Welcome to Simple Single Servings!

Posted on September 15, 2010 by admin

— A website for people cooking for one, who would like to prepare meals that are:

Simple to Prepare
Single Servings
that are also
Healthy and Delicious!

Cooking for one has its own challenges, and if you are not cooking at all, you are left with eating processed foods, fast foods, junk foods, frozen dinners, and restaurant food — not good for the long run!  I’d like to help nudge you in the direction of eating some simple healthy foods that are quick to prepare, and I think the way to do that is to make it easy and fun!

I want this to be a place to share successes and challenges on what works and what doesn’t work.  So please feel free to add comments in any category about what thoughts, tips, recipes, or ideas for meals you may have for cooking nutritious, tasty, meals for one person.

New information will be added periodically, so please check back often.

So here you go — Simple Single Servings!

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Power Foods — Top 10

Posted on September 18, 2010 by admin

The Mayo Clinic considers these ten foods as “10 great health foods for eating well” because they meet at least three of the following criteria:

1. Are a good or excellent source of fiber, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients
2. Are high in phytonutrients and antioxidant compounds, such as vitamins A and E and beta carotene
3. May help reduce the risk of heart disease and other health conditions
4. Are low in calorie density, meaning you get a larger portion size with a fewer number of calories
5. Are readily available

• Almonds (and walnuts)
• Apples
• Blueberries
• Broccoli
• Red beans
• Salmon (Mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, and albacore tuna are also very good sources of omega-3 acids. Doctors recommend eating fish 2-3 x week.  Fish or seafood eaten with horseradish, wasabi, ginger, mustard, or grated daikon help the body detoxify from the effects of fish and seafood.)
• Spinach
• Sweet potatoes
• Vegetable juice
• Wheat germ

The mayo clinic website is a good resource for health information.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/MY00431

I added a couple of notes in parenthesis.

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Curried Potato Artichoke Soup

Posted on September 18, 2010 by admin

I was scrounging through my pantry and refrigerator looking for something to have for lunch and came up with this combination.  I made it up as I went along and was surprised at how good it was!  It was so delicious that I wouldn’t hesitate serving it to company.  I made it using only one saucepan and ingredients from my pantry and freezer!

Serves 1 — 4
By Jeanne Swanson

1 can cream of potato soup — the kind with the potato chunks in it (standard small 10.75 oz. size) + about 4/5 can of water
1 1/2 cups quartered frozen artichoke hearts (I buy large bags to keep in the freezer)
1 tbs. Vegetable oil
1 tbs. Butter
1 large Garlic clove, sliced very thin
1/2 tsp. Curry powder or to taste (I like Spice Islands Spicy Curry Powder)
1/4 tsp pepper or more to taste
1/4 tsp salt or more to taste

Sauté, still frozen artichoke hearts in the butter and oil for a few minutes until you think they are cooked all the way through (a few minutes).  Add the garlic and curry powder and cook another minute or two over low heat.  Add the potato soup and about 4/5 a can

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What is this website & why am I doing it?

Posted on September 17, 2010 by admin

I was in a major, let’s call it cooking slump for five years, and went from having fun cooking for myself, trying new recipes, experimenting making up dishes, the whole works — to not even wanting to make a salad.  I was a very good cook, but lost the motivation for it.  I was eating poorly and knew that if I kept it up, it would start to damage my health.

Trying to get back to how I cooked in the past wasn’t working.  I had spurts of buying a lot of great produce and fresh foods and then… looked in the refrigerator and felt overwhelmed with the thought of preparing it — I let it go to waste — felt guilty — and grabbed junk to eat.  I didn’t need the guilt in my head or the junk in my body.

Finally, I realized that the switch needed to be in finding ways to greatly simplify my cooking and make it fun again. It sounds easy and a no-brainer, but this was a huge challenge for me.  It’s not an either or situation.  It’s not that either you cook full four course meals from scratch or you’re eating take out.  I needed to find meals that were very fast, simple and easy to prepare for one — and delicious.  Just because I’m not cooking more involved meals, doesn’t mean that I’m willing to give up flavor, or good nutrition.  I don’t want to settle for frozen dinners or replace meals with popcorn.  I was ready to make cooking fun again — just a different style of cooking!

