im looking for ideas for people who live alone????

www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutriti
on
_articles.asp?id=822

SP article about cooking for one.

Adding to the subject of homemade soups, cooked up in the pressure cooker. Seriously, the recipes I've made in my 6 qt pressure cooker usually are divided into 4 large servings (meaning that I'm eating the soup as a main course.)
I made up a batch of soup, the other day, and gave half to my neighbor. She hadn't said anything about it for a few days (so I assumed they might not have liked it.) Then she sent a text saying how much they enjoyed it. Guess I should quiet the negative speak going on in my head!

Favorite tip for a bowl of creamed tomato soup: serve with a few croutons, instead of crackers.

To add to what I said about dividing soup recipes in half....., as many serving sized containers one has, the better. If I'm able to divide soups into serving sizes (for the freezer), less goes to waste.

I've also just read something about salads in a jar. Making salads ahead of time, layers in a canning jar. They're ready to "go", all except the last layer (that you will add the day of.) Will research this further, to find a good source of recipe ideas. Think outside the box. There were veggie layers, noodle layers, bean layers, rice/guinoa (?) layers, .....

I love homemade soups, but am the only one who eats them. I've been trying pressure cooker soup recipes. Right away, I'll put half of the soup in a container for freezer and one for the fridge. This works really well to divide it up like that.

Do you find that you like to cook in small batches, or do you like to fix full recipes and freeze in serving sized portions? For years, I never fixed chili b/c I was the only one in my family who liked it. I finally decided that I would fix a pot of chili, anyway, so I wouldn't be missing out. I've found containers that hold 1 or 2 cup servings to freeze all my chili "leftovers". I've done this with other types of soups, as well.

2 qt Crock:
3-4 slices of spiral sliced ham, cut up (I used leftovers)
1 can of cream of celery soup, undiluted
16 oz pkg of frozen broccoli & cheese (instead of cooking it in the microwave, I just added it to the Crock.

Set Crock on High for the first hour, then low for remainder. It can be done as soon as 3-4 hours.

Not a slow cooker recipe, but something I whipped up in a hurry. Got a pkg from the grocery bakery of dinner rolls (the kind that are connected.) On a cookie sheet, I sliced all in half. Spread a lil butter on, sprinkled a tiny bit of shredded cheddar, added 2 kinds of deli meat (sliced small enough to fit on top of each tiny sandwich.) Popped in a 350 oven (leaving them all open, like open faced sandwiches) and putting a loose piece of foil over the top. They're only in there a few minutes. Take the foil off at the end just so the meats can warm up enough. Once they're out of the oven, I cut around each roll so I could assembly them into sandwich sliders.
This would go in the kid-friendly section as well. It's a quick thing to make and I've never heard one complaint.

The NO SALT CHILI POTATO TOPPING recipe I just posted in the meat section, is a small recipe and could be used for 1 or 2 ppl. It only filled half of my 3 1/2 qt slow cooker (would've fit into a 2 qt with NO problem at all.)

What I do for the two of us is to fix a full recipe of something and put half of it in the freezer for another meal. If it were to be for one person, you could split it in thirds and freeze 2/3 of it = 2 extra meals in the freezer. I'm always about making things simpler.

Could also try meals in baking pans with sides similar to cookie sheets, easy to make and cook for one person on these. There are internet recipes for this.

I cooked up a half recipe of Boston Baked Beans in my 2 qt slow cooker. For the meat, I had 4 oz of Proscuitto (sp??), cut up. The original recipe came with my 3.5 qt Crock & has always been a favorite. We were invited to a cook out and I didn't have enough beans for a full recipe. I using the smaller crocks.

Reviving this thread b/c it's a good topic.

I sometimes use the smaller slow cookers. I have a 1 1/2 qt and a 2 qt. Sometimes, I will use about a lb of beef (like round steak), one of those small bags of baby potatoes, and toss in some baby carrots. Adding chopped onion is good, too. I will use an envelope of gravy mix with water, or a pkt of onion soup mix & water to cover. OR I will use a can of cream soup, instead of the dry packets. Setting slow cooker on high for 4 hrs is usually enough time.

Getting cookbooks from the library is a good idea!

Whenever I fix a full sized recipe for just the 2 of us, I will automatically freeze half of the meal for a future time. OR, if I'm fixing a pot of chili or soup, I will freeze it in serving sized containers. For years, I never made myself chili (b/c I was the only one in our home that liked it.) I later decided that that wasn't a good enough reason for me never to fix myself chili.

