I'll either make something I love that others don't, or I'll make a spicy dish and double the heat rather than reduce by half or more. Or I might go out to an ethnic restaurant that my wife wouldn't like such as Indian or something Middle Eastern, etc.

It's rare that I'm alone, so I don't concern myself much about health or wallet when I am!

I cook things that only I like all the time, gnocchi, pork roast, cheese muffins, fettucine...

When i make the pork loin for instance, I cut the raw piece of meat in half and freeze. So my pork roast is small but I can eat it over several days.
When I make cheese muffins, I eat what I want and freeze the rest immediately.

When cooking for myself, like you I go for what is typically easy, fast and not too fattening. But sometimes I just make what I crave and ignore the rest of the meal. When I crave pork roast, about every 6 weeks, I usually eat it by itself, I don't make potatoes and greens and other sides.

A grilled cheese is a good standby if I have good sourdough bread on hand.

A soft boiled egg with a piece of crusty french bread.

In the summer I make a salad of chilled garbanzo beans, Sun Gold tomatoes that I grow, feta cheese, capers and lemon juice. That is often times my dinner almost every night in tomato season.

Another favorite is a 1/4" slice of Queso Blanco browned in a pan and eaten on honeycrisp slices. This can be breakfast or dinner.

I've been researching cook books for just this occasion. For my mom..she cooked from scratch a lot when we were growing up. Her plus two kids. There was always MORE than enough..and now she's got a "room mate" both mid 60's women..I was shocked when she told me that she's not cooking much..neither of them are.

When she was living alone she cooked for herself. Hmmm...

so her 65th birthday is in a few weeks and I have an Amazon book order going to go to her door.

Table for One by Camille Funk, The Pleasures of Cooking for One by Judith Jones and Going Solo in the Kitchen by Jane Doerfer.

Any way, all of the books look smart and the reviews are good. So that's what she's getting from me.

Terri_pacnw, "Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant" is a good read about cooking for oneself. So is "What We Eat When We Eat Alone: Stories and 100 Recipes."

Here are some recipes my aunt sent to me. Looks as if they could easily be halved to serve one.

Autumn Chowder
2 Servings

2 bacon strips, diced
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 medium red potato, cubed
1 small carrot, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/2 cup water
3/4 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1 cup milk
2/3 cup frozen corn
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cold water
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large saucepan, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp; remove to paper towels. Drain, reserving 1 teaspoon drippings. In the drippings, saute onion until tender. Add the potato, carrot, water and bouillon. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are almost tender.

Stir in the milk, corn and pepper. Cook 5 minutes longer. Combine the flour and cold water until smooth; gradually whisk into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in cheese until melted. Sprinkle with bacon. 2 servings.

Breakfast in a Mug

2 teaspoons butter
1 tablespoon milk
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoon shredded cheese
P lace the butter in a 12-ounce microwave-safe mug. Microwave on high about 20 seconds until melted and sizzling.

Add the milk, eggs, salt and pepper, and whisk with a fork. Microwave on high about 30 second until it just begins to set. Give it a quick stir with a fork. Microwave for about 30 seconds until almost completely set but still moist (your microwave may cook faster or slower, so be sure to check the eggs occasionally while cooking).

Remove eggs from microwave and sprinkle with cheese. Let sit for one minute to let cheese melt. This is as puffy as any souffle when it's done!

Macaroni and Sausage Skillet

1/2 lb bulk pork sausage
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
2 tbs chopped onion
1/2 cup uncooked macaroni
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp chili powder (to taste)
1/4 tsp salt
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup water

Lightly brown meat in 8" skillet. Add onion and green pepper. Cook 5 minutes or until onion and green pepper are soft; drain off fat. Stir in macaroni, sugar, chilli powder, salt, tomato sauce, and water. Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Blend in sour cream. Heat through but do not boil. Serves 2

Vanilla Ice Cream, Chocolate, and Kahlua

2 cups vanilla ice cream
2 oz. Kahlua coffee liqueur
1 tablespoon chocolate syrup
Whipped Cream
Combine the ice cream and the Kahlua in a blender and process until smooth.
Swirl the chocolate syrup in a 16 oz wineglass, holding the glass by the stem, until the sides of the glass are well coated. Pour the ice cream mixture in the glass and top with whipped cream. Add a straw and maybe a spoon and enjoy.

Thanks Eileen..I'll check those out too.

I think in my mom's case..she just became uninspired..like some of us do from time to time.

I told her that they should take turns cooking. My mom works full time, but her house mate is retired, but has some health issues.

Cooking is easy to do, and easy NOT to do (LOL) - without regard for how many you have to prepare for. I find it's easy to get out of the cooking habit, especially after going on vacation and during Christmas/New Year's holidays. When this happens, I rely once more on my old basic principals that would work just as well for one as they do for two or more. I'm sure if I only had myself to cook for, I would need a plan to keep on track even more.

Have a plan...

I actually have two plans. The first is WHAT to eat and is based on the old "Basic-4" so I make sure I get a variety of foods each day from all the food groups. I like the old Basic-4 because there aren't as many total calories as the new Food Pyramid, but the Pyramid would be another good choice. I've used the Basic-4 for decades. If I add anything to this basic program it's more fruits and vegetables, and I make sure I add some kind of nuts each day to the meal/snack plan. I also tend to stick to whole foods because they are nature's original "fast" food. Why cook it if you can consume it whole...

