Cooking for one

moneyistooshorttomention · 18 June 2017 at 9:07AM

Nice weather here again today. Basically zilch buses on a Sunday here:( - so restricted to whatever I can walk to. Think it might be too hot for walking around midday:D (am not complaining - being from the West Country and I spent some of my childhood being brought up in hot climates). Hence the enormous sighs of relief here whenever there is decent weather - so more gardening and I can nip in and out for cool drinks, etc, as required.

So today will feature salad - and, now I've got a well-organised kitchen at last, I can feel some proper meal planning coming on for the future....

[Deleted User] · 18 June 2017 at 9:26AM

oooh I feel your happiness money, was like that when my kitchen was finished

Food as planned yesterday and today is what I can get from the freezer, I need the space. Croissant to start, left over pizza and salad later and pre-frozen pasta sauce with chopped greens and pasta for last meal. I can`t believe how slowly I get through food now that I am solo. I am going to forward plan better for my freezer but first I need to get through what I have while simultaneously filling with my many allotment currants. Picking again tomorrow morning, early as it is so hot

Trouble is that the grandchildren are growing into lots of weekend activities, when they used to come here for me to babysit. I go with the flow, it was bound to happen but I need to quickly adjust my food hoarding mindset. The dried food, tins and drinks are certainly going down, so much so that I have space but I do have zillions of tins of sardines. It will be sardines twice a week all through winter

Btw part roasted carrots, having been tossed in olive oil, were frozen as I accidentally ordered 5kg instead of 500g and they are reallly nice redone in the oven for a short time. I won`t make that ordering mistake again.

Just off to stock up with drinks, ice lollies and ice cream as it is going to be roasting all through glasto and I won`t be able to drive anywhere and I am an ice cream and chocolate addict

PasturesNew · 18 June 2017 at 9:32AM

kittie wrote: »

....I can`t believe how slowly I get through food now that I am solo.

I need to quickly adjust my food hoarding mindset. The dried food, tins and drinks are certainly going down, so much so that I have space but I do have zillions of tins of sardines. It will be sardines twice a week all through winter

This is one of the things that those not CFO can't grasp. You have to restrict your choice because it takes so long to eat anything you buy.

Over time it's easier to just eat toast and crumpets because once you've bought a loaf of bread ... that's 10 rounds of sandwiches or 20 pieces of toast (10 meals) ...

It's difficult, and different, for each individual to always get it right - but you do feel you're forever "going without" and "using up", as a lifestyle, whereas for others it's not perpetual.

Omnipresent leftovers and food to use up .... once anything is opened or bought it lingers... and nags.

I try to use things up in a different way all the time, to break the monotony, but it's not ideal as you simply don't fancy it ... e.g. the takeaway I bought: chicken/batter, S/S sauce, rice. Ate the chicken/batter, S/S sauce, rice on night one. Night two I had the chicken/batter, made more rice and served with curry sauce. Night three, I had the chicken/batter with chips. I'd have liked to have stopped at "get a takeaway and eat it".

moneyistooshorttomention · 18 June 2017 at 10:03AM

Our singles theme PasturesNew - re those leftovers - as we know...

Anyways - my thought for the day on that being that I've got several specific leftovers cookbooks.

Now the ones I think are well worth having on a singles bookshelf re this are:

"The Leftovers Handbook" - by Suzy Bowler
"Eat Well, Waste Less - an A-Z guide to using up leftovers" - Bish Muir (a Green Books Guide).

It might???? even be possible for people to get the "Eat well etc" book from your local County Council? Some of them were giving them away free a while back.

meg72 · 18 June 2017 at 12:09PM

Have decided theres not going to be much cooking here for a while as have finally commited to a massive declutter on my house. Ive so much stuff of my Sons and Mum and Dads that Ive hung onto since they passed 5 years ago . It just makes me sad to see it So out its going and anything else I find I don't need or use.

So foodwise I picked up 4 of the £3 prepared packs in Asda ys at £1.30 each.

