Living alone, wasting food. [General]

2010 May 28
Just over four months ago my SO left to do a tour in Afghanistan, and I’ve realized that I haven’t managed to attempt my grocery nor cooking habits to reflect the fact that I now cook and shop for one. As a result, I am often swimming in leftovers or wasting a great deal of produces. I mentioned it to my mother, who confessed that despite both my sister and I having moved out several years ago, that she still cooks for four and that my dad has been eating leftover almost everyday for lunch for the past 5 years. It made me wonder how other people who had an increase or decrease in their household adapted when it came to food purchase and preparation.

2010 May 28
Well having lived alone most of my adult life it is always a challenge finishing up perishables before they perish.

One way of finishing up veggies is to make soup and freeze it in individual portions. That way you can take out one serving at a time without having to worry about food going bad. You can also blanch (or cook) and freeze most veggies.

Some fruits can be frozen although I haven't tried it myself.

Meats can be divided up into single servings then frozen.

2010 May 28
When I lived alone, I tried to buy ingredients that could pull double or triple duty. For example, baby spinach works in almost anything, from salads to stir fries. Frozen shrimp was a good staple too -- since you can easily thaw the exact number you need. Another tip is to stick to a small frying pan/pot rather than the one you would use for family meals.
When I first went from a two-person to a one-person household, it took a while to get the hang of it. I often would make a meal and then end up eating what I could for lunch and throwing out or freezing the rest. It takes a while to adjust. And just when I was finally used to it -- bam, back to two!