| cooking for one - motivation
Posted: 9/25/2006 4:59:11 PM | I love cooking , decided id kick back with a couple of beers and a glass of wine and spoil myself with something nice for a change - chicken and peppers in white wine sauce on the stove ..
the issue i have , is I find it way , way easier to eat out even though the food isnt as good unless im cooking for someone else also ( which doesnt look like it may happen for a while lol )
how do others motivate themselves to eat healthy and still cook for one ?
( side note , i cook full sized meals and freeze them instead of cooking for one , easier for me )
ste
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| cooking for one - motivation
Posted: 9/26/2006 12:12:30 AM | | That's what I do. Rubbermaid makes these things called "Take-Alongs" which come in all sorts of shapes, but the one I like is rectangular and divided in two--one part is larger than the other. I make alot of "TV dinners" in those and freeze them, so if I don't feel like cooking, I have a home-cooked dinner that just needs to be nuked. | |
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| cooking for one - motivation
Posted: 9/26/2006 6:58:41 AM | I think even the most die hard cook will agree with you. It is hard to keep motivated when cooking for one. You are on the right track by cooking a full meal and freezing it in portions.
It also does not help that most recipes are geared towards a family of four or six.
I have found that if I keep on experimenting with different recipes and ingredients it helps from becoming monotonous. I will invite family or friends over to enjoy a meal with me- send some leftovers home with those who attend if you have enough prepared. Another way to keep the leftovers (yes- even the frozen leftovers) in check is to take a bunch into work and let your coworkers enjoy!! | |
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| cooking for one - motivation
Posted: 9/27/2006 6:03:24 AM | | I hate leftovers, so I've become adept at transforming my leftovers into new, creative dishes. Short of that, I take the majority of my leftovers to my business partner, because I know that he wouldn't anything of substance otherwise. | |
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| cooking for one - motivation
Posted: 9/27/2006 12:02:08 PM | | I do large batches of a lot of things... stew, gumbo, chili, and freeze them in single serving sizes to be cooked up later. Cook a cup of pasta and a portion of chili... nice easy dinner | |
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| cooking for one - motivation
Posted: 9/27/2006 8:43:17 PM | your motivation should be to eat healthy
just make smaller portions so your not eating the same thing for days
and BUY A SLOW COOKER !!!!
they are awesome, easy and no fuss !!! | |
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| cooking for one - motivation
Posted: 9/15/2008 4:17:59 PM | I was searching this forum to see if a thread had been started on my subject idea, and this one was it! I'm bringing it back, however, looking for different answers.
I, also, love cooking! I am better at it than most of the women I have been associated with, and have actually created some of my own recipes that are quite superb, if I may say so myself. However, when I'm cooking for one, I would rather do up a batch of pork stew, spaghetti and garlic sauce, or some other bulk no-brainer, to freeze in single portions.
My question is the same as the title indicates...................How do you stay motivated.......to experiment, put your heart into it, whatever? I can do a mean duck à l'orange, but have no need to indulge myself. Do you know what I mean? | |
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| cooking for one - motivation
Posted: 9/16/2008 8:33:33 PM | | Usually if I feel like cooking, I will invite company over and make extra. Then I freeze the leftovers in individual portions. Then I can pull out a special homemade entree from the freezer when I want something homemade but dont want the work for one. | |
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| cooking for one - motivation
Posted: 9/17/2008 11:22:35 AM | | So can relate to this one. The problem I have is that I often just can't be bothered and end up eating cereal, or something else of minimal effort. | |
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| cooking for one - motivation
Posted: 9/17/2008 12:07:10 PM | | What keeps myself MOTIVATED is the simple fact I don't like pre-made store bought foods. Oh and not to mention I don't like starving. Pick out 1-2 days of the week and cook many different main dishes then freeze. When ready to eat simply pick out what I want that night and pair with fresh sides and bingo dinner for 1 in under 15 minutes. Also clean-up in painless. Trust me it isn't rocket science to take a large recipe and reduce for one. | |
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Kra961
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Joined: 2/13/2008
Msg: 12 | |
| cooking for one - motivation
Posted: 9/17/2008 1:35:30 PM | | LOL I'll sometimes spend all day cooking really looking forward to the meal and then sit down to eat it and just pick at it. Its just no damn fun cooking for one person Sandwich shops have become my friend its not really a lack of motivation I love to cook I just hate cooking only for me. | |
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| cooking for one - motivation
Posted: 9/17/2008 1:54:10 PM | | One-person cookbooks would be the way to go! Or see how many servings (i.e., people) the recipe is for and divide the portions by the number of servings. Or as others have indicated, just freeze it and nuke it later! | |
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| cooking for one - motivation
Posted: 9/17/2008 2:11:46 PM | I hate cooking for one -- and use trying to eat healthy and economics as my reason and motivation for doing it. For me,though cooking and freezing may meet those needs; it is the fun of cooking/creating and sharing the meal that makes it enjoyable.
