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Post by groo on Oct 27, 2023 22:41:24 GMT -5
Now that I am preparing meals for myself only I have become somewhat lazy. That, coupled with the fact that my present medical condition has made me more than a little lethargic has led to short cuts that only a few months ago would have appalled me.
Forgive me! I have just discovered frozen mashed potato - 4 minutes in the microwave and I've saved all that peeling, boiling , mashing and washing up.
I am on the road to perdition.
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Post by HalcyonDaze on Oct 28, 2023 1:35:06 GMT -5
When Mum came home from hospital and rehab after she broke her wrist she had meal packages with meals on wheels.
She has kept that up - no longer with meals on wheels, but other providers. And it isn't for every meal, but she said it just makes it so much easier. The meals are decent, nutritionally sound and she doesn't end up with a lot of waste from only cooking for one and having things go off before she can use them,
Seems sensible to me, as do your frozen mashed spuds (assuming they taste good)
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Post by groo on Oct 28, 2023 1:43:25 GMT -5
Yes. As I degenerate I will probably look into "lite n easy".
The frozen mashed spuds taste just fine. I make a pile of different frozen veggies in different dishes in the microwave and let fly. 4 minutes and Bob's your uncle.
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Post by HalcyonDaze on Oct 28, 2023 1:45:20 GMT -5
I think lite n easy is one Mum uses. The senior meals. . There is also one that is linked to Dylan Alcott in some way.
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Post by whothingie on Oct 28, 2023 1:59:31 GMT -5
Snap. I too use frozen mashed potatoes
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Post by tucano on Oct 28, 2023 2:04:15 GMT -5
Frozen mashed potato is generally fine. Occasionally I stir through a spoonful.of green pesto to make it more fancy.
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Oct 28, 2023 2:46:32 GMT -5
One of my home communion ladies in the retirement village recently was hospitalised and in rehab after a fall. When she came home she signed up for Light and Easy as she said she was sick of cooking. It comes with her home care package. Meanwhile, a friend gave me a deep discount voucher for (I think) Hello Fresh. I need to do something about that.
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Post by HalcyonDaze on Oct 28, 2023 3:09:10 GMT -5
Yes, the home care package stuff is marvellous. With the Dylan Alcott company it costs Mum about $3 per meal.
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Post by groo on Oct 28, 2023 3:32:58 GMT -5
And who, back ten years ago when we were all fit, on TT, and rejoicing in the challenges of independent backpack travel, would have predicted that one day we would be offering words of advice to the ageing.
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Post by jimm on Oct 28, 2023 4:58:49 GMT -5
Ozzie - we got Hello Fresh when we were in compulsory iso after coming back from NZ at the beginning of COVID and weren't allowed out to shop. It's ok - you have to do your our prep for some things (eg peel carrots etc as I recall) but all the ingredients are there.
I'm doing my weekly shop tomorrow so I'll look for frozen mashed potato - might be good as a freezer staple.
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Post by tzarine on Oct 28, 2023 13:14:27 GMT -5
um i was gonna confess bout the time i took
& yes frozen mashed potato is a brilliant invention
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Post by tinaja on Oct 28, 2023 15:57:05 GMT -5
Better than potato flakes if those are still on the market.
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Post by Liiisa on Oct 28, 2023 15:58:58 GMT -5
Potato flakes! Shudder
I remember people using those as a coating for fried chicken, which is weird
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Post by Queen on Oct 28, 2023 16:42:04 GMT -5
I remember potato flakes - they were handy when camping or sailing but pretty blerch. I buy fresh pasta and sauce fairly often, because it's fast and almost no work... I zhuzh it up a bit with pesto or fresh basil on a good night... and if you ask me what I'm having for dinner I will call this meal "lazy pasta" I shall investigate frozen mashed potato... I sometimes have cheezy mashed potato with some form of green vege for dinner. You may have saved me... minutes
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Post by whothingie on Oct 28, 2023 17:10:28 GMT -5
There are a number of variations here but I buy plain and add other ingredients as I feel like it. Have fits and starts eating them so often finish up with sprouted or soft spuds so this solves the issue.
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Post by psw on Oct 28, 2023 20:13:25 GMT -5
I have barely cooked anything more complicated than scrambled eggs in years. I do occasionally make a big pot of mashed potatoes that lasts me three or four meals, not on consecutive days. I don't peel the potatoes, just wash them thoroughly. Luckily there are excellent sources nearby of prepared foods, fresh and frozen, and there's a lot of good restaurant take-out. I keep a sheaf of menus in my car so when I'm out I can order dinner to pick up on my way home. I try to have lunch in a restaurant at least once a week and the portions are usually generous enough for a second meal at home. Cooking for one is a lot of work and very depressing. Lots of companionship, groo, on that road to perdition.
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Post by jimm on Oct 29, 2023 3:37:02 GMT -5
Even though my daughter lives with me we cook separately, sharing every now and then.
I normally have a cook-up once a week (today I did a vegetable soup) eat that for the next 3-4 days, the rest I freeze. The other 3-4 days I raid the freezer to heat up something I previously cooked. This covers my main meal of the day - the evening meal. Lunch is usually a 'big salad', a poke bowl or a salad sandwich, and sometimes I'm out for lunch. I'll get 'take-away' every couple of weeks too. If I get chinese or pizza, that lasts 2-3 meals.
