Tips on cooking for one after a lifetime of cooking for four.

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I am recently separated and live alone now after living with my ex and our DC. DC are now at uni so most of the time I am on my own. The trouble is I'm still cooking for a family of four! I'm wasting so much food and it's costing me a lot. I try so hard not to but I'm used to cooking a family meal each night so I still plan to cook each night but in reality i end up just having a snack or sandwich quite often because I can't be bothered to cook or I'm not really hungry. However, I do want to eat better because I am watching my weight.

Does anyone have any good tips for or recipe book recommendations for someone living alone, please?

And, an airfryer is good for a single person as you can easily cook and reheat things in there, I use mine most days.

Cook food that will freeze, so what you usually make becomes batch cooking. This works for ragout, chilli, curries, casseroles, chicken traybakes.

Go for simple food - an omlette and salad; a single portion of pasta with mashed avocado, sliced sundried tomatoes and garlic fried in the tomato oil, with a sprinkle of chilli flakes and squeeze of lemon.

Cook things you can make different the next day. Eg roast or poach two salmon fillets. Have one on day 1 with steamed rice and broccoli, have the second in a stir fry with soy, spring onions, edamame, choi and noodles, or with pasta, peas and herby low fat cream cheese as a sauce. Or cook two chicken breasts. Day 1, in a wholemeal wrap with salad, smoky paprika stirred into mayo or yoghurt to make a dressing, day 2 with pesto gnocchi or tossedin a pan with yoghurt and curry spices, served with rice.

If you know you can't always be bothered, buy some ready cooked pouches of smoky beans in tomato sauce, or lentils or steamed rice etc. They taste freshly cooked but have a longish shelf life. Better than just having a sandwich every day. Or get a couple of healthy ready meals - lower fat curries (Waitrose are very good); ready made falafel with a nice humous, salad and pita.

Thank you everyone - some great tips here. Much appreciated.

I would cook for 4, eat one, freeze 3. Continue until you have a good selection, then no cooking or shopping required for a good while. I suspect you're in a habit with shopping too - try shopping less so you use up the frozen portions.
Also - invite friends over so you can still have lovely shared meals.
Or, gift neighbours the odd meal. It sounds odd, but elderly people, busy parents, other single people.
Or save the extras for when your kids are home.
You will adjust.

One the advantages of cooking for one is that you can eat literally anything you want and you don't need to slave away cooking elaborate meals anymore (unless you enjoy it). I rarely cook a proper meal now, 20 mins is the max I would spend making dinner.

Often much less!

If I do cook something like spag bol, I will cook at least 8 portions and just freeze it for an easy meal later on.

Get an air fryer ASAP.

cook for four and freeze the rest

I’ve been through a similar situation and found it very hard to adjust.

I’ve continued to batch cook some stuff, especially things in the slow cooker…bolognaise etc… freeze it flat in bags… however I’m pretty sick of cooking now.

My diet consists of a lot of veg soups in the winter, rice cakes, salad stuff, ready cooked chicken which is great in the air fryer, fish portions, prawns, eggs and rice.

My recent discovery is that you can freeze hummus. That’s been a game changer for me.

My family (esp EXH) didn’t like vegetables much, so I do major on those in my diet.