Last weekend I was on my own as Rob left to visit his parents in Cleveland on Friday and I wasn’t leaving for Detroit until Monday. (He drove from Cleveland to Detroit with his parents and I met his sister’s family at the airport). It was nice to have those two extra days to get organized before the holidays. I spent Saturday running last minute errands and wrapping gifts. Then on Sunday I did laundry, packed, cleaned, etc before flying out on Monday morning.
I find that I am much less motivated to cook when it’s just for myself. This weekend was especially challenging because I knew I would have to throw out any leftovers that I didn’t eat. I tried to finish up what we had in the house without buying too much else. So this is what I ate on Sunday, because I didn’t think to take any pictures on Saturday:)
I woke up at 5am and was freezing so I went downstairs and drank coffee near the fireplace. Then around 7:00 I made breakfast: eggs scrambled with spinach, bacon, and a slice of Laura’s whole wheat banana but gingerbread that I made on Friday; with more coffee and some green juice on the side.
I did some yoga later in the morning and then spent some time working on blog stuff. When it was time for lunch, I tried to use up extra food that was in the fridge. I ended up making a random salad of spring mix, couscous, and rotisserie chicken.
After doing some housework I drank this Gingerberry Kombucha while working on a training plan. It’s still the only flavor I have tried, and now I am nervous to buy anything else!
I had no idea what I wanted to do for dinner. I had some veggies in the fridge which I knew would go bad so I roasted those and ended up eating them with a frozen pizza. Not very exciting but did the trick! Unfortunately the other half got thrown out.
After dinner I had some dark chocolate as a snack. I passed on the wine knowing there would be plenty of that throughout the rest of the week!
Do you cook meals for one if you are eating alone?
How do you plan out what you will eat before leaving for a trip?
I do cook for just me probably because I got used to it after my divorce. I usually end up making two different dinners for my son and then for me but even if he isn’t home, I am fine with making my dinner. I rely on frozen vegetables most of the time which works well when we are away (like next week) so that they don’t go bad and then I have something to eat when we get home. I am loving chocolate after dinner too lately!
I scrounge, generally. Every now and then I’ll get creative, especially if there is food that I need to eat, but I do love making myself a good omelet and then random veggie assortment!
I’m not great about feeding myself either. I tend to eat a lot of omelets when it’s just me.
My youngest son loves Kombucha. He’s gotten quite brave and will try any flavor. He doesn’t like the ones with Chia seeds in them–the texture is a little weird. My husband has started to brew it now.
OMG the weekend alone you describe is like my ultimate fantasy! The scene with the tree and kombucha looks like heaven 🙂
I also have a hard time cooking for myself when my husband isn’t home or is away. I love rotisserie chicken for that reason and its delicious in all types of salads. I definitely try to use up what is in my fridge before going away. I have wasting food.
Nice eats! That arugula pizza looks to die for. I need to get back to Trader Joe’s land, stat.
I’ve spent the last 3.5 years cooking for one. It’s hard, and I eat a lot of leftovers. You did one of my favorite things – heaping random things on top of salad! I keep telling my mom I only moved home for my externships so I could have someone to cook for 😛
Have a great Christmas, Lisa!
Since I spent much of law school cooking for myself on weekdays (eating out with friends/etc on weekends) I actually tend to cook more on weeknights, but usually very simple things – broiled fish/chicken, baked potatoes, steamed veggies. Even boiling water for quinoa or rice can seem too much!
I am never alone. Ever. HA! But we do eat a lot of leftovers over here, for sure. I do a tricky balance of buying just enough food for a certain number of people to last us a certain amount of time so that when we have those days or weekends where all the kids are gone but Callum, our fridge is usually pretty empty. I like that, so it feels like we made use of all of our food and it feels like a clean slate to start over when they come back! Not exactly the same as planning for a trip, but similar!
My partner travels a lot for work and I often find myself cooking for one. You’d think that would make it easier, but no. If it’s just me I do a lot of salads + leftovers, like yours with the couscous & rotisserie chicken.
Have fun and safe travels! Happy Holidays!
Brandon travels quite a bit for work, and I usually don’t like cooking a meal every night for just myself. I’ll either do a big crockpot meal on Sunday to last throughout the week, or I’ll do something easy like veggie burgers or roasted salmon with frozen veggies.
I don’t cook either when it’s just me… I live on eggs, salads, tuna, smoothies and snacks. 🙂
Try the Cosmic Cranberry, that one is my favorite!