I admit it is nice to have a homecooked meal ready when I am busy but that is just 'eating' and not as enjoyable. I don't mind dining out alone but again, it is just eating and not the sharing of a good meal.
I cook enough for another and invite someone over at times. When I was working in geriatrics I would often make the regular amount and then give it away to clients. There are not many people living alone who don't appreciate a homemade soup/stew/casserole since this is an issue we all share.
One of my best things is a small (smallest I ever saw) crockpot. It will let me make a sauce or soup in an amount I can use in one or two days.
Eating is nourishment but it is also nuturing of the spirit and can be an expression of
how we feel about ourselves. | |
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| cooking for one - motivation
Posted: 9/17/2008 2:40:19 PM | | nothing wrong with a burger hehe, can get healthy one's. cook if you do want to for sure, can be a relaxing activity and even good exercise at times. | |
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| cooking for one - motivation
Posted: 9/17/2008 2:54:22 PM | | Coming from a european background,family who lived thru the war,I never waste anything,and,my mother always cooked from scratch,..I have always lived in the country and grown my own veggies or my ex and his family,three stepkids and I,worked in the garden..We also had our own beef and poultry so hardly anything was bought from the store...kids liked white bread,however,I always baked...now,that I'm alone,nothing has changed..my freezer is full,i always can and freeze my veggies,and yes, I make ahead because normally I have too much for one meal..like tonite,I cleaned off the rest of the tomatoes and juiced them along with celery,carrots,apples,and what not and then made a soup with macaroni,a few romaine leaves,onions and garlic base...I just ate two big bowls of it...getting up in age,it's very important to eat healthy..whenever I eat fast food I get sick,don't feel good,have stomach probs,so that tells me that my own cooking is the best...the crap you buy in the store is half ripe and full of pesticides and fertilizer and bad water...so,if you want to survive,you have to eat...it's not rocket science...and it doesn't take long...eating is the most important thing in our lives,along with exercise..jmho | |
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| cooking for one - motivation
Posted: 9/17/2008 3:59:32 PM | I love to eat.........and love to cook. I must admit it took me a long time to learn to cook for one after cooking for a family for 37 years.
You have to make adjustments. When buying a roast for example, cut it in half or thirds before freezing. I buy a pack of pork chops and freeze them individually. Frozen vegetables instead of canned and you take out what you need for one meal. How hard is it to peel and slice a potato or two and add to a pot roast with a few carrots and an onion.
When buying salmon filet I cut it in half when I get home. With a baked potato and a veggie or salad and you have a meal in 6 minutes.
Get out of the freezer in the morning what you want to make at night. If it's a pot roast put it in the crock pot on low in the morning and its ready when you get home. Anything else can have you eating in 10 min to half an hour.
Whe I buy shrimp I cook , peel and marinade a two lb bag and divide it into 4 meals and freeze. It takes very little time to defrost.....heat in a frying pan..make a baked potato and veggie or salad. Wallah dinner in 6 minute.
HUNGRY YET??????????? Are you motivated?????? lol
PEACE
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| cooking for one - motivation
Posted: 9/17/2008 4:05:57 PM | | I have cooked for "one" for so long now, I guess I have gotten used to it. I motivate myself to stay healthy by continuing to go to the gym, and only buying high protein foods. If I keep other stuff out, I won't eat it. The good old "out of sight out of mind" kind of thing. I often make enough for four, and eat it over the rest of the week. There really is no other way around it...if we are alone, then we are alone. :) | |
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| cooking for one - motivation
Posted: 9/17/2008 4:11:56 PM | I'm seeing a trend here. It's not the cooking, or baking that is the problem. It's the company, the compliments to the chef, and the camaraderie that goes along with enjoying a great meal that we miss.