I have been researching and focusing on this dilemma now for over two years and in the process, became very aware of the habits I had that were working and the ones that weren’t.  I thought that when I solve this dilemma of how to better feed myself, I wanted to share it.  It’s not only just finding some meals that work for you, it’s knowing how long those carrots are going to keep in your refrigerator; how to store food for it’s longest shelf life (one person doesn’t go through a bottle of canola oil very quickly); cooking methods that don’t dirty a lot of dishes, and on and on. Above all, the process of cooking needs to be enjoyable and the anticipation of cooking something you’re going to enjoy eating is the “carrot at the end of the stick.”

I am so excited to be at the point where I can start to share what I’ve learned!

You could be a latch key kid, a senior citizen, or anywhere in-between.  Your situation may be completely different from mine, but I think many of the challenges we face in cooking for one are similar.

I decided to call this website Simple Single Servings, because that says it all for me. Simple — Single Servings!

If you want to eat foods that are —

Delicious
Simple to prepare
Nutritious
Single servings

— you’ve come to the right place!

Please visit often.  I’ll be adding information regularly and I’d love to hear about what’s worked and what hasn’t worked for you.

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Herbs & Spices

Posted on September 15, 2010 by admin

This is where the fun can come in.  You can take the same dish, and by changing the herbs or spices and sometimes the vegetables you use, turn chicken (for example) into a Mexican, Asian, Italian, or Greek (anything) dish!  Please forgive me for over simplifying if you are an expert in any of these cooking styles.  Just because we’re cooking for one doesn’t mean it needs to be boring.  In fact, I’ve found that when I do feel like cooking, I have a lot of fun experimenting with different combinations — because I can! I don’t worry about what someone else will think of the dish.  Sometimes I hit on something that is so delicious, and I have to try to remember what I did.  And then, sometimes not — a total bomb!  But, oh well! I’m having fun using the ingredients that I happen to have at the time.

Herbs and spices I use the most:

Basil (Fresh is so good and if you can keep a plant alive during the summer, it’s worth it.)
Bay leaves
Cinnamon, ground
Curry powder
Chili powder
Cumin
Dill weed
Garlic powder
Ginger, ground (It’s easy to keep some peeled fresh ginger in the freezer and grate it while it’s still frozen)
Nutmeg — I like to grate my own and one nut lasts a very long time.
Oregano, dried
Pepper, black peppercorns in a grinder
Red pepper flakes
Rosemary — Fresh is awesome — great plant to have.
Salt — I use an old pepper grinder to grind kosher salt or sometimes sea salt (it adds to the fun factor and I like the feel of a little crunch of salt).  They make grinders specifically for salt, but this works for me.
Thyme, dried

There are many, many more herbs, spices and blends that you may want, like an Italian seasoning mixture, or a salt free seasoning, or a Cajun or Creole seasoning, or old bay, or poultry seasoning.  You could go crazy here.  Spices don’t keep forever though.  I recently went through all my spices — opened each one and smelled it.  Some were so old — I hate to think how old they were! Some barely had any scent at all and there was even one that smelled unpleasant.  I threw out almost all of them and now I’m starting fresh (so to speak — actually dried).  Now my list of spices is much smaller than it used to be, but I use all of them.

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Freezer Staples

Posted on September 15, 2010 by admin

This is what I keep in my freezer.  Just because something is in the freezer doesn’t mean it will last forever.  There’s a big difference in cooking for a large family and cooking for one.  When you are cooking for lots of people, freezer burn usually isn’t much of an issue because the foods aren’t in there for long!  When you are cooking for one you need to be much more careful about how you wrap foods for freezing, because most likely they’ll be in there a while.  I’ll include some tips about freezing foods later.

