Meal plans for one, with little cooking.

Following with interest, I hated cooking before and now it seems like a waste of time!

Spend time cooking? No, lots of soups and salads here, along with simple things that I enjoy. I'm quite happy with a jacket potato or beans on toast. I rarely cook a meal, rather I cook an item or two. I'll do a pot of potatoes, then eat some boiled, fried - or in potato salad - and freeze some. I'll make a big batch of soup or vegetable chilli, then freeze in portions. Today, I've defrosted chickpea curry and I'll pop some fresh spinach in to complete it. I'm vegan and concentrate on simple, healthy, unprocessed stuff.

Pasta is always easy & can be varied in different ways with simple sauces. (Fresh tomatoes, cut up & microwaved, for example. )

Firstly, decide what you really like. I cooked full roast dinners on Sundays for many years, but now I realise I don't really like them, even if somebody else cooks.

I've lived on my own for 20 years and eat mainly salads in summer and (batch-cooked) casseroles in winter. I rarely use my oven.

Do you like omelettes or frittata? I eat one or the other most weeks - with varied fillings.

It really depends what you like and whether you have any dietary requirements. I eat very few carbs and since I've been on my own, I've found it's much easier to stick to my diet without bothering what others need/want.

I'm not veggie, although I don't eat much meat, but I do eat fish - salmon is my treat. It's quick and easy to cook and can be accompanied by salad or steamed veg. If you can make a decent salad, you can just throw anything you like into it. I make "lasagne" with aubergine instead of pasta and freeze a batch, which can then be popped into the microwave.

I've tried the "cook a whole chicken" thing, but the cat ends up with most of it!

Baked potato 10mins in microwave 10 mins in air fryer with one of those little tins of flavoured tuna and some grated cheese and whatever salad is in the fridge. My favourite tea .

I mainly live on sandwiches, with the odd ready meal or baked potato.

Salmon, cooked in microwave, stirred into penne pasta, maybe with broccoli or peas. Minimal effort. One pan.
I made a second meal for another day with the other piece of salmon( I cooked both together), with potatoes and threw in some veg. One pan again.

Seldom do meals. Mostly snack on whatever I fancy whenever I fancy. Spend minimum time in kitchen. The very thought of a bacon roll has me salivating. Lunch out regularly but that's more for the various people I'm lucky enough to socialise with than the food.

A routine but not - Saturday 'free form' - anything you fancy, Sunday anything but has to include a meat or poultry, Monday jacket spud and easy topping (cheese/tomato, tinned mackerel etc), Tuesday a marine choice Tuna/Salmon/Cod/Prawn, Wednesday a 'steak' - beef, venison, ostrich, Thursday a good 'box' type supermarket meal for one, Friday tinned curry or casserole with rice or spud. No 2 days the same and over the weeks you get a good variety. Nothing laborious or long winded.

Oh thank you everyone, I can’t begin to say how much better you have made me feel - no more guilt at not spending time cooking myself a meal! Also some great suggestions.

sandelf

A routine but not - Saturday 'free form' - anything you fancy, Sunday anything but has to include a meat or poultry, Monday jacket spud and easy topping (cheese/tomato, tinned mackerel etc), Tuesday a marine choice Tuna/Salmon/Cod/Prawn, Wednesday a 'steak' - beef, venison, ostrich, Thursday a good 'box' type supermarket meal for one, Friday tinned curry or casserole with rice or spud. No 2 days the same and over the weeks you get a good variety. Nothing laborious or long winded.

Great suggestions sandelf than you

Hate the kitchen, only go in it when I have to,
Lots of quick stir fries, jacket potatoes or rice or noddles with ‘stuff’ Anything quick chopped up and thrown in
Don’t eat meat/ fish so could be a vegi burger or nut cutlet
(out of packets) hash browns, oven chips.

Rice is easy to cook, and can be portioned and frozen. Throw in some frozen peas or other veg, and a protein of some sort and it's a quick meal.

You may want to invest in an air fryer or toaster oven as well.

Don't discount ordering in as well. Some portions of your favourite take out can be quite large and made into two meals. I still cook for two, but find our tastes have settled into quite different ways of eating, so often we are making our own.

I got bought a pack of three jacket potatoes last weekend and have had them for each evening this week.
Monday with roast beef and gravy from
Sunday dinner.
Tuesday just with grated cheese.
Tonight with prawns in mayo.
All delicious and all no effort.
Potatoes done in microwave and airfyer.
Worth its cost already.
So relieved to be free from the chore of nightly cooking.

annsixty me too, I love that I can now eat salads most evenings or poached egg or beans on toast. I can't be bothered with cooking full meals or the washing up. I did make cauliflower cheese today though but it will do two meals .

I use the frozen jacket potatoes, as I find the fresh ones don't last very well these days.
Beans and cheese, coleslaw, egg mayo.
I use them with cooked dinners, too, veggie sausages and peas with onion gravy.

Saying that, I have just last week bought some Parsley Box meals.

I have only tried the veggie cottage pie, but it was very nice (much to my surprise!)

I had a vague idea that it wouldn't work out too expensive to fill the freezer up with veg, and eat exclusively the ready meals.

Sainbury’s sell tins of bolognaise sauce (which contains mince) to which I add Lee and Perrins and some garlic granules, add to fresh pasta (which can be frozen). DH sometimes adds button mushrooms. ?

Cook 6-8 jacket spuds all at once and they’ll last a few meals plus slice them up and fry in an omelette

Elizabeth27

I mainly live on sandwiches, with the odd ready meal or baked potato.

Exactly the same as me! Although I might stir my stumps and cook a roast if my family come over. And I do cook (and bake) for my grandchildren when they stay. Otherwise glorious freedom from the tyranny of the stove! And menu planning takes place about half an hour before I eat!

So glad so many feel the same as me re.the kitchen.Icannot be bothered with all the cooking fuss.Many of your ideas seem excellent.

Many years ago Slimming Magazine (no longer published) had a plan for batch cooking meals for two weeks. It used 2lbs mince to cook and turn into Bolognese, chilli, stuffed vegetables rtc. much as you already do. It also featured 2 chickens which were cooked, cooled and stripped; the flesh bring divided into 8 portions for use in chicken casserole, Caesar salad and curry. It worked great. Saturday morning cooking and 16 meals! Xxx

Lots of pasta dishes in this house plus stir fries! Make a fish pie , tuna steaks , quiche , jacket potatoes , shakshukah is a lovely breakfast, pancakes freeze well for stuffing, buy fish cakes , make sweet potato fries! Join up with a neighbour/ friend once a week/month and cook for each other! We always have a left overs day as well !!

I make scotch eggs salad soups stews salad sandwiches scones cupcakes anything I can freeze really and have as ready meals rice dishes jackets it all depends on what the weather and my mood lol

Tinned ratatouille goes well with microwaved salmon, squeeze of lemon and black pepper on top