I stopped cooking like the kids still lived here

2026-10-16 23:05

Since our youngest moved out and I started this medication, I kept making the same size pot of chili and the same sheet pan of vegetables. For a while I thought I was just bad at cooking for two.

Then on Tuesday I made salmon, roasted carrots, and a small scoop of rice, ate about two-thirds, and put the rest away without the usual mental argument. No drama, no finish-the-plate guilt.

I took a 25-minute walk after, the kind I used to skip because I felt too full. Somewhere in the last few months, enough stopped meaning clean plate and started meaning steady.

Did yours arrive as one clear moment, or did you only notice it looking back?

2026-10-20 17:18

same, i still cook like my old raid group is coming over and then just vibe with leftovers

2026-10-20 22:57

Cafe owner here: I still portion like the lunch rush is coming. This gives me hope for my own tiny-pot era.

2026-10-31 08:51

The weird turning point for me was buying a quarter-sheet pan and a 2-quart pot — not because I’m virtuous, but because the smaller surface area made the old portions look absurd. I also started freezing the “extra” in flat zip bags before I sit down, so it’s not staring at me from the fridge.

There was a thread here last winter about “phantom third eater” habits that stuck with me. Curious: which old-family recipe are you deliberately keeping big, if any?