Cooking for one (Mark Two)

PasturesNew

kittie wrote: »

I am going to make a real effort to increase my protein....

Luckily for me ... the core of my basics shopping list is always tins of beans, packs of eggs and blocks of cheese. I'm not a healthy eater, I just eat what I know/like - and I happen to like a lot of beans and cheese and eggs

Xmas:

This cooking lark's a faff isn't it. Been out for an "early doors/get them while the shelves are stacked" shopping run at 4ldi for some specific pastries .... and a look at their veg again - their parsnips had a huge choice with bags of 2-4. I wanted fat ones so I can roast the fat ends... and there was a bag with two fat ones in it! 19p they are, I weighed them and there's nigh on 600g in the pack, with one fattun coming in at about 350g and the other 250g.

They had large Brussels... maybe I should have got those. They were all 35mm+ (I know this as I saw the L1dl bags were marked 22-35mm and these were BIGGER).

Grabbed a lemon .... the second lemon I've ever bought in my life (previous one was for Xmas Day last year). They sell small bottles of juice, but the recipe also calls for zest and I'll be placing slices of lemon at the base of the foil cooking dish too, so this time I needed an actual lemon.

They also had a new shopping bag for life for me to buy (40p) ... a red Xmassy one which says Christmas Thyme (with the S, A, Y written out with thyme). They have new ones all the time.... and I buy them all, then stuff them full of things I'm storing/keeping... I am probably now officially a bag lady

Getting slowly down the list of "foods you don't usually buy, but now you have to as it's Xmas and it's on your list to get" ... but it is tortuous perpetually checking the list, then thinking about where/when to get each item.

I still need turkey, Brussels and carrots, but there's no rush for "common things you can get from lots of places", it's the odd ingredients for that daft nut thing I set out to make....

Today I'll have some sausage rolls at some point, as I bought six yesterday that's inevitable.

I might make some cornflake crispies .... we'll see how that goes. The trouble is that it's possible to make a tiny quantity ... but then I'd just eat them!

Need2bthrifty

Morning Folks,

Felt a bit yuk yesterday, so no cfo mainly snacked on toast, crackers, biscuits than had an early night.

I'm feeling loads better and started off this morning with a boiled egg and oatcake, lunch will be a tuna sandwich, then I'll have the Macaroni Cheese I was supposed to have had yesterday for tonight's tea.

I'm going to take the car to the jet wash its looking rather manky and I fancy a bit of yellow fish tomorrow so will swing round past the fish shop on my way.

wort

Hi Mr ap- I joined this thread when my husband died, earlier this year.
Is it just that you can't be bothered cooking, or are you a complete novice?
If you give us some idea what you'd like to make we can perhaps help, or give a short cut.;)
Do you have a microwave? And don't be too hard on yourself, it's still early days and if you need takeaway, at least you're getting something to eat.

I had a g free pizza, for dinner,and the shivering seems to have gone this morning.just headache and cough now!
I've just had 2 toast and cheese spread. I'm not sure what to eat later as I'll need to eat about 2, as I'm working at 4 pm.

caronc

Good morning everyone,
This getting up early lark is great for getting things done, I've a fair few things ticked off the "to do".
Time now for a cuppa and feet up for a bit while I wait for Tesco to arrive.:)
I had the usual toast & fruit for breakfast and lunch I think will be fried egg in a piece of stottie cake with a couple of clementines for "afters":D

MrAPJI

wort wrote: »

Hi Mr ap- I joined this thread when my husband died, earlier this year.
Is it just that you can't be bothered cooking, or are you a complete novice?
If you give us some idea what you'd like to make we can perhaps help, or give a short cut.;)
Do you have a microwave? And don't be too hard on yourself, it's still early days and if you need takeaway, at least you're getting something to eat.

I had a g free pizza, for dinner,and the shivering seems to have gone this morning.just headache and cough now!
I've just had 2 toast and cheese spread. I'm not sure what to eat later as I'll need to eat about 2, as I'm working at 4 pm.

Hello wort - just spotted your post as I was leaving .

You don't sound well at all - hope you feel better soon

I do have a microwave and have found the instruction booklet . Would I be able to cook veg in there? - sorry if that sounds daft - I haven't a clue.