I put together one of my famous recipes last week, enough for 6, and then froze most of it. I sat here and almost enjoyed the taste sensation, but became bored with it way too soon. OK, off to the freezer in individual portions with it. Just as a teaser, it is an Italian cheese pasta with shrimp recipe that I invented years ago. It just doesn't taste the same defrosted and thrown into a work lunch bucket.  | |
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| cooking for one - motivation
Posted: 9/19/2008 6:12:59 AM | | The freezing is what I do too. And if you really love yourself, why not cook for yourself like you would for others? If you are single - embrace it as a celebration of ME. Cook yourself a dinner if you fancy it. The beauty of being single is that you can fully please yourself - you dont have to bother with what someone else likes. | |
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| cooking for one - motivation
Posted: 9/20/2008 10:52:49 AM | Hey . Tes here. Just sharing my way of making cooking easier and quicker. I'm a single guy on the guy as well. Oftentimes eating out and dishing out dollars and dollars to fast food chains and resturants. What i do....invest in a George Foreman Grill or any similar product. Easy to clean after use and cuts the cooking time to 50%.
Love your body, hope this helped a bit. | |
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| cooking for one - motivation
Posted: 9/20/2008 10:00:57 PM | Magician this is a good one to bring back. I was hoping to see some inspiring stuff here, but alas.... I think I am beyond being inspired except from my own deep insides.
I often have people over, or I am cooking for church, or work or some other function going on, but when those things are fewer and far between I do run into the problem....eating and cooking alone. It is a terrible problem. I have tricked myself over the years to cook for myself because I do stay healthier and keep my weight down cooking for myself, not to mention I enjoy my own cooking to eating out.
I have done more of the cooking big and freezing I ever want to see again. I hate frozen foods and I cannot face that road ever again.
I have done the bit about cooking large portions and eating it for several days, which gets really old too, but it is still the best way I get to eat my own cooking everyday, or often. In fact, I still do this one, so I make sure it is food I REALLY enjoy a lot! Otherwise, I get very bored and throw it out.
I pray I find a meal I can get stuck on every year so I can make it quick and easily and always have it there for me. This last year that meal was shrimp tacos with avocado and sweet potato fries or roasted. This year, nothing has struck my fancy yet and I am having a hard time without a good go to meal.
I guess my biggest motivation is to just be sick of eating out. I easily get sick of it, especially in my town with few choices. Everything starts tasting the same...blah. Especially since every restaurant thinks cheese, cheese, cheese is the answer to all food service + sugar. It gets hard to find things out that I will and can eat and drink. I get very sick of that.
If someone comes up with something really great and creative here I would love to use it. Thanks | |
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| cooking for one - motivation
Posted: 9/21/2008 5:51:34 AM | cookiing for one sucks. i hate it...'cept for frozen PIZZA!!!
Now, that's one I love doing! I make up a double batch of pizza dough each time. I then separate the dough into small size portions and freeze them individually, raw.
If I decide I want a personal pizza any given day, it's a matter of grabbing a dough ball out of the freezer, letting it thaw and rise, then topping with my choice of the day. It takes about a half hour from start to finish and I have fresh gourmet pizza.  
edit: Half hour from the time the dough finishes thawing. | |
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TishaG
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Joined: 6/10/2007
Msg: 25 | |
| cooking for one - motivation
Posted: 9/21/2008 6:41:16 AM | | I can understand cooking for one. It becomes easier to eat a bowl of cereal, or a pbj sammie after working hard all day! On scaling recipes down for one...there is a great web site I joined that is free. Thousands of great recipes submitted by members, and they have a tool on there that figures out scaling recipes down or up for you!(And if you are like me..someone who forgets how many oz's in a pint and so on..it's great..lol) They even give you free storage to keep your favorite recipes! Go to allrecipesdotcom. I love this site and have made so many things from it. | |
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