Cooking for one (Mark Two)

poppystar

Uh oh, found the downside to my new cooking homemade from scratch and ditching the ready meals plan:(


I seem to have a portion control problem (well, either that or the bathroom scales have gone faulty;)) and have put on weight:eek:

I think it is that with ready meals it's a 'when it's gone it's gone' thing whereas cooking hm in bigger batches there is nearly always a bit more to go back and scoff:eek:
Add to that the fact that I maybe put a bit more in because it might just go to waste if I stick to the quantities I was planning on using and voila an extra kilo or so just appears:o

moneyistooshorttomention

Poppy - if you've got a decent-size freezer - then I guess one answer to that is to serve yourself up a reasonable size portion worth of food and then put any left over from the serving dish (or whatever....:rotfl:) into a mini freezer container and into freezer. At some point you'll have sufficient mini containers worth of various food in there that you could get them out and have a smorgasbord of different dishes with whatever vegetables/salad you'd decided on for that day.

There's no rule to say one can't have a bit of curry and, alongside it, a bit of stirfry and also a bit of casserole after all.

PasturesNew

My internet's been off most of the day, only just got it back. But I might randomly disappear again without notice.

I nuked up a portion of the chicken with stuffing I'd cooked in the SC - and the final two pieces I tossed into the freezer.

I also nuked some veg, just spuds, those brussels and carrots I bought ... and threw a dab of gravy at it ....

https://s33.postimg.org/f0zgnfshb/Dinnerx500.jpg

Mini Ovens:
I can't compare other things because I've only had/got the one I've got, which is also the £30 one from Lidl. It takes a 10" pizza, but that's its size limit. Great for 7" giant Yorkshires though 10" pizzas and endless pies, the odd two sausage rolls and some oven chips. I use mine about 3-4x a week I'd imagine. The elements do go red, but in daylight you really have to peer to see that they're actually red. There's no internal light, which is annoying if you are cooking when it's getting darker. But it always works and I love the way I can just turn it on by twisting the on/timer and it pings when it's finished. No need to pre-heat in most instances (I only preheat for a Yorkie, then just 3-4 minutes).

You shouldn't put the black plastic ready meal trays in there though because the elements will cause those to melt.... the bottom element (even though shielded with a strip of metal) will melt the tray onto the aluminium baking tray provided with it .... and if you were to turn on the top elements then I'm sure it'd melt the tray from the top too. So, if you're using it for tray meals, decant those into a proper oven dish first.

I'd not want a halogen as I'm short and have little worktop space - so fear getting things out safely. I've not actually seen anybody using one in real life.

Mine is super lightweight.... about as light as a toaster, not like a heavy microwave.

PasturesNew

poppystar wrote: »

I seem to have a portion control problem .... with ready meals it's a 'when it's gone it's gone' thing whereas cooking hm in bigger batches there is nearly always a bit more to go back and scoff

Yes, you do need more self control
Nobody buys two ready meals intending to eat them both together ... but left to your own devices you can pile the equivalent of two onto the plate easily enough.

I try to limit my damage by often weighing what I'm doing - and by using smallish dishes... use smaller plates and you load less onto it. Of course, that doesn't stop you going back for seconds!

I find the biggest portion is always the first, just because it's fresh and I can and I "deserve" it ... but if I portion it up ASAP after that I can regulate the rest to be smaller.

poppystar

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Poppy - if you've got a decent-size freezer - then I guess one answer to that is to serve yourself up a reasonable size portion worth of food and then put any left over from the serving dish (or whatever....:rotfl:) into a mini freezer container and into freezer. At some point you'll have sufficient mini containers worth of various food in there that you could get them out and have a smorgasbord of different dishes with whatever vegetables/salad you'd decided on for that day.

There's no rule to say one can't have a bit of curry and, alongside it, a bit of stirfry and also a bit of casserole after all.

