Cooking For Winter - HELP!

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XxCoriexX

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Ok ladies! At the moment I am living in my house alone (with my three cats!!) as my boyfriend is in the RAF and is stationed a good hour and a half away. We are not yet at the stage where i would be comfortable with him moving in full time - anyway!
As will be the case with most of you, i get up early in the morning to see the horse and am home late after putting her to bed! This has caused havoc on my eating habits since i bought my own house! Do any of you have any good tips for eating healthily! Also i am contemplating getting a slow cooker! Any thoughts or experience with that? Can you put everything in the night before so i simply have to turn it on in the morning before i leave for work?

Thanks for the advice ladies, i don't have many horsey friends who live alone so most don't get the struggle of wanting a hot meal when you get home but it being too late to cook one1
 
You could batch cook and freeze, then just take out a portion in the morning before you leave.

For example, doing a basic mince and onion mix you could make lasagne, cottage pie, spag bol, chilli.

Fish pie freezes well, also a tomato sauce for pasta.

Slow cookers are great, and there are loads of all in one recipes online. You can make the nix the night before, pop the dish in the fridge and then start it in the morning.

I know how hard it is to motivate yourself to cook for one :)
 
I like to have some food in the freezer for emergencies, so I tend to have a veggie chilli, normally split it into 4 portions and put them in freezer bags, so they take up less space. Also something like a spicy butternut squash soup, you can freeze that too, and I will take that into work with me for lunch when its cold!! but you could have that with your dinner! on WW it is zero points, so if you wanted you could have it as well as dinner, if you're really hungry, or with some bread as I find it does fill me up a lot!

Basically anything you like, split up and frozen, then all you need to do is make some rice when you get it, and heat the meal up in the mirco wave!

My mum is an amazing cook and she is always making loads of stuff and freezing it, for the meat eaters in the house.

you could do the slower cooker options and make a stew

or get a wok and have a stir fry, I buy the ready prepared stuff from Tesco, as its easier than chopping a load of veg for one person! then use some straight to wok noodles, literally take 5 mins to cook, obviously a bit longer if you put some chicken or something in there.
 
I live out of my slow cooker much of the time - I only have a little one so it doesn't do more than 4 portions which suits me as I prefer to eat fresh than frozen. There are loads of recipes but I rarely use them - just bung a bit of what you fancy in, switch it on, and come home to a meal. My favourites are bolognese sauce and chilli con carne, or just good old mince and onions. You can do a one pot (mine holds about 2 portions of this which is perfect for me, just eat it on the day and reheat the next day or two) by putting new potatoes in with all the veg you want and chicken chunks, or whatever meat you want. I prefer new potatoes as they don't break down in the sauce - peeled potatoes go a bit mushy. Dried beans and peas are great for adding, and lentils can be used to thicken if you add extra water. I always have tinned tomotoes, a selection of dried beans, onions and stock in the cupboard ready to be thrown in.
You can put everything in the night before and then leave it in the fridge, or put frozen meat in and leave it out (I have a cold kitchen!) to be defrosted in the morning. You aren't supposed to put frozen food in but I have done for years, just make sure it has much longer to cook. Make sure if you add extra liquid that it is always hot otherwise you will crack the pot.
 
I am lazy. Always try to have a good breakfast and a hot lunch from the canteen at work with at least some vitamins in it! I go straight from work to horse and often don't get home until 9pm or 9.30 and then my need for a bath generally trumps any notion of a proper meal so I either just have a slice of toast or something snacky, or just don't bother to eat in the evening.
I am in London with a busy full time job and about 3 hours of my day are taken up with travelling between home, work and yard, so something has to give!
 
Micropony said:
I am lazy. Always try to have a good breakfast and a hot lunch from the canteen at work with at least some vitamins in it! I go straight from work to horse and often don't get home until 9pm or 9.30 and then my need for a bath generally trumps any notion of a proper meal so I either just have a slice of toast or something snacky, or just don't bother to eat in the evening.
I am in London with a busy full time job and about 3 hours of my day are taken up with travelling between home, work and yard, so something has to give!
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I am exactly the same Micropony, and really struggle with my routine - any chance you could PM me some tips? :)
 
nato said:
I am exactly the same Micropony, and really struggle with my routine - any chance you could PM me some tips? :)
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that is basically my problem! I leave the house around half 6 and I don't get home until about 9 at night so by that time I don't want to cook. I thought if I had something that was already cooked it would mean I could just walk in the door and eat! the slow cooker I was looking at was a Morphy Richards one and you can set it to be ready for a certain time and then it automatically goes onto a 2 hour warm period so that the food stays warm if you are late home
 
I'm generally pretty good when I'm on my own ! I will do things that can cook whilst I'm in the shower like a lasange or chicken keiv or something quick like salmon, new potatoes & broccoli or pasta carbonara (cheats version) that I know takes 20 mins max once I'm out the shower or I do as above & do a stew in slow cooker.