Fruits and Vegetables
Fruit:  blueberries — I put some on my cereal in the morning, still frozen, and those little guys thaw quickly, and if they don’t, I don’t care.).  It’s also good on ice cream.
100% fruit juice — It’s great to have for smoothies (which I’m not in the habit of making, so this one’s for you.)
Vegetables:  artichoke hearts, green beans, corn, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. (no more than 3 different kinds — fresh is always best)
Protein
Meats:  chicken, fish fillets, shrimp, scallops, steaks, pork chops, meatballs, polish sausage, etc. (packaged in individual serving sizes)
Dairy
Cheese:  feta or blue
Miscellaneous
Frozen dinner — I keep one for in a pinch.  My whole idea is to avoid that, but to be realistic; I don’t want to eat another can of asparagus for dinner either!
Nuts:  almonds, peanuts, walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, (only one or two kinds — remember, the freezer doesn’t mean forever)
Ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet, or sorbet (maybe one, sometimes none)
Bread — I always keep my bread in the freezer now, because I don’t eat very much of it.  If I want bread, I take out a slice and toast it.

If you just got one tip from this, or it got you to start thinking about how you’re eating, then I’m happy.

When you’re making your own lists, think of the different food categories and then your favorites in each of them.

I welcome your feedback and would like to hear about how you approach stocking your kitchen.

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Refrigerator Staples

Posted on September 15, 2010 by admin

This is where I need to be the most careful to not waste food.  You don’t need fives kinds of cheeses or pizza dough if you’re not going to make pizza, or a lot of fresh produce if you’re really not going to eat it.  So many times I’ve come home from the market with all sorts of great produce and intentions and then I don’t feel like cooking all week and it goes to waste.  I try to limit myself to only buying two kinds of fresh vegetables and two kinds of fresh fruit at a time, and if I don’t get back to the market and need to use frozen, great, I’ve got it.

Fruits and Vegetables (These are my favorites that I tend to buy often):
Apples
Peaches
Bananas
Lettuce
Mushrooms
Artichokes
Asparagus
Bok Choy
Broccoli
Cabbage or napa cabbage
Carrots
Celery
Potatoes or Sweet Potatoes (Potatoes keep a very long time and are easy to cook in the microwave or toaster oven, or a combination of both)
Spinach
One fresh herb, like parsley, cilantro, or basil
Tomatoes, onions, and lemons or limes are definitely staples for most people

The list goes on and on.  I’m not going to try to list every fruit and vegetable — there are just too many.  And also I think it’s important to buy what’s in season and grown locally to you.  You’ll have better quality produce (which means it will taste better and be better for you) and the less distance a product has to travel to arrive at the market, the less impact it has on the environment.

I try to not buy the same thing week after week, and it can be fun to try something I haven’t had before (I need to do more of that).

I also try to limit myself to buying only two types of vegetables and two types of fruits a week so I don’t feel overwhelmed and worry about the produce spoiling.  I’ve just found that that works for me.

