by compound complex 41 Replies latest jw friends
I make most of my meals.
I've been married for 35 years. She used to cook. Now I work midnights she works days.
Before I go to work I have a bowl of cereal with blackberries, rasins, an apple and a bannana. That gives me my fruit and fiber.
For lunch I have rice and beans with some chicken.
At work I'll have a tv dinner.
If I want a steak I'll go to out back on the weekend.
I hate to cook. I've always done it, when I was single and now that I'm married with children. When single, I cooked on Sunday and then portioned out and refrigerated/froze enough meals to get me through the week. That way, I only had to cook once a week.
Actually, it's not the cooking I hate, it's the cleaning up afterward.
In an attempt to eat healthfully, I subscribed to Leanne Ely's "Saving Dinner" menu mailer. You get to choose the kind of menus you like, such as low-carb, vegetarian, etc., and then you get a menu and a grocery list every week via email. They offer menus for two or for a family. I've culled the recipes I like best and use them over and over. What I do like is that she uses the fruits and vegetables that are in season for maximum flavor.
I must admit, before Menu Mailer, I'd never eaten rutabagas. Now, we like them so much that we have them once a week.
This kind of healthy eating did not go over well with the kids at first but now they like it and protest when I give them fast food. Recently I was hospitalized and bought a bunch of frozen stuff they could prepare quickly. They hated it!
Oh, one more tip. There is a series of cookbooks I really like called Fix It and Forget It. It's crock-pot cooking. Lots of good recipes. I cook dinner in the crockpot at least twice a week and it's so nice to know that, by 10 a.m., I don't have to think about dinner anymore that day.
Okay, I lied, another tip. I buy hamburger and then cook it all. I can put nine pounds of hamburger in my crock-pot and cook it. Then I separate it into 1# bags and freeze it. It's nice to make spaghetti and already have the meat cooked. Makes for a quick meal prep.
Plus, I cook a big batch of steel-cut oats in the crockpot and then refrigerate it so that in the mornings we can each just heat up a bowl of oatmeal. Add some walnuts and apple slices, pour a little milk over it, and you're good to go.
I make a big pot of vegetable soup every Sunday in the crockpot and then portion it out for lunches for the week. Lunch is always the same: 2 oz. turkey breast with one slice of mozzarella cheese on ww bread; 1 c. veggie soup; a piece of fruit. The kids prefer celery sticks and carrot sticks to the soup.
Looks like I could go on and on, so I'll stop.
I make most of my meals.
Jag:
Your gustatorial itinerary proves very helpful to me ... thanks!
I buy hamburger and then cook it all.
it's not the cooking I hate, it's the cleaning up afterward.
Looks like I could go on and on, so I'll stop.
StAnn:
Me too.
Likewise, I'm sure ...
Please - MORE!
Gratefully,
CoCo Chief Chef
Good day Captain!
I cook for the masses. When I read this topic I realized that I am single now.....weird.....kind of like it just struck me as reality.
Yes is the answer, and no. I can cook if I want to, but don't have to, so that is wonderful. I have learned to snack healthy, but cook occasionally to supply left overs to warm up.
wings (love to cook)
I am single now.....weird.....kind of like it just struck me as reality.
Wings:
Amen to that ... reality!
I used to be Mr. Mom; the empty nest hit me very hard as I love to take care of people. So now I simply apply my modest little talent to friends who like me enough to call me family. The new reality.
Food is a focal point of love and camaraderie - yes?
Thank you, dear wings!
CoCo de la Cuisine
I cooked for myself when I was single, which was no biggie. When I was a single dad with a little one wandering around, cooking was more of a challenge. Now that I'm married, I still do a lot of the cooking. The trick to cooking when single or as a single parent is to prepare ahead. When you shop, buy everything you need for the week. Buy stuff you're actually going to make into a meal; just don't buy a bunch of unrelated items just because they're on sale. I would typically cook a couple of meals on Sunday and then store them in the fridge. That way I would have them ready if I couldn't cook. Preparing sauces, soups and stews in advance and freezing them is a good idea. I still do this with home-made marinara sauce. I make about a gallon at a time and freeze it in quart containers.
My best advice to single people who want to cook something edible is to buy the Betty Crocker Big Red Cookbook. Forget all about Emeril and Rachael Ray.... First of all, the food just plain sucks. Second, if you're going to cook any of the crap in their books, you'll need an unlimited expense account, a passport and a sherpa to locate all of the exotic ingredients required to churn out a trendy meal that even your dog won't eat. The Big Red Cookbook allows you to cook good food that normal people want to eat using normal readily available ingredients. My Big Red Cookbook looks like it's been to hell and back because I've used it so much. My wife has purchased many of the trendy popular cookbooks only to give up on them and default to the ol' reliable Betty Crocker book.
CoCo, you're welcome to come to my house! I need a little TLC. And I doubt my nest will ever be empty. I keep telling my husband that what I need is a wife as good as his, LOL!
Case in point: earlier today my youngest child (profound MR/DD) decided he didn't want to get up and go to the bathroom because he didn't want to interrupt his television viewing. So, he went #2 in his underwear. I sent him upstairs to await a bath. While I disinfected his wheelchair, he went into his bedroom and sat on his bed, making it filthy. I bathed him, cleaned the bathroom, stripped/soaked/washed his bedding and told him he'd NEVER watch TV again, if he's that lazy.
Older child, also profound MR/DD and autistic, found the wipes fascinating. I went down to the basement to get the bedding soaking. Came back up and discovered older child had taken a bottle of shampoo and poured it into the wipes container, rendering the wipes useless, and then poured the rest of the shampoo into the bathtub and smeared it around. He then took a picture book, took the pages out, and rested them gently on top of the shampoo so they're pseudo-floating in the tub. He thinks it's pretty. And he NEVER stops moving. A very curious child.
So, CoCo, cherish your empty nest! Cooking for one sounds very appealing right now.
BTW, my husband wants fried chicken for supper and I'm trying to use up the veggies in my fridge. So, I'm baking the spaghetti squash. I'm going to serve spaghetti squash with fried chicken breasts on top, covered in shredded mozzarella cheese and spaghetti sauce. A big salad and we're done.
StAnn
My Big Red Cookbook looks like it's been to hell and back because I've used it so much.
Dortacular:
You can always count on Betty ... the oldies truly are the best as they stand the test of time. Her look (hairdo, etc.) has been updated, I recall.
So, CoCo, cherish your empty nest! Cooking for one sounds very appealing right now.
StAnn:
So good of you to return. Thanks for the above. I'm well into reality, my 7th year into singledom and 12 years w/o the patter of "little feet." Of course, there are moments - mere moments - when I wax nostalgic.
Do you have your hands full or WHAT? You could become canonized in our lifetime because of deeds above and beyond the call of duty ...
You must be extremely resilient (and patient).
Thanks!
CoCo
I'm alone too. Cooking is variable for me. There are things I cook in bathes - anywhere from leftovers for 1 day or for a month or more.
Stir-frys last a day or two. (three meals) And I have a few diffeerent types of stirfrys so it doesn't get boring.
I have a crockpot so that is often used for ribs. That too will make 3-4 meals.
I love pasta. I have a huge pot that I put 6 cans of diced tomatoes in along with mushrooms, onions, peppers, sausage or chicken or meatballs and spices that simmers on the stove all day. I package this up in baggies and freeze them (about 10 bags). Each bag will have enough for two meals. Nuke what's in the bag and the hard part is cooking the pasta.
There are days when a frozen dinner gets used. I have my favorites so dinner can be quick and easy
And there are times for a slice of Soppresata, cheese and grapes make a great meal
It really depends on my mood.
And I too just cleared off my table so I now have a place to sit and eat - - away from the computer --- ok so it is only three feet away from the computer but it is a change
It really depends on my mood.
to that!
And I too just cleared off my table so I now have a place to sit and eat - - away from the computer --- ok so it is only three feet away from the computer but it is a change
Lady Lee:
Two feet for me! We just can't let it out of our sight! Of course, in my 600 square foot cottage, I have few options - everything must be multi-purpose.
Thanks for all your food-prep suggestions. When you go to the effort of cooking, in the interests of time and energy (your own and the electric or gas), you might as well make the best use of all the components.
Gratefully,
CoCo Conserves
