Hey, singles and couples, do you want to dine like Emeril Lagasse on a Boston Market budget? As a self avowed foodie, I highly recommend a subscription to Gourmet Magazine. You cannot imagine how easy it is to prepare small portion, fabulous and delicious meals or huge feasts, fit for royalty, all in one gorgeously presented magazine! Let's consider a few small changes in how we plan and shop.

Guess what, cooking for only one or two people doesn't doom you to TV and prepared, corporate designed food. A little planning can change your dining experience from pre-made, easy, soulless heat and eat grub to easy and exciting dishes that are nutritious, tasty and easy on the pocketbook.

If you usually cook for only one or two people - or if members of your family rarely have time to eat together, here's how to plan healthy meals for one or two, reduce the wasted food, and discover delicious and fun ways that small-quantity cooking can be made easier, healthier and more interesting and cost effective.

Here's something that works for me, if I remember to and that's to never go food shopping when you're hungry. Impulse buys such as junk food and TV dinners just seem to fall into your cart with a mind of their own, since, after all, you're only cooking for one or two and the convenience factor is an easy out. Not to mention that a lot of that stuff looks far better than it tastes when you get it home. A few key points will make a big difference in eating as well as you can without breaking your food budget.

Shop with convenience in mind. Purchase foods that are individually frozen, such as fruits, vegetables, chicken breasts or fish fillets. These foods allow you to thaw out only the amount you need. Also, low-fat frozen meals and prepackaged single-serving foods, such as ready-to-eat, low-fat, reduced-sodium canned soups are tasty as well as budget friendly.

One great way is to cook a large quantity of your favorite dish, for example, make a casserole or stew and freeze individual-size servings. Then take out only the amount of food you need. Be sure to write the date and contents on packages and move older packages forward as you add food to your freezer.

Plan meals so that you can use the extra food in new dishes, such as rice as a side dish for one meal, then using the remainder in a casserole or rice pudding. Bake chicken breasts for a meal and use the rest in sandwiches, soup or a stir-fry. I like to make a meatloaf mixture and bake some as a meatloaf and freeze the uncooked portion for later use in meatballs. Use any remaining mixture for spaghetti and or Marinara sauces or countless other meat fillers.

There are a lot of cookbooks that are geared to small meals or one or two people. Gourmet cookbooks abound as well as conventional and region specific recipes, as well as providing practical advice and helpful tips on such things as selecting healthy foods, planning menus, shopping and reading food labels. There is a big difference between eating versus dining, and it's no more extra work or expense if done right. Bon appetit' and thanks for reading.