(Servings per day)
Bread/Cereal/Grains - 4-servings
Fruits/Vegetables - 4-servings
Meat or Meat Alternative - 2-servings
Milk/Dairy - 2-servings

The next plan is pretty general in nature. I can switch one day for another, or leave one day out completely without messing up the whole schedule. I keep my freezer full of single- and double-servings so I cook once and portion it so I only have to make Chili about once every 2- to 3-months, or I'll make freezer mashed potatoes when they are on sale (buy one 5-pound bag, get one free), so I may only make mashed potatoes a few times a year. The freezer is my friend....

MONDAY - Big meal.
Includes a large cut of meat and all the fixings. This will contribute to subsequent meals for the week, meat for the freezer, meat for sandwiches for lunch, and possibly base for soup (i.e. a baked chicken carcass). Plan well and you may only have to cook the large portion of meat once and use it another Monday or two. I have enough roasted turkey and baked ham left from the holidays for a number of Monday meals.

TUESDAY - Leftovers (or a casserole).
This may, or may not, take on a completely different look from Monday. You choose....

WEDNESDAY - Stir-fry.
If you chopped veggies on M/T for those meals, chop enough to use in stir-fry today. Use a mix of frozen and fresh veggies. Nearly any kind of meat will work for stir-fry - both raw and pre-cooked. I'll cook extra meat at this meal, freeze it to use in a wrap, on a dinner salad, or meet me back here on another Wednesday to find it's way into another stir-fry. Add some brown rice to the meal. If you don't like to cook rice separately for one, there are single-serving sizes that microwave in 1-minute. You can also "cook" a single-serving of rice in a Thermos. Thermos "cooking" is an easy way to cook rice, whole wheat berries, oatmeal and beans.

Helpful Hint: Take advantage of the Salad Bar at your grocery store. You can get ingredients and toppings and not have to commit to a whole bell pepper or a bunch of green onions, when all you need is a couple tablespoons for a pizza, salad or recipe.

THURSDAY: International. (For want of a better title...) Usually means something Italian or Mexican, which means pasta/noodle or tortilla/taco shell, and all the variations. I make-ahead spaghetti sauce and freeze it in single-servings, which can be used any number of ways, as well as "taco" meat (which can be pre-cooked seasoned meat of choice, or a ground beef mix) - also in small portions in the freezer. I like to use chili (stored in single-servings in the freezer) for a Taco Salad (a la Wendy's).

FRIDAY: Vegetarian.
A good day to incorporate those less-expensive meat substitutes (beans, eggs, cheese...) If you normally don't have a large breakfast, indulge with crepes, pancakes or waffles.

SATURDAY: Soup and/or Sandwich
Soup is generally found in the freezer. A sandwich can be a wrap, arepas, Sloppy Joes... It's not restricted to two pieces of bread.

SUNDAY: Homemade pizza.
This is a good day to clean out the refrigerator if you didn't already clean it out yesterday to make soup. Need pizza toppings? Raid the salad bar at the grocery store. Make your pizza on an English Muffin, tortilla, or pre-made from the store. I make a stack of par-baked pizza crusts and keep them in the freezer.

The link below may also give you some ideas and recipes.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Cooking Solo

Grainlady - the salad bar at the grocery store is a great idea!!!!! I do that all the time. Especially for already cooked bacon. I had some sprinkled on my cheese and cauliflower soup yesterday. Only 48 cents for a nice portion of bacon crumbles for soup for two. And no frying and no mess. Plus I don't eat that much bacon since I had a gall stone last summer. I don't want any more bacon in my house than I need for one meal.

And I frequently want a spinach salad but don't want most of a 10 oz bag going to waste in the crisper drawer!

Teresa

terri_pacnw: When you described your surprise that you mom isn't cooking for herself it struck a cord. I'm about 10 years older and I don't cook for myself. (I LOVE to bake, but just how much of that can you do!)

In response to telling people that I just don't enjoy cooking for myself, so often I've heard "But I thought you LOVED to cook!" Okay, confession time: I don't like to cook. I HAD to cook when my family was young, after all I was the one home taking care of the kids, and we couldn't afford to eat out, and I think my family would have run me out of town on a rail if I DIDN'T cook for them. It was just expected.

So now I'm alone and I have no family closer than 100 miles. It is very challenging (and expensive) to keep ingredients, especially fresh ones, in stock when just a little bit is called for. As a child of the depression it hurts to look in the refrigerator and see mushy lettuce or moldy whatever, and then have to toss it. I do use the salad bar at a grocery store as Grainlday suggests, to get small quantities of those items I will need if I do cook something. That is a big $$$ saver.

I may get a big maindish salad at a restaurant and spend the next three nights eating it. I do the same with Chinese food. I do like to eat out, so will have lunch out as often as I can and not feel guilty about it, and then for dinner eat baby carrots out of the bag, or cheese and crackers, and always my glass of cheap red wine, (for medicinal purposes, you know! :)) If my main meal is in the evening, it's generally a banana or an apple for lunch.

Frequently those of us who live alone don't have the pleasure of having much freezer space available to store all those single serving items that are packaged up from one recipe we've cooked.

Last week I finally succumbed to my yearning for the past couple of years to fix a ham. It was a very small semi-boneless one and I had two slices that night, put a small piece in the fridge for sandwiches and still put two pretty large hunks in the freezer. I thought about how long it would take me to eat through the remaining ham, but it was worth it!

I do try to keep in mind the basic food groups and what I need, but sometimes I may only do one group each day! LOL

Nancy