Meal Prepping for 2 : NOT fot the faint of heart

I normally get about 2 comments on my posts and it normally gets buried, so don't expect this to go anywhere lol, but it took a lot of mental effort to make it. So putting it out there and see what happened. Or not. idc<br><br>**TLDR**: Even if you think you're meal prep planning veteran, read this. It'll remind you how much of a handful humans can be.<br><br>It's been 6 years since I married and saw the end of my meal prepping "me only" era. Meal prepping enough for two people adds a whole different dimension of complexity. Mom bloggers, fitness enthusiasts, and even dietitians can't help you with this. They lack the training and experience to provide the necessary advices on this subject. Food boredom, food waste, and relationship problems are but a few of the hurdles you face with meal prep when you're shipping with someone else. I thought meal prep was a lost cause, until I figured some things out. So in this post, I hope to share what works in my experience and shed some light on meal prep for 2.<br><br>**Meal Prep for 2: A Complex F***ing Problem**<br><br>I never thought I would preface a post with profanity but meals prepped for 2 are a different beast altogether.<br><br>It's a given that meal prep for one is a pain. Meal prep for 2 is several orders of magnitude more complicated. Multiply the complexity of meal prep by 2. Then add a few more factors, which include:<br><br>* **Each other**: This is the biggest factor. Relationship issues, moods, fights, and disagreements. Your meal prep will be affected, and it can be the source of said issues.<br>* **Food waste**: One person eats it, the other doesn't. One person can't finish a portion, the other can finish a whole batch in one seating. This is more of a problem for 2 people than 1, as the loss is multiplied.<br>* **Time**: Cooking for 2 people takes more time, obviously. Cooking for 2 people who have vastly different tastes and preferences is exponentially more time consuming.<br>* **Fridge space**: Your biggest mixing bowls are your fridge shelves. Now you have to double the amount of food you're preparing, and you have half the space for your ingredients and raw materials. You can't even have a decent Tupperware set without it taking up half your fridge.<br>* **Spontaneity**: No more flying by the seat of your pants. No more getting something to eat at the last minute.<br><br>All of these contribute to the complexity of meal prep for 2. But don't worry, because the whole point of this post is to tell you that there is a way to simplify things. And I will show you how, below.<br><br>**I was a Meal Prep Planning Veteran. Until I Got Married.**<br><br>I thought I was a meal prep pro. I was very experienced at preparing meals for 1. I did it for 30+ years. I had it down to a science. I could cook gourmet meals in a small studio flat kitchen with 2 cooking burners and barely enough space for mixing bowls, utensils, and spices.<br><br>Then I got married. It was as if I was thrown into a dark room with 10x the work and half the space. 10 dishes, 5 pots, and 2 mixing bowls, all in use. Carrots and celery and onions flying around left and right. Butters and oils and sauces covering every inch of countertops. <br><br>All of a sudden, it was as if I had never done meal prep before. My experience flying out the window. I had always known that relationships are about compromise, but I never knew that meal planning was also about compromise. I had no idea that cooking for 2 people would be so much harder than cooking for one. It was as if I was a brand new cook starting from scratch.<br><br>It's not just the work itself. Cooking for 2 people also means that you're in the kitchen twice as long, which leads to more dishes, more cleanup, and more time spent on cooking. There's also the fact that you have to cook for two different people, which means more ingredients, more pots, and more dishes.<br><br>If you're a meal prep planning pro, you know that meal prep is all about preparation. It sounds obvious, but it's a whole different story when you're preparing for two. Even if you've been in a relationship with someone for a long time, living together for the first time is a big change. Adjusting to life together takes time but it's more complicated than just getting to know each other.<br><br>When I first started cooking for 2 people, I thought it was impossible. I was constantly stressed, my kitchen was a mess, and I didn't know where to start. But after a few years of struggling, I realized that I saw meal prep in a new light. **It wasn't about cooking for 2 people. It was about cooking for 1 person, twice.**<br><br>**The Key to Meal Prep for 2: The 2x Rule**<br><br>The key to meal prep for 2 people is to multiply everything by 2.<br><br>**Double the cooking time.** Double the ingredients. Double the cleanup. Double the time spent on cooking. Double the time spent on dishes.<br><br>This may seem obvious, but it wasn't to me. As a meal prep veteran, I thought that I could just prepare for one, like I always had. But the truth is that meal prep for 2 people is not just a matter of cooking for 2 people. It's about cooking for 1, twice.<br><br>Once you understand the 2x rule, you can start to simplify your meal prep process. For example, I always prepare the raw materials for 2 people by doubling everything. I always use a recipe that makes 2 servings, and I always multiply the ingredients by 2. This way, I can prepare for both of us at the same time, and I don't have to worry about wasting food or ingredients.<br><br>**My Top 5 Meal Prep for 2 Tips**<br><br>Here are my top 5 tips for meal prep for 2 people:<br><br>1. **Invest in a slow cooker.** A slow cooker is a meal prep planning best friend, but it's especially useful when you have two people to feed. Throw all the ingredients in a pot as early as 8am, and come home to a delicious, ready-to-eat meal. Or cook things that normally take an hour in the oven, in 15 minutes. Or cook normally oven-only dishes on your stovetop. A slow cooker takes out a lot of the work and meals come out so much better. I once managed to make a whole chicken in the slow cooker in 30 minutes. I've also done mashed potatoes in 15. <br>2. **Cook things in bulk and freeze.** This is a no-brainer, but it took me a long time to learn. If I'm cooking chicken or steak for both of us, I always cook 2 more servings and freeze them for later. This way, when we're in a rush or when you're too lazy to cook, just pull it out of the fridge and defrost it. You can also use it as ingredients for other meals. This way, you only have to cook once, and you can just defrost and reheat later.<br>3. **Prep raw materials in advance.** Always prep raw materials for 2 people by chopping, slicing, and dicing. This way, when you're ready to cook, everything is ready to go. For example, I always chop 2 onions at a time, and use one now and freeze the other. I also chop 2 cloves of garlic at once, and use one now and freeze the other. This way, when I'm ready to cook, everything is ready to go.<br>4. **Use a recipe that makes 2 servings.** This is a no-brainer, but it's easy to forget. When you're cooking for 2 people, you want to make sure that you're making enough food for both of you. This way, you can just divide the food into 2 portions, and you're done.<br>5. **Clean as you go.** This is a no-brainer, but it's easy to forget. When you're cooking for 2 people, you want to make sure that you're cleaning as you go. This way, you don't have to worry about a big mess at the end of the night.<br><br>**Meal Prep for 2: The Bottom Line**<br><br>Meal prep for 2 people is a complex problem. It's not just about cooking for 2 people. It's about cooking for 1 person, twice. The 2x rule is the key to simplifying the process, and these 5 tips will help you get started.<br><br>Meal prep planning is a skill, and it takes time and practice to develop. But with the right knowledge and techniques, you can overcome meal prep planning obstacles and make it work for you.