we can defrost them in a few minutes.

Do you use any tools to help you create your meal plan and/or execute it?

What is your best advice for someone who is just starting to meal plan?

I find that I do most of my cooking on the weekend when I have more time.

Thank you, Colleen! Your reminder that having a meal plan doesn’t always have to be super formal is so important. If you can keep staples of your favorite ingredients on hand, dinner can be so easy! Relying on staples is key. And I love having people over too–it’s fun cooking for a crowd on occasion. Thanks for your perspective on meal planning!!

Connect with Colleen for more inspiration via Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.