This $3 Trader Joe’s Item Transformed My Weeknight Dinners by Paul Schrodt Cooking for one can be a surprisingly fraught and expensive experience. Recipes are typically written — and supermarket ingredients are packed — for multiple servings. If you’re living and eating alone, you can end up with a glut of leftovers, or, worse, eating more than you should. You might also spend all that money and energy on the process, only to wonder why you didn’t just order takeout.