Although I have been by myself for quite a while, I find it difficult
to shop and cook for just me. I waste so much food and that bothers me.
I shop at Mollie Stone's, Safeway and Trader Joe's here on the SF
Peninsula....also Costco. If anyone has advice for me I will be forever
grateful.
TIA and Happy Valentine's Day,
Ellie

wrote:

> Although I have been by myself for quite a while, I find it difficult
> to shop and cook for just me. I waste so much food and that bothers me.
> I shop at Mollie Stone's, Safeway and Trader Joe's here on the SF
> Peninsula....also Costco. If anyone has advice for me I will be forever
> grateful.
> TIA and Happy Valentine's Day,
> Ellie
>
Do you own a freezer? If so, is it big enough to freeeze already cooked
meals?

Before I was married, I usually didn't worry about cooking for one,
unless it was something that did not freeze or reheat well. I
eventually got into OAMC (Once a month cooking), to prepare meals for
lunch at work and any other times I didn't feel like cooking or
spending too much to go out. I would spend an entire day in the kitchen
about once a month. I'd cook several LARGE meals, then put them up in
single-serving microwave dishes. Usual candidates were pot roast w/o
the veggies, chili, a bacon-mushroom-swiss meatloaf, spaghetti & meat
sauce, soups, enchiladas, etc. When I'd fire up the grill, I'd also
cook extras there too; chicken, fajitas, brisket, ribs. Just be sure to
watch for things that don't freeze well; potatoes, cream sauces, some
veggies, etc. Google for OAMC, and there is a Yahoo group dedicated to
it as well for more info. Those in the Yahoo group are into it in a big
way, freeezing eggs, and everything else.

Dodis

wrote:
> Although I have been by myself for quite a while, I find it difficult
> to shop and cook for just me. I waste so much food and that bothers me.
> I shop at Mollie Stone's, Safeway and Trader Joe's here on the SF
> Peninsula....also Costco. If anyone has advice for me I will be forever
> grateful.
> TIA and Happy Valentine's Day,
> Ellie

It's taken me quite a while to figure out how to cook just for myself,
but I think I've finally gotten it down. When I first started living
on my own I found that my two biggest problems were cooking too much
meat and letting produce go to waste.

I started separating and storing fish and chicken in individual serving
sizes, rather than freezing them in their original packaging. As soon
as I got home from the store I'd place each chicken breast or salmon
filet or whatnot in its own wrapping and stack them all in the freezer,
so when it came time for dinner I could take out just enough for one
meal and not have to defrost and cook an entire package. (I am *not* a
big fan of leftovers, which often languished in the fridge for a week
or two before being tossed.)

For the second problem, I just had to think a little differently. Some
vegetables I eat all the time and it's worth buying them in large
amounts (I've never in three years on my own had to throw away old
broccoli or a rotten onion) but others I use in very small amounts for
just a few recipes. Sometimes I wanted to make, say, a stir-fry but I
didn't want to go to the store to buy a whole pound of carrots when
half of them would end up going bad before I could use them up.
Eventually I learned that I could save money and waste by going to a
salad bar. I could buy one stir-fry's worth of carrots, peppers, and
mushrooms for little over a dollar -- probably more than it would cost
if I bought in bulk, but considering the cost of all the food that
would go to waste, it's definitely a sound economic choice for me.

wrote:
..
> TIA and Happy Valentine's Day,
> Ellie

Eat out!

I like the portions they give me

wrote:

> Although I have been by myself for quite a while, I find it difficult
> to shop and cook for just me. I waste so much food and that bothers me.
> I shop at Mollie Stone's, Safeway and Trader Joe's here on the SF
> Peninsula....also Costco. If anyone has advice for me I will be forever
> grateful.
> TIA and Happy Valentine's Day,

You might be well advised to buy a Food Saver and vacuum leftovers, either
to reheat within a day or tow or to freeze for later. You can also use it to
freeze meats into serving size portions. Most grocery stores sell meat in
portions too large for a single person. Go to a good butcher and buy meat in
single portions. There is no need to go to places like Costco where they
sell in huge
quantities.

Rather than buying an assortment of fruits or vegetables just get one or two
things and eat them until they are gone, then go and get something else.

wrote:

>
> Although I have been by myself for quite a while, I find it difficult
> to shop and cook for just me. I waste so much food and that bothers
> me. I shop at Mollie Stone's, Safeway and Trader Joe's here on the SF
> Peninsula....also Costco. If anyone has advice for me I will be
> forever grateful.

One of the tricks I use is to pack part of the meal in a container for
bringing in my lunch later in the week.



Brian

--
If televison's a babysitter, the Internet is a drunk librarian who
won't shut up.
-- Dorothy Gambrell (http://catandgirl.com)

wrote:
> Although I have been by myself for quite a while, I find it difficult
> to shop and cook for just me. I waste so much food and that bothers me.
> I shop at Mollie Stone's, Safeway and Trader Joe's here on the SF
> Peninsula....also Costco. If anyone has advice for me I will be forever
> grateful.

