getting used to cooking less

skintmumof3

my eldest ds has been at uni since september. my eldest dd is going in september, and lately has been becoming more independent in not wanting meals provided for her...basically justing coming and going as she pleases.
but i still find myself cooking large portions and still find my self shopping for 5 people when there are now only three of to feed now....
i suppose being a mum who is so used to caring for a larger brood, i do find it hard to adjust.
anyone else feel the same???
its probably empty nest syndrome...lol

phizzimum

why don't you box up the extra portions and freeze them. pretty soon you'll have so many you won't have to cook for a month! or else have lots of meals ready for when you're brood descends on you (hungry and carrying bags of dirty laundry no doubt)

ebonylight

I know this isn't the same but I was used to cooking for "me and him" and now I cook just for me. Some things, like a lasgne or shepherds pie, I still make a huge one and then just freeze it.

Other stuff, I've just got usedto buying less of. For instance we used to get through two four-pinters of milk a week, I worked out that he must have drank it all as I only need a two pinter all to myself now!!

Mrs_Flittersnoop

I have the opposite problem, both mine have now returned from uni and are eating me out of house and home, just when I'd got used to cooking for just two of us. The milk consumption is completely out of hand, we were getting through just two or three pints a week, now it's more like 15 or 16. My food bills have more than doubled again so enjoy it while you can!

thriftlady_2

My mother has this problem too;) My brother left home 24 years ago and I left home 22 years ago and she's still cooking too much:rolleyes:

I'm going to be terrible when my lot leave as I already over-cater.

Pink.

Hi skintmumof3,

My dd went to uni in September of last year too and I have found it so much easier to cook for four rather than five. My problem is when she comes home in the holidays I have adjusted so well that I find it difficult to make the food stretch.

My advice would be similar to everyone elses. If you have too much, freeze it in individual portions. Then they can lift good wholesome food out of the freezer if/when they want a ready meal or you need to feed them at short notice.

Also if you freeze individual portions you can take some to your dd when you go to visit. This weekend I flew over and spent a couple of days with my daughter and took some frozen lasagne, cottage pie, bolognese sauce, sliced gammon and chicken, hm banana bread, cake etc with me to put into her freezer to make sure she is getting some decent food while she's away.

Pink

Patchwork_Quilt

I always make more than we need and take the rest in for lunch, so nothing gets wasted and I don't have to make sandwiches, which is a good thing