If I'm not making a 1 bowl meal like soup or spag bol, I'll cook some meat (poach some chicken thighs for example) and then have that with some quick veg such as mashed potato, diced carrot and something green, and then half the veg gets put aside for the next night.
Cooking for 1 can be a bit of a pain, but it's less painful than cooking for 4, which I did for years! It's just that I'm getting older ...
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Oct 29, 2023 3:40:30 GMT -5
I’m a bit like you, jimm. I cook several serves at once, and freeze some for days I’m busy.
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Post by Queen on Oct 29, 2023 4:37:01 GMT -5
I do much the same as jimm, but less dedicated on the freezing.
So I cook something I can have for 3 or four nights, I have lazy pasta one night, I might order in (usually something I can have for 2 nights) then cook again for 3 or 4 nights.
There are a couple of more trad meals I make occasionally as one off meals- grilled chicken/salmon and salad, or tofu stir fry....
So I cook twice a week, which is manageable, and not too depressing.
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Post by viv on Oct 29, 2023 8:21:07 GMT -5
Potato flakes are a staple in my cupboard - they are brilliant for thickening soup or when mixed into "mash", add cheese, mix again then fry to add to a breakfast!
No shame in frozen mash. I always keep frozen sweetcorn and frozen spinach in my freezer.
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Post by Liiisa on Oct 29, 2023 8:38:38 GMT -5
viv, that sounds workable... I've only ever had them mixed with water or whatever and then margarine on top, which has scarred me for life.
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Post by wombatrois on Oct 29, 2023 8:41:48 GMT -5
I confess to loving cooking so to cook a potato or three is no bother. Same with a stir fry or just steamed green vegetables. Then I can turn the vegetables into whatever I like - with rice, with noodles, a salad, with tofu etc.
I do cook a big meal that can last for a couple of meals - I usually do a big cook up at home, leave half for J and take half for me up to the city. Some weekends I cook up a storm and there is enough to last a week for both of us.
I tend not to freeze things as they just stay there and then get thrown out. Although some things I do freeze and use!
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Post by Webs on Oct 29, 2023 9:19:36 GMT -5
Trader Joes makes the most amazing frozen mashed potatoes.
I've cooked for myself for almost 30 years. I look up recepies for things that I like. I keep a pinterest board called "I'd like to try cooking that" for recipes. Some things have become regular rotation cooking and it's fun to learn new things. It's encouraged me to include more vegetable focused recipes. Not that I'm ever going to be a vegetarian but I have always like my veg.
So that's an idea.
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Post by tinaja on Oct 29, 2023 9:57:26 GMT -5
I have always been a cook. But as of late, I feel too interested in other things to do much exciting. Too many of this weeks fresh groceries didn't get used. I need a better plan when I am shopping. Maybe add some frozen vegs to have available. Soup stocks.
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Post by lisamnz on Oct 29, 2023 15:27:26 GMT -5
We discovered frozen broccoli when we were in Samoa. And now we've discovered it is available here as well. Frozen veges make a lot of sense to me, you can get the crop when it is at its absolute best, we have a huge freezer anyway, and you don't have to deal with the waste from preparation. We have also taken to having frozen spinach over winter, but now we have stacks in the garden again.
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Post by tzarine on Oct 29, 2023 16:12:57 GMT -5
I've cooked for myself for almost 30 years. I look up recepies for things that I like. I keep a pinterest board called "I'd like to try cooking that" for recipes. Some things have become regular rotation cooking and it's fun to learn new things. It's encouraged me to include more vegetable focused recipes. Not that I'm ever going to be a vegetarian but I have always like my veg. moi aussi love love love vegetables, esp seasonal from the fmrs mkit but also love steak, hk style roast pork & duck too much to ever convert
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Post by Liiisa on Oct 29, 2023 16:24:01 GMT -5
I used to have an attitude about frozen vegetables because they reminded me of the sad frozen vegetables of my childhood, but I had a conversion experience with frozen spinach, kale, broccoli, cauliflower... so great to just grab the broccoli florets out of the bag and throw them into things instead of having to chop them up and get bits of broccoli all over the kitchen.
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Post by sprite on Oct 29, 2023 17:34:11 GMT -5
Now that I am preparing meals for myself only I have become somewhat lazy. I have just discovered frozen mashed potato - 4 minutes in the microwave and I've saved all that peeling, boiling , mashing and washing up. I am on the road to perdition. Lazy? Or... increasingly efficient?
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Post by lisamnz on Oct 29, 2023 18:13:29 GMT -5
Now that I am preparing meals for myself only I have become somewhat lazy. I have just discovered frozen mashed potato - 4 minutes in the microwave and I've saved all that peeling, boiling , mashing and washing up. I am on the road to perdition. Lazy? Or... increasingly efficient? Or... delegating more effectively?
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Post by Webs on Oct 29, 2023 19:36:51 GMT -5
I used to have an attitude about frozen vegetables because they reminded me of the sad frozen vegetables of my childhood, but I had a conversion experience with frozen spinach, kale, broccoli, cauliflower... so great to just grab the broccoli florets out of the bag and throw them into things instead of having to chop them up and get bits of broccoli all over the kitchen. Frozen peas, in rice, in mashed potatoes, in buttered noodles. Ultimate comfort food. If you sautee with chopped onions and butter, then add to any base... like a giant hug of love.
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