I really enjoy cooking though so its not a chore to me. The only time I don't is when I have been eventing when my dinner is generally cereal or chocolate croissant !!!

I then save cooking the "good" meals for a weekend when I have prep time etc :)
 
When my hubby was still doing stints away I swapped my routine over and started having my main hot meal at lunchtime - we have a microwave at work so I'd do loads of cooking at weekends, bag it up and then take it into work with me.

At night then when I got in from seeing to the horses I could just have a bowl of soup or cheese on toast.

Hubby no longer works away so now my slow cooker is my best friend I chuck stuff in in the morning, go to work, go and ride and then by the time we get home there is a meal ready.
 
Another vote for a slow cooker and for batch cooking other stuff at the weekend if you can!

I made a big stew this weekend which has lasted two of us two nights (and would have put half in the freezer if I'd been on my own). I don't have time to cook from scratch in the week so always try to have a couple of meals prepped up and either in the fridge or the freezer, as well as some quick stuff to hand.

At the moment we are trying to squeeze the last light of the evenings for hacking so I also want something quick when I get in. Tonight will be salmon and pasta as I forgot to get anything out of the freezer - takes 15 mins max.

I have also discovered the benefits of frozen rice (much cheaper than the microwaveable sachets and no added extras) and frozen mash. These mean I can do a quick egg fried rice or sausage and mash any time and, again, in no more than 15 minutes - handy when we're sick of stew or bol!
 
Three things save my sanity when it comes to post work/horses meals.
1. Cooking at weekends and making up portions. I save the plastic containers when we have takeaways they're perfect portion sizes and can go in the freezer and microwave. I have these when OH is working late and it's just me.
2. Slow cooker - prepare it the night before, chuck it in the fridge and put it on in the morning.
3. Having plenty of staples in so I always have rice/pasta/cous cous/potatoes to go with the frozen/slow cooked food and don't have to think about what's in the cupboard and what will go with what. Boil in the bag rice is a godsend, it's impossible for it to go wrong!
 
All of the above, plus:

www.ilumiworld.com :) They don't need refrigerating so can just sit in a cupboard until you need them when you can have dinner ready in 3 minutes. They taste good, the ingredients list isn't horrifying and they've saved me from subsidising the local pizza outlet... :D
 
SpottyMare said:
All of the above, plus:

www.ilumiworld.com :) They don't need refrigerating so can just sit in a cupboard until you need them when you can have dinner ready in 3 minutes. They taste good, the ingredients list isn't horrifying and they've saved me from subsidising the local pizza outlet... :D
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Wow. Not a fan of ready meals but these look good and the price isn't too horrendous. Great idea.
 
Agree with most of the comments above about preparing in advance. However, I entertain a lot and when I am on my own at home (maybe once per week when husband is out) I like to practise meals to inflict on other people. They aren't necessarily long-winded; sometimes just simple fish and salad or vegetables. So you could also see it as a chance to learn some fancier cooking you can impress your boyfriend and guests with! :)
 
How do you all do the slow cooker thing? Im out from about 7-8 surely if I put the slow cooker on at 7am come 8pm everything is going to be mush?!? I normally live on batch cooking but spag bol and chilli does get a bit tiring when you're eating it 4 times a week
 
I can't cook so I survive on microwave things. Mostly I eat microwave rice with a tin of fish and a can of vegetables in the evening. Takes 4mins in the microwave and is fairly healthy I think. Doesn't cost much either if you buy "own brand" things too.
 
missprimitive said:
How do you all do the slow cooker thing? Im out from about 7-8 surely if I put the slow cooker on at 7am come 8pm everything is going to be mush?!? I normally live on batch cooking but spag bol and chilli does get a bit tiring when you're eating it 4 times a week
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I find some things get a little bit mushy but by the time I get to eat it I am not in a fit state to be bothered about that and just want something hot and filling quickly :)
 
nato said:
I am exactly the same Micropony, and really struggle with my routine - any chance you could PM me some tips? :)
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Ha ha ha, we're all the same aren't we? Not in a position to be giving anyone tips, but at the risk of straying slightly off topic I wonder how many of these others can identify with:

Horse is never a day late for farrier, vaccs, dentist, saddle check, but I can't remember when I last made time for a routine dental appointment myself.