I have gammon and pineapple, chicken with ham and mushrooms, smokey bbq chicken and sweet chilli chicken. Each one is two portions and just needs MV or popping in the oven. Not bad at £5.20 for 8 meals but wouldn't buy at full price Got a huge bag of new pots 2kg at the Taste not Waste shop for 50p and have prepared a load of throw in the airfryer wedges and boiled a few. have got loads of salady stuff in fridge, so think I am sorted and ready to get stuck in to the declutter

PasturesNew · 18 June 2017 at 12:13PM

meg72 wrote: »

So foodwise I picked up 4 of the £3 prepared packs in Asda ys at £1.30 each.

I have gammon and pineapple, chicken with ham and mushrooms, smokey bbq chicken and sweet chilli chicken. Each one is two portions and just needs MV or popping in the oven. Not bad at £5.20 for 8 meals but wouldn't buy at full price Got a huge bag of new pots 2kg at the Taste not Waste shop for 50p and have prepared a load of throw in the airfryer wedges and boiled a few. have got loads of salady stuff in fridge, so think I am sorted and ready to get stuck in to the declutter

This post shows what you can do with the right shops, shops that YS and the right gadgets

I'm tempted by an airfrier .... it's on my "think about that" list for late 2018.... when I'll have room to house it.

caronc · 18 June 2017 at 1:17PM

Good afternoon,

My sister is picking me up in a bit and we will visit our Dad. I've got him a chamomile plant for his door step it smells lovely and should look pretty when it flowers.

I was going to make a thai red curry in the SC but the meat hasn't defrosted yet so that's getting bumped until tomorrow. Breakfast was toast & cheese spread, a couple of small flat peaches and a glass of tomato juice. These peaches weren't as nice as the last pack, ok but the last lot were especially good. Lunch was a quick plate of mini pork pies and salad. No idea what I'll have for dinner now.

PasturesNew · 18 June 2017 at 1:50PM

caronc wrote: »

.... a glass of tomato juice....

I've never had tomato juice as a drink. I've been aware of it forever ... but never seen anybody drink any - and the idea grosses me out as I'd imagine it'd be like opening a tin of tomatoes and drinking the juice in that. Is that what it's like? If so, ewwwwwwwwwwww.

meg72 · 18 June 2017 at 1:59PM

PasturesNew wrote: »

This post shows what you can do with the right shops, shops that YS and the right gadgets

I'm tempted by an airfrier .... it's on my "think about that" list for late 2018.... when I'll have room to house it.

Airfryers are so good, I originally bought mine as I wanted to lose weight, I got it cheap on ebay as was local collection and I paid £20 it was almost brand new. Since Ive had it its saved me a fortune in oil, helped me get to target with slimming world but most of all its so safe compared to deep fat fryer and much less faff to clean. Definetely one of my better buys.

Farway · 18 June 2017 at 4:15PM

PN Tomato juice is like the stuff out of tinned toms, depending on quality of course. I do not buy it as such but do use the thick juice from the tins. It goes well, cold from 'fridge, with Worcester sauce

Airfyers, I have one and love it but probably will not replace when it breaks. May not suit you given your "things" about fire / electricity etc. Not to be left unattended, which is same as deep fat fryer or any pan on the hob of course

Hot wilting here, had to pop out this morning on emergency buy in. Grandchildren were coming over for Father's day, and I wanted to get some biscuits etc in. I never have then in the house, 'cos greedy guts scoffs them once opened

Nil breakfast as per normal
Lunch was last of the bake yourself baguette & bangers, in sort of jumbo hot dog, but far nicer

Dinner was going to be a baked spud / cheese filling with salad. But it is melting and just too hot to have an oven on. I could nuke the spud but it is just not the same taste / texture to me, thus it will be cheese salady sarnies, with maybe toast & ginger marmalade later if peckish

Only garden effort was a bit of watering and looking at the ripening cherries, I can actually smell them now when near the tree, must be ready to chomp any day now

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Cooking for one

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