Cooking for one

Parent Cafe
1

<p>To make a long story short, I’m going to be striking out somewhat on my own in a couple of weeks, and aside from the occasional mooched meal, I’m going to be mostly fending for myself in the food department. </p>

<p>I currently have a very limited repertoire of recipes, these mostly involving eggs or some form of sandwich. I can also make a simple chicken soup, pan-fried steaks, decent gravy, and anything that starts with the basic step of “brown the ground beef.” Ultimately, I’m not too concerned with the minutia of cooking (I’ve determined my preferences in terms of garlic and vanilla), but I’d like to learn how to go about making hearty, frugal meals for one.</p>

<p>So basically, I’m looking for:
-How to keep a stock of perishable ingredients, such as eggs and milk, without it going bad due to infrequent usage.
-What approach to take in terms of keeping myself fed: should I keep bulk of ingredients frozen and cook one at a time (i.e. individual chicken breasts), cook in bulk and freeze, or some combination depending on the food?
-How to get more bang for my food buck.
-Simple, foolproof recipes. My appliance stock isn’t very impressive, so anything that requires something more fancy than basic utensils and pans probably won’t be feasible, though I’m not averse to purchasing a couple essentials if I learn that the person I am living with doesn’t have them. Oh, and I LOVE fresh garlic so any recipes incorporating this particular ingredient are great. :)</p>

<p>And, while I’m at it I might as well ask:</p>

<p>What are some strategies for sneaking vegetables into my diet? I really want to attempt to eat healthier now that I am able to cook for myself from scratch, but I’ve always had a very bad textural aversion to most veggies resulting in anything from significant repulsion to gagging. I’ve already considered cooking with spinach because I’ve found it has a really neutral texture and taste when cooking in, for instance, a soup, but what other things can I do that don’t require a juicer?</p>

<p>Typing that out, I realized I asked for a lot more than I originally thought I was going to, but any advice would really be much appreciated.</p>

2

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<p>I can’t say much for cooking for one as I’ve never had to do that, but the easiest way to sneak vegetables into your diet is to start making smoothies and just tossing in a handful of vegetables. :') The taste doesn’t change, and it will definitely be healthy as you can make a smoothie out of frozen fruit, juice, and a handful of vegetables.</p>

3

<p>For veggies and ease: Make soup! Seriously, look up some recipes on line. You can put all kinds of great stuff in soup, refrigerate or freeze in tupperware and reheat whenever you want (add some fresh bread, maybe a salad, and viola, great dinner for one!). Don’t forget the wine! </p>

<p>I love this little recipe thats pretty healthy. Shred some spinach, put on top of pita bread, shred some havarti to add on top, add a slice of red pepper thats been marinated in olive oil, bake 5 minutes at 425. Yum.</p>

<p>Any salad is great with these ingredients: some kind of green (e.g. watercress, spinach), some kind of crumbled or shredded cheese (e.g. goat, feta), some kind of nut (e.g. walnuts, pecans), some kind of fruit or almost sweet (e.g. strawberries, yellow peppers, raisins).</p>

4

<p>zucchini on the half boat.
zucchini stuffed
zucchini sliced
zucchini diced
zucchini bread
zucchini cookies
zucchini cassarole
zucchini baked
zucchini fried
zucchini boiled
zucchini nuked
zucchini steamed
zucchini dried
zucchini as a potato
zucchini as a pumpkin
zucchini as spinach
zucchini as green cucumber
zucchini as asparagus, white or green
zucchini as present to your friends
zucchini as a present to your enemies
zucchini flowers, fried
zucchini flowers, in soup
zucchini flowers as a garnish
zucchini hair piece
zucchini as a intimate friend
zucchini iced cream
zucchini smoothie green or white
zucchini as strawberry smoothie (food coloring)
zucchini for birthday, wedding, showers (wedding, babies, new home/house)
zucchini cake
zucchini candies
zucchini water
zucchini bombs
zucchini baths
zucchini for target practice
zucchini for punching bag
zucchini facial creams
zucchini martini
zucchini slice with tequila
zucchini slice in cola
zucchini stew
zucchini toasted
zucchini bbq</p>

<p>gnite</p>

5

<p>oh I am ill longprime- but can you do that with tomatoes?</p>

<p>probably not so much the intimate friend part :wink:
They are good with scrambled eggs though</p>

