Especially for singles

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.