Only a small freezer box but I think the problem is more of the 'that was tasty another bit won't hurt before I put it away' kind. NO self discipline!!!!:o:o

moneyistooshorttomention

I'll keep eating until I'm not hungry anymore - but I guess I'm fortunate to be such a slow eater - so I probably feel full when I am full iyswim.

Article in today's paper was quite gratifying actually in regard to different peoples eating speed. They've been working out the statistics of slow eaters v. normal speed eaters v. fast eaters.

So, as a slow eater, I'm at about one-fifth of the risk of obesity or various different illnesses. I'm even at about half the risk of obesity or illness compared to a normal speed eater:D

I'll take that:D

caronc

Good evening everyone,
After it being quite mild earlier the temperature really dropped when it started to get dark so the heating was popped on about half an hour ago. Despite being warmly dressed and my furry boots on my hands were freezing, I think my hopes of not putting it on until 6ish may be thwarted.:)

The meat order arrived and is in the fridge, I'll either portion it up later or tomorrow I'll see how I feel. Dinner tonight will either be a lamb steak or sausages, with gravy, spuds or root veg mash and broccoli:)

I think I'm quite good at not over-eating (most of the time;)), I prefer to serve a smallish portion and have some more if still hungry as I find an over-filled plate really off-putting. Any "spare" food that isn't quite a portion tends to be had for lunch padded out with toast or salad if required. I try only to freeze full portions. Today's LO lasagne was just enough to not need anything with it apart from an apple afterwards. I think I frustrated my late MIL as she felt offended if she couldn't put a laden plate down to you and I really struggled with that. I grew up with my Mum plating up the meat/fish part of the meal with the rest put in dishes on the table to serve yourself so I guess that is where it came from. My MIL served everything up so you had decide before you started if you wanted one YP or two for example. In fairness my exes family were/are all slim but they all did like not to be able to see the plate :rotfl::rotfl:

PasturesNew

AndyCF wrote: »

....'in a mug' type recipes, but I did not purchase one.

They're mostly a "con" - in that they are just created to sell to make money and don't address the real issues of cooking small quantities in a microwave. They rely on people having a "family sized variety of ingredients to hand without having to think how to use up the rest" - they also are tiny .... I tell everybody: Forget a mug, if you want a meal drag out the pyrex measuring jug

AndyCF wrote: »

.... no transport .... no local supermarket to hand

If you were a girl I'd suggest, if you can cover the distance, getting a "granny shopping trolley" - as they're pretty "trendy" these days; but few fellas can get away with those until they're 60 as they'd not feel them macho enough... and nobody wants to look like a plonker.

AndyCF wrote: »

.... mince, either fresh or tinned, .... baked potato.... cooked and hot.... cut it nearly in half and scoop a little bit out .... spoon of .... mince.... and close the potato back up.

Life's too short... just cut the spud in half, pour the mince on top, grab a spoon and scoff it.

Have you tried frozen mince? That comes in handy I find, for tiny quantities. 2-3 minutes to nuke 1/4 of a mug of it.

AndyCF wrote: »

.... peas.... carrots ....

Carrots are odd things in their various guises (size/shape/variety, frozen/fresh/tinned) ... grate a fresh one into the mince and nuke it in that. Peas, yes, don't really need cooking.

AndyCF wrote: »

I guess its a case of "experimentation"

Yes, no one thing is to everybody's taste. We all have different palates and access to food and food storage issues.

moneyistooshorttomention

Ahem....ahem.....Pastures.....did I read that sentence "if you were a girl" in 2017?:rotfl:(The first gender-neutral clothing for adults is now in the process of going into chain shops).

Thinks.....do I get rid of my shopping trolley now (on the grounds of "would a man use one? If the answer is no - then I'd better get rid of mine) or tell Andy to get one too?:rotfl:

I'll go for "blow what sex anyone's body is" - and howzabout getting one too Andy?:)

PasturesNew

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

....

I have NEVER .... said I am politically correct. Never.
And I won't be changing