6

<p>Had a backyard garden w/zucchini, LongPrime? lol</p>

7

<p>To be frank, you’re going to have to make an attitude adjustment regarding vegetables, if you want to eat nutriously. I’d start by going to the best local produce department, whether a megamart or a specialty store, and just look around at what looks interesting. Pick it up, examine the color, grasp it, sniff it, and just observe other folks and talk to them about any vegetable you see them gathering in their shopping bag. I’ve had very friendly coversations with food/cooking novices in the aisles of the market. I remember the young couple who were very curious about collard greens and asked me could the leaves be eaten raw in a salad! That’s a story for another time but suffice to say your stomach will regret it if you eat raw collard greens!</p>

<p>One easy way to prepare fresh vegetable without a lot of fuss is pan frying (grilling on the stove). Things like summer squash, eggplant, brussel sprouts, onions and corn kernels taste great prepared this way. By the way, none of these vegetables (with the exception of corn, freeze very well).</p>

<p>Take a page from the Europeans (well, mostly meditarranian Europeans) and shop rather frequently, buy a little [but always fresh] at a time. In the USA, we’re used to fully stocking our freezers and cupboards, thus many of us head to the market once-a-week or less for major purchases.</p>

<p>Also, finding a great cookbook or food reference book will captivate you. Don’t go for a fancy cookbook that has dozens of recipes with exotic names. The best cookbook I own is the Good Housekeeping Cookbook that is 20 years old. Fancy is nice but if the recipe has more than about a half dozen ingredients, you’ll probably never bother to try prepare it.</p>

8

<p>Vegetables to me are cucumbers, carrots, redishes. I just discovered that long carrots are cheaper than baby. I do not clean them any more, wash and take with me to work. Almost everything else we fry with onions and garlic, tons of olive oil and most time I add Italian seasonning. But I would not do it on my own, my H. likes doing it. H also like tomatoes, I do not care much for them. Following any recipe is way too much for either of us.</p>

9

<p>I cut up a huge plate of raw veggies & dip them (into honey mustard, sweetened dijon mustard, etc.). This is really good & keeps (bad) snacking at bay!</p>

10

<p>I cook for one pretty often when D2 is with the ex-H. I really like to make omlettes (dresses up those eggs a bit). You can saute some veggies in olive oil and fold them in with cheese. Or I like to buy artichoke dip and put that inside :)</p>

11

<p>Like MiamiDAP, I am very much into the joy of raw vegetables, particularly cucumbers, bell peppers and tomatoes. Peanut butter on celery sticks is a great snack. But don’t neglect your protein, i.e. beef, pork, poultry, finfish and shellfish. Fish cooks quickly and easily and goes great with pasta.</p>

12

<p>Get a mini crockpot at Walmart (about $10 or less). Try these recipes:</p>

<p>1) A small steak, preferably round steak as it is cheap and cooks up well. Add any of the following: a packet of onion soup mix or a packet of brown gravy mix and/or a can of cream of mushroom soup, a half cup of water, a chopped onion, and veggies of your choice. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 6-8 hours.</p>

<p>2) Boneless Chicken breast cooked in the crockpot with: can of cream of chicken soup or a packet of chicken gravy plus 3/4 c water, or some jarred spaghetti sauce, or some bottled BBQ sauce. Low 8-10 hours or High 6-8 hours</p>

<p>3) The above steak or small cut of beef with some bottled BBQ sauce or spaghetti sauce.</p>

<p>There are boundless things you can do with the mini crockpot. Just google ‘crockpot recipes’ and you will get tons of ideas.</p>

<p>BTW, Egg Beaters are easier than eggs and keep just as long and are healthier.</p>

13

<p>Most of the time when I eat pasta, I mix some fresh, chopped spinach into it before putting the sauce on. Lot’s of garlic and a simple sauce of fresh or canned tomatoes–so good. I also use spinach (sauted in garlic) as a bed under lots of dishes. One of my favorites is spinach with sunny side up eggs–no toast needed, it soaks up the runny yolk. I also put sliced chicken, fish or any meat on it.</p>

<p>Any green–kale, chard, arugula…can work for these simple dishes.</p>

14

<p>Start making interesting salads, and those with more fruit in them might be palatable. If you saute vegetables, such as eggplant or zucchini, you can add lots of nice fresh garlic and chopped onions, and often the texture will change dramatically without the calorie content going through the roof.</p>