Horse's feed and nutrition are managed to the last detail. My diet is atrocious and, firm in my belief that the cocoa bean is a vegetable, I count chocolate as one of my 5 a day.

I have never yet run out of any of the components of my horse's feed, but my fridge rarely contains more than butter, milk, bagels and jam, and I frequently forget to replace those when they run out.

Horse has a sports massage religiously every 6-8 weeks. He's 4. He isn't working that hard. He has no issues. It really isn't necessary. But I like him to have it anyway. For myself, I might manage to squeeze in a trip to the hairdresser maybe 3 times a year, usually in a panic before a big work or social event.

Horse is a filthy oaf, but his stable is immaculate (actually that's more to do with the yard staff than me, although I can't bear being in the stable with a dropping so remove each one instantly BEFORE IT GETS TRODDEN IN, horrors!). I wipe all his tack over after use and strip it down for a proper clean once a week (okay, sometimes it slips to once a fortnight). My flat, on the other hand, is a pit that would embarrass most students. Life is just too short for cleaning. And you don't notice the dirt when you're asleep.

Horse's rugs are promptly and professionally cleaned and repaired and stored neatly away for next use. The rug next to his skin I wash weekly. My own laundry basket has overflowed onto the bathroom floor (machine is constantly full of horse boots, saddlecloths and summer sheets). I do not own an iron.

After exercise, horse is religiously cooled off and any sweat marks brushed away carefully, or he's washed down and dried off before being put to bed for the night. I have a bath and collapse into bed with wet hair. The only time it sees a hairdryer is inside a salon on one of my 3 annual visits.

I have been known to turn down social plans on the horse's days off because I wanted to see him and check that a minor graze was healing okay, or put some cream on an itchy bit, or drop off clean dry turnout boots in winter (can't have him going out in wet, muddy ones!), or do some other inconsequential task that I could have perfectly well left for a day, or asked a friend or the yard staff to do for me.

Please tell me I am not alone?
 
Micropony said:
Ha ha ha, we're all the same aren't we? Not in a position to be giving anyone tips, but at the risk of straying slightly off topic I wonder how many of these others can identify with:

Horse is never a day late for farrier, vaccs, dentist, saddle check, but I can't remember when I last made time for a routine dental appointment myself.

Horse's feed and nutrition are managed to the last detail. My diet is atrocious and, firm in my belief that the cocoa bean is a vegetable, I count chocolate as one of my 5 a day.

I have never yet run out of any of the components of my horse's feed, but my fridge rarely contains more than butter, milk, bagels and jam, and I frequently forget to replace those when they run out.

Horse has a sports massage religiously every 6-8 weeks. He's 4. He isn't working that hard. He has no issues. It really isn't necessary. But I like him to have it anyway. For myself, I might manage to squeeze in a trip to the hairdresser maybe 3 times a year, usually in a panic before a big work or social event.

Horse is a filthy oaf, but his stable is immaculate (actually that's more to do with the yard staff than me, although I can't bear being in the stable with a dropping so remove each one instantly BEFORE IT GETS TRODDEN IN, horrors!). I wipe all his tack over after use and strip it down for a proper clean once a week (okay, sometimes it slips to once a fortnight). My flat, on the other hand, is a pit that would embarrass most students. Life is just too short for cleaning. And you don't notice the dirt when you're asleep.

Horse's rugs are promptly and professionally cleaned and repaired and stored neatly away for next use. The rug next to his skin I wash weekly. My own laundry basket has overflowed onto the bathroom floor (machine is constantly full of horse boots, saddlecloths and summer sheets). I do not own an iron.

After exercise, horse is religiously cooled off and any sweat marks brushed away carefully, or he's washed down and dried off before being put to bed for the night. I have a bath and collapse into bed with wet hair. The only time it sees a hairdryer is inside a salon on one of my 3 annual visits.

