Any single people eating healthy?
Replies
-
Sort of, I guess. (Sort of healthy, sort of cook
. Definitely single.)
Being a . . . ahem . . . seasoned and experienced person (OK, old), by this point I have quite a vocabulary of simple things I can cook without much fuss or agony. They're not really recipes, but more like patterns: Chili-like soups, veggie stews, tostadas, omelets or scrambled eggs, tacos, Mediterranean-esque pasta, big green salad with protein, wraps/sandwiches, pseudo-Asian noodle plus veggie stir-fry, etc. The details differ every time, but there are common variations, and they rely on pantry or freezer supplies I always keep in stock.
I do prep some things, and stick them in the freezer, but it's mostly long-cook items like dried beans, so I can do a big batch, portion & freeze, then bring out when I want to use them to make something. Occasionally, I'll portion and freeze a batch of a finished food, like individual crustless quiche, enchiladas, lasagna, a more complicated soup, muffins or bread, etc., for times when I want something I can just pull out and heat.
When we weren't doing this stay-at-home pandemic thing, I ate out more, maybe a couple of times a week or so. Now, I've cooked at home since March 13, except for one carryout pizza, and a food truck lunch today.
Practice, and that idea of a vocabulary of easy things you can just make without much thought, is helpful, I think. It's harder at first, for sure, while you're figuring out what works best for you.1 -
Today: tofu and veggies braised in honey, soy and ginger with rice.
Morning: cut appropriate amount of tofu and drain in. - 3 minutes
Afternoon: pan-fry tofu cubes, cut veggies and make sauce, fill rice into cooker - 10 minutes
now cooking - steam veggies, while I'm writing this - 2 minutes prep.
finishing dish - probably another 10 minutes. Could do this with the veggies, but I only have one large pan and use it in turns.
Thus that's 25 minutes of cooking.
0 -
btw, I cooked it in very fragrant Szechuan pepper oil I made a while ago and served it with sesame seeds and spring onion greens (rest was part of veggies) and it was absolutely delicious!0
-
Xiaolongbao wrote: »I'm married now but last time I lost weight I was single. I basically never ate out unless it was for a special event (so much cheaper and healthier to eat my own cooking). Lots of cooking in bulk and eating leftovers. I actually think it's easier unless you have a partner who will cook for you and is prepared to track calories etc. You only have yourself to please.
.
..and no one bringing junk food home that you have to resist. Ditto on cooking in bulk, + freezing what you'll be sick of after a few servings to cycle through at a later date.
Also- lots of convenience foods these days.. If I don't feel like cooking, there's always pre-cooked-sliced frozen chicken I can nuke for 2 minutes (or thaw in hot water frozen-pre-cooked-shrimp, or tinned tuna, or..) and toss onto either frozen-steam-in-bag vegetables or pre-washed-ready-to-use-bagged salad greens.0 -
swimmchick87 wrote: »I never cook anymore. I get all of my groceries from Trader Joe's, where I can buy a huge variety of things I just need to pop in the oven or maybe just throw a few things together. Discovering that store was a huge lifesaver for me. Honestly I don't know that I would have stuck to my weight loss goals this long without it.
I know how to cook and I'm decent at it, but I always felt it was a waste of time as a single person- often spending an hour plus, and then cleanup, only to be done eating in 10-15 minutes. I often really liked what I made the first night I had it, but I hate leftovers. Nothing ever tastes the same the next day, and since it's just me if I made a "regular sized" recipe, it wasn't uncommon to end up with 6 servings of something. I definitely don't want to eat something 6 meals in a row! Freezing didn't work too well for me either. My food seemed to get freezer burn quickly and even if didn't, again the food just didn't taste the same reheated.
With my Trader Joe's stuff I rarely end up with more than 2 servings of something. I enjoy everything I eat, I easily find things to fit into my calorie day, and I don't waste my time cooking and cleaning up cooking messes. It's also helped me cut way down on take out, since I know I can have something ready to eat pretty quickly after getting home from work, and I can't make excuses about getting take out because I'm too tired to cook.