Dairy
Butter  — Yes, I like real butter, it also freezes well.
Cheese:  Parmesan, cottage cheese, and maybe a hard cheese
Note:  cheeses can be frozen pretty successfully, especially crumbly cheeses, like blue and feta.  In fact if I buy blue cheese or feta cheese, I always freeze it because I go through it so slowly.  If you take it out of the freezer to put a couple of spoonfuls on a salad, soup, or vegetables, it thaws right away.
Non-fat milk
Yogurt
Protein
Eggs
Herring — This is an occasional treat for myself.
Sandwich meat, kielbasa, or bacon (one meat that will keep in the refrigerator for awhile)
Tofu
Meat, fish, or poultry — One fresh item to be eaten, or at least cooked that day
Oils
Unrefined vegetable oil, corn oil, or canola oil
Dark sesame oil — I use it when I stir fry vegetables (a few drops give an instant Asian edge), and because I use so little of it, it would go rancid in the cupboard — yuck!
Note:  I keep all my oils, except olive oil, in the refrigerator.  I never used to think about oil as being fresh or not, but oils do go rancid (smell yours) and for one person who would probably go through it slowly, it’ll keep fresher a lot longer in the refrigerator.  Olive oil gets thick and cloudy in the refrigerator, so for that oil, I buy a small bottle of extra virgin olive oil at a time and keep it in the cupboard.  I’ve also heard of people transferring olive oil to a wide mouth jar, keeping it in the refrigerator and spooning it out to use it.
Condiments and Miscellaneous
Barbecue sauce  — This one isn’t a staple of mine, but you might want it.
Capers
Catsup
Coffee, instant and ground — I keep mine in the refrigerator because I don’t drink coffee but I want to have it for guests and it will keep fresh longer in the refrigerator.
Horseradish
Hot pepper sauce (Tabasco)
Hummus — This is also an occasional treat.  Sometimes I’ve made my own.
Maple Syrup  — I keep it in the refrigerator mostly because you can keep it in the refrigerator and I don’t want to tempt ants into my house.  I warm it a little in the microwave before using and it’s great warmed anyway.
Marmalade, jam, or jelly (once opened)
Mayonnaise
Mustards:  Dijon and yellow
Olives:  green and black (once opened)
Peanut Butter — I keep it in the refrigerator because I like the kind without preservatives.
Pickles (once opened)
Roasted red and yellow peppers
Salad dressing — I usually keep one or two.
Salsa
Tortillas — Corn tortillas keep a long time in the refrigerator.
Vinegars:  rice wine, balsamic, red wine, apple cider
Wasabi — I buy it in a tube (like toothpaste) and it’s very convenient!
Worcestershire sauce — I don’t cook with it, but if I bought it, it would go in the refrigerator.

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Pantry Staples — Modified List

Posted on September 15, 2010 by admin

This is my modified list of pantry staples that works for me in cooking for one.  They’re my favorites so your list may be completely different.  I know I can prepare some easy recipes for healthy meals (and delicious to me) when I keep my pantry and refrigerator stocked with my favorites.

Canned Goods
Beans:  black, white
Chili
Fruit:  one or two kinds maybe pears and applesauce
Meat/Fish:  chicken, tuna, smoked oysters
Soup:  chicken soup and a couple of others
Stock/Broth:  reduced-sodium chicken, vegetable
Tomatoes:  diced
Vegetables:  beets, corn, or asparagus, etc. (only a couple)
Baking Supplies
Baking powder
Baking soda
Cornstarch
Extracts:  vanilla
Flour:  All-purpose
Sugar:  granulated
Grains and Legumes
Biscuit/pancake mix
Cereal
Crackers, pretzels, chips (only one of these, if at all)
Crackers:  soda (upset stomach?)
Oatmeal
Pasta, dried:  linguini, penne, and couscous
Rice:  basmati, brown
Fresh Items
Avocados
Bananas
Garlic
Snacks and Miscellaneous
Chocolate:  cocoa powder, dark chocolate bar
Coffee (I keep mine in the refrigerator for guests because I don’t drink coffee)
Juice:  fruit, vegetable
Oils:  vegetable, olive
Olives:  green, black
Pickles:  dill
Roasted red and yellow peppers
Salsa
Tea:  green, black, and chamomile
Wine:  red, white

If you don’t bake at all you may not want anything but the flour, sugar, and vanilla in that category.

Once opened, most of these things go in the refrigerator.  I don’t want to keep a lot of canned goods, but I live in Southern California and I think about having some kind of food inventory in preparation for an earthquake.  It’s good to keep some of these things too, in case you get sick and don’t feel up to going to the market (I’m adding soda crackers, chicken soup, and juice to the list right now).  If you’re cooking for yourself, most likely you’re taking care of yourself too.  This certainly isn’t the driving force in thinking about my staples, but I like to be prepared (the former Girl Scout in me).  Oh no, paper goods!  I think I’ve made enough lists for now, though.

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Pantry Staples — Extensive List

Posted on September 15, 2010 by admin

I compiled a number of staples lists to come up with the list below. The list is huge and I’m only posting this for you to look and get ideas about what you might want to have on your own list.

