Cooking for two can be a challenge to find a balance between providing nutritious, great tasting meals while striving to not waste food unnecessarily. Fear of wasting food and money need not stand in the way of providing great meals with lots of variety while only cooking for two. There are a few hints and practices which will limit the amount of food wasted while saving money.

Smart choices in cooking for two begin at the grocery store by buying the appropriate amount of food two people can consume before it goes bad and has to be discarded. For starters, we all know how expensive fresh produce is, but also a main staple of a varied healthy and low carb lifestyle. Keep in mind that although a lot of fresh produce, such as fruit, is weighed by the pound; it is not necessary to buy a whole pound. Choose only a few of each of the fruits you'll both enjoy allowing for variety without waste. When you stop at the deli counter buy meats in smaller weights such as a quarter or half pound. Stopping at the grocery store when you need to restock is a lot less painful than discarding half a pound of lunch meat because you're only cooking for two and couldn't eat it in time. Buying specialty lunch meats, such as prosciutto tends to be more expensive, using such a meat cooking for two can be easily solved by requesting a number of slices suitable to your needs rather than in fractions of pounds.

Buying cuts of meat from the butcher or from the seafood counter is also more practical when cooking for two than buying prepackaged meats. Also, when choosing frozen food when cooking for two, try to find resealable bags which will allow to you cook the perfect amount while freezing, and therefore, preserving the meat for the next meal. Cooking for two should not mean sacrificing the meals and variety that you love, instead it means being creative with the shopping and conscious of estimated left over portions.