ErinintheOC Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 So I am on day 5, and my biggest issue is that I am tired of eating some of the same meals over and over. I am single and live alone, so I am cooking just for myself. I halfed a few things but still feel like it is either in the fridge going bad or dreading eating it. Does anyone have any good (pork/shellfish free) recipes that will only get a max of two servings? I realize for next week I just need to prep veggies and be ready to cook-up or bake daily. Thanks! Erin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chellie Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 You can bake up chicken pieces in the oven at 400 degrees with salt, pepper, garlic. Put however many you want to cook on a bed of sliced onions and carrots. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the skin gets crispy. Hope that helps! Stir-fries are very easy, too. Just throw your cut up meat into hot olive oil, and cook through. Then use the same pan, start with longer-cooking veg first (onions, carrots, with some ginger and salt). After about 5 min add in the quicker cooking veg like broccoli and red pepper. Throw the meat back in at the end to warm it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kysanne Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Totally with you Erin, I keep finding myself wishing I had a nearby Whole 30 friend I could just pawn some of this stuff off on. I made some stir fry and a butternut squash thing on Sunday, and if my Kill all The Things day 4 arrives as scheduled tomorrow, those are the things I'm going to kill FIRST- so over them right now. Even pre Whole-30 I had problems with this. The grocery providing world just does not seem to believe that there are people who'd prefer smaller food increments. I think going into this week I'll break the meat I buy up into meal size portions immediately (oh good, ANOTHER cooking task, perhaps I shall just move into the kitchen) and freeze it that way (instead of just chucking the whole pound of ground beef or whatever directly into the freezer) and see if I can't get more things from the butcher counter (or an actual butcher) and have them packaged accordingly, so I can start with defrosting only what I need and don't end up cooking for an army. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ShannonM816 Posted January 9, 2014 Moderators Share Posted January 9, 2014 Cook and freeze some of it? I keep meaning to try this, but fear freezer burned stuff, so I end up just eating boring meals. But I did find this blog post from Stuff I Make My Husband that has a month's worth of freezer meals, maybe that could help you get started. I also cook veggies separate from meat, so I can change up the combinations, if that makes sense. I brown ground beef, and then one day it may go on top of some soup, another day it may be on a salad, maybe I pair it with a couple of different veggie sides one day like a typical meat-and-2-veg meal, it could be stir-fried for another meal. I also have roast chicken a lot, and like the beef, add it to different meals, make chicken salad from it, top a salad with it. If you initially cook the meat with just salt and pepper, you can season it with other seasonings as you reheat it, to suit whatever you're wanting for that meal. The things I get most tired of are the things that have a very distinct flavor to them that I can't really change -- for instance I made a cinnamon chicken thing in the crockpot, and it was good, but after a couple of days, I was tired of that flavor, whereas if I make a fairly plain roast chicken, I feel like I have more ways to change it up. Sorry I don't have any actual two-serving recipes, although there must be some out there. Hope you find something that works for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina R Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 So I am on day 5, and my biggest issue is that I am tired of eating some of the same meals over and over. I am single and live alone, so I am cooking just for myself. I halfed a few things but still feel like it is either in the fridge going bad or dreading eating it. Does anyone have any good (pork/shellfish free) recipes that will only get a max of two servings? I realize for next week I just need to prep veggies and be ready to cook-up or bake daily. Thanks! Erin Have you checked out The Clothes Make The Girl blog? She has a weekly cookup where she preps a bunch of different things with minimal spices. Then she mixes and matches them with different sauces or spices to create different meals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delaine Ross Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 I like to get a rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods (check the label - some are not compliant) and eat some chicken for the protein in a meal. I then make some homemade mayo in the Vitamix and pull off the remaining chicken - skin and all - and pour in the juices to make a delicious chicken salad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mchavez Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 The trick for me is prepping basics a mixing the into different dishes throughout the week. A whole chicken goes a long way and can be done in the crockpot while you do other thins, or in thr oven in less than an hour. Pre cut then partially cook different veggies you can then roast, sautee, stirfry or add to curry etc. With whatever meat you have. If you want to vary your meat, how about freezing portions after they are cooked? Not as good as fresh but it works pretty well with roasts. If you make a roast one night, then use the same meat to make something totally different the next night, like asian lettuce wraps or a hash. Change up your spices. If you have mint, for example, you can do thai or greek flavors, cilantro can be asian or mexican. You get the idea! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praxisproject Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 If you decide to freeze anything, try freezing the protein/sauce and veggie portions separately, so you can mix and match if you're sick of something. Having Chicken + Sweet Potato gives you some variation from Chicken + Stir Fry Most recipes do four servings, so freeze half of each one, but in at least two containers, so you don't have to eat anything past one meal. Freezing food is really easy and in small portions, cooking it is easy too. It's the large giant blocks of things that are awkward. You can also cheat with different kinds of frozen veggies, I use them in thai curries (frozen stir fry veggies). I can have curry every meal and get lots of variation by changing the meat, which curry paste, which veggies and whether I use coconut milk or coconut cream. Adding a starchy veggie is an another variation, I like red curry with pumpkin. You can also bake eggs in muffin cups and season each one differently, so they're not all the same. If you'd rather not have eggs, do some mini meatloaf-ish things and have with veggies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktothev Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 I am also single, and I will second/third/fourth the freezing idea. Some things freeze better than others...some of my favorites are any kind of meatballs, the ground beef/spinach muffins from Well Fed, and any other kind of casserole (I have a few servings of Wellfed's shepherds pie in my freezer). This serves two purposes...I don't have to eat something four days in a row, and I always have something in the freezer for those occasional times when I MUST EAT NOW. I also make larger batches of a single protein and use in multiple ways as stated above. I made a 3 pounds chuck roast in a crock pot this week, and have had it as it was originally made (with carrots and onions and a sauce, on mashed cauliflower) and also took some shredded leftover roast, added it to an oven roasted tomato sauce, and served it over sauteed cabbage. Had some for breakfast in a hash as well. I've had meatballs with zucchini noodles, with a mushroom gravy over mashed cauliflower, and on top of a kale and brussel sprout salad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenn35 Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 I'm single, and I don't think I'll have any leftovers this week. I made a breakfast option and 3 dinner options. It's my first week, so it's heavy on the sweet potatoes. Breakfast - sweet potato, kale, and carrot hash + turkey sausage with onions + topped with over-easy eggs or two. I also made a huge skillet of sweet potatoes in case I just want those with sauted kale and eggs. D1: Moroccan-inspired meatballs with cauliflower rice and roasted green beans D2: rosemary pork loin (you could do a a chicken) crockpot with sweet potatoes and apples (made this in the crockpot) D3: ground beef with taco seasoning - I'll use this for taco salads or something. With the variety of 3 different options, I mix and match my way through the week. Obviously, it's a bit of work to make 3 meals early in the week, but it's do-able. I don't like freezing things because they never look as edible. I might try this with soup though. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kt cat Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Have you checked out The Clothes Make The Girl blog? She has a weekly cookup where she preps a bunch of different things with minimal spices. Then she mixes and matches them with different sauces or spices to create different meals. Second this! I just found it yesterday and wish I had seen the cook-ups on Sunday for the start of my Whole 30! I will do her week 1 cookup, with some modifications, for my week 2 I am also single cooking alone and I am tired of the crap I cooked on Sunday... I made huge meals and didn't do the seperate veggie, meat thing. I just froze some portions yesterday, since I was tired of looking at it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annabel Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Gosh, I wish I had your problem. Even when I double recipes I'm lucky if they make us 6 servings. (usually I get about 1/3 of the food and my husband gets the rest) Is changing the spicing of foods enough to keep it from getting tedious? I tend to buy a lot of mince (ground beef) as it's one of the cheaper options and I'll do things like: -Italian tomato sauce -Curry paste and coconut milk -Fish sauce, lime and other Thai spices -Shepherd's pie type sauce -Mexican spices Things are generally okay in the fridge for at least 4 days too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doreau Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 I am in the same boat. I often make the recipe then freeze half (chili, stews, or marinades/meats separate). I cooked A LOT to start this week, have a stocked freezer, but still good variety this week day to day. Next week I'll pull out some things from the freezer to mix in with this weeks meals to keep some variety going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heyitskristin Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 I am in the same boat, Erin. Today is my day 5 and I have NEVER done anything like this. It's safe to say it's a struggle and cooking for 1 doesn't make it any easier. Here's something I ate on for 2 days this week: Avocado Chicken Salad. Boil 3 chicken breasts (or bake, whatever) and shred them after they have cooled. Then take an avocado, half an onion (I like red for the pretty-ness), and the juice of a lime and smash it all together. There you have it: chicken salad! I was honestly surprised at how good it was, but next time I'm going to add jalapeno for some kick since I can't have my beloved Sriracha for 25 more days! It's a super customizable recipe, too. I hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ShannonM816 