Cooking for one (Mark Two)

PasturesNew

The whole "what if I'm ill" thing is impossible for many CFOs. I don't do online shopping, all my food is collected by hand and paid for in cash. I don't buy enough to have ever made online ordering make any sense.

I've always got my "meals in a tin" stocked up - although many rely on having bread in.... there's instant noodles and always a couple of cans of rice pudding and tinned fruit. That and instant custard is enough as a starting point. Then the freezer's always got chips and fish fingers in too, which is easy.

I've always got cheese in too, so a fat stick of cheese is a meal if needs must.

If I'd eaten all that then I'd head for instant mash and stuffing mix... and I can always knock up some dumplings in gravy.

If I was still ill .... I'd be at the stage of recovery where I could put together an online order I expect as the above would cover about a week... maybe more depending on what else is in the "meals in a tin" pile at the time. Half a tin of meatballs, with instant mash, instant noodles, or rice is a meal.... a tin of chunky soup's fine, although without bread it'd be tough ... and I'd always hope that there were some crumpets in the freezer.

I'd like to think that I'd have a pack of vacuum-packed part baked baguettes in the house. Once opened I clip it closed again for the 2nd one, which is still fine 3-4 days later (from experience).

Right now I'd be OK as I've still also got two tubes of pringles, a big bag of tortilla chips, 2 bags of crisps and half a box of chocolate biscuits

So far though .... I've never been ill. I've never had flu, or even 1-2 days in bed. I have sluggish grotty days when I've slept badly ... but not "ill".

I slept badly last night, I've actually been up since 3.30am. Yesterday I had the final mince pie at about 10pm.

Today, nothing. Feeling a bit bleurgh. Probably all that Xmas food catching up

moneyistooshorttomention

Maybe too late now on the pillows-due-for-replacement from head sweats.

But I've found before now (in rather different circumstances - ie at menopause time) that small hand towels come in handy for placing on pillows. Weeny towels can be washed more readily than pillows imo.

These days I always have two pillowslips on pillows at a time anyway. One pillowslip that's left on as a pillow cover and "the" pillowslip I'm "really" using iyswim on top of that. I tried buying those specially made pillow covers one time and found them a bit "pathetic" to say the least and I've got loads of pillowslips anyway - so find that works rather better.

MrAPJI

Morning to all.

We had a very sharp frost last night and this morning we have the sun - what a treat after all those dark and gloomy days.

Hope everyone who is feeling poorly, has woken feeling a little better. I must say that since joining this thread I'm feeling a lot more energetic than I did. All those take-aways were making me feel extremely slugish - ok as 'a treat' - but long term not a good idea. Now, I'm being encouraged to look at what I'm actually consuming and although I will never be any competition for Jamie O - I'm at least trying to cope.
Mary has given me an easy recipe for the slow cooker which was lurking in the cupboard. Earlier I went out and bought all the ingredients - so fingers crossed it works out. Should be enough for 2 days - I hope

Many thanks to you all for your kind thoughts in respect of sorting J's effects. To be honest I found the process extremely difficult - but it's done. Wort, you did what was the right thing for you, and that's what your husband would have wished

Money, I know exactly what you mean about MM . I didn't deliberately tune in to watch the programme, but my attention was held and I remained glued until the end.

I had porridge this morning and will have sardines on toast for lunch. Will also eat fruit as the day proceeds. This eve it will be the slow cooker meal. So that's me sorted.

Yesterday I received a telephone call from our local vicar. He asked how I was and whether he could call in to see me. So, I'm expecting a visit around about 3 and will have the best china and biscuits ready

Irenadler

Hello all

Sending sympathy out to those with the flu, had a bad bout myself once some years back and it is energy sapping. Plenty of rest, and don't push yourself to get back to normal too quickly, I recommend ice-cream if you have it (or freeze up any yogurt or similar), banana's, soup, anything quick and easy.

Don't cut yourself off from family/friends/neighbours, as they could venture out and fetch groceries, etc. and check on you, i.e. that you're alive and riding it out.

Nice to read happy news - congrats Buckslady (if you are in any way able to read this) : )

Food wise:

I am mostly still eating porridge for breakfast...

Snack: almonds, apple, tangerine (which was the last, drying up one from Xmas)

Lunch: jacket spud, coleslaw (needs using up), salad, yet more LO stuffing. Chestnut stuffing made with real chestnuts - it's really nice, but, has a slightly anti-social side-effect, ahem, of making me a bit 'windy'.

Tea: force myself to use up the veg n gravy still left over from NYD meal.

No more 'naughties' in the place, like ice-cream, etc. So that's mostly all the Xmas/NY stuff gone.

