"Janet Wilder" > wrote in message
eb.com...
> Some of the FB members may have heard, but my husband and best friend
> passed away on Sunday. the funeral was on Tuesday in New Jersey as we had
> already purchased plots there near my daughter's grave.
>
> I have spent my entire cooking life cooking for other people and now I
> just have me. I'm worried that I'll just not cook and then not get good
> nutrition.
>
> How do you single folks cook for yourselves? I really need to learn how
> to do this.
>
> I'm in NJ now but will be home on Sunday. My kneecap has healed well but
> I still have more PT and last Wednesday, despite having had the vaccine, I
> got shingles up and down my left arm. They are starting to heal now, but
> the nerve pain is still there. If anyone has any experience with shingles,
> I'd appreciate any helpful hints.
>
> The Great Yankee fan was honored at home on Monday night at the local
> independent league ball game where they held a moment of silence followed
> by playing "New York, NY"
>
> He was walking into the kitchen Sunday afternoon and sounded like he was
> choking, so I got up and went to him and he just fell over. I called 911
> and they came in 10 minutes, but it was too late. They gave him CPR and
> all that stuff, but he was gone. I believe cardiac arrest was the listed
> cause of death.
>
> Big sports fan that he was, he always liked the idea of sudden death (as
> opposed to slow lingering death). For someone who had two cardiac bypass
> operations, was diabetic on an insulin pump, had congestive heart failure
> and a degenerating, herniated disc in his back, he traveled extensively,
> enjoyed his New York Yankees, volunteered at the Humane Society and was an
> all around good guy.
>
> Sorry for dumping this. Anyway, pleas send tips on how to cook for one.
> How do you inspire yourself to get up and make a meal for one person?

I don't mind eating the same thing over and over. I would make a big pot of
chili or soup and eat it until it was gone. I also don't mind eating food
that isn't necessarily cooked. Like a big salad. However, and this has
been disputed here... My Family Living Teacher said it is difficult to make
a really good salad for one. She was right. If you buy three kinds of
greens, a carton of small tomatoes, an onion, etc., you are bound to have
things leftover that you'll either waste or have to find a use for. This is
where bagged salads can help. And you may decide to buy a shallot instead
of an onion.

I buy boxes of cooked hamburger patties from Costco. They are frozen. If
you don't want to do this, you can make your own patties and freeze the
extra. I also did this with things like croquettes, pancakes, muffins, even
casseroles. Some things can be put in freezer bags. Others can be put in
special containers that will work in the freezer. I don't really like to
freeze a lot of things because I don't think that the quality is quite the
same when thawed but it is better than wasting the food.

If carbs are not an issue, you can make a meal from a large baked potato,
adding toppings to it as desired and accompanying it with a small side
salad. I don't eat a lot of meat myself. Meat was one thing that I did
find difficult to do for one. Sure you can go to the butcher counter and
buy one chicken breast or a steak but if you want a pot roast, you'll have a
lot of meat. So I would add something to my salad that contained protein.
Like egg, cheese or nuts.

I also ate a lot of stuffed tomatoes. Take a large tomato and cut it all
around from top to almost the bottom. Spread out the petals like a flower.
Fill with a meat salad or cottage cheese. You can have crackers or a roll
on the side if you need more carbs.

You've seen me mention the bean tacos and burritos. Very simple to make. I
used to make my beans from scratch but lately I've been getting super good
deals on canned, both whole beans and refried.

Hummus wraps are another thing you can do for one. I get the Pita (flat,
not pocket) bread at Costco and unlike some other breads, it is fine in the
freezer because I microwave it slightly to warm. Put it on a piece of foil
that is slightly larger than the bread. Spread with hummus, either purchased
or homemade. Top with small tomato slices, white onion and cucumber. Roll
it up, allowing one end to stick out of the foil a bit. Secure the foil
around it. I like a few olives on the side but a small Greek salad is good
with this too.

Another thing I used to eat was half a cantaloupe with cottage cheese and
perhaps some berries or other fruits.

If you want pizza, you can make it using English Muffins as a base and extra
of those will keep in the freezer as well. You can also top them with a
tomato slice and cheese, and if you want go a step further and put some tuna
salad on it. Broil until the cheese melts.

Nachos! I do have to watch my carbs there so I literally count out the
amount of chips that I use. Carefully arrange on a plate then top with
dollops of refried beans, leftover cooked chicken or taco type meat (this
also keeps well in the freezer), chopped tomatoes, green onion and cheese.
I like black olives on this but I don't like mine cooked so I nuke it until
the cheese is melted. Then I add the olives. You can put gauc. and sour
cream on top if you want.

My friend takes a different approach to meals. Unlike me, she hates to cook.
So many of her meals are cereal, yogurt, sandwiches, fruit and raw
vegetables like baby carrots.

You'll find that you will have to adjust what you eat somewhat. Save things
like a big batch of ravioli for those times when you are having company
over. Otherwise you'll have a lot for the freezer. Actually when I was
single, I was working so I would often make things and take them to work.
Baking type stuff especially. I might want to make a cake but I would never
eat the cake. So I took it to work.

But then after I married, I was alone for perhaps 3 months at a time when my
husband was out to sea so I had to not only adapt for one but adapt to new
foods as we had moved to Cape Cod and I was not familiar with many of the
brands. And I couldn't get the Mexican foods I was familiar with.

Even now I often cook for one, three times in a day because there are three
of us and we tend not to eat all of the same things but... I can at least
sometimes use the same ingredients in some way so that does help.

Very sorry for your loss.