Recipe ideas For Singletons & Small Families

[wherearthough]

So following on from the inspirational thread about the benefits of being single and not looking ;
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/relationships/4133634-Single-but-not-looking-Share-the-highs-lows?msgid=103672101#103672101

This thread focuses on the meal options and recipe ideas for those living alone or in smaller family units; so do share your ideas whether you be carnivore, vegetarian, pescatarian or vegan

Just batch cook the same stuff bigger families or married couples eat, saves cooking 7 nights a week.

Hi OP, great idea for a thread, but maybe move it to the recipes/cooking board?

I was just talking to DH about this yesterday. He's fond of roast beef but I don't eat it and DS will just have a couple of slices, so, as he isn't keen on eating cold roast beef for a week, it's not on the menu much here.

@Apileofballyhoo now that's a thought will request shortly

Good thread idea!

I live with my adult son, but we have very different dietary needs and tastes, so I usually cook just for myself.

I currently have a HelloFresh box weekly with 3 meals for 2 people (you can't get single portions.) I WFH all the time at the moment, so what I do is cook each meal in time for lunch each day, and either re-heat the second portion for tea, or just make it twice if it's something that won't reheat.

What I'm planning to do going forward though is to use HelloFresh as my inspiration for meal planning (because some of their meals are absolutely amazing and I like to try new things) but buy my own ingredients. This means I can support local farm shops and grocers, know where things come from, swap out things I don't like (e.g. I prefer chicken thighs to breast) and means I don't end up throwing away the things that they send which I don't use (e.g. they usually send rice, which I can't tolerate - I don't actually throw it away, I give it to the foodbank, but it's a bit pointless.)

All that said, I will list some of my favourite things to make.

Stir Fry
Stir frying is so so quick and easy, you really cannot get it wrong unless you wander off and the wok catches fire! I sometimes do just vegetables but I mainly use chicken thighs, diced. Here's an example of what I do.
Chop up about 150g of chicken meat into bite size pieces. Toss them in a bowl with some salt and pepper. Leave to sit for 10 mins while you prep the veg.
Prepare whatever veg you're using. I usually go for bell peppers, sugarsap peas, tenderstem broccoli, baby corn, mangetout, beansprouts, shallot/onion, and mushrooms. Asparagus tips if there's an offer on.
Chop them into whatever size you want. I like to eat with chopsticks so I tend to go bitesize.
Have some grated/minced garlic and ginger (or use the tubes, but I prefer doing my own.) Finely chop a chilli - experiment with what sorts you like, whether to deseed or not, etc. Wash your hands!

In a wok, heat a splash of oil over a medium heat. Add the chicken and stirfry until cooked through, then remove and put to one side on some kitchen roll.

Add more oil if required. Start adding the veg. Densest veg go in first. So broccoli and sugarsnaps. Add salt, pepper, soy sauce. Add the baby corn, peppers and shallot/onion. Keep frying for a few minutes. Add the chilli, garlic and ginger. Add more soy and salt and pepper. I also add a sprinkle of granulated sweetener.

Finally add the chicken back in along with the mushrooms and mangetout. Cook for another 2-3 mins until all the textures feel right. Serve with some fresh spring onions on top.

I can't tolerate many carbs so I usually just have it like this, but you could do some rice or noodles with it.

Balsamic chicken with tomatoes
This is seriously amazing and really quick.

Start by making dressing.
60ml balsamic vinegar (I get the Aldi one, it's really good for the price)
30ml (2 tbsps) olive oil
1 tbsp your favourite mustard
1 tbsp either Hendersons Relish, or if you're unlucky enough to not live in Yorkshire, Worcester sauce
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or minced
1 tbsp honey
Salt and pepper

Just stir them all together and put to one side in a bowl.

Get some cherry tomatoes and halve them, as many as you like. I would usually use about half a punnet.
Chop up the amount of chicken you want - for me one breast or one large thigh fillet.
Any other veg you want - I go for tenderstem broccoli and asparagus. Chop them to the size you prefer.

Make up a very strong portion of chicken stock. I would go something like 200ml boiling water and use one whole Knorr or Oxo chicken stock pot (you know the jelly-like ones, not the dry powder or granules.)

Head a splash of oil in a heavy bottomed frying pan over a medium heat and add the chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Fry for about 3-4 mins until lightly browned. Remove and put on kitchen towel to drain.

