Whats for dinner?

I'm making a roast in the crock pot. We will be having leftovers forever! Its been this way every since my surgery. Anyone have any ideas on how to cut down on meal sizes when I cook so that we don't have to eat the same thing for a week or do the unthinkable and *gasp* throw food out? I cook for me, a picky four year old and a hubby that NEVER goes for seconds. Kathy

Sorry, I won't be much help with this one...since we are eating leftovers from what I cooked in the crockpot yesterday!!!! As a matter of fact I already ate some of it for lunch. that is one thing about this surgery....you had better love leftovers Melissa

I made a roast in the crockpot a few weeks ago, and enjoyed it the first night. I tried it again the next day around lunchtime, and my pouch said "NO WAY!" Don't know what that was about. Anyway, I'm lucky in that my husband has always taken our leftovers for lunch ... and if we get too many things going on in the fridge, he's happy to have them at dinnertime too. I got used to cooking for a crowd, and it's a hard habit to break. Now, I don't cook every night ... since he is happy with a big salad or with something left over, and we have less waste. Maybe you could check out some cookbooks that are written especially for singles or couples. I've given some to my Mom for gifts since she lives alone ... I even found a few that were written for special diets. (Mom is a diabetic.) Also, when I was a kid, Mom would use leftover roast and vegetables to make a stew that we ate over biscuits. I guess she thought that might fool us into thinking we weren't eating leftovers. She just chopped everything up and added the gravy thickened with a little flour or cornstarch, if needed. I bet your husband wouldn't fall for that one, either. Tonight I am making a quiche. I was (still am, just can't eat her food anymore!) a Paula Deen fan, and this recipe comes from her "Paula Deen & Friends" cookbook. It goes down really well for me, and I like the leftovers, too. I made a few adjustments to lower the calorie and fat content, and it's still good eatin'! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Spinach and Bacon Quiche 6 eggs, beaten 1 & 1/2 cups milk (I use skim) Salt & pepper 2 cups chopped fresh baby spinach, packed 1 pound cooked bacon, crumbled (I use less than 1 pound of turkey bacon, you could also use half turkey, half regular bacon) 1 & 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese (I use about 1 cup, and I haven't found lowfat Swiss, so this is where Michele or Chris might fuss at me.) 1 9-inch refrigerated piecrust, fitted into a 9-inch glass pie plate (I don't eat all the crust when I have my tiny slice.) 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 2. Combine the eggs. milk, salt & pepper. Layer the spinach, bacon, and cheese in the bottom of the piecrust, then pour the egg mixture on top. 3. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the eggs are set. Cut into wedges. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Here's another of Paula's quiche recipes ... haven't tried this one yet, but it's on the menu soon: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mushroom and Sausage Quiche 1 9-inch refrigerated piecrust, fitted into a 9-inch glass pie plate 1 lb. ground sausage (I will either use a turkey ground sausage, or Jimmy Dean 50% Less Fat ground sausage) 1 Tbsp. butter (I will use a nonstick spray, with about 1 tsp. butter) 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced 1/2 large Vidalia onion, chopped 4 eggs 1 cup sour cream (I will use lowfat sour cream) 1 cup cottage cheese (I will use 2%) 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour 3 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1 tsp. hot sauce 8 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, grated (I will use 2%) 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. In a large skillet, cook and drain the sausage, and set aside. Wipe out the pan, add butter. Add mushrooms and onion, saute for 5 minutes, until tender. 3. Beat together the eggs, sour cream, cottage cheese, flour, Parmesan, and hot sauce. 4. Stir together the crumbled sausage, mushroom mixture, egg mixture, and Cheddar cheese. Spoon into the piecrust. Cover the edges of the crust with foil to prevent burning. 5. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until golden and the center is set. Cool for 10 minutes and cut into wedges. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hope your roast turns out tasty! Dawn

Well Kathy, I don't know what to tell you other than do like my husband does (he is the cook in the family), he just buys smaller cuts of meat since it's just the two of us eating at home now. If he can't find smaller ones then he buys a bigger one and cuts it into smaller portions for future meals. Looks like he will be learning how to cook for 1 and a 1/4 now, We are planning on sitting down tonight and making out a list of things I will need to buy before my surgery (clear liquids), and trying to figure out what he will be cooking for me to puree in the food processor I hope you get it figured out. Hugs! Mary

I tell you what between my husband and my brother both big ole boys I don't worry about leftovers. Tonight were having meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy and green beans.