Cooking for one, limited options and low budget!

[user1469989812]

Hi I've recently found my self in a really rubbish predicament. Relationship breakdown so income massively reduced, fridge freezer and cooker all packed in in the space of a few weeks. I've been pretty much living on noodles but am getting a bit fed up of that now. I have a slowcooker, a soup maker, microwave, instant pot and kettle but obviously I have no way of storing leftovers at the moment and would need to shop for fresh ingredients daily.

Any ideas? It's really sad because after the relationship broke down I stopped cooking completely and I've always been a keen cook so would really like to get that little pleasure back.

I just bought 'the ice kitchen' I'm sure if you Google you'll see some decent ideas.

What's the problem with shopping daily? There are so many options these days (Little Waitrose, Tesco Express, Sainsbury's Local, etc) that you don't actually ever really need to do a 'big shop'

I used to make a vegetarian curry in the microwave. Frozen veg and rice, add spices or curry paste, or any flavours that you prefer, add water, cover and zap for 10 mins. Stir and top up water, another 10 minutes.

You could use canned veg instead and just add it halfway through.

Just wanted to say - I've just read your other thread, and I'm really sorry for the situation you're in

Lentils are cheap, easy to cook and a good alternative to meat. One bag for 80p lasts forever.

www.acouplecooks.com/lentil-to-water-ratio/

What food do you like?

Go veggie? Less need for a fridge.
Or buy a drinks fridge (just got one for £35 from amazon)

Ok

Lots of things don't need to be kept in a fridge if you have somewhere cool to store them.

Cheese and butter, most veg etc.

Eggs

Things like pepperami, mattesons sausage, tinned hot dog sausages, Tinned tuna, anchovies, sardines etc if you want a protein hit.

Lots of jacket potatoes, stuff on toast, cous cous (just add boiling water and leave to sit)

The lack of fridge for me would be the biggest issue. Try freecycle and gumtree for a replacement?
Eggs don’t need to be in the fridge, ditto for fruit, veg and bread. Chorizo, hard cheese and similar will be ok for a day or two
M
In the meantime, some ideas:
Microwave scrambled eggs.
Microwave jacket potatoes.
Microwave egg fried rice (google for recipes)
Microwave mug cakes
Two-person portion of dahl or tomato soup - the second portion will keep for lunch or even dinner next day without fridge
Couscous
Salad

The Skint Foodie blog is still up. He’s got good tips and recipes.

www.theskintfoodie.com/blog/archives/08-2013

And there’s always Jack Monroe. cookingonabootstrap.com/

Couscous and chickpea salad www.madeleineolivia.co.uk/blog/quick-couscous-salad

Microwave chilli www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/microwave-chilli

Tuna and avocado salad www.princes.co.uk/recipes/recipe-spring-water-tuna-and-avocado-salad/

Mackerel pitta breads www.princes.co.uk/recipes/recipe-lime-and-chilli-mackerel-sizzle-pittas/

Mackerel chilli rice www.princes.co.uk/recipes/recipe-mackerel-sizzle-tomato-and-smokey-chilli-rice/

I think you need to try your best to get a fridge/freezer asap. When you say the cooker broke, do you mean the hob and oven?

You seem to have enough appliances to make lots of dishes.

Good luck

Hi all, in response to shopping daily. I just don't feel upto it at the moment as I'm really in a bad place mentally. I don't drive and am a bit away from most supermarkets.

Some great ideas so far I'm making myself a little list so thank you.

I'm hoping to sort out a new fridge freezer by the end of the month and then hopefully a cooker the next month. Its the whole cooker, hob and oven.

Jack monroe's tin can cook book might be your friend.

Pop a wanted ad on your local Facebook groups for cooker/fridge/freezer. I sold an under the counter fridge for a tenner the other day. Even if there's nothing advertised a wanted ad might prompt people to say "oh yeah, I've got that i want to get rid of".

I think for now I'd have cans of vegetable soup around, so that you can have make sure you're getting some vegetables into you.

I agree that tinned items will help tide you over until you get a fridge organised.

Things like Baxters Cullen Skink soup are quite substantial, and are quick and easy whilst you're not feeling able to cope with much.

Think about putting things together to make easy but filling meals, a small tin of sweetcorn or peas added to the Cullen Skink, a tin of chickpeas added to a tinned vegetable soup, add noodles to chicken soup, or soup pasta to almost any tinned soup, all will help fill you up.

I also wonder if you can plan your meals around using the same tinned foods up in a day? So maybe...

(Tinned) ham omelette with half a tin of baked beans for breakfast

Ham sandwich for lunch

Bean chilli for dinner (1/2 tin baked beans, 1/2 tin red kidney beans, 1/2 tin tomatoes), chilli powder and any herbs and spices you have that would go with it

Next day you'd have red kidney beans and tomatoes to use up - so maybe that's the basis for a pasta sauce for lunch or dinner.

If you like marmite I suggest you buy a jar of that if you can, the added b vitamins will help your brain and mood and it's an easy long life topping for toast. Real butter is fine out of the fridge in this weather (assuming you're in the uk). So is a tube of tomato puree. So will be an open tin of whatever for 24 hours, just keep it in the coolest place you can find and keep it covered.

www.amazon.co.uk/Goode-One-Shirley/dp/0563213264/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=Shirley+Goode&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1602960218&sr=8-3

Shirley Goodes - meals for one.

I have it. Before Jack Monroe, Shirley was the budget cooking queen.

Also Delia does a cooking for one book as well.