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| Forums: September 2010 Kickstart Forum Archive: cooking for one | |||
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| revquilts
Joined: 09/06/10 Posts: 3 |
cooking for one Posted Monday, September 6, 2010 at 4:17 PM In looking at the recipes for today, I see that some make multiple servings. I understand that in some cases you need that for additional meals during the week. But 10 servings? Do these meals freeze well? It's just me. No one to share meals with. Suggestions? |
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| seedthrower
Joined: 01/03/10 Location: Westminster, MD Posts: 19 |
RE: cooking for one Posted Monday, September 6, 2010 at 5:11 PM revquilts wrote: In looking at the recipes for today, I see that some make multiple servings. I understand that in some cases you need that for additional meals during the week. But 10 servings? Do these meals freeze well? It's just me. No one to share meals with. Suggestions? I know exactly what you're going through! What I've done is half the recipe, then make some to freeze and some to keep in the refrigerator. Generally, it's pretty easy to reduce the ingredients. ts also fun to do the kickstart with others, so if you have a friend to join you, it would also help. I began bringing in food once a week to share with my co-workers. I also printed out the recipe and gave copies. Another option: Amazon has several vegan cookbooks with recipes for one/two people.
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| Dobby
Joined: 09/04/10 Posts: 113 |
RE: cooking for one Posted Monday, September 6, 2010 at 5:25 PM I did 1/2 the recipe for the confetti salad, but made the whole recipe of the carrot/red pepper soup. Both are really good, I can see that others in my household may try them (except they do know they are vegan, my mistake!!) I will try freezing the carrot soup just to see how it does. Otherwise, I freeze many things in 1 person servings using paper cups. It also does not bother me to eat on something several days in a row, so I can probably eat up the 1/2 recipe of confetti salad. Pam |
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| BeckyinAustin
Joined: 09/06/10 Posts: 20 |
RE: cooking for one Posted Monday, September 6, 2010 at 5:43 PM I fiddle around with the ingredients till there's 5 servings, make that amount & put it in 5 containers. Then I have lunch & dinner made for the week. I definitely don't have time to make lunch during the week, and since my goal is to go to the gym after work, I shouldn't have time to cook an individual dinner. It saves time & everything is homemade & healthy. We have done the impossible & that makes us mighty - Firefly |
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| Susan Levin
Joined: 12/26/09 Posts: 1191 |
RE: cooking for one Posted Monday, September 6, 2010 at 10:51 PM If you are cooking for just yourself or one other person, you may consider cutting the recipe in half or making the full amount and freezing it. We recommend trying to cook a big batch and eating off of it for a few days. This will save you time and keep you eating healthy meals. Also, because we recommend you eat until satisfied, you don't need to think about a recipe that makes 5 servings being 1/5 appropriate for consumption. Eat what you want, save the rest! You might check out the book Vegan Cooking for One by Leah Leneman. Susan Levin, MS, RD |
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| jumpforjoy
Joined: 09/06/10 Posts: 54 |
RE: cooking for one Posted Monday, September 6, 2010 at 10:56 PM hearing alot of good ideas. I feel like I bought a ton of food over the past 2 days and during the week I am alone, so will be a challenge to not let food go to waste. I like the ideas of freezing.... I feel better after reading your posts.
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2meowers
 Location: Sequim, WA Posts: 127 |
RE: cooking for one Posted Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at 5:50 AM Susan Levin wrote: If you are cooking for just yourself or one other person, you may consider cutting the recipe in half or making the full amount and freezing it. We recommend trying to cook a big batch and eating off of it for a few days. This will save you time and keep you eating healthy meals. Glad to hear you suggest that book since I just ordered it from Amazon! Hope it's what I'm looking for. Been vegan for a year now, and am not a kitchen person. Eat pretty much the same things but do experiment from time to time. Pretty simple person. Have discovered some wonderful stuff in the bulk food section. Have even started cooking a dried bean mix for a change, instead of opening the cans of kidney, pinto, and black. Add minced ginger and garlic to the water and that adds some zip. Rye berries are another great find. Make a big batch, and toss into salads or other dishes. Won a Peta cookbook in my original challenge on another site, but really just use it for ideas. Most recipes are for 6-8 and I don't know how well things might freeze.
