Especially for singles

wanttobefit300

If you haven't discovered it yet, check out "The Hungry Girl Diet Cookbook". It's not necessary to follow this diet to use the book. It contains 200 recipes especially sized for singles. Almost every recipe is 1 serving (even pancakes). The breakfasts, lunches and dinners are all in the 300-350 calorie range and have nutrients listed. I haven't tried them yet (just got the book this afternoon), but I've read most of them and they sound delicious. Some examples:
Strawberry Banana Pancakes
Banana Walnut Pancakes
Strawberry Almond Crepes
Sweet 'n Spicy Shrimp Stir-Fry
Salmon 'n Snow Pea Stir-Fry
Chicken & Veggie Kebabs
Cheeseburger Tostadas
Hawaiian Beef Bowl
Beef Stroganoff
Apricot Chicken Pack

and for dessert Protein-Packed Chocolate Cake in a Mug

Sued0nim

Huh? Just make more and freeze / portion for other meals

Or reduce the recipe by half / serving size

You don't need a specific cookbook for that

If you want some good calorie counted recipes try www.skinnytaste.com

SlimBride2Be

I disagree. If I'm on my own at home and I cook a regular sized portion that I would normally feed 2 of us, I often end up eating more than half because it's there. If this book fitted my needs (I'm low carb) I would buy it because I don't always want to cook more than I need.

tomatoey

I'm not sure all of those recipes are appealing to me, but I think it's a neat approach. It's a pain to cook for one. Does the author talk about how to shop for one (quantities, timing)? Because almost nothing is packaged for a single person. Canned stuff, forget it, half goes in the bin. I never feel like using the other half. Even fruit & veg, some things you have to buy in bunches.

kickassbarbie

I've used her site for the single serve cookies and things as I'm another one who ends up cooking and eating that sort of food for two or 4 or 8 if I cook a whole batch. Ive no priblem with meals divided up but cookies etc i cannot just eat one serving.

Not always the best tasting sweet snacks but they are really good for control. Foodiefiasco has good single serve options too.

wanttobefit300

tomatoey:
This book is primarily recipes sized for one. Her actual diet book might talk about that, but I am not interested in the diet itself. This one discusses minimum cooking items to have, each recipe starts with everything needed to cook the recipe (what size pan/skillet, whisk, etc). I will have to adjust the recipes some. I simply can't eat the quantities her recipes produce (one recipe called for 4 cups of broccoli plus smaller amounts of others--broccoli doesn't shrink that much in cooking) in one sitting. It also has a small section in the back on items to keep on hand.

Many of her recipes would fit into a 40% carb diet. It was designed by a dietitian, and I don't think any dietitian would design a diet that is lower than that because it is simply not healthy. (And please don't blast me with all the usual rhetoric. I've heard it all; I disagree with it all, I have gone through it with my brother before. Carbs provide nutrients our bodies need that cannot be obtained from any other natural source.)

Check your local area and see if you have a store called Sprouts. It lets you buy almost anything in quantities from very small to bulk. Many of them are organic. As to when and how often you shop, that is a personal decision. I live 45 minutes from my stores. I try to shop for 1 week at a time. If you have to do the same, try to have at least the majority of your meals planned in advance. Then you can make a shopping list for the items you need (especially the fresh ones). If you are close to stores, and can find one like Sprouts, you can buy as much as you want for specific recipes whenever you want. As for canned goods, I don't use it very much. But if I need just a little and don't want to keep eating things that will use it up, I usually just freeze it. I don't have a lot of freezer space, so that doesn't happen often. Most are things I can use up within a week. Mostly, I shop in Walmart. I have never had to buy anything in quantity I didn't want to. I deliberately buy meats in larger quantities. I then divide it into individual serving sizes and freeze it. That way I can fix anything I feel like having when I want to.

One of the great things about this book is the recipes for things like pancakes. I don't eat pancakes very often, but every once in a while I want them. All recipes made too many. These recipes make mostly 2 pancakes--that's perfect. She then gives ideas for a lot of toppings so you aren't tempted to reach for the butter and syrup. The desert recipes are also small. I can make 1 serving when I really want a treat and not have to worry about having leftovers to tempt me.

If you can find the book in a bookstore (I got it at Sam's Club), you can look through it to see if it would help you. I am always trying to find good recipes for one so I thought others might appreciate the information.

wanttobefit300

rabbitjb wrote: »

Huh? Just make more and freeze / portion for other meals

Or reduce the recipe by half / serving size

You don't need a specific cookbook for that

If you want some good calorie counted recipes try www.skinnytaste.com

Not all of us have a freezer or want to divide it up. If I am in a hurry, I don't want to take the time to reduce the recipe (seasonings and cooking times can't just be divided in half). I am good in math, but it is still a pain to do it. This information was provided for others like me. If it doesn't interest you, ignore it.

earlnabby

I find it much easier to make a recipe for 4-6 servings. I eat it for a couple of dinners, then freeze the rest in single serving portions. Every couple of weeks, I can take a whole week and not have to cook at all. Making a meal that is a single serving (unless I am grilling up a burger or chicken breast) is just as much work as making 4 servings and it means I have to cook every day.

ejbronte

wanttobefit300 wrote: »

rabbitjb wrote: »

Huh? Just make more and freeze / portion for other meals

Or reduce the recipe by half / serving size

You don't need a specific cookbook for that

If you want some good calorie counted recipes try www.skinnytaste.com

Not all of us have a freezer or want to divide it up. If I am in a hurry, I don't want to take the time to reduce the recipe (seasonings and cooking times can't just be divided in half). I am good in math, but it is still a pain to do it. This information was provided for others like me. If it doesn't interest you, ignore it.

Here's an elaboration on this question from Christopher Kimball, promoting his cookbook on cooking for 2 (I'm single, and it's true that it is, indeed, nice to have someone to have done some of the jiggering and math for me):

=====
"For decades, the rule of thumb for recipes has been "serves 4 to 6," or even more. But many families don't fit this mold, leaving small households stuck with days of leftovers or lots of waste. Cooks can scale down recipes on the fly, hoping they come out right, but kitchen math isn't as simple as cutting ingredients in half—cooking times and temperatures need to be adjusted and equipment has to be reconsidered.

This is a lesson I've learned on more than one occasion as I "tinkered" with a favorite recipe that used to feed a family of six to serve just two and in the process turned a foolproof crowd pleaser into a so-so supper (we could still eat the results, but neither of us was particularly pleased)...."

Sued0nim

wanttobefit300 wrote: »

rabbitjb wrote: »

Huh? Just make more and freeze / portion for other meals

Or reduce the recipe by half / serving size

You don't need a specific cookbook for that

If you want some good calorie counted recipes try www.skinnytaste.com

Not all of us have a freezer or want to divide it up. If I am in a hurry, I don't want to take the time to reduce the recipe (seasonings and cooking times can't just be divided in half). I am good in math, but it is still a pain to do it. This information was provided for others like me. If it doesn't interest you, ignore it.

Its the internet you don't get to tell people what they can comment on ...

wanttobefit300

to rabbitjb: I am trying to provide information for certain people here--those always on the lookout for good recipes that make a single serving. We have reasons for wanting that kind of information. To make comments saying basically that those reasons are ridiculous is rude. I say if an fyi topic doesn't affect you, then you should just ignore it and go about your business. In spite of what many people seem to believe, the internet is not an excuse for rudeness.