For singles: cooking for one?

Anyone here on their own?

I'm finding that I can't really cook any type of meal because there are too many leftovers for me to eat.

Sure I eat things that are "singles" packages, but what about when I want a vegetable lasagna that makes four large servings, or eight small ones?

What do you do about cooking for one?

i cook for myself.  it's not so hard, just buy things that you can use in many different ways.  for me, i learned to use many different spices and sauces.  so buy a couple of things for the fridge, and the rest of the stuff can be put in your cupboard. best things to always have in your cupboard:  honey, ginger, dried mint, pesto, sesame oil, linseed oil, quinoa, chinese five spice, soy sauce, cinnamon, rice, pasta, noodles, aduki beans, couscous, oyster sauce, garlic, chilli sauce.  then just get say, chicken, or salmon or mix veg,...and experiment with different flavors!  mmmm!

I've been a huge fan of freezing as of late.  I'm in the same boat and every evening I want to whip up something new, I just divide the leftovers into single servings and plop them in the freezer.  They're great for grabbing one on the way out the door for work, and perfect for those nights you don't want to actually cook.  Plus, way better tasting than store bought frozen entrees, less expensive and way less sodium.

 

When I'm working (I'm a freelancer) I purposely cook large portions to divide up over the week to take to work for lunch.  And the trick for me is I'm only cooking a batch of something specifically to divide up so I'm not using it as a meal right then where I might be tempted to over due it like with pizza.  However, when I do make something that is  multiple servings for a meal, I try to divide and store the leftovers before I even sit down to eat my meal that way I'm not tempted for seconds.  Regardless of how many or few servings I make I try to cook meals where the servings are low calorie with good nutrition.

I actually have a cookbook that's called, For One or Two.  It's not a diet cookbook but it gives you decent recipes for smaller amounts. 

I agree that investing in freezerware is a great idea for homemade "fast food". 

I'm on my own during the day, so I cook for one two out of three meals.  If I want lasagna, I make a single serving or a double serving and have one now, one the next day or give the other serving to the boy when he gets home as a snack.

It's a little harder to manage, but there are ways.  I break my lasagna noodles in half, only use about two cups of vegetables, and use a small cake pan instead of a regular baking dish to keep the size what I want.  Then I use the remainder of the ingredients in other dishes.

I find that with single serving foods you get more variety out of the ingredients 'cause you've got extra to make other stuff, rather than buying them to use solely for one dish.

I'm about to make broiled chicken thighs, twice-baked potatoes and a salad for lunch.  :)  Chicken thighs are smaller so I don't have to cut them in half or cook the whole thing and eat half now, half later (also cheaper and more tasty to me), and we have small golden Idaho potatoes.  A full-sized regular ol' potato would have me stuffed.

If the dish is something like lasagne, a casserole, a roast chicken or a shepherd's pie... something where you have to make a 'serves 4' quantity to justify all the preparation and cooking time.... then make the bigger amount and portion up the remainder for the freezer.

I find quicker-cook dishes lend themselves to being 1 serving.  Stir-fries, for example... you can slice up half a pepper and half an onion quite easily.   Pasta and sauces.  Measure out enough pasta for 1... use half a can of tomatoes and keep the rest in the fridge for another day.  A small steak with a side-salad.   Spanish omelettes...  Salad nicoise... Pasta salads... Quickie curries...

I more or less cook for one because I'm a vegetarian and my boyfriend loathes vegetables. I tend to cook lots of things that can be easily combined in different ways. Lately, for example, I'll have big containers full of cooked black beans, corn, steamed broccoli, brown rice, etc. So for one meal I use corn and beans in a taco salad, then for another I have a wrap with steamed broccoli and rice. Then one I'll cook some pasta and toss the veggies in with it, or make some enchiladas. It's really handy to just be able to take half a cup of whatever you need for that meal instead of having to cook every single thing from scratch every time.

And if you want something like lasagna, if you really don't want to eat leftovers or freeze some, you could make lasagna rolls. Just boil two or three lasagna noodles, spread the fillings along one side, roll it up and top with sauce. It's pretty much the same amount of work for one serving as it would be for a big dish, though, which is one reason I eat tons of leftovers.

*twice-baked potatoes* sound like something i would probably love - how does one make them?

just a question: i am not extremely experienced cook so it might be a silly q but anyway - how long do the cooked veggies keep (in the fridge)?

I use the three day rule, if it has been in the fridge three days it gets tossed.

I give away extra servings.  I make a great vegetable lasagna too, one recipe makes 8 to 10 servings.  My parents love it, my boss craves it, the next door neighbors are Army boys away from home- so they love home cooked left overs.  Sometimes I put left overs in the fridge at work and lable it "First Come First Serve."  It brightens peoples to get an unexpected, home-cooked meal- and it brightens my day knowing I've "Spread the Health" :o)

There are a lot of easy things to do:

-one chicken breast, one steack, one fish filet, baked
-baked potatoes
-veggies, just cook enough for one
-for pasta, cook what you need.  invest in a small individual pyrex container to make stuff like lasagna
-ETC

To be honest, I find it so easy.  Its easy to cook for one too, you can measure everything, cook what YOU want. 

Me too.  My solution is to prepare batches and freeze in portions.

For instance - brown rice and other whole grains - cook a batch and divide into 1/2 cup portions in small zipper bags.  I flatten these and freeze them on a cookie sheet.  When frozen solid, I put the small bags into a larger freezer zipper bag, labeled with the contents and date.

For the protein portion, I have either raw fish, meats and poultry divided into portions, or pre cooked things like chicken or turkey breast, or fish.  There are always some cut in chunks for fast stir fry.  Loose frozen shrimp are really nice to have on hand.  For variety I keep canned beans in the pantry, or cook a whole pound of dry beans and divide them up as I do whole grains. Tofu can be cut in portions and frozen too, either as it comes from the package or marinated.

I love to make homemade soups.  These freeze well in 8 to 12 oz containers.  I like the semi disposable ones with the screw on lid.  I stick a label on them.  If I make a different soup each week, I soon have a variety to choose from.  I do the same with chili and other big batch stews.

The lasagne can be cut in portions, wrapped and frozen too. 

I always have bags of frozen vegetables handy to supplement fresh vegetables.  Most of the time I have some fresh veggies on hand and either cook just enough or a whole batch.  Cold leftover vegetables make a great lunch salad.

When it's time to cook a meal, all I have to do is select an protein and a whole grain, and a couple of vegetables, arrange on a plate and microwave.

You can get good at individual stir "fry" and pasta dishes.  One of my favorite pastas is linguini with red clam sauce.  Weigh out one portion (2 oz) of pasta and cook it.  While it cooks, put a minced clove of garlic and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a saute pan.  Sautee until the garlic is soft and add 1 small can of chopped clams and 3 or 4 tablespoons of tomato paste.  Stir in a ladle full of the pasta cooking water and simmer until the pasta is done.  Drain the pasta and add it to the saute pan.  Toss to coat and simmer for a few minutes to let the flavors absorb.  A little minced fresh parsley or basil and there's your meal for one, accompanied by a big salad.

There's no need to waste money on processed single serve products.