Canned Goods
Beans:  black, red, white, etc.
Chilies:  green
Chili
Fruit:  peaches, pears, pineapple, etc.
Meat/Fish:  chicken, tuna, salmon, crab, sardines, anchovies, etc.
Soup
Stock/Broth:  chicken, beef, vegetable
Tomatoes:  whole, crushed, chopped, puree, paste, pasta sauce
Vegetables:  artichoke hearts, green beans, beets, corn, mushrooms, etc.
Baking Supplies
Active yeast
Baking powder
Baking soda
Cornmeal
Cornstarch
Extracts:  vanilla, lemon, almond, orange
Flour:  All-purpose, whole wheat
Sugar:  granulated, confectioner’s, light and dark brown
Grains and Legumes
Beans, dried:  red kidney, great northern, lima, lentils, split pea, black, pinto
Bread, bagels, English muffins, tortillas
Breadcrumbs
Biscuit mix, pancake mix
Bulgur wheat
Cereal
Crackers, pretzels, chips
Oatmeal
Pasta, dried:  spaghetti, linguini, angel hair, fettuccine, penne, noodles, couscous, etc.
Rice:  long-grain, wild, basmati, Arborio, brown
Fresh Items
Avocados
Bananas
Garlic (kept in a cool, dark, dry place)
Onions (kept in a cool, dark, dry place)
Potatoes (kept in a cool, dark, dry place)
Tomatoes
Snacks and Miscellaneous
Chocolate:  unsweetened squares, semisweet chips, cocoa powder
Coffee:  beans, ground, instant
Cooking spray
Dried fruits:  raisins, apricots
Fruit Cups
Fruit preserves, jam, jelly
Gelatin:  powdered, unflavored, and flavored
Juice:  fruit, vegetable
Milk:  powdered, evaporated
Mushrooms:  dried
Oils:  vegetable, olive oil (see note about oils in the refrigerator section)
Olives:  green, black
Pickles:  dill, sweet
Pudding cups:  ready made or instant
Roasted red peppers
Salsa
Sauces:  pesto or other vegetable-based sauces
Sun dried tomatoes
Tea
Wine:  Red and White, if you drink it or cook with it.

Big list isn’t it!  These things were all on lists that I found for staples — not for one person, but staples.  There have been times when I’ve had all of them in the house at once and I don’t need that many choices!  Not that there’s anything wrong with it, but for myself, I want to keep it simple!

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Stocking Your Kitchen

Posted on September 15, 2010 by admin

I find that if I run out of foods that I like to eat and are healthy to snack on, I’ll get too hungry and wind up eating foods that may not be as good for me — like nibbling on chocolate (I practically never seem to run out of that!), or going through a lot of crackers or chips that were meant to be eaten occasionally and not as a replacement for a meal…and there it goes — weight gain.  I’d fill up on this and then maybe miss a meal where I could have had something more nutritious, delicious, and more satisfying (sounds corny, but it’s true).  I need to remind myself to eat a healthy snack in mid morning and mid afternoon; like an apple, carrot, yogurt or almonds.  If I do that, I am not so ravenous that I can’t take time to make a real meal.  A huge, huge part of accomplishing this is to keep your refrigerator and cupboards pretty well stocked and not let yourself totally run out of healthy things that you can grab for a quick snack.

I started by looking up lists of basic pantry, refrigerator and freezer supplies, wrote them down, and then thought, what??  I need to remember that I’m cooking for myself (and occasionally a guest) and I want to have foods in the house that I like.  If I went by someone else’s list I’d end up just collecting food instead of getting things that I would really eat.  It’s like having a closet crammed with clothes and nothing to wear!  My sister told me she loved canned bamboo shoots in salads.  I bought some, years went by, and I never opened that can.  In fact so many years went by that I finally threw it away.  I just never happened to feel like I wanted to open a whole can of bamboo shoots.  That was valuable real estate in my pantry.  If you start to accumulate foods that you’re not crazy about, then you’ll open the cupboard door, moan uhhh — nothing to eat, and grab a bag of chips.  It’s happened to me more often than I’d like to admit.  Only use refrigerator/freezer/pantry space for foods that you really like! There isn’t a one size fits all.  Don’t go by my list or anyone else’s for what you should keep in your kitchen. We have different levels of cooking skills, different tastes, and a different amount of time and energy that we want to spend on cooking.

