Need some ideas for cooking for one person

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Need some ideas for cooking for one person

Postby cuddles » Fri Dec 26, 2014 5:11 pm

I am having a challenge cooking for one person. My problem is I'll cook one of the many recipes in one of my cookbooks and I end up with a ton of leftovers. I get tired of eating the same thing over and over again and I end up throwing out a lot of food. Some of the food I cook is easily freezeable but other stuff I cook doesn't seem to be easily freezeable. Any suggestions on making my life simpler with not so much wasted food?
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Re: Need some ideas for cooking for one person

Postby PeripateticDanielle » Fri Dec 26, 2014 10:06 pm

I hate wasting food! It's one of my pet peeves! And it's so expensive as well.

It depends on what recipes you are using, but one easy and simple way is to cut recipes in half. This is easier with some recipes than others, but if you are used to cooking at all, it grows to be second nature after a while. And most recipes aren't so strict that you need to be exact, like if something says 1/3 cup of tomatoes and you were halving the recipe, you could just use one small tomato instead, or 1/4 cup. This begins at the grocery store, so only buying half of the needed ingredients, most especially perishable items, is key.

You could also try to have pre-cooked 'ingredients' in the house and only make enough of whatever for one meal. Leftovers do get tiresome after a while. For instance, if you love potatoes you can bake a lot on the weekend and have them in different ways during the week. Like for one night, have refried beans, corn, lettuce and salsa on a potato, the next night put some wedges under the broiler for french fries, the next night make a little bit of gravy and serve it over the potato along with a salad or other vegetables.... That kind of thing. Rice and potatoes last for quite a few days in the refrigerator. Beans do as well. You can do a lot with beans. For instance, I cooked a package of garbanzo beans last week, and used half of them for hummus right away, and put the rest of them in the refrigerator. Two nights later I used the rest of the garbanzos in a soup.

Not overbuying food is also a big thing. OMG the horror stories I could tell you about my in-laws and their overbuying of food. They have two massive refrigerators STUFFED with food, some of it over a year out of date. The problem is if I clean out the spoiled food they'll fill the space in the next time they go shopping!! Argh. Not to go out on a tangent, haha. Anyway, in contrast my husband and I have one small refrigerator (like, European-style small) and we will last a full week between grocery shopping with the both of us eating crazy amounts of vegetables and fruits, and we eat all meals, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, at home.

Another thing to try is perhaps only cook ONE big recipe per week. Make a full recipe of a soup you really like, for instance, and eat it for lunch all week, but make yourself different things for dinner to vary your diet.

You may get some more specific suggestions if you say exactly what types of foods you love to eat. Sandwiches? That's easy, get bread and some vegetables, and eat through the more perishable ones first (e.g., eat the cucumbers and the tomatoes in your sandwiches at the beginning of the week, and make a chickpea salad with the celery later in the week since celery lasts longer).

Good luck!
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Re: Need some ideas for cooking for one person

Postby PeripateticDanielle » Fri Dec 26, 2014 10:07 pm

Hey, I just noticed you live in TO. I lived in Newbury Park for a year a few years ago. :)
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Re: Need some ideas for cooking for one person

Postby lifeisgreat » Fri Dec 26, 2014 11:54 pm

I don't like to cook every day so I have a few favorite things I like to keep in the freezer. I am also cooking for "One" .Today I was in the mood to cook and freeze I use the FoodSaver system to keep my items in good shape in the freezer. I have an instant Pot which is a lifesaver for me. Yesterday I cooked a big Pot of rice and a Pot of garbanzo beans. I also cooked Pot of sweet potatoes.
1. Rice bowl: Mix Rice, Garbanzo beans and, Kale together freeze. After I thaw it out I add Jalapeno Ranch from the http://forealslife.com web site. I change the recipe a little bit and I put a cup of white beans to substitute for one cup of tofu to decrease the fat in the recipe. I still add a cup of tofu or a 1/2 cup.
2. I made hummus and put 1/2 it in the freezer.(the Prevent an Reverse heart Disease cookbook) I love this cookbook.
3. I made barbecue black-eyed peas burgers. I double the batch and some will go in the freezer. ( from Fat Free vegan.com) this is my favorite burger recipe because it is so easy.
4. Tomorrow I will make some burritos. Using Spanish rice recipe with black beans. They freeze really well.
5. I wash the yams really well and cook them whole in the instant pot with skins on. This leaves skins really soft so I process then with the skins on. I put them in my Cuisinart with about with about heaping teaspoon of Wonderslim fatfree cocoa.( Maybe more if needed.) if it is needed a splash of soy milk. it has an appearance of chocolate pudding. I sprinkle a little raw sugar on the surface. The yams will freeze well.
6. Potatoes are always a easy go to dinner. Add topping and vegetable. I like Jalapeno ranch dressing and broccoli on the side.
7. One my favorite meal is a layer of rice, salsa, the second layer black bean and then a salad on top of that with the ranch dressing with baked corn chips I make in my oven.
8. Provencal-red-lentil-soup http://fatfreevegan.com. 7 minutes in the instant Pot. I love it and it freeze well too.
9. When all else fails as I have a bowl of oatmeal and blueberries for dinner.
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Re: Need some ideas for cooking for one person

Postby Gail » Wed Jul 01, 2015 8:08 pm

Cos lettuce leaves, strips of cucumber, cooked potatoes - wrap lettuce leaves around potato, cucumber Then dip into sweet chilli sauce. Mmmmm
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Re: Need some ideas for cooking for one person

Postby Katydid » Thu Jul 02, 2015 4:50 am

Rather than make recipes, I make staples that can be combined instantly into meals. Get yourself a bunch of glass storage containers. Make yourself a pot of brown rice, a pot of soup, a batch of steel-cut oats, bake some sweet and white potatoes. Divide up into individual storage containers. Buy a variety of canned beans, fresh greens and frozen veggies. If not doing MWL, pick up some dried pasta and fat-free tortillas. Have a variety of sauces, gravies, hummus (no oil), salsas and chutneys in the fridge. Lunch and dinner is as simple grabbing some frozen veggies, a container of precooked starch and some sauce and spiced and heating it up. No recipes and no leftovers (unless you want some for lunch the next day). Very spontaneous and yet carefully planned at the same time :D

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Re: Need some ideas for cooking for one person

Postby Dougalling » Sat Jul 04, 2015 6:46 am

Ohhhh Katy you are awesome!!! Love, love, love you meal ideas.
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Re: Need some ideas for cooking for one person

Postby sjsilver » Sat Jul 04, 2015 7:40 pm

PeripateticDanielle wrote:I hate wasting food! It's one of my pet peeves! And it's so expensive as well.

Not overbuying food is also a big thing. OMG the horror stories I could tell you about my in-laws and their overbuying of food. They have two massive refrigerators STUFFED with food, some of it over a year out of date. The problem is if I clean out the spoiled food they'll fill the space in the next time they go shopping!! Argh. Not to go out on a tangent, haha. Anyway, in contrast my husband and I have one small refrigerator (like, European-style small) and we will last a full week between grocery shopping with the both of us eating crazy amounts of vegetables and fruits, and we eat all meals, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, at home.



I think that many of the older generation (older than me that is), live like they are still in The Depression. My in-laws always had 2 large freezers full to the top of food, for 2 people. When they passed away, we had to haul it all to the dump, as most of it was outdated.
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