We become solo for many reasons in our life. Some prefer to be single, some get divorced or need to separate, others are widow(er)ed. I am searching for helpful tips and secrets from cooking for a family to cooking for one lonely person -- me! Going from cooking for two or three, to cooking for one, is a challenge. If you have been following this blog since 2008, you will notice posts about the meals I lovingly cooked for my Mom and my husband.
Operating on autopilot, as happens in some circumstances, I found myself making the same amount of oatmeal as I did for my husband, Jules, and found that when I do this by mistake, it is best to put half of it in the refrigerator for the following day or day after. Cooked oatmeal does well in the refrigerator and it is fun not to have to cook it the next day. I have never been successful with making it in the microwave and I prefer traditional oatmeal to instant. Being on a restricted sodium diet many "instant" type foods have more sodium.
I spend much time in nature and see that even the geese have mates that they follow around in the pond. I find it is easier to eat in another room than where I ate with family. I rarely eat on the kitchen or dining room table these days. I eat in the living room using a coffee table and look out the window at nature. When weather permits, I plan on eating out on the deck or take my lunch to a park. One day, I will be used to the empty seats at the dinner table, but not yet.
Rather than spending the early "solo" days with a group when one is not up to it, invite a few people that are close to you to dinner at your house. I invited my sister and her husband for Thanksgiving dinner. I decided to try new recipes and this kept my mind totally occupied. I knew if I had any problems or if my eyes teared-up, my sister and her husband would understand as they were sharing the losses. I am blessed to have one very special local sister.
Here are my first suggestions from "solos":
Invest in some smaller pots and pans or plan on washing your small ones over and over again. Using the large pots tends to make some of us sad as we remember the family that once was.
When making homemade soups, freeze portions in freezer bags. Once the soup has cooled, put it into freezer bags and leave it flat on a cookie sheet to freeze. Once frozen the bag can be stored upright or continue to keep it flat. This is very useful if one is on a restricted diet, such as low sodium as canned and store prepared soups are too high in sodium. It is also more economical.
Once frozen, they can be stacked vertically as in the door of a freezer or kept flat.
Buy foods you like and may have refrained from buying or eatting in the past. Try new spices, recipes, attend cooking classes, try new grocery stores as walking down the isles of the favorite foods of the loved one can be difficult.
Find a group of like-minded individuals and go out to lunch, thus one is not always eating alone and has an event to look forward to.
** The photo at the top of this column is a cucumber sandwich on blueberry/cranberry bread. The recipe for one large sandwich included 1/3 cup thinly sliced cucumber, 1/4 cup diced carrots, a cut up small compari tomato (or a few cherry tomatoes), 3 Tablespoons yogurt, and some sliced almonds (optional). Half a sandwich is pictured with the remaining cucumber filling which would make another generous half sandwich.**
Please forward any suggestions to rosaraskin@gmail.com or post in the comments. Thanks to everyone for reading this post.
