I just cook for more than one, eat what I want, and put the rest away for later.

Is the problem that you're cooking for one, or that you are only cooking sporadically? I guess I don't understand why its a problem that the cucumber only lasts a week. Throw the other half into a salad in a couple days?

Greek Yogurt comes in a 7 or 8 oz container ... if it were me, I'd just add the extra in.

14 oz of lamb seems excessive for a recipe for one person, but I see ground lamb all the time in 16 ounce packages. And even if I really wanted to debone and grind it myself, I see chops in much smaller pkgs than 2 lbs all the time.

Extra herbs can get thrown into a salad with the extra 1/2 cucumber. Or I dry them myself for later use.

I buy pureed garlic in a tube. Less chopping for me, and it lasts a long time. http://www.britsuperstore.com/acatal...dIZcAuw#a23783

Sacrilege!

It's lovely. It's in my fridge, right next to the tube of tomato paste.

I generally have fresh garlic around too if I need to roast whole cloves or have slivers or some such thing, but if its going to get chopped to bits anyway, out comes the tube!

Not at all. Like missy, I keep the real thing on hand too. I buy mine in a jar and use it more than ever. No difference in flavor when added to most recipes.

I agree but I can't admit that to my Italian friends who tend to go ballistic.

Thanks. I guess I don't know why I thought some of these ingredients went bad so quickly. I just assumed?

Anyway, thanks everyone for your tips. Looking forward to trying some of these recipes in the cookbooks suggested.

+1 on the soup. I make a regular recipe and eat one meal, keep another meals worth in the fridge and freeze meal sized containers.

I also freeze fresh blueberries and grab a handful almost daily to thaw and use to top oatmeal or salads.

I also freeze thaw sliced bread and take a slice or two out to toast for breakfast and such.

Ditto on bacon. I'll buy a lb or two of my great bacon and parse it out in 3-4 slice portions and freeze in individual bags.

I usually make soups and stews in regular or larger batches and put them in individual-sized containers, label them and freeze them. The same goes for larger quantities of meat. The meat either gets portioned and marinated into ready-to-cook or cooked and portioned into ready-to-eat. Having a variety of both types helps keep things interesting.

My freezer is usually full and my fridge is mostly full of condiments, wine and beer and maybe a package of eggs. That way, I can either heat something up to eat or I can cook something in a relatively short amount of time.

To help prevent spoilage and to keep organized I have a list of condiments on my fridge door as well as a list of the ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook stuff. I also have a few quick cook ingredients such as angel hair pastas, a jar or two of pasta sauce and some frozen dumplings for when I'm feeling especially tired or lazy.

If you don't have one already, I would recommend getting a small pressure cooker and a smallish-sized rice cooker. The rice cooks in 20-mins without supervision plus there are a bunch of one pot dishes that can be made in it. The pressure cooker is awesome for flavourful, inexpensive cuts of meat.

For veg, I just pick up a bag of spinach or a head of broccoli on my way home.

The hardest part was building up the pantry from nothing without buying "club-sized" quantities.

The problem I have with frozen stuff is that it takes so long to thaw or cook from frozen.

I am lucky enough to be able to come home for lunch, but I am limited to about 20 minutes to cook and eat. I am not too keen on sandwiches, so end up with reheated leftovers. So I am looking for some good ideas on something I can make ahead and keep in the fridge for a few days and quickly reheat.

Oh, another good book to check out - Edouard De Pomiane's French Cooking in Ten Minutes. Some good inspiration.

If you like pickles, save the jar of liquid when you finish the last pickle. When you have part of a cucumber left over, cut it into slices or spears and toss them into the jar. In a week or so, you'll have more pickles.

To reheat quickly arrange the food in a donut shape wiht a big hole in the middle. It reheats quickly and evenly. For frozen food, try to package in half portions instead of whole portions so it's easier to arrange on the plate. Multiple tiny quarter to half portions is why I always label everything and keep a list on the door of the freezer/fridge.

Plus this way there's more variety too.

Trader Joe's frozen Thai meals are my go to

When I was a single man many moons ago entire weeks could go by without me finding the need to use a knife and fork.
Breakfast was always coffee and a cigarette,a sandwich for lunch and at dinner cheese on toast.
Or a toasted ham and cheese sandwich.
Or just a ham sandwich.
Not very healthy I know but I had more important things on my mind then than food.

My go-to meal for one is vegetable pilaf. All you need is rice, some cheap curry paste, a can of coconut milk and whatever vegetables you can find. Cheap, filling, freezable, lasts for ages.
Of course, I always end up making too much and promptly getting sick of the stuff.