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I'd also suggest redefining leftovers. Most meats cooked in a simple form such as pork chops can be sliced, cubed, shredded, etc., can be portioned out, frozen and made into another meal. This is a way to keep food from going to waste and a way to have an easy to cook meal.
I've been been on the the run chauffeuring kids around most of the day. I don't count spaghetti as a healthy meal, but it is quick and easy. We had hamburgers the other day. My husband grilled while I cooked the rest of the fresh meat that wasn't used for burgers with some chopped onion, garlic, garlic salt and pepper. I put it into individual baggies and froze it. I pull it out when I need it and just stick it in the pan with the sauce.
You can do the same thing or freeze your raw meat in individual baggies and set in the refrigerator the night before to be thawed for the next day.
I cook for two but I have a similar issue. Usually I make a full serving then freeze half to 3/4 of it. You could freeze leftovers in containers just big enough for one meal each. Probably not what you are looking for but just a thought.
You might be interested in this book, The Pleasures of Cooking for One, by Judith Jones. She was editor at Knopf to Julia Child and Marcella Hazan. I have a copy I'm willing to give you. PM me with your address if you're interested.
I cook for two but I have a similar issue. Usually I make a full serving then freeze half to 3/4 of it. You could freeze leftovers in containers just big enough for one meal each. Probably not what you are looking for but just a thought.
I think some things work really well as leftovers: braises, soups, stews and long cooked items. Other things don't work well on day 2.
I do like cooking a simple meat and then using it in a different way the next day. Like maybe grilled chicken with potatoes on day 1. Day 2 that chicken tops a salad.
One 'can' make lasagna for one but why do that when you often have to buy the ingredients in larger quantities than for one meal anyway. Chances are you either have leftover ingredients or leftover results.
Is lasagna that is cut into squares, cooked and frozen immediately after removing one square from the pan and reheated another day really a 'leftover' in the same sense as maybe the last bits of a Chinese takeout order that cannot be frozen might be? Or would it be a leftover if you didn't even cook it tonight but assembled it in a large pan and then cut out one portion to bake tonight and separated the rest into individual portions as well and froze them for cooking another time.
What I am getting at is .. what really IS a 'leftover' to you, OP?
May I also ask, OP, how you have been eating till now if you have not been cooking for yourself? Did you buy frozen dinners? Or did you eat out every day and if there was too much you didn't ever take home a 'doggie bag'?
Start off with a chicken/vegetable soup. I add pearl barley 45 minutes before it is done. You can then freeze portions. Simplest thing to do if for just one or two people. Always in my freezer. A quality meal.
Also always in my freezer - A bag of quality frozen raviolis. I heat up a small can of sauce and add a little sliced ham for flavor.
Martha Stewart has some great videos on how to do things. Check out her website. I have professional training as a chef but I still look to Martha for ideas. She knows her stuff. Her sister's "Hoppin' John" has been a tradition in my house for years. Also on the website.
I appreciate all your suggestions. Prior to retiring the vast majority of my lunches were either eaten out or picked up and brought back to my office. Dinners were either a salad, fast food or something taken out of the freezer. When I ate out and had leftovers I would usually send them home with my companions or hand them to the next homeless person I saw. (Actually in San Francisco it is common to place leftovers from restaurants on the top of the city recycling bins for anyone hungry enough to eat them.)
I have no idea of the proper way to freeze and reheat food. Do I wait until it is completely cooled before freezing? Do freezer bags with the sliding locks work well? How long can you freeze something? How do you reheat something so it retains the flavor and texture? I know microwaving some items to reheat them makes them rubbery.
Sorry if these are such basic questions.
Tapito is a good hot sauce which is relatively low sodium. Also not too hot. Walmart has it for about a buck a bottle. A bottle does not last long in this house.
Scrambled egg tacos another favorite. Just one egg per taco. I used a taco wrap to make my ham and cheese sandwich today (chopped fresh lettuce added).
Tacos are easy and fun. Good for a one or two person household.
Tapito is a good hot sauce which is relatively low sodium. Also not too hot. Walmart has it for about a buck a bottle. A bottle does not last long in this house.
Scrambled egg tacos another favorite. Just one egg per taco. I used a taco wrap to make my ham and cheese sandwich today (chopped fresh lettuce added).
Tacos are easy and fun. Good for a one or two person household.
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