Wednesday2000

MrAPJI wrote: »

Kitty, I was widowed in July - my wife (55) died from a brain tumour - it was extremely traumatic as she hadn't been ill. Picking up the pieces hasn't been easy, but as you will know, we have to soldier on.
I have lost 2 stone in weight and have decided I must do something about it. I'm a useless cook, but do love to eat . I've been surviving on the odd take away and jacket potatoes with various fillings. I've become bored with that now . As for my freezer contents - a bag of peas, chips, fish in bread crumbs and ice cream lol. The cat's diet is more varied than mine

Sorry to read that. xx:(

Glad to have you on the thread.

Wednesday2000

I had wholemeal toast with PB for breakfast. I didn't have tea as now I am not using sugar I have gone off the idea a bit.:rotfl:

I just had a delicious red apple and a cup of green tea.

I have some leftover tofu in the fridge and am going to make tofu tacos later, not sure for dinner or lunch, just when I fancy them.:)

Just very easy, pan fry the tofu and red onion in a bit of oil and seasoning and put into taco shells with tomatoes, lettuce and a spoonful of salsa on top.

I was going to cut down on sugar generally, but thought it can wait until after Christmas as I found my container in the cupboard with all my sweet treats in there!:rotfl:I will probably dip into that during the afternoon when I'm watching TV.

Not sure about my other meal yet, just see what I feel like later.

[Deleted User]

wort wrote: »

Hi Mr ap- I joined this thread when my husband died, earlier this year.
Is it just that you can't be bothered cooking, or are you a complete novice?
.

Mr ap, yes wort is spot on. Bear in mind that our adrenaline levels spiked and it takes a long time for them to come down, maybe a year. Cortisol comes in to our systems and causes nasty inflammations, which can make us ill. Aches and pains for starters. So the priority is to be as healthy as we can, yes I know, we have to force ourselves but that has to be number one priority

To do that we need rest periods, just to sit and look out of the window and think of nothing much. We need all the food groups in balanced proportions, I used to use a rice cooker with a timer, in went the rice and sliced carrot, topped with a piece of fish, topped with some green veg. Honestly that is all I could manage to do and I had to force myself to do that. Probate, bills, clearing, so much to do and eating could easily have been at the bottom of the list. I know about health stuff. so I knew I had to cope with feeding myself properly. Cheese and tomato sandwich, wholemeal bread. A £1 salad in a box from sainsbury with some meat or fish or a pork pie. Baked potato with beans on top. Make a plate of fruit once a day

It gets better, really it does and soon you get to be a dab hand at cooking for yourself

re veg in the microwave, yes you can. Start with a bought pack, so you get the hang of it, following the instructions

caronc

MrAPJI wrote: »

Caronic, I love cauliflower cheese, but would struggle with the sauce. Must say that I'm not keen on the packet ones, but they may have improved since I last tasted them, thirty or so years ago lol

I don't blame you not liking the packet sauces! Pastures New has a great cheese sauce recipe made in the microwave that I'm sure she'll share. A lot of the supermarkets sell "fresh" chilled ready made ones for around £2. I've had the Tesco one and it was pretty decent if you don't fancy making it.

monnagran

MrAPJI. Kittie is absolutely right. It will take at least a year before you are ready to start building your new life. The problem is coping with your present life as it is now. Don't try to take on too much at once.
As far as eating goes, you probably find it hard to drum up any enthusiasm but as long as you get some protein and some fruit and vegetables into you, that will do.
If you have a sandwich , stuff some salad into it. Jacket potatoes are great with cheese, tuna, chicken whatever you fancy with some beans or a few salady bits. If you fancy a sausage roll, have a sausage roll, but have a tomato with it. The fruit bowl is your friend and at this time of the year Clementines and the like are a good choice.

I don't know where you live, but some places run classes for men on their own who have no idea about cooking. It might be worth making some enquiries.
Then I think you should invest in a good cookery book. Delia Smith wrote one called, 'Learning to cook' or something like that. She actually starts with how to boil an egg, so excellent for someone starting from scratch.

Stay with us. We all struggle with something, you are in good company.