Cooking for the single woman can be a challenging task amidst rising food costs and the simple fact a single woman should not eat mashed potatoes and gravy every night for dinner. Besides, most of us are watching our figures! What is a lady to do when she finds herself living on her own?
I recently came face to face with this predicament when I moved from my small town life in Mississippi to city life in Texas to become a full time seminary student at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS). My initial shopping excursion was filled with a couple hours of prior grocery list planning. Lean Cuisine© meals, fresh fruit and vegetables, single serving cans of green beans and spinach, fresh meats that could be divided and frozen and so on.
The first goal of the diligent single woman is to plan.
Never go to a store without a list! I have found this saves money and time in the store.
The second goal of the diligent single woman is to take time out every Sunday to purchase a newspaper that has coupons.
I did this on my first Sunday here and found many coupons for various products. Only buy what you need! Just because you have a coupon for something does not mean you should buy the product.
The third goal of the diligent single woman is to think wisely.
Will you eat all the vegetables you buy? Why not buy two pieces of squash instead of four? Buy baby red potatoes instead of the big russet potatoes.
The fourth goal of the diligent single woman is to think smaller portions.
Buy your fruit, clean it, then divide into what you think you will eat that week. Freeze the rest for the next week. This is a huge time saver!
Whatever you make ahead on the weekends for the next week will save you time, energy, and money. Pictured is an evening meal I made. At Kroger, I found three individually packaged Italian seasoned chicken breasts on sale for $3. The other two were put in the freezer for future use. I opened one small can of green beans and added three tiny red potatoes. The potatoes simply had olive oil and parsley drizzled on top for flavor. No butter! After the chicken was cooked, I cut it in half for another meal, such as a wrap or salad. This is what I mean when you plan. Teach yourself to think, “Will I eat all of this and how can I make this into two meals instead of one?” The point is, we don’t need to eat all that we do.
These are simply tips for the woman who wants to be that Proverbs 31 woman described, but believes she is unattainable. Well, that woman is attainable! We don’t just become that woman–we have to teach ourselves to think differently, which leads to living differently. Be wise and plan accordingly!
Emily Beth Leathers is a Masters student at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. She enjoys all things homemaking. Her greatest desire is for Christians to grasp God’s design for the home and family. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter @agirlwaiting and her blog, A Girl Waiting.