Also, because we recommend you eat until satisfied, you don't need to think about a recipe that makes 5 servings being 1/5 appropriate for consumption. Eat what you want, save the rest! You might check out the book Vegan Cooking for One by Leah Leneman. "But for the sake of some little mouthful of flesh we deprive a soul of the sun and light, and of that proportion of life and time it had been born into the world to enjoy." Plutarch. |
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| pippin
Joined: 09/07/10 Posts: 175 |
RE: cooking for one Posted Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at 11:13 AM I will definitely check out Vegan Cooking for One. I have been vegetarian for about 1 year now, and I'm still struggling with finding recipes that freeze well. I usually try to do recipes that will carry well for lunches through the week, but anything with lots of veggies seems to go blech by Friday. This week I am choosing to make recipes that can be multi-purposed. For instance, the beans and greens tonight will also be good as a sandwich / wrap stuffing tomorrow with some added cruncy veggies. If I make chili, I will later in the week top a potato with it. It is getting easier as I learn what keeps well and what doesn't. I'm very pleased with the recipes this week and am looking forward to next week. |
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| honeyphew
Joined: 09/02/10 Location: Arlington, Texas Posts: 8 |
RE: cooking for one Posted Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at 11:44 AM I have found that most recipe servings actually aren't enough for me, so what may be 6 servings may end up being 3 servings. I eat all the time. The last time I went vegan (almost 6 months), I ate and ate and ate, and lost 45 pounds (still gone). I was never hungry. I felt "light," weight wise, as well as mentally. For variety sake, I try to not eat something more than twice in a row, so freezing works great. I freeze things in freezer bags that I lay flat on a baking sheet in the freezer until frozen. Being flat, it thaws much quicker. I have found that any veggie, bean, seed, nut, grain, or pasta will freeze really well. I will make up a big batch, eat it for lunch and dinner, then freeze the rest in my-size individual portions, then I have my "TV dinner" for a couple of times in the next 3 or 4 weeks when my schedule gets crazy or hubby wants some take-out that is not in my menu plan. This helps greatly to keep me on track. |
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| margiereilly
Joined: 09/07/10 Posts: 16 |
RE: cooking for one Posted Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at 2:12 PM I, too, am cooking for one in a small apartment with a small kitchen. Nevertheless, the carrot and red pepper soup I made yesterday was a culinary delight! I was so proud of it, but had no friend willing to come and taste it. Seems I spent a lot of time cooking and found that I was not too fond of the Hoppin' John Salad although its colors were gorgeous. I made the Quick Kale and it was simple although I had to ask the grocer to tell me which one was the kale and which one was the chard. Sheesh! It's a learning experience. I enjoyed the apple cinnamon oatmeal and should have made a larger batch as it was great and its all gone. I have the ingredients for the Couscous Confetti Salad. In fact, after grocery shopping yesterday, all I spent was $11 and I had ingredients for two or three meals of several servings each. I look forward to more of the carrot red pepper soup for lunch today. Very creamy. Gourmet! I am sure I will be enjoying more recipes but it is frustrating to be enjoying them alone. Oh, well. I did lose a half pound since yesterday. Hip, Hip, Hooray! |
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| redtopsissy
Joined: 08/26/10 Location: Fort White, Florida Posts: 47 |
RE: cooking for one Posted Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at 6:10 PM I have been cutting the recipes down for two. I'd rather make it fresh. The 10 serving recipe lent itself to dividing by three, so I made 3 1/3 servings. I can live with losing a third.....Elizabeth Elizabeth |
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| margiereilly
Joined: 09/07/10 Posts: 16 |
RE: cooking for one Posted Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at 9:58 PM OK, I am going to have to cut the size of the recipes. I made enough couscous confetti salad for ten! It was great. I bagged some of it, flattened it, put it in the freezer and am hoping to eat it soon. I am still no where near finishing the carrot red pepper soup. I have it with lunch and dinner and it looks like it will be with me through Friday. So, what is it with paper cups and the freezer? I bought some but can't figure out how that will work. My freezer is tiny like my place. Hoping to see improvement in my blood pressure. It was a bit high tonight. |
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| margiereilly
Joined: 09/07/10 Posts: 16 |
RE: cooking for one Posted Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at 10:00 PM I do want to say that I am shocked that I am not eating more. I have always eaten and eaten and eaten. Actually, been doing McDougall for five years. These recipes are very filling. |
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| tammay
Joined: 01/20/10 Posts: 18 |
RE: cooking for one Posted Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at 10:47 PM I also have to deal with the same issue of cooking for one. I have the Leneman book which is pretty good. My only problem with it is that some recipes require "fake" foods like vegan cheese and vegan sausage. I try to stay away from fake foods. Another pretty good one is "Vegan Meals For One Or Two" by Nancy Berkoff. The recipes seem to use less "fake" foods and most are fairly low in fat (I opened the book at random just now and came upon a garlic and basil spread that contains 2 tsp of olive oil for 1 cup) although I usually cut the fat down or out anyway. Tam |
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