With the whole pandemic thing I wondered if I should try cooking again just for something to do, but I've found even with tons of extra time available I still don't want to spend my time on cooking
. And I really like what I'm eating now and doing a good job of sticking to my calorie goal, so why mess with it?
Isn't this massively expensive? Just curious as my dinners hardly ever cost more than 1.50 Euro. Cooking... today it took I don't even know how long. Peeled a big potato, cut into pieces, cooked, put half French smoked sausage into another pan, and did something else in the meantime. When nearly done I drained the water, smashed potatoes and added milk, sauerkraut and raisins. Put sausage on plate, mash into pan for a short moment, served. So I guess effective cooking was not even 10 minutes. Dishes go into dishwasher, which I'll put on when full.
Likely more $$ than I would typically do too, but considering how many people spend $$$$ living almost completely on restaurant takeout these days, definitely a step up in frugality.
With the money I figure I've saved the last few months on bar drinks, covers, dance events (COVID), I've been splurging a lot more on the readier-to-eat and/or tastier luxury foods that are healthy. (most particularly on salmon and other fish; some of the higher end vegetable blends;..).2 -
As a latch key kid, I learned how to live alone & cook 4myself at a very early age, which I still do now at near 70.
There is no junk food in my house and I cook almost everything from scratch. It's a habit. I also don't eat any fast food (haven't had a soda, pizza or burger in years) and seldom ate out (even b4cthe Covid-19 crisis).
Whether I eat healthy or not is subject to opinion. I eat a lot of fruit/veggies but am not afraid of meat/fat but there is no doubt that I am healthy.
My blood work always comes out w/in spec, my BMI is 23, my BF% has been as low as 8% and was last tested at 12% and I've got a 6 pack. Not bad for an old man.
I just cooked a huge pot of Jacque Pepin's Puerto Rican Pork & Beans, which was delicious but was enough for 8 people. LOL!
That's one of the problems of cooking only 4 one but I just store the excess in canning jars and eat the leftovers over time. The food keeps a very long time in the jars wc also make the best use of space in the fridg.
So, it is certainly possible IMO for singles to cook gor themselves and eat healthy. You just have to develop the frame of mind, skill and habits to do so.1 -
swimmchick87 wrote: »I never cook anymore. I get all of my groceries from Trader Joe's, where I can buy a huge variety of things I just need to pop in the oven or maybe just throw a few things together. Discovering that store was a huge lifesaver for me. Honestly I don't know that I would have stuck to my weight loss goals this long without it.
I know how to cook and I'm decent at it, but I always felt it was a waste of time as a single person- often spending an hour plus, and then cleanup, only to be done eating in 10-15 minutes. I often really liked what I made the first night I had it, but I hate leftovers. Nothing ever tastes the same the next day, and since it's just me if I made a "regular sized" recipe, it wasn't uncommon to end up with 6 servings of something. I definitely don't want to eat something 6 meals in a row! Freezing didn't work too well for me either. My food seemed to get freezer burn quickly and even if didn't, again the food just didn't taste the same reheated.
With my Trader Joe's stuff I rarely end up with more than 2 servings of something. I enjoy everything I eat, I easily find things to fit into my calorie day, and I don't waste my time cooking and cleaning up cooking messes. It's also helped me cut way down on take out, since I know I can have something ready to eat pretty quickly after getting home from work, and I can't make excuses about getting take out because I'm too tired to cook.
With the whole pandemic thing I wondered if I should try cooking again just for something to do, but I've found even with tons of extra time available I still don't want to spend my time on cooking . And I really like what I'm eating now and doing a good job of sticking to my calorie goal, so why mess with it?
Isn't this massively expensive? Just curious as my dinners hardly ever cost more than 1.50 Euro. Cooking... today it took I don't even know how long. Peeled a big potato, cut into pieces, cooked, put half French smoked sausage into another pan, and did something else in the meantime. When nearly done I drained the water, smashed potatoes and added milk, sauerkraut and raisins. Put sausage on plate, mash into pan for a short moment, served. So I guess effective cooking was not even 10 minutes. Dishes go into dishwasher, which I'll put on when full.
