Recipes for Singles

angelpup
angelpup Posts: 2 Member
One of my challenges is finding good recipes with proportions for one. In the past I would use a crockpot and freeze portions. My portions were too large and there is too much temptation to eat multiple portions before I freeze it. My cooking is just too yummy. I've just restarted using MFP and I'm looking for ideas on cooking for one. Thanks in advance for your input.

Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    You just have to adjust portion sizes accordingly, and watc time/temperature. I usually cook simple no-recipe one portion meals - protein, starch, veg. When I make soups or casseroles (once a week), I make enough for two days. The discipline I can't help you with.
  • Know a person you could share meal with? Shut in, another single, a busy mom's lunch?
  • Rockwoodcommalindsey
    Rockwoodcommalindsey Posts: 16 Member
    I usually will first cut the recipe in half and then fridge the leftovers to make lunches or another dinner with the rest of the week. It's tough cooking for one but not impossible!
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,571 Member
    Single here. I just make a 10 min dinner every night. I can't have leftovers. I'll just eat them all. I don't really have recipes. I cook meat and vegetables and then eat them with salt and hot sauce. The end.
  • angelpup
    angelpup Posts: 2 Member
    Thanks for all the great feedback.
  • laur357
    laur357 Posts: 896 Member
    I also am not a fan of leftovers, but I did cook foods I could re-purpose the next day. Cook two pork chops, veggies, and baked potatoes - turn the second pork chop into quick stir-fry or tacos or a BBQ pork, and turn the second potato into home fries with peppers and onion to eat with eggs.

    I ate more sandwiches, soup, salad, lots of egg dishes, stir-fry mixing and matching proteins and veggies, pasta (it's easy to control portions of pasta when cooking for one) with roasted veggies and herbs.
  • UltraVegAthlete
    UltraVegAthlete Posts: 667 Member
    A pint of vegan icecream, a spoon, and fifty shades of grey playing in the background of your tears.

    Well, that’s just me. But a chopped salad with ground pumpkin seeds and tahini is pretty good.
  • MaryLeuelu
    MaryLeuelu Posts: 99 Member
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    I have precooked and portioned and frozen
    I do these when i can
    First one is brown rice salad with spring onion raisins peanuts and curry, i know sounds yuk but is very nice next to a salad. The next is just a rice mix I got out of a packet, goes nice with steamed fish.
    The last is just spaghetti noodles very nice if I tip a small tin of fish on with salad. Also used in a bowls of Asian soup. Or mixed with a little soy sauce and sesame oil in a stir fry .
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    Know a person you could share meal with? Shut in, another single, a busy mom's lunch?

    This is a nice idea. Some folks who cook large batches of meals and freeze them make it a social event. They plan a menu with friends, everyone brings ingredients for a dish, and they get together on a weekend to cook. That way everybody leaves with several different dishes instead of tons of one thing. You might do something similar if you know other single people.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    I love a blog called Dessert for Two. The author also includes recipes for dinners and breakfast foods. Her focus isn't on low-calorie foods, just on smaller recipes, so I usually keep an eye out for places where I can make lower-calorie swaps when I make her recipes (reducing cheese, adding veggies, using low/no-fat products where possible, etc.)
  • Nikion901
    Nikion901 Posts: 2,467 Member
    edited March 2018
    Did you know that cooking pasta, then refrigerating it, and then reheating it when you are going to eat it is a good thing to do because it changes the glycemic load of the carbs in the pasta? ... I don't recall by how much it changes it, and am too lazy to look for the article I read about it ... Still ... that's one upside of 'cooking single' ... cook it, portion it, refrigerate it, reheat it and wham!
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
    edited March 2018
    Buy a vacuum sealer. Make normal recipes and freeze into single serve portions. Most foods take to freezer storage really well when vacuum sealed.

    Alternatively, portion and store/freeze your raw ingredients before cooking. When ready to cook, only pull out as much as you need to make a single serving. Recipes are fairly easy to scale up and down...
  • Phaewryn
    Phaewryn Posts: 142 Member
    edited March 2018
    I learned something I didn't ever think of when I met my current partner, who was a long-time bachelor before I found him: Did you know that pasta sauces in a jar can be re-closed and put in the fridge? It had never occurred to me not to make the whole jar of sauce at once. I felt pretty dumb when he asked me why I thought they came in jars with screw on lids. Never thought about it. Now I often pan sear a single thin sliced chicken breast portion and top it with some sauce from a jar I already have opened in the fridge. I cut my chicken breasts into 4 to 6 ounce portions when I bring it home from the grocery, and freeze them separate in small baggies, so I don't over-eat. I only cook what I need, which is one or two 4-6oz portion (depending on what else I am having with it). If you buy the eggbeaters eggs in a carton stuff, you can use just a little egg too, instead of having to commit to using a whole egg. That makes things like chicken parm (and other breaded things) possible without wasting most of an egg just for a little egg wash to batter it with. I also have a little tiny pie pan I use to make personal sized quiches and desserts, it's similar in size to the personal pot pies you see in the freezer section of the grocery. I also bought a set of tiny little saucepots/sautee pans on ebay like these: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Corning-Ware-6-Piece-Blue-Cornflower-Menuette-Pan-Set/132531437804 and tiny little fry pans like these on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/GreenPan-Mini-Ceramic-Non-Stick-Round/dp/B015Y20MVK/ref=sr_1_3 and these make it much easier to only heat up an appropriate portion of sauce or only make a single serving of quinoa, or only make a single burger.
  • MyDiane2018
    MyDiane2018 Posts: 2 Member
    I’ve been using MFP for about 5 weeks and having great, steady results. The fact that “your cooking is to yummy” is a GOOD thing. Keep making crock pot soups and stews (low sodium) and freezing portions. I bought several 2cup covered Pyrex bowls and portion my soups. Watching that scale every day is my encouragement. This time around, I’m keeping my meal plan and goals to myself. Some say that a support system is key, but I’ve found they can sabotage almost more than help. MY ADVICE: Take a LONG look in the mirror, and ask yourself if you’re REALLY SERIOUS this time. I’ve “supposedly” been trying to lose weight for years when in reality I’d rather pig out on chocolate and donuts. This time, it’s different... I’M SERIOUS. Decided to take my health seriously. Don’t want to be a health burden to my son as he’s trying to build his own life. I want to maintain my independence as I age. YOU CAN DO THIS, you can do this!!! Set reasonable goals. If anyone teases you about eating small portions, ignore it. I’ve found that when someone tries to rain on my parade, it’s because they know I’m right. Others might secretly sabotage you out of jealousy. That’s why I say, “keep it to yourself”. This is such a private thing and one of the few things in life you have TOTAL CONTROL OVER. Good Luck.
  • katharmonic
    katharmonic Posts: 5,720 Member
    I cook only for myself, and sometimes my dog :)

    I personally love having leftovers, but I try to portion them immediately - one serving on my plate, the rest divided immediately into containers for refrigerator/freezer and put away so I don't help myself to a second serving or more.

    I have really liked meal services like Hello Fresh, Blue Apron, Plated, etc. Everything is set for 2 servings, I eat one and have the second for lunch or dinner the next day. It can be a bit tricky because some of the meals are pretty high calorie to fit in your budget (especially as lunch the next day for me because I budget fewer calories for lunch than dinner typically).