Posted January 9, 2014 Moderators Share Posted January 9, 2014 I was honestly surprised at how good it was, but next time I'm going to add jalapeno for some kick since I can't have my beloved Sriracha for 25 more days! It's a super customizable recipe, too. I hope this helps! Just FYI, there's a Whole30 sriracha recipe here: http://nomnompaleo.com/post/53690118029/whole30-r-sriracha -- I've never tried it, I'm not much of a sriracha person, but just in case you're interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckylily Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I just want to say that I totally get this! I may have over prepared for my first week. The day before I started, I made a soup, a recipe of meatballs, and slow cooked a pork shoulder. After a week, I was SO TIRED of eating those things every day. I'm in Day 9 now, and I'm trying to be better about doing a little less prep, but having stuff available and ready. I'm trying to be more mindful of the quantity I'm cooking. Last night, I made a batch of soup and froze half. If I'm tired of it after 3 days, the rest will be ok in the freezer for a while. Tonight I'm going to do the same w/ meatballs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinintheOC Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 Thank you everyone for the feedback! I think I need to do a freezer clean out, it isn't very big and still has a lot of things I am not eating. Definitely think next week will be all about ready proteins and pre-cut/mixed veggie options! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ultrarunnergirl Posted January 10, 2014 Moderators Share Posted January 10, 2014 Well Fed cookbook by Melissa Joulwan totally saved me from your problem. She illustrates how to do your Weekly Cookup where you make a few forms of proteins and some veggies in advance, then apply difference spice combos to get what you feel like at the spur of the moment. It really kept me from food boredom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ultrarunnergirl Posted January 10, 2014 Moderators Share Posted January 10, 2014 I am in the same boat, Erin. Today is my day 5 and I have NEVER done anything like this. It's safe to say it's a struggle and cooking for 1 doesn't make it any easier. Here's something I ate on for 2 days this week: Avocado Chicken Salad. Boil 3 chicken breasts (or bake, whatever) and shred them after they have cooled. Then take an avocado, half an onion (I like red for the pretty-ness), and the juice of a lime and smash it all together. There you have it: chicken salad! I was honestly surprised at how good it was, but next time I'm going to add jalapeno for some kick since I can't have my beloved Sriracha for 25 more days! It's a super customizable recipe, too. I hope this helps! Frank's Hot Sauce and Cholula are both pretty good substitutes - and compliant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacy Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Ugh ugh ugh I made chicken thighs last week to use in various ways, and they looked and tasted so gross to me after I'd eaten them twice. I ended up shredding them into a chili. I also have trouble eating avocado fast enough. Weird, I know. One thing that is helping me eat leftovers: the crutch of mashed sweet potatoes. Any leftovers that are losing their appeal get reheated and tossed on top of half a sweet potato mashed with a fork. So far this has revived an aging kale/sausage dish and slightly overdone old stir-fry. Another thing that has been helpful- I found some chicken sausage that comes in a few compliant flavors. These are precooked and I can just chop one up and cook with my veg and fat. No fuss or waste. Not the most frugal choice, but when cooking for one it can be a helpful shortcut. I am also cooking for myself, and really appreciate this thread! Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina R Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 I am in the same boat, Erin. Today is my day 5 and I have NEVER done anything like this. It's safe to say it's a struggle and cooking for 1 doesn't make it any easier. Here's something I ate on for 2 days this week: Avocado Chicken Salad. Boil 3 chicken breasts (or bake, whatever) and shred them after they have cooled. Then take an avocado, half an onion (I like red for the pretty-ness), and the juice of a lime and smash it all together. There you have it: chicken salad! I was honestly surprised at how good it was, but next time I'm going to add jalapeno for some kick since I can't have my beloved Sriracha for 25 more days! It's a super customizable recipe, too. I hope this helps! I think Nom Nom Paleo has a recipe for compliant sriracha if you are interested. I haven't tried it yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trina1960 Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Hi, Im on day 4 and cook for a family but they dont eat all of the things I eat...I made a great chicken meatloaf which may have been a nomnom paleo (dont quote me on that) which is simple to make and ive sliced it and frozen into day packs for breakfast so before i go to bed of a night time i just pull one out of the freezer and place in the fridge for morning to cook up with egg...you could do the same with a roast lamb or beef and just slice pack into packs and pull out the night before or in the morning if its for night.... Good luck with your journey...and finding food that inspires you to keep going... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ultrarunnergirl Posted February 4, 2014 Moderators Share Posted February 4, 2014 Aidell's and Applegate chicken apple sausages are another lifesaver. Easy to freeze, use just one, etc. Sardines too. Perfect size for one person. Seriously, I know sardines sound ... fishy. I was shocked by how tasty they are, and so convenient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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