Add a bit more oil to the pan if needed and add in the veg. Stir fry for about 5 mins until tender enough to bite through easily. Add the chicken back in and add half the dressing into the pan along with the stock. Let it simmer down and thicken for about 5 mins.

Serve with the rest of the dressing on top. I eat this on its own but you could have crusty bread, rice, or maybe potato wedges if you want some carbs.

Not a recipe, but how much freezer space do you have? I bought a small chest freezer when it was just me and 1 DC. It meant I could make a family meal, eat 1 and freeze 2 portions as DC didn't eat an adult portion. I could make and freeze a vat of soup in portions. Buy things like frozen sausages so I can just cook as many as I need. I also bought packs of chicken breasts, poached them and cut them up before freezing so I could just add a handful to a sauce or dish. I froze milk in ice cube trays as it thaws faster! ,freezer is a single girl's best friend

Healthy bolognese sauce
Although I don't eat much pasta, I tend to batch cook this, eat one portion (either with a bit of GF pasta or on a baked potato) and freeze the rest. Tastes just as good re-heated.

A pack of mince - I like to try to get the leanest, best mince I can. Aldi is my friend in this.
One whole onion, preferably a brown one, preferably organic, finely chopped
A whole tin (400g) of chopped tomatoes
Tomato puree
Garlic cloves (I like a lot but 1 clove if you don't) - minced or finely chopped
Beef stock of some kind - an Oxo cube is my go to
Henderson's Relish or Worcester
Pinch of oregano, pinch of dried basil, salt and pepper

Pre-heat your oven to 150c

Start cooking the mince over a medium-low heat in a large frying pan with a splash of oil, breaking it apart with a wooden spatula as you go. Add salt and pepper. Once it's started to colour, add the onion and cook until it's started to soften.

Move the mince and onion to one side and add 1 tbsp of tomato puree to the pan. Let it cook off for 30 seconds before mixing it through the mince. Add the minced garlic and herbs and stir through. Crumble the oxo cube into the pan and mix. Add 2tbsp of Hendos or Worcester sauce.

Finally add the chopped tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Cook through for 5 mins on the hob, then transfer to an oven proof dish and whack it in for about an hour.

The oven cooking does add a lot of time to this, which is why I batch cook it, but it's really worth it as it brings a much richer flavour.

Low carb Tortilla "Pizza"

This is incredibly quick and makes a great light meal if you're cutting carbs or can't tolerate them.

Heat your oven to about 200c, 180c fan.

Get a tortilla that suits you (GF, wholemeal, whatever) and lay it on a baking tray.

Spread a base on there - I usually use Pizza Express brand passata, then use the rest in something else. Keeps in the fridge for about a week. But if you're stuck, I have in the past just used tomato puree, or even just barbecue sauce! Spread a thin coat all over the tortilla.

Add your chosen cheese on top. I usually go really lazy and buy pre-grated mozzarella but you can use anything.

Add your other toppings, whatever you fancy. However I'd suggest if you want peppers and mushrooms that you cook them separately in a pan and add them once the "pizza" has cooked - with a tortilla base, the moisture in them can leak through and make the base soggy. If you want onions, those are also best pre-cooked or cooked separately as sliced onion simply won't cook in the oven in time.

Sling it in the oven for about 6-8 minutes.

If you want to do some of the veg in a pan, just chop up and fry with a small amount of oil or Frylight, you could also add minced garlic to the pan, especially with mushrooms!

I usually eat this with a salad.

Some great ideas already so thankyou and I also hope this reduces food waste!

Just came across this in the guardian for vegan inspiration.

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/jan/15/19-brilliant-vegan-recipes-from-orange-poppy-seed-cake-to-smoked-salmon

One thing that really encourages me to cook proper meals for myself is having veg on hand that I REALLY like. Such as tenderstem broccoli, asparagus, sugarsnaps, etc. When I open the fridge and see them, it motivates me to make something there and then. If I open the fridge and just see potatoes, carrots and bog-standard broccoli, then I think "Ah fuck it, I'll just have cheese and crackers."

I spend more on fresh produce than any other part of my shop, but I do shop around, and I don't spend money on alcohol, tobacco, chocolate or expensive toiletries, so I don't begrudge it. I know I eat a TON of veg and I believe my generally excellent health is a result of this.

