Cooking for one

WeeMidgie

Today's breakfast was 2 squares of 85% dark chocolate, very nice! I made soup for lunch using an onion, ground cumin, 3 carrots, 3 cooked beetroot and chicken stock, plenty left for tomorrow. This evening I had some roasted beef ribs with peas, and then made stock from the bones.

I remember having a traditional Devon cream tea about 50 years ago, when staying with family friends in Devon. It was absolutely delicious! But not something I would go for nowadays.

Good luck with the trolley, Holly! Loved the image of practice runs at a disused airfield... flaps up chaps, we have lift off!

PasturesNew

WeeMidgie wrote: »

... trolley Holly!

That looks like a new name

Hollyharvey

PasturesNew wrote: »

That looks like a new name

HeHe it looks like trolley Holly will become my new name I have been called worse in the past

SunnyGirl

Good morning everyone. I'm a long time lurker in this thread as I have been preparing to cook for one for the last couple of months. The tips, advice feeely shared and general loveliness has made me post today to mostly say thank you to you all.

I am living alone now for the first time in my life and determined to cook and eat as well as I can whilst also allowing for busy and cba days. I have made a list of all your tips and have lots of freezer bags, portioned up cheese, a couple of meals in a tin (thanks Pastures New!) or the freezer and am buying fruit and veg loose, frozen or tinned to keep food waste down.

I was widowed 4 years ago at the age of 46 and still had 2 of my 3 children at home with me. In the meantime both went to uni and one came back again but he has moved out 2 weeks ago and it's just me, my old and blind dog and a cat here. Do you know what I'm liking it! After a busy house for years the peace is nice and the amazement that things stay where I put them is enchanting! I work part time at the weekends and am a full time mature uni student- have just finished my first year whoo hoo.

Anyways I just wanted to say hello and hope that I can join your happy and supportive group? Today lunch will be an egg mayo sandwich followed by an orange jelly with tinned mandarins in it. I have some little plastic containers that I can make fruit and one jelly in and get 4 from the one jelly. I'm making a sausage pasta meal for tonight and will make an extra two portions for the freezer for nights when I'm working. I have always done this as I did work full time for years before being made redundant 2 years ago. I'm lucky to still have a chest freezer that is at least 25 years old and still going strong so can store plenty.

Hope to talk to you all soon ��

caronc

Good morning everyone,
Welcome Sunnygirl - it's funny being an "empty-nester" isn't it? I enjoy the peace and quiet but at the same time miss the noise and chaos of family life.

The sun is shining again today after a drizzly start so hopefully I'll get a bit more done in the garden.

Breakfast was toast with cheese spread and a pear, lunch will be a piece of baguette with cold meat and coleslaw but I'm not sure about dinner yet I will decide later

SunnyGirl

caronc wrote: »

Good morning everyone,
Welcome Sunnygirl - it's funny being an "empty-nester" isn't it? I enjoy the peace and quiet but at the same time miss the noise and chaos of family life

Thank you It is funny but I'm seeing it as my next big adventure in life which will keep me positive and stop any loneliness I hope. Quite a few married friends seem to envy me my freedom which I understand but it's a feeedom of circumstance rather than choice. Oops getting very deep there for a Friday lunchtime. Better crack on with my cooking while listening to my beloved radio 4!

meg72

Really pleased that I potted up te bargain 25p lettuce bought some weeks ago as I still have plenty left, two big baskets of it.

caronc

meg72 wrote: »

Really pleased that I potted up te bargain 25p lettuce bought some weeks ago as I still have plenty left, two big baskets of it.

That looks splendid - almost too pretty to eat

PasturesNew

SunnyGirl wrote: »

.... a couple of meals in a tin (thanks Pastures New!)

I just failed at this point. I'm trying to eat everything in the freezer + I don't automatically replace everyday food when I get to the end of it - so I just found that there's nothing in the freezer I fancy today ...

So then I headed for the "meals in a tin" - and I had none... except a Fray Bentos pie, which I didn't fancy.

So I had to go to backup plan C....

In the past I'd relied on little packets of instant noodles for quick meals. They're great as they're cheap, instant and hot and tasty. But they'd fallen out of favour with me and I'd had four packets still sitting in the cupboard from 1-3 years ago.

Lunch today was: A random instant packet of noodles (Batchelors/chilli chicken as it turns out) + some frozen peas. Eaten from the jug I nuked them in ... saves washing up.

This flavour's surprisingly tasty! If I were still using instant noodles often I'd definitely seek out this brand/flavour.

EDIT: Looked them up - 80p/pack, there is NO WAY I paid that.... not sure where I got them from but I'd have never paid more than 20p for any pack of noodles. Must've been something like Home Bargains at some point in the past.
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=264788135

SunnyGirl

I've always bought the smart price/value noodles I agree 80p is horrendous for what they are!! I got DS2 some the other week in B&M and they were 5 packs for £1. Much more my type of price ha.

Ah yes the old Fray Bentos pie I was chortling away to myself when I read all the posts on them. It put me in mind of one of my favourite childhood 'treats' which was Campbell's meatballs in gravy. My Mum cooked everything from scratch including bread and museli so every so often I was treated to a tin of meatballs and maybe a tin of tomato soup if she was in an especially good mood I shudder to think what was in them now as an adult but I woofed them off back then!

I am in awe of you all with your gardening. I have a front and back garden but just spend my time madly weeding for a week then leaving it for a month then doing the same....