I'm forever cooking like I have a family of 10 to feed or something so I might not be one to talk here but my thoughts:
Cook main ingredients in bulk and then turn them into different things during the week. It keeps you from eating leftovers all the time and works well with whole foods.
For example, if you make up a pot of beans, a couple of whole grains, steam a big bowl of greens, roast up a pan of root vegetables, and maybe cook up some sort of animal protein. You could turn that into:
- A dozen different kinds of soups
- Another different kinds of stews
- Easy one bowl meals of a grain with some legumes/animal protein, greens on top, season with a dressing/sauce
- Enchiladas/burritos
This time of year it's easy to roast some root vegetables, bake squash, etc, just while you're home in the evening. Puree the squash with some coconut milk and broth and some spices and you've got killer soup.
Reheat other root veggies in the toaster oven at meal time or pack for school and you've got an easy side dish for the week.
Black bean soup/black bean burritos/black bean burgers- all with most of the same ingredients.
Make sense?