Cooking for one

My hubby works away from home so I cook for one for weeks at a time. I’m a lazy cook but I like to eat quality food. I don’t like to cook and freeze. So I buy 10 chicken legs or thighs and put 1 portion into freezer bags, split bumper pack mince into portions and freeze, same with fish. Then keep frozen peas, sweet corn ,beans, and fresh carrots courgettes broccoli red onions etc. Then take out portion in morning to defrost. Then make cheese burgers ( my burgers are just mince squashed flat salt pepper) , or stir fry with 4 min noodles stir fry sauce or soya spices , chicken carrot onion roast , chicken soup with turmeric ( takes longer ) grilled fish grilled veg herbs. I might make pots on Sunday with roast. But my tummy isn’t keen on variety, I don’t enjoy cooking, and I have to watch my weight like a hawk and my food bill is £5/6 day (but I eat avocado on toast most mornings which is not cheap and egg or mozzarella for lunch. My personal hobby is to see how luxuriously I can live for how little lol.

I have been alone for thirty years and I never have ready meals or eat out. I do cook casseroles and bolognese sauce etc and freeze in individual portions. Make two Shepard’s pies, meat pies and fruit tarts and freeze one. Packs of Frozen veg and soft fruit have more vitamins than “fresh” because they are frozen as soon as harvested and there is no waste. Make my own bread and rolls and freeze. Make a large amount of crumble mix. it will keep a month in a container in the fridge.
Couldn’t manage without the freezer.

Can't beat fresh vegetables. Use a local greengrocer as they really don't mind serving small portions. Mine are popped straight into my bag reducing plastic bag usage. Farm shop for single portions from butchers too. Personally I like to cook daily. It fills time and gives me a sence of achievement that I don't get if I take a ready prepared meal out and ping it in the microwave. Not for everyone I know particularly if you struggle. Loving all the suggestions here ladies.'Food for thought' indeed. Love the idea of freezing cake as I too often get tempted to have just another small slice?

I love cooking just for me when DH is working away!
There are a lot of things he does not like that I love so it is a real treat.
I practically live on prawns & other seafood!

I've been cooking for one for about nine years and I'm in a weekday routine (others would say a rut) of making a mixed salad each day in the summer and a vegetable medley. I prepare these first thing each morning so that it's out of the way - if I left it I'd be tempted by the bad stuff.

At weekends I break out with different things. I've lost interest in food and don't expect to be excited by it but I do still enjoy my meals. Batch baking would bore me as I don't actually want to do it. I get by reasonably well and try to make healthy choices.

When working I always cooked extra to have the next day or to freeze, just to save time. I still struggle with portion control as am so used to cooking for a big family !

Soup! Keeps for 24 hours in the fridge. Freeze it in a bag so it fits anywhere. Eat it with a sandwich or crusty bread. My favourite is carrot and parsnip with a little firesh ginger.

so inspiring reading this thread, thankyou each and every one

I am elderly, as is dh, still alive,, but he has been ill, so both of our appetites had decreased, been wasting quite a lot of food recently, now accepting I cannot eat the huge meals that I could before.

I love most if not all of your suggestions... woohoo, so glad that I still enjoy food even if not such quantity!

Try googling: Cooking for one recipes. There seems to be a good many sites that should be helpful.

Make smaller portions corresponding to what you yourself usually eat of chops, meat balls etc. Usually, you cannot only buy one chop, so you need room in the freezer for the other (s) in the package.

Hope your daughter loves University and you enjoy being on your own, when the first wave of homesickness on her part, and your feeling that someone has stolen your baby wears off.

If you can't be bothered to cook, do scrambled eggs, filling and nutritious! No messy pans, I have a perfect recipe.
Break two eggs into a glass jug (Pyrex type), add seasoning and/or grated cheese to taste. Microwave for 1 minute at 800. Take out and whisk with fork. Put back for 15 seconds. Take out, whisk again and pile onto buttered toast!

Thank you Monica...is it safe to cook pre cooked frozen chicken, (say in a casserole) which has been frozen or must I always defrost overnight as I would from fresh chicken?

Delia Smith's book 'One is Fun' has lots of great recipe ideas, and you can get most of them from her website:

www.deliaonline.com/recipes/collections/one-is-fun

Must say if you do batch cook, do label clearly, I'm lazy about it. I've just taken something out for this evening, and have no idea what it is, it's just brown!

Ye gods is he still at it?

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I batch cook, needed to buy a bigger freezer. I am always making something from leftovers from the fridge, cannot bear to waste anything. Soups are always a good standby. I wash lettuce leaves in advance and keep some washed green veggies in vac jars as they keep longer. Eating solo year on year is not a novelty when it is enforced through being widowed. I batch cook brown rice and freeze it flat, always useful. Bread is usually sourdough, I get the big loaf, cut neat slices and freeze them. Cold lightly cooked potatoes are very useful from the fridge, fried, potato salad etc

I make myself eat properly by ordering organic veg in advance

My downfall is cake, I slice and freeze but it is still nice when frozen. I try not to buy biscuits for `just in case` guests

Ailsaa, I will cook and freeze anything -and do.

As for defrosting, do it anyway you like, leave it to defrost, put it in the microwave or in the oven.

The best way to check it is cooked is to do it the way you check a cake to see if it is cooked through: put a knife into the centre pull it out and feel the blade, if it lukewarm, the centre is not heated through, if it comes out really hot and the food round it is reaching boiling point, little bubbles coming to th surface it is cooked.

I take the frozen food straight from the freezer and reheat in the microwave until bubbling hot- stews,casseroles, chillis, bolognese. They all taste very good especially stews and casseroles where the flavour seems better after freezing. I sometimes add more water as it seems to evaporate a little when frozen. You can also add more turmeric to curries and adjust flavourings in other things.
Don't forget to keep in frozen onions, carrots, mushrooms, courgettes etc. And you can easily make a dinner if you can't get out for some reason.

If I freeze anything freshly made, I take it from the freezer the night before I need it and defrost it slowly in the fridge.

Sometimes the water needs squeezing out of it, or at least drained and I avoid freezing potato in any form as I find it alters the texture.

Can I ask, if you freeze home made food ..Spag Bol, chilli, fish pie etc.. do you have to defrost it before cooking, and if it's only a portion for one how would you reheat and for how long?..particularly concerned about anything with fish or chicken in it being cooked all the way through!

The internet/YouTube have all the recipes you could ever need/want and the videos show exactly how the food is prepared and served.

Spag Bol/Chilli/Cottage Pie/Meat Balls can all be made from the same Ikg of best mince and frozen for later with pasta or fresh veg.

I've been on my own for 2 years now though I feed family at weekends still. My weekday meals are usually weekend leftoveers, chicken or fish with new potatoes or rice and green veg, sometimes stir fry. This is easy, healthy and non fattening.

I can't see the point in only cooking for one person when making things like chilli, curry, etc and always make a great big pan full.
Divide into containers and freeze.
The times I cook for one would be if I have salmon fillet, steak, bacon and egg, and omelette for a really quick meal.