Edited by: MONDAYLINS at: 5/31/2019 (21:23)

One of the things you can do is utilize an oven-safe bowl (rectangular, oval or round depending on your crockpot's shape) and cook your food inside there. Often folks will add some water but not ever over half way up the side of your smaller container please. This assists in cooking evenly, but you might have to extend the cooking time a little.

Anybody familiar with baking cheesecake will recognize cooking in a "water bath" as a valid technique. It even works well with crocked steel cut oatmeal. Go figure, eh?

If you live alone, grab a crockpot, take out cookbooks from your local library and then become a freelance writer! You will be fed, never bored and have possible income.

Yes?

I too use the smaller freezer bags and the containers for my next day leftovers.

Get the freezer bags and freeze individual portions of your leftovers. Hope this helps!

You might look into the smaller crockpots. That way you can cook smaller recipes.

Try not to limit youself to singl person recipes. Most can be adjusted to two people and the second serving used the next day.

Mexican turkey meatloaf turned out great in the muffin tins. Perfect portion control and great for left overs to take to work the next day.

There is a recipe on Sparkpeople for Mexican Turkey meatloaf. I made it a couple years ago and the family loved it so I am going to try and make those in the muffin pans tonight as well. Great for portion control.

I had a friend tell me that because meat loaf takes to long to make what she does is makes hers in muffin pans. She said they are done in 20 - 30 minutes and you can freeze them as well. Thought I would share the idea!

What a good idea abt cooking chicken with salsa; I will try this and I usually put a jar of salsa in my home made soups. That is usually the only thing with salt in it and it works very well for my low sodium meals.

I got a copy of Cynthia Graubart's "Slow Cooking for Two" that might interest you. She has some interesting techniques for using crock pot liners to cook two (or more) meals in one session...

Tomorrow night I am making chicken and salsa in the crock pot. Take a few chicken breast and cook with salsa when done shread it and make chicken taco's. You could freeze 1/2 the chicken and use over a mexican salad or make sandwiches with. All kinds of things you would do with it. Put it in a wrap, etc. I normally just cook one package of 3 boneless skinless breast with a jar of salsa. Easy to make!

My husband and I use the crock to make meals just like we did when the children were home, we eat that night then freeze the left overs for following weeks, it cuts down on the grocery bill and on our cooking time.

Something else that I do is purchase two chicken breasts and I cook them in the oven at 400 degrees for an hour. Then I let them cool down, cut them into medallions or cubes and divide those into the little containers. Then I have chicken ready for chicken salad (cause I also boil 1 dozen of eggs at a time and keep them in the frig ready for whatever I need them for)...or a salad with chicken....or spaghetti with chicken (like chicken parmesan, sprinkle it with a little cheese) or chicken medallions with a baked potato topped with broccoli and whatever else is good to throw on there....or a quick chicken wrap or burrito or taco.

Here's something that I've just started doing, and it really comes in handy. I cook a pound of ground turkey or hamburger meat and then divide it into 1 or 2 ounce servings in containers. Then I buy the Heart Healthy spaghetti sauce and do the same. They get thrown in the freezer, or one set of that goes into the fridge.

When I'm in for something quick, I grab my pasta (sometimes spaghetti, sometimes rotini or penne) and cook 1 serving of that. While the pasta is boiling, I throw the meat and the sauce in the microwave or heat them together in the stove and BAM (as Emeril would say)....dinner is served!

I make soups and put 2 cup servings in the freezer. A cup of soup goes really good with a sandwich or salad. When I dont know what I want I look in the freezer and can usually find something that hits the spots.

Lots of good ideas and techniques here, not just for crockpots or singles. http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/o
ne-afternoon-cooking-for-many-healthy-
meals.aspx?newsletter=1&utm_content=05
.27.13+RFSF&utm_campaign=2013+RFSR&utm
_source=iPost&utm_medium=email#axzz2UWwyK2gQ

For me, there is nothing better than a Salmon Steak (4 ounces) and a good Salad with a lite dressing (I like, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice)....super yummy.

I do the really easy thing and it works great. Onions, carrots, celery with a little vegetable broth poured over it, put a small piece of browned tenderloin pork on top and set it for 9 or 10 hrs. and go to work! Great left-overs!

Keep in touch and send me any great recipes you find XO

thanks for the great idea xox

Try googling under "crockpot recipes for two or recipes for one" I always use Google when I'm stuck.
Hope it helps
Jude

please help