Cooking for one

PasturesNew

Hollyharvey wrote: »

At least when you buy a ready meal there are no left overs to worry about how you are going to use up

A limited number of the dishes can be useful too, to keep to use to nuke future meals. One I use regularly is a round dish, but I've only got one of those .... I'd imagine the paella came in a round dish.

Hollyharvey

PasturesNew wrote: »

One I use regularly is a round dish, but I've only got one of those .... I'd imagine the paella came in a round dish.

Yes it did, that's a good point <wanders off to get the dish out of the recycling>

PasturesNew

Hollyharvey wrote: »

Yes it did, that's a good point <wanders off to get the dish out of the recycling>

I probably use my round one more than most other shapes.

I've kept 3 tiny pudding pots to mix up gravy and instant sauces in - I usually only make 1-2 teaspoons of granules with boiling water so they're perfect.

I cook pasta in the deep/white/almost see through "steam meal" frozen dinner dishes, I've got two of those. Perfect size for up to 2 portions of any pasta.

I use the small/flattish regular 'ready meals for one' containers to nuke flat items. If I can get it right I've been known to stack these in the nuker with a few things in them.

I've only kept what I need - not an over-abundance of every size imaginable. I also only keep those that "stack" neatly in the cupboard - no point having 12 different shaped/sized ones that take up a whole cupboard.

You can also use two of about the same size where one's being used as a "lid"

Overall it's saved me having to actually find/buy "proper dishes", which might turn out to the wrong size/shape.

I've just developed "my little ways" over a couple of decades of moving about a lot and not having much money and not wishing to buy "proper items" if I wasn't feeling settled anywhere. I always knew I could toss the lot in the bin and walk away and start again easily!

Another thing I do is I have few plates. I bought a "set" of four plates and a matching large pasta bowl at an outlet about 10 years ago - they're quite large though and I very rarely use them now because at Xmas I bought a single plate for my Xmas dinner.

I picked up two smaller pasta/breakfast bowls from the 99p shop and eat a lot of meals from those. I have two side plates I bought at an outlet shop 10 years ago and one "port meirion side plate" I spotted for 10p at a car boot 3 years ago.

For most things though I use simple picnic side plates (4 for £1) or melamine side plates (50p for 3 in £land after Xmas). I use these for nibbles and "non dirty food". Non dirty food is anything that doesn't have sauce or gravy, so it'll be all toast, sandwiches, scones, biscuits, slice of quiche on its own... I find them easier to wash up and there's no danger of chipping them and they don't "clatter" as you're using them, washing them up, putting them away.

Tonight I grabbed a small picnic plate for my toast/chocolate spread ... when I fancied a single scone with jam I brushed the crumbs off and reused it.... then I had 3 biscuits and reused it. None of that is "dirty food", so it's OK. It's just me. I'd NEVER brush the crumbs off a plate to give to somebody else! That's just for when I'm home alone.

Hollyharvey

PasturesNew wrote: »

...

I shall probably use this round one quite a lot it is a really useful size.


Instead of the tiny pudding pots I have kept some of the individual Greek yoghurt pots for things like small amounts of gravy. They are a good strong plastic I buy the 500g ones usually because it is much cheaper and I keep a few of them because they also come with plastic lids so are really useful to store leftovers in the fridge, as well as use in the nuker.


I have got a fair few dishes and plates that I have bought over the years and a friend gave me a nice plain white set of plates/bowls a few years back so I was lucky there.


I know what you mean about using a plate again for 'non dirty food', I will admit to just dusting off the crumbs and re-using the plate.

moneyistooshorttomention

I've kept nice glass or pottery dishes from the (very occasional) times I've bought an individual pudding or the like that was packaged up in one (rather than a throwaway plastic container).

They come in handy for dips/a small portion of nuts or the like or even for holding small "cosmetic" type things.

I also have kept small plastic rectangular take-away food containers I've acquired from a variety of sources. Not quite sure just how I've managed to acquire quite a few of them - as I very very rarely get takeaways:rotfl:. However, they come in handy for storing things in the freezer and are exactly the right size for two portions of "the main thing" for dinner or if I'm making my own bread spread (they contain about the same amount as a large container of shop-bought bread spread).

Hollyharvey

I had a change for breakfast and had baked beans on toast. I really enjoyed that. It is quite dull and overcast here at the moment and I fancied something a bit more substantial than usual, and there was half a tin of beans needing using up.


Lunch has been a tuna and mayo sandwich because I've got an opened tin of tuna to use up.


Dinner will be turkey goulash from my freezer stock of HM ready meals, with salad and new potatoes, because I've got some salad bits that need using up and I don't think they will be edible past today. As you can see there is a bit of pattern emerging here, the words "need using up" keep cropping up today.


I thought I would go through the fridge and try to eat most of the odds and ends that are in there today.


On a down side I seem to have run our of cake in the freezer I will have to make some more either tomorrow or Thursday. However, on the plus side there's scones and crumpets in the freezer so I'll be ok for treats

caronc

Good afternoon everyone,

I too keep random containers and find them so handy for lots of things. Last year Tesco had a SO on their Creme Brulee puddings that came in little glass pots so I now have 8 of these and they are fab.:D

New meds are making me feel as though I'm walking through treacle which is interesting ...... but as the sun is shining I'm determined spaced out and wobbly or not I will get some gardening done:).

Breakfast was toast and banana with cherries and lunch will be a salad wrap with radish and peas from the garden. I've no idea about dinner yet but as I made far too much pasta last night (no idea what I was thinking) I might recycle that into something (or I might just recycle it into the food bin:o).

PasturesNew

It's been raining most of today.

Breakfast was: 2 scrambled eggs, 2 hash browns, baked beans, sausage.

Lunch was: slice of cold quiche

Snacks: 2 digestives

I've a wobbly belly I noticed today.... oh well. Nobody will see it except me

moneyistooshorttomention

I have one word to say to you on that front Pastures - ie choccies...ahem.....:rotfl:

So lunch today was two slices of the ubiquitous toast - spread with yeast extract and some fruit/Oatly "cream"/chocolate chips afterwards. Whatever I could bolt down quick - as I'd messed up on my "social calendar" and had to go out.

Snack - 2 slices of sprouted wheat bread.

For dinner - I just tried out a recipe for a crepe made of chickpea flour (translation - made it myself by grinding dried chickpeas in my Vitamix) with spinach/water/garlic and had it with a filling of sauted mushrooms. Drizzled tahini dressing over the top and served with tomatoes. End verdict - well I ate it, but shan't be making it again. Followed by an apple and a glass of rice milk to fill the gaps in my stomach.

lessonlearned

"Well I ate it"........:rotfl:

Dinner tonight........courgetti bolgonese.

Still eating Paleo, the weight gradually coming down. Tonight's treat .....a couple of squares of dark chocolate with my filter coffee. Then Some cherries to nibble later.

Been chucking it down all day, got soaked twice. :rotfl: