From Joan Garneau on January 06, 2010 :: 8:06 am A recipe for two which I use often! It’s my husband’s favorite dish, I think, and I’m pretty fond of it as well. Rouladen for Two 2 pieces of cubed steak 1 slice of bacon, cut in half 2 tablespoons of mustard 2 dill pickle spears 1 small onion half, cut in slices. fresh bread crumbs - just a very few. 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed 2 onions, peeled and cut in chunks 2 carrots, peeled and cut in chunks 1/2 cup pickle juice from dill pickle jar Directions: Place cube steaks on counter and with heel of hand, flatten and enlarge. Spread 1 tablespoon mustard on each flattened steak. Place a pickle spear, half a bacon slice and slices of onion on one end of the flattened steak. Add a few bread crumbs along the pickle spear, onion and bacon. Roll the steak from the pickle spear end over to make a roll which can be fastened with a toothpick to hold. Brown rolled steak pieces in a deep skillet or pan until browned on all sides. Add 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup pickle juice, cubed potatoes, carrot chunks, onion chunks and any onion left from filling the rolls. Salt and pepper to taste. Put a lid on the pan, lower heat to a simmer and let cook until the carrots and potatoes are tender - about 45 minutes to an hour. Remove steak rolls from skillet or pan. I thicken the liquid left in the pan with cornstarch since I have a gluten sensitive husband, but flour also works well. Make a slurry and add to the liquid and vegetables left in the pan and stir until thickened. Serve meat rolls with vegetables and gravy. I don’t even use a recipe for this because I have made it so often. However I hope I made it into a recipe that maybe you can use in your new efforts at cooking for two.

Thanks Joan! This sounds really different and easy, too!

Make a freezable casserole and BEFORE you bake it, semi- freeze it (not all the way, just until it can be scored and cut into 1-2 person sized squares), Put those servings into separate baggies and put them back in the freezer, then bake however much you want of the rest.

Thanks so much Mary! I have never heard this tip but I LOVE it!

Well, I do try to cook for at least another lunch or two, although I'm not crazy about endless leftovers. But my daughter packs lunch every day so that's always in the back of my mind. I'll also cook something that we can eat multiple ways. e.g. We had steak last night and I turn the leftover into a steak salad or make burritos or tacos or a panini.

Hi Ellen! Do you end up using the freezer a lot?

Hi Beverly! I usually divide up raw meat into smaller packages and freeze them. I also keep a small stash of cooked meatballs, raw mini meatloaves (muffin tin size), and cooked chicken or turkey. Last time I made a small batch of chicken pot pie and froze two small dishes of it. I made baked chimichangas the other night and froze the 4 that were left over, thinking they'll make a nice lunch or another dinner later.

I'm glad to see something like this. All the advice I've seen is "Just make leftovers!" like it'll magically solve the problem. If I made a six serving sized recipe twice a day for one week, I would have 70 leftovers! Leftovers have never worked for me--it always made it very hard to get portion control right, and it was easy to accidentally overeat (not including the fact that recipes have increased portion size over time). Tip #1: Buy a single serving size of meat (3 oz) from the deli section in the store. Great for a quick lunch sandwich during the week, and you'll use it all up. Tip #2: Buy single serving sizes from the butcher counter at the grocery story. I used to stay away from fish because it was so expensive. But 3 oz of fish is usually around $1-$2. Tip #3: Read the sales label. A lot of those 10 for 10 sales are just too much quantity for me to buy, but often the stores don't require you to buy the full amount. So you can get two or three cans instead of ten for the sale price. Recipe: 3 oz fillet of fish Caribbean seasoning to taste Lime Juice Put the fish on aluminum foil. Add seasoning and lime juice to the fish. Seal in aluminum foil and bake for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees or until fish is flaky. Serve it with a roll and some vegetables. This is very flexible! You could try different seasonings or lemon juice, or even include some vegetables in the pouch to bake.

Great tips Linda. Thanks so much! Love the fish idea, too. Is this Caribbean Jerk seasoning blend?

It was McCormick's Perfect Pinch Caribbean Seasoning Blend.