I’m going to show you two lists for the pantry — the typical general staples (you may be stunned), and my personal list of staples.  It’s important for you to make your own list with foods that you love to eat.  It could be very short, or very long.  It’s for you!  I have also included staple lists for the refrigerator and freezer.

A lot of staples that are usually stored in the cupboard will keep longer in the refrigerator, and also a lot of refrigerated items can be kept in the freezer; like cheeses, breads, and of course meats.  That means you can buy these things when they are on sale and have your backup in the freezer.

When I need to go to the market, I can check my basics lists and see what I might be missing.  Also, by keeping my cupboards and pantry stocked, I can make some good meals, and not end up just having a can of asparagus for dinner.  I’ve done that!  Besides being a reference for you when you go to the market, making these lists will get you to thinking about what foods you really like and start to think about what you will make with them.

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Cleaning Out Your Cupboards and Refrigerator

Posted on September 15, 2010 by admin

In the beginning…the best tool I had was a black indelible marking pen!  This is one of my favorite tips to pass along.  I emptied my pantry, cupboards, and refrigerator shelf-by-shelf and searched for expiration dates.  Not all in one day, but it felt so good when it was done.  If I found a date, I circled it with the marker, and the items that didn’t have a date at all, I estimated when I bought it and wrote the month & year (or just the year) on it, like 7/10, and wrote it in an easy to spot place.  I threw away anything that had expired, and also anything that I wouldn’t have felt comfortable eating right then.  If I was nervous about it at all, I tossed it.  It would just stay in there another month, another year, and I would never feel better about eating it.  I did this with my spices also and was shocked at how much I threw out.  I smelled each one and if there was little scent, it also meant little flavor.  I couldn’t believe how many food items don’t have dates on them!  I’m embarrassed to say I found three jars of capers in my refrigerator.  None of them had a date on the jar!  I was told “you can keep capers forever”.  Well my forever is apparently a lot longer than other people’s forever.  So I did the old sniff test, shook it around and looked at it, and went with my gut on which one was the freshest — wrote a year on it and tossed the other two.  I don’t go through staples, condiments, or spices very quickly cooking for one, and I didn’t want to have to throw out that much food again.

The trick to this system is that it doesn’t help much if you just do it when you clean and that’s it.  I keep the marker in a kitchen drawer and whenever I come home from the market, I mark the month and date on EVERYTHING as I’m unloading the bags, before putting it away.  Then the marker goes back in the same spot in the drawer.  It has to be in a spot that’s easy to grab and put away, so you don’t have to waste a second finding it.  It’s become a habit now and takes so little time!  This way, as you are cooking and using your foods, you can easily see and use, for instance, your oldest can of tuna first.  It doesn’t mean it’s old, but it’s not going to get stuck in the back and not used and then next time you’re cleaning your cupboard, you toss it out because you don’t remember buying that brand, so it must be at least 15 years old (maybe an exaggeration).  Anyway, it’s only developing a habit, and then it’s no big deal.  I used to burn a lot of CDs and the best thing to write on them was a Sharpie (indelible marker), so I figured if a CD would take a Sharpie, then a can of soup will too.  Any permanent marker will do and I’m not trying to sell Sharpies (I’m using it as a generic name, like Kleenex).  It will write on glass jars, paper cartons, plastic bags, aluminum cans…anything that’s in my kitchen.  Maybe everyone else already does this but no one told me!

To summarize:

  • Look for dates on items.
  • Circle the date or add an estimated date of purchase with a black permanent marker.
  • Decide on a place to keep your marker that’s handy.
  • Mark everything you bring home from the market with the current month & year before putting it away.
  • Put your marker away in the same spot!
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