I have been known to turn down social plans on the horse's days off because I wanted to see him and check that a minor graze was healing okay, or put some cream on an itchy bit, or drop off clean dry turnout boots in winter (can't have him going out in wet, muddy ones!), or do some other inconsequential task that I could have perfectly well left for a day, or asked a friend or the yard staff to do for me.

Please tell me I am not alone?
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All of the above, plus:

- Can't justify spending £40 on jacket for work for myself despite having no jacket that isn't torn or the zip broken. Yet horse gets new rug worth £200 just because I think she'll need a second one 'in case'

- Constant exhaustion, complaining about being tired all the time... yet rising at 6am on weekends to tottle off to an event.
 
If your slow cooker doesnt have a timer built in you can get an external timer that goes in the plug :)

I use mine for everything from lasagne to jacket potatoes and whole chickens and even cakes occasionally. Theres almost nothing that cant be done in a slow cooker :)
 
Actually just to bring it back on topic :) My OH is really funny about us getting a slow cooker, he's paranoid about leaving things 'on' while we're out of the house... what are people's thoughts on this?
 
Different idea - I've been hooked on "recipe boxes", or "cooking boxes". These contain three meals for two, everything you need delivered to your door. I use the "quick" boxes from Riverford and cook three evenings a week, then eat the second portion of each meal the following day. No recipe takes longer than half an hour to prepare. Admittedly, not the cheapest option. That said, the only other things I need to buy is cereal & milk for breakfast, bread and something to put on my lunchtime sandwiches. My weekly shop is surprisingly low.
I tried the precook/freeze and slow cooker options over the years, but I've never been disciplined enough to plan my meals, I'm not talented enough to come up with something interesting out of thin air and I get thoroughly fed up with eating the same dishes over and over (nor do I have enough freezer space to keep a nice range of different frozen dishes). With the cooking boxes, I get new recipes every week. If you google, there are many providers, and many will have a free/discounted first box to try. You can eat yourself through some 4-6 weeks very cheaply by trying every provider for a week ;-)
 
I love my slow cooker in the winter. Nato - I've never had a problem with leaving it on :). If I'm out for the whole day I leave it on low, if I'm going to be nipping in at lunch time I put it on high. I did not know that you can make cakes in them - WOW!!! :D

During the summer I generally have stir fry, or cook in big batches, or if I'm having a mad few weeks I buy ready meals and salad.

My OH is the navy and loves to cook. His mum is a chef and it's terrible because he is an excellent cook and I'm a greedy pig. Put on a stone in the last year and am now struggling to get rid of it!
 
nato said:
Actually just to bring it back on topic :) My OH is really funny about us getting a slow cooker, he's paranoid about leaving things 'on' while we're out of the house... what are people's thoughts on this?
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Does he have a problem leaving the fridge on? A fridge is more likely to cause a problem than a slow cooker for two reasons - it's usually in a confined space so more likely to overheat and it doesn't have thermostat cut off like a slow cooker does.
 
annagain said:
Does he have a problem leaving the fridge on? A fridge is more likely to cause a problem than a slow cooker for two reasons - it's usually in a confined space so more likely to overheat and it doesn't have thermostat cut off like a slow cooker does.
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That's really interesting when you look at it like that! I'll say it to him!
 
This is how I got my risk averse OH to give in on the slow cooker - that and refusing point blank to cook after I'd come home from the yard to find out he'd been in for 2 hours already and still hadn't made tea!
 
FrankieCob said:
If your slow cooker doesnt have a timer built in you can get an external timer that goes in the plug :)

I use mine for everything from lasagne to jacket potatoes and whole chickens and even cakes occasionally. Theres almost nothing that cant be done in a slow cooker :)
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You can even bake bread in a slow cooker! Ok, its a bit pale but tastes fine.
 
annagain said:
This is how I got my risk averse OH to give in on the slow cooker - that and refusing point blank to cook after I'd come home from the yard to find out he'd been in for 2 hours already and still hadn't made tea!
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To be fair my OH does all the cooking during the week.. Which is why the idea of a slow cooker appeals to me as I dont feel as guilty!
 
slightly on or off track.......................did you know if you reheat cooked pasta it has less digestible calories as the starch has changed structure slightly and is not as easily digested by the gut enzymes. so i always make extra pasta and reheat in some sauce etc
 
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