Once the ingredients in order, the next step is to create a repository of recipes. These could be dishes that you tried during your holiday or something that your grandmother fed you as a child. Chef Delzad Avari of Delz Kitchen who runs a delivery kitchen in Tardeo says, "Most of my recipes are from my travels and those actually curated by me in course of my work experience." The idea is to keep the recipes easy with lesser cooking time. "Prepare pastes and sauces that would last you for weeks and keep it handy. For instance, keep a bottle of homemade pesto in your refrigerator for those days you want to simply make a pasta bowl (or zoodles)." Try and make the most of your deep freezer. You could even keep marinated meats.

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Planning a weekly menu also allows you to keep your nutrients under check. "While cooking if you use proper measurements, you can monitor the calories. Using kitchen weighing scales one can measure the quantity while cooking resulting in the perfect number of calories that are being consumed," suggests Dr. Siddhant Bhargava, fitness and nutritional scientist of Food Darzee.

When it comes to 'solo' dining, it might take a little extra motivation to not order in. Gurmeet Kocchar, founder, Spicebox says, understanding ingredients can help you whip up a perfect dinner for one. "You could fix a simple salad with feta cheese and olive oil — these are healthy nutrients and fats that we need — can be made easily at home. Dal khichdi, for instance, can be made wholesome by adding vegetables or millets. You can also prepare palak chicken, which is high in iron and protein, and a complete power booster."

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