meal planner for one?

In_Search_Of_Me

I'm trying to get my shopping bill down but struggling to get my head round meal planning. Can anyone offer any advice & a link please? Many thanks.

razra

I also cook and shop for one

I tend to cook as if I'm cooking for two then eat one portion and freeze the other,
either that or I save the second portion and have it for lunch the next day.
For some reason cooking for two works out cheaper than cooking for one

Another thing I do is I will make a cake then slice it into portions wrap each one individually in foil and freeze that way if I want some cake I just takeout one piece and let it defrost, if you put it in your pack lunch box frozen it keeps your butties cold and its defrosted by lunch time:D

If you buy meat try splitting that up and freezing in portions that way you only defrost what you need so you dont have to have mince every night for a week just because the family size was on offer.

annie-c

Hi

I also cook for one, but I have enough kitchen paraphernalia to cook for an army! I do a lot of batch cooking of things that freeze well, like bolognese sauce, chilli, curry, shp pie, fish pie etc. Add then I treat myself to freshly cooked meals in between the 'ready-meal' days, eg stir frys, thai curries, grilled fish and meat.

To get started on the batch cooking, I suggest choosing one recipe you like and know and making up 4+ portions on a day/evening off. Cool it quickly and freeze in portion size freezer tubs. A few days later do the same. Over time you will build up a supply of various 'ready' meals to use on days you don't want to cook.

As far as planning goes I try to make a rough guide to what I'll eat through the week, but often chop and change. The important thing when shopping and cooking for one is not to buy too much in the first place. When I'm shopping I try to keep[ a mental note of how many 'meals' I have in my trolley, when buying meat/fish/veg etc.

Dividing things into portion sizes as soon as you come back from the supermarket helps avoid overeating/waste too.

In_Search_Of_Me

Thanks both! I do both of these already & try to bulk out cooking with veggies so looks like I'm not doing as badly as I thought!! Thanks for that; a cnfidence boost if nowt else...possibly just need to stop chucking "bargain" books & wine in the trolley!!

PasturesNew

I cook for one and it is a sod.
People telling you to batch cook ... well, if you don't have a freezer, or have a dinky one (I don't have one at all) then any batch cooking means that you've pretty much got to eat the same meal 4x in a row (It usually ends up as 4 portions just because of some item that can't be reduced so the rest has to be larged-up to fit).

One "mixed batch cook" I sometimes do is:
1) Cook up enough spuds to make big portions of mash for 4.
2) While cooking the spuds, fry 8 sausages and onions
3) Separate the mash into 2. Add cheese and the onions to one half. Split this down into 2 separate cheese/potato/onion pies. Cook one immediately.
4) Split the remaining plain mash into two portions and stick it in the fridge.
5) Immediately wrap the sausages in kitchen towel - 2 each - and put the sausages in the fridge. Put some of the onions in the fridge too.

At this point you will have:
a) A cheese/potato/onion pie in the oven cooking
b) A cheese/potato/onion pie in the fridge
c) 8 sausages and onions in the fridge
d) 2 portions of plain mash in the fridge

From a-d you can then do the following meals over the next few days:
- another cheese/potato/onion pie
- 2 bangers and mash ... twice
- sausage and onion sandwiches (lunch?) .... twice

I'd also probably open a tin of beans on the first day and have 1/3 of a tin with each of the pies and the final 1/3rd with one of the bangers/mash.

So that is one session in the kitchen and 6 varied meals

hardpressed

That's brilliant PasturesNew, any other similar ideas? I must admit cooking for one I'm tempted by ready meals, sausages are now on my shopping list.

annie-c

Sorry for being insensitive about the fridge/freezer difficulties. I've been there too. If the terms of your tenancy and/or size of your kitchen allow though, you may pick one up free at www.freecycle.org. They are often given away on my local group and are a lifesaver when cooking for one!

Here's a few recipes for a small batch cook using mince/tomatoes/onions etc

Sweat 2 finely chopped medium onions with 2-3 cloves garlic (optional) until softened and transparent. add 500g lean mince and brown thoroughly. Stir in 1 dspn plain flour, salt, pepper and 1/2 tsp mixed herbs and cook 1 min. Add large squirt tom puree and 1 stock cube dissolved in 1-2 tbsp hot water. Add 1 tin chopped toms. Simmer 10 mins or until reduced to thick consistency.