I have plenty of others if anyone wants!

Do you use the veg in soups @EvenMoreFuriousVexation? And if so what's your favourite blend?

I’m the only one in the household who considers a salad a meal (particularly in winter, can sometimes get away with it in summer!) I used to struggle with wastage so had to change what I bought to make to last.
Out with pre chopped bags of leaves and in little gems. I used carrots peeled into ribbons because they last for ever. Lots of roasted onions and butternut squash (I buy the chopped and frozen butternut squash from Sainsbury’s. Frozen sweetcorn. Celery lasts pretty well, I also diced apple and pickled veg because again no wasteage.

@wherearthough

Do you use the veg in soups *@EvenMoreFuriousVexation*? And if so what's your favourite blend?

I do a really nice butternut squash soup, but I don't put green veg into soup because cooking it down for that long usually means you're missing out on a lot of the nutrients.

That said I'm on the hunt for a good spinach soup recipe but yet to find one!

Here's my Butternut Squash Soup - can be vegan

1 butternut squash (you could also use other seasonal squash)
1 large brown onion
1 sweet potato
2 white potatoes (or 1 really large one)
2 large carrots
2 sticks celery
Handful of mushrooms (optional)
Chicken or beef stock cube/pot, or vegan alternative
Butter or olive oil
Hendos 😆or Worcester sauce or its vegan alternative
Fresh thyme if you can get it, otherwise dried
Bay leaf

Start by peeling and chopping the butternut squash. I get my son to peel it and top and tail it for me, but if he's not around then I put a large pot of water on to boil and submerge the squash for 5 mins, then drain it and leave in cold water, and peel once cool. Much easier to peel like this.

Peel and chop all of the other veg, you can just chop roughly as you'll be blending it down.

In a large pan, heat the oil and/or butter over a medium heat, then add the onion. Cook until softened, about 3-4 mins. Add the carrot, squash and potatoes and season with salt and pepper and the thyme. Cook down for about 5 mins.

Add the celery and mushrooms and cook for another 2 mins.

Add the stock pot/cubes and enough boiling water to just cover all the veg. Add Hendos to taste (about 1 tbsp for me) Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to minimum.

Add the bayleaf and then leave to simmer for about 30 minutes, checking periodically to ensure it's not sticking - add more water if it is.

After 30 mins, have a taste and add more salt, pepper, hendos or whatever.

Use a stick blender to blend down to the consistency you like. (Fish the bayleaf out first!)

This is another one which freezes really well. My son loves this with some fresh bread. Really warming in winter and very cheap to make.

One thing I’m always on the hunt for is dishes that taste really different but use similar ingredients. So if you buy fresh ingredients you don’t let them go to waste. For example I might make a curry with cauliflower and then a cauliflower cheese and use the rest to make cauliflower rice to have with a stir fry.

I mainly cook from scratch, but recently discovered Thai curry paste kits. Blue dragon do them (red, green, massaman etc), but the aldi ones are only £1.49 and each pack is designed for 2 people. I always make up 2 kits anyways, because we either have it the next day or freeze any leftovers. Delicous and you can use a combination of meat/veg, prawns or just veg.

Thank you @wherearthough

Hi everyone

I'll read through the thread. Today I resorted to using up food in my freezer, then I've got a Tesco order being delivered Monday, so I'll plan my meals for next week before then. I'm on a tight budget.

Placemarking from the original thread. Cheers for the input and tips. X

It took me ages to work out the easiest way to peel butternut squash so I'm sure your tip will help many @EvenMoreFuriousVexation

BBC good food is a godsend ..here's what we had tonight.

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/ginger-soy-sea-bass-parcels?utm_source=app

With
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/dauphinoise-potatoes?utm_source=app

Cooked in just over an hour!

Tonight I made a stir fry, I used tender stem broccoli, baby corn, sugar snap peas, noodles, soy sauce with a dash of ginger wine. Very lovely!

That sounds lovely @MsKL...for us tonight it's Thai prawn curry, jasmine rice and coconut ice cream.

That sounds lovely too!

What's your favourite meal cooked so far @MsKL?

I've name changed.

My favourite of these so far has been the stir fry. I've gone back to traditional food this week and made a cottage pie and a chilli to freeze in portions. Need some new ideas now