Used to over-buy for the festive season, especially for OH, and we'd end up eating it for weeks after Xmas, as guests were already too full from meals to want anything else...... No more, kinda sad, but my waistline will thank me! : )

PasturesNew

MrAPJI wrote: »

.... slow cooker ...

What I do is always have 2-3 jars of sauce in the cupboard - and then I can just buy a random pack of meat on a whim knowing that I can chuck the two together into the sc without doing anything else.... turn it on and wander back 6 hours later and it's turned the meat into ready meals without any "ingredients" or pre-cooking.

Just open that raw pack, lift the lid, chuck it in ..... open that jar/pouch and chuck it in. I really don't care what the label says as I'm sure "it's all the same stuff" whether they call it cooking sauce or slow cooker sauce .... it's all come from the same machine I bet!

I got some beef cubes before Xmas and froze them. One day in the next week or so I'll dig that out and defrost it .... then I'll toss that (raw) into the sc ... along with an assortment of random root vegetables I've got kicking about (spuds and carrots, maybe an onion) .... and I know that'll make beef stew.

Now.... that's food. After that you can "get a bit fancy" with salt, pepper, other random things in the cupboard you fancy tossing in, spot of Worcestershire, leftover beer ....

But the essentials are: you don't have to do much to get fed at the end.

Don't go down the slippery slope of assuming that you always need 10 ingredients and lots of prep work. That's a game of tin soldiers I refuse to get into

PasturesNew

Irenadler wrote: »

Don't cut yourself off from family/friends/neighbours, as they could venture out and fetch groceries, etc. and check on you, i.e. that you're alive and riding it out.

Family = 2 people 200 miles away in different directions. One of whom is "always working" and one who is "always on holiday".

Friends = 1 person I could call in an absolute emergency, but being a lifelong CFO we don't have emergencies of we can ignore/avoid... "don't like to be a bother". I always say: A friend in need ... is a pest

Neighbours = don't know them. Never see them. They've all got lives of their own and aren't interested in "getting to know the neighbours".

I go weeks without seeing/speaking to another person. Some days I speak out loud, just to check I still can

Wednesday2000

I had 3 slices of toast for breakfast and a cup of Rooibos tea. I'm about to make some fresh squeezed orange juice.

I have a bowl of yummy HM lentil soup in the fridge for lunch.

poppystar wrote: »

…if this is the aussie flu then do everything you can to avoid getting it. I would not wish this on anyone. Mind you I am extremely careful and still got hit so maybe that is not so easy.

Take care all

I was ill for 8 weeks last winter, I've never been ill for that length of time before. I caught whatever it was 2 weeks after having the flu jab. I felt terrible. Not sure if it was that Aussie flu or just normal flu. I had to take antibiotics in the end and that got rid of it.

Irenadler

Hey, PasturesNew,

I am getting to find out what you mean - sometimes TV is on just for some noise. I talk to the dog, but, replies are not forth-coming. I do have family, some 'oop North', and lots locally, but we've never been really close, only see them on family 'do's'. I have the same thought - that I don't want to worry/bother anyone, and want to be independent, not pitied.

I do talk to, and know, neighbours when we are out and about walking (me & dog), just so they know I am still breathing. They do notice if I am not out walking the dog, as in 'I haven't seen you for a while, how are you' kind of way, but, I think they wouldn't come knocking unless I was stinking up the place (decomposing!)....

Kind of liberating in one way, doing your own thing, your own routines, not having to account to anyone else.

Er, sometimes (ok a lot) do talk to myself. Read an article that says it's the first sign of madness, well, I have to start somewhere! : )

PasturesNew

Irenadler wrote: »

...

The big question is: when do you dial 999?

If you're doubled up in pain ... it could be wind!
You hope it'll go in a minute.

But, you have to make a choice .... call and waste their time ... or die because you didn't and you then passed out.... and even if you DO manage to phone them, you've still got to get up, find the keys, open the door, unlock the gate etc......

*sighs*

If there are two people deciding whether to call an ambulance, it's a lot easier to make the decision .... and deal with them arriving.

Irenadler

Wednesday2000 wrote: »

I had 3 slices of toast for breakfast and a cup of Rooibos tea. I'm about to make some fresh squeezed orange juice.

I have a bowl of yummy HM lentil soup in the fridge for lunch.



I was ill for 8 weeks last winter, I've never been ill for that length of time before. I caught whatever it was 2 weeks after having the flu jab. I felt terrible. Not sure if it was that Aussie flu or just normal flu. I had to take antibiotics in the end and that got rid of it.

Hello Wednesday2000

Went to click on the thanks button, but, it wasn't there. Spooky.

On the plus side, I am starting to get the hang of the 'quote' thing.

:T