Remove half from pan and divide into 2 portions for spag bol. Serve with spaghetti sprinkled with parmesan (or cheddar if you prefer). Reserve other portion for another day. For a variation make lasagne using 2 layers alternated with boiled dried lasagne sheets and the bolognese sauce. Add a third layer of pasta and then top with creme fraiche sprinkled with cheddar or parmesan. Heat in oven untill bubbling and golden on top. Serve with large salad. Or for a lazy lunch use to top toast or even in a toasted sandwich.

To remainder of pan add chilli flakes or a finely chopped chilli (to taste) plus 1 tin drained kidney beans and 1-2 small squares dark chocolate (optional). Heat and simmer for 10 mins. Best left overnight for flavours to develop. Serve with boiled rice one night and with jacket spud for a futher meal.

For a low fat and and unusual shepherd's pie use either the spag bol or chilli sauce as a base in a deep pie dish. Boil equal quantities of potato, carrot and swede. Mash with a little milk and loads of black pepper. Top the pie and cook under a hot grill until golden.

PasturesNew

Well, with the sausages, onions, mash, you can always knock up a quick gravy and turn that into a sausage/onion mash-topped pie

Cheese topped if you wish!

... er, with beans on the side.

I do love beans. Cheap, nutritious, easy to prepare, colourful .... they go with most things!

PasturesNew

Spanish Omelette & Wedges

Par boil some spuds: some thin slices, most wedges.

Separate the slices from the wedges.

Then use the potato slices to knock up a spanish omelette. This is a thick omelette stuffed full of things you've got/like and can be bothered to chop up. I'd use any/all of: sliced potatoes, cheese, onions, peas, mixed peppers. But you could also put in mushrooms, ham ... pretty much anything.

With a spanish omelette what you do is chuck the par-boiled sliced potatoes into a frying pan, with onions, cook those a bit, then chuck everything else in, including some whipped up eggs. Over a medium heat let that set. Then you need to do the top. If you're clever, you can flip it over somehow (I sometimes try to slide it onto a plate, then put the pan upside down on the plate and try to flip it - but I'm not great at it), or you can stick the pan under the grill.

Meanwhile, cook the wedges in the oven. These can be plain, or you can chuck salt at them, or mixed herbs, or even play around with things like chilli powder or curry powder.

Once the wedges and the spanish omelette are cooked/ready, simply serve a portion of the wedges with a hot portion of the omelette.

Portion up the other wedges in paper towels and stick them in the fridge - done like this they're all ready to be chucked in the microwave over the next couple of days.

Stick the omelette in the fridge - and when it's cold you can slice it into portions. It's great cold or reheated (good old microwave!)

So, one session in the kitchen and you've got:
1) Instant hot meal of spanish omelette and wedges (beans too maybe?)
2) 3 more portions of spanish omelette cold in the fridge - can be served hot or cold
3) Some portions of wedges in the fridge, ready to be nuked on a whim.

You can then serve the omelette with or without the wedges over the next couple of days, or even wrap a slice up for a packed lunch. Maybe with a salad if you're into those!

Wedges can be nuked later alone, with a dip (check out sauce bottles, some sauces double up nicely as a dip). Or fry a quick egg. Or just eat them with salt/vinegar.

PasturesNew

P.S. Where I mentioned sausages before. What I do is wrap them up in 2s, cooked, in paper towels. Then to cook them, I take out the two wrapped sausages, stick them on a plate still in the paper towel and simply nuke them for 2-3 minutes. You can hear when they're hot as they sizzle.

No fuss. No mess. Er ... no washing up

nopot2pin

I too also stuggle for inspiration to cook for one.

I use quite alot of the suggestions already mentioned in this thread.... but sometimes I just want a different idea... as I get bored of the same old same old......

I was in a pound shop in town the other day....think it was Poundland...... and noticed that the Amoy straight to Wok noodles were 2 packs for £1..so I boutht 2 packs of them. There are 3 individual sachets in each pack... 6 servings for £1. (I never bought food items from a pound shop in my previous life... so think I am learning.. and open to more money saving corruption :rolleyes: )
So this weeks little different meal was a salmon noodle stir fry.... It was bl00dy lovely And cant wait for next week now.... for the stirfry night !!

And I know what you mean about the beans PasturesNew... they are tasty and cheap.. but sometimes it feels like too much of a good thing:o

Will be watching this thread for any more suggestions...many thanks so far:T