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Food shopping and cooking for one

A

Aly1

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cooking, gym, dieting
Hi all, need advice on how to food shop and cook for myself without food waste.
I don't like the taste of defrosted food and you can't buy single portion vegetables. Also, if you need variety then you buy many things which ultimately get thrown away.
How do I buy just enough? Is there a cookbook or program that guides you how to do it?
 
Shop daily, or every couple of days? Do you have a market or supermarket where you can buy loose vegetables? Perfectly possible then to buy small quantities without incurring extra cost or generating waste.

The dietdoctor.com meal plans provide shopping lists. Presume you can state you’ll be cooking for one.
 
Aly1 said:
Hi all, need advice on how to food shop and cook for myself without food waste.
I don't like the taste of defrosted food and you can't buy single portion vegetables. Also, if you need variety then you buy many things which ultimately get thrown away.
How do I buy just enough? Is there a cookbook or program that guides you how to do it?
Click to expand...
I just cook multiple portions and then eat throughout the week. Batch cooking
I use my old recipes but modify them to be Uber low carb.
 
i find if impossible to not shop every couple of dsys because supermarket barely has 10% of what i want stocked(loads empty shelves) and staff always but the stuff with thd longest dates in front so usually most food use by dates only have a couple of days before if expires.

in this regards aldi is great cause they actually have food which lasts a week. m&s do if u go at the right time.

unfortun all the greengrocers and butchers/bakers long since gone
 
aard said:
i find if impossible to not shop every couple of dsys because supermarket barely has 10% of what i want stocked(loads empty shelves) and staff always but the stuff with thd longest dates in front so usually most food use by dates only have a couple of days before if expires.

in this regards aldi is great cause they actually have food which lasts a week. m&s do if u go at the right time.

unfortun all the greengrocers and butchers/bakers long since gone
Click to expand...
Where are you? It sounds like some post-apocalyptic world.
 
aard said:
staff always but the stuff with the longest dates in front so usually most food use by dates only have a couple of days before if expires.
Click to expand...
This is what the staff are trained to do, sell the oldest stock first.
 
Not many but some and I have been caught out by them in the past so I check.

Mind you as long as you know you need to use the item soon it doesn't bother me and you can pick up some bargains on the price reduced shelves.
 
Goonergal said:
Shop daily, or every couple of days? Do you have a market or supermarket where you can buy loose vegetables? Perfectly possible then to buy small quantities without incurring extra cost or generating waste.

The dietdoctor.com meal plans provide shopping lists. Presume you can state you’ll be cooking for one.
Click to expand...

I'll explore those shop options, maybe the larger supermarkets do it.
I'll check the website too, thanks.

So I made a mistake of buying 500gms of chicken on the weekend and now I have to eat that daily till it gets over. Which is really boring. A shopping list for one would really help.
 
woollygal said:
I just cook multiple portions and then eat throughout the week. Batch cooking
I use my old recipes but modify them to be Uber low carb.
Click to expand...

Does the taste not change towards the end of the week and do they actually stay for an entire week?
 
I find the best way to do this is to shop every couple of days i buy protein and vegetables salads for say 2 or 3 days. Store in the fridge cook my meals daily when finished I Then shop again. If I made to much I just eat the left overs the next day for lunch or dinner. If you work you may need to prep your vegetables and salads so when you get home just need to cook them with a protein and quick make of salad dressings etc.
 
I low carb shop just for myself and have to do so online as our small local shop is limited in what they sell that's suitable. I usually buy weekly but sometimes leave slightly longer or shorter gaps between orders. I've never had any problem finding small (generally 2 person size) packs of fresh meat, fish, poultry, veggies, fruit, etc. I'll sometimes buy slightly larger quantities and double up on preparation/cooking - most is fine for a few days in the fridge, but I'm also happy to freeze things if required - fresh or cooked. Basically I know how much I can eat and try to buy accordingly.

Much of what I eat and cook is adapted and downsized from my existing recipes, and I tend to look online for new recipes or food combinations for ideas and use them as a basis to start from - however many main courses can be made with very few ingredients, which leaves little scope for waste.

Robbity
 
Aly1 said:
Hi all, need advice on how to food shop and cook for myself without food waste.
I don't like the taste of defrosted food and you can't buy single portion vegetables. Also, if you need variety then you buy many things which ultimately get thrown away.
How do I buy just enough? Is there a cookbook or program that guides you how to do it?
Click to expand...
I also live alone, so I recognise the problem. A few small solutions: mushrooms keep well in the fridge in a paper bag with the top rolled over. Alternatively, Sainsburys, Morrissons and Waitrose, maybe other supermarkets, sell loose mushrooms so you can buy just one if you want. You will have noticed that most produce keeps better in the cool box at the bottom of the fridge. I have recently realised that slightly imperfect spinach is fine fried in best olive oil. Also any salad greens can be freshened up by washing in cold water and returning to the fridge in a covered container for a while before consuming.

I am just now experimenting with growing salad vegetables indoors. I buy a bunch of spring onions that have promising roots and stand them in water. It is not long before I can harvest the green tops. Next I am planning to try spinach and cut-and-come-again lettuce. It appears one can eat the leaves and plant the stubs - win/win! Particularly worthwhile given the amount of pesticide lavished on salad vegetables, and their propensity to go off. I hope something here helps. Good luck!
 
JohnEGreen said:
That's why I nearly always pick the items shoved to the back and check use by dates.
Click to expand...
I have occasionally bought something and at home discovered it was already past its sell-by date. The supermarkets never make any difficulty about exchanging or refunding. With this in mind, I always ask for a receipt. Of course this means my kitchen is awash with the wretched things.
 
Aly1 said:
I don't like the taste of defrosted food
Click to expand...
If you eat fish, Iceland sell wild Alaskan salmon at a very reasonable price if you buy in bulk (12 portions for £10). I doubt if anyone could tell it has been frozen once it is cooked (3 minutes in the microwave). At present delivery is free if you go into the store and spend £25, or free if you spend £35 online. The fish is well wrapped up in individual portions and I find it a godsend to have a good stock in my freezer.
 
Aly1 said:
Hi all, need advice on how to food shop and cook for myself without food waste.
I don't like the taste of defrosted food and you can't buy single portion vegetables. Also, if you need variety then you buy many things which ultimately get thrown away.
How do I buy just enough? Is there a cookbook or program that guides you how to do it?
Click to expand...
Hi, I more or less totally agree with you. It's very hard to eat for one without waste. Batch cooking is fine for some but I get bored with eating stuff I've had to freeze. Also, it's not cost effective buying for one person. My limited solution is to eat out. Carveries at lunchtime, eggs, small cans of fish, vegetables to get you by the rest of the day. Good luck mate!
 
aard said:
i find if impossible to not shop every couple of dsys because supermarket barely has 10% of what i want stocked(loads empty shelves) and staff always but the stuff with thd longest dates in front so usually most food use by dates only have a couple of days before if expires.

in this regards aldi is great cause they actually have food which lasts a week. m&s do if u go at the right time.

unfortun all the greengrocers and butchers/bakers long since gone
Click to expand...

Get in there aard!!!! Forage at the back and sling all the stuff at the front out of the way. If you can't find a longer use by date, ask the staff to get something from out the back, that's what I do. x
 
My daughter, who lives alone, buys for two, cooks for two, eats half today and half tomorrow.
 
Mr_Pot said:
My daughter, who lives alone, buys for two, cooks for two, eats half today and half tomorrow.
Click to expand...
Pure logical thinking, and logistical shopping etc...
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