Buy and cook smaller portions. Or, cook for two and eat it twice.
What's hard about that? Granted, roasts and pot roasts and
braises/stews may most conveniently be made in larger quantities which
will then need to be frozen, but that still leaves a lot that can be
sized appropriately. Chops, steaks, chicken pieces. Certainly veggies
and salads.

Maybe if you were more specific about how you waste food you'd get
better advice. -aem

"Default User" > wrote in message
...
> wrote:
>
>>
>> Although I have been by myself for quite a while, I find it difficult
>> to shop and cook for just me. I waste so much food and that bothers
>> me. I shop at Mollie Stone's, Safeway and Trader Joe's here on the SF
>> Peninsula....also Costco. If anyone has advice for me I will be
>> forever grateful.
>
> One of the tricks I use is to pack part of the meal in a container for
> bringing in my lunch later in the week.

> Brian
>
Here's an idea that you've probably already tried. If you like to go out
everyday, shop each day for what you want to eat that day -- tough, huh? No
leftovers, please. I know, you have to have eggs on hand and cereal and
bread and milk and butter that sort of stuff, but since you're have TJ's,
try to buy just for dinner - every day. I see people in Darien, CT, with a
little basket and I can tell they are shopping for just a meal. Costco is a
killer for buying for one.
Dee Dee

aem wrote:

> Buy and cook smaller portions. Or, cook for two and eat it twice.
> What's hard about that? Granted, roasts and pot roasts and
> braises/stews may most conveniently be made in larger quantities which
> will then need to be frozen,

A lot of those dishes actually improve being "left over" and then eaten.
Haven't you ever noticed how leftover stews or soups seem to taste
better than the first time around?
Goomba

In article .com>,
"Rickie Beth" > wrote:

> wrote:
> > Although I have been by myself for quite a while, I find it difficult
> > to shop and cook for just me. I waste so much food and that bothers me.
> > I shop at Mollie Stone's, Safeway and Trader Joe's here on the SF
> > Peninsula....also Costco. If anyone has advice for me I will be forever
> > grateful.
> > TIA and Happy Valentine's Day,
> > Ellie
>
> It's taken me quite a while to figure out how to cook just for myself,
> but I think I've finally gotten it down. When I first started living
> on my own I found that my two biggest problems were cooking too much
> meat and letting produce go to waste.
>
> I started separating and storing fish and chicken in individual serving
> sizes, rather than freezing them in their original packaging. As soon
> as I got home from the store I'd place each chicken breast or salmon
> filet or whatnot in its own wrapping and stack them all in the freezer,
> so when it came time for dinner I could take out just enough for one
> meal and not have to defrost and cook an entire package. (I am *not* a
> big fan of leftovers, which often languished in the fridge for a week
> or two before being tossed.)
>
> For the second problem, I just had to think a little differently. Some
> vegetables I eat all the time and it's worth buying them in large
> amounts (I've never in three years on my own had to throw away old
> broccoli or a rotten onion) but others I use in very small amounts for
> just a few recipes. Sometimes I wanted to make, say, a stir-fry but I
> didn't want to go to the store to buy a whole pound of carrots when
> half of them would end up going bad before I could use them up.
> Eventually I learned that I could save money and waste by going to a
> salad bar. I could buy one stir-fry's worth of carrots, peppers, and
> mushrooms for little over a dollar -- probably more than it would cost
> if I bought in bulk, but considering the cost of all the food that
> would go to waste, it's definitely a sound economic choice for me.
>

Bags of fresh frozen veggies are your freind... :-)
I'm wasting a LOT less produce now that I've started using them again.

I learned a long time ago to freeze individual portions of frozen meats.
I tilia or double bag.

I only cook for two and recently, dad's decided he does not like a lot
of leftovers either and likes more variety, so I've had to re-learn a
few things as well.

Soups freeze well BTW, so does cooked grain.
--
Peace, Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

> wrote in message
...
>
> Although I have been by myself for quite a while, I find it difficult
> to shop and cook for just me. I waste so much food and that bothers
> me.
> I shop at Mollie Stone's, Safeway and Trader Joe's here on the SF
> Peninsula....also Costco. If anyone has advice for me I will be
> forever
> grateful.
> TIA and Happy Valentine's Day,
> Ellie

I often choose what I want to make based on secondary ingredients. If I
have fresh chives, for example, I'll rarely use them all in one recipe,
so I'll look for several that use them. It seems easier to buy smaller
portions of meat / fish than of secondary ingredients (often produce).
Cookbooks with good indexes are always helpful in this regard.

-T

In article >,
wrote:

> Although I have been by myself for quite a while, I find it difficult
> to shop and cook for just me. I waste so much food and that bothers me.
> I shop at Mollie Stone's, Safeway and Trader Joe's here on the SF
> Peninsula....also Costco. If anyone has advice for me I will be forever
> grateful.

Find someone to share it with?


> TIA and Happy Valentine's Day,


Best wishes to you.

--
Dan Abel

Petaluma, California, USA