Likely more $$ than I would typically do too, but considering how many people spend $$$$ living almost completely on restaurant takeout these days, definitely a step up in frugality.
With the money I figure I've saved the last few months on bar drinks, covers, dance events (COVID), I've been splurging a lot more on the readier-to-eat and/or tastier luxury foods that are healthy. (most particularly on salmon and other fish; some of the higher end vegetable blends;..).
Fair enough. Ready-made meals here are of appalling quality, taste like drenched in maggie and super expensive, thus I don't know what options you have. Also being an introvert I don't have the urge to go out and socialize. This whole COVID *kitten* is perfect for me as I have all the nature areas just outside of town (4km cycling max from the centre) mostly for myself.
0 -
fastfoodietofitcutie wrote: »Do you cook every day? I’m finding it really difficult to come up with dinner ideas. I wind up eating out most of the time. I really don’t enjoy cooking and kind of find it depressing to make a meal for one.
Yes, every night. I make enough for the next day's lunch.
Chicken or fish, rice or sweet potatoes (with flax seed if i do not consume fish), and a veggie.0 -
That's one of the problems of cooking only 4 one but I just store the excess in canning jars and eat the leftovers over time. The food keeps a very long time in the jars wc also make the best use of space in the fridg.
.
Yep..The right side of my freezer is primarily Mason Jars full of various soups/stews/chili. (Currently with bags of frozen fillets of fish on top of them).
0 -
swimmchick87 wrote: »I never cook anymore. I get all of my groceries from Trader Joe's, where I can buy a huge variety of things I just need to pop in the oven or maybe just throw a few things together. Discovering that store was a huge lifesaver for me. Honestly I don't know that I would have stuck to my weight loss goals this long without it.
I know how to cook and I'm decent at it, but I always felt it was a waste of time as a single person- often spending an hour plus, and then cleanup, only to be done eating in 10-15 minutes. I often really liked what I made the first night I had it, but I hate leftovers. Nothing ever tastes the same the next day, and since it's just me if I made a "regular sized" recipe, it wasn't uncommon to end up with 6 servings of something. I definitely don't want to eat something 6 meals in a row! Freezing didn't work too well for me either. My food seemed to get freezer burn quickly and even if didn't, again the food just didn't taste the same reheated.
With my Trader Joe's stuff I rarely end up with more than 2 servings of something. I enjoy everything I eat, I easily find things to fit into my calorie day, and I don't waste my time cooking and cleaning up cooking messes. It's also helped me cut way down on take out, since I know I can have something ready to eat pretty quickly after getting home from work, and I can't make excuses about getting take out because I'm too tired to cook.
With the whole pandemic thing I wondered if I should try cooking again just for something to do, but I've found even with tons of extra time available I still don't want to spend my time on cooking . And I really like what I'm eating now and doing a good job of sticking to my calorie goal, so why mess with it?
Isn't this massively expensive? Just curious as my dinners hardly ever cost more than 1.50 Euro. Cooking... today it took I don't even know how long. Peeled a big potato, cut into pieces, cooked, put half French smoked sausage into another pan, and did something else in the meantime. When nearly done I drained the water, smashed potatoes and added milk, sauerkraut and raisins. Put sausage on plate, mash into pan for a short moment, served. So I guess effective cooking was not even 10 minutes. Dishes go into dishwasher, which I'll put on when full.
Likely more $$ than I would typically do too, but considering how many people spend $$$$ living almost completely on restaurant takeout these days, definitely a step up in frugality.
With the money I figure I've saved the last few months on bar drinks, covers, dance events (COVID), I've been splurging a lot more on the readier-to-eat and/or tastier luxury foods that are healthy. (most particularly on salmon and other fish; some of the higher end vegetable blends