15

<p>In regard to protein, frankly, keep in mind that we are eating too much and that is one of the reasons for osteoporosis, since calcium is used by body to get rid of too much protein in our body. A little yougurt, cottage cheese (I mixed them together and add powder unsweetened chocolate and honey), some nuts seems to be enough for me and I exercise 2 hours a day, including weights. However, some people love meat/fish, then it is different story, I am just not one of them</p>

16

<p>You can grate carrots and throw them into things like spaghetti sauce. But I think it’s easier to just saute vegetables, maybe with garlic and/or onions and figure out which ones you like. You can also steam them, but I find that boring. I agree with the soup. Recently had a recipe for zucchini soup - dh doesn’t really like zucchini but didn’t even realize what he was getting. It couldn’t have been simpler. You cooked 6 zukes in chicken stock with 1 chopped onion and 2 garlic cloves then whizzed them in the blender. Top with a bit of sour cream and cilantro and add a protein. The recipe called for shrimp which was good, but the next day we put in smoked salmon and that was even better. I thought the salmon version would have been even better with dill instead of cilantro.</p>

<p>I like raw vegetables - good with hummus for a bit of protein.</p>

<p>As for logistics, I think buying things like chicken breasts in bulk and putting them individually in the freezer works pretty well, but if a grocery is convenient I agree just picking up dinner every few days works well. I often get my husband to do this part.</p>

17

<p>Here’s what I make myself when on one else is at home:</p>

<p>Pasta (fresh or frozen)
Drizzle with olive oil
Add parmesan cheese
Add: Sundried tomatoes and/or sliced mushrooms and/or any veggies that are around.</p>

<p>I could eat that every day.</p>

<p>Also, a good summer meal is to cut up a piece or two of fresh fruit - peach, plum… Serve with a bit of cheese and a few nice crackers or a slice of good bread.</p>

18

<p>My S is about to start cooking for himself (ha!).
He tried out some recipes at home:

  1. onion, tomato omelet (slice one small onion and one tomato very thin, saute in butter or oil, add a couple of eggs whisked together, sprinkle with salt and pepper).
  2. ground beef or ground pork, peas (frozen) omelet. Fry beef or pork until nearly done, add frozen peas, add a couple of eggs whisked, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  3. beef salad: saute thinly sliced beef, add to salad (can be baby spinach, lettuce, arugula, tomato, sliced raw mushrooms). Toss with vinaigrette; he likes homemade vinaigrette which is 1 part wine vinegar, 3 parts olive oil, salt, mustard (optional).
  4. Pork chop, salad and spaghetti.
  5. Zucchini soup: the basic recipe is just one onion, chopped, a couple of zucchinis, chopped, saute lightly, add one cup of canned chicken broth, cook until soft (about 15-20 minutes), puree in blender. You can add some yogurt or sour cream, and herbs to taste. Mathmom has a more fancy recipe with salmon if you like.</p>

<p>If you like Chinese food, it takes some preparation, but is very quick and uses less meat than many Western dishes.
Slice chicken breast and stir fry; add vegetables to taste.
If you want to make it with spinach, throw some spinach into the hot skillet and watch it shrink. When it’s wilted, add the cooked chicken breast and sprinkle with soy sauce.
If you would like a thicker sauce, mix a bit corn starch (a half-teaspoon) with the soy sauce, add water to dilute and throw into the cooked food. Heat until the sauce clings to the food (a few seconds).
You can do the same with slices of pork or beef.
To use broccoli in stir fry, steam it first (you can use the microwave oven to steam a few florets of broccoli until they’re tender–about a couple of minutes) then mix with cooked meat, add sauce.
Frozen shrimps are expensive but they thaw quickly and can be added to tomato sauce or mixed with cooked vegetables or salads.</p>

19

<p>Forgot to say, that the recipe suggested eating the zucchini soup cold which is lovely at this time of year.</p>

20

<p>As for perishable ingredients… I occassionally need milk for baking and it goes bad sooner than I need it. Someone told me about dry evaporated milk and I keep a box of it in the refrigerator. I cant tell the difference when I use it in cooked/baked things. I also keep cans of evaporated and condensed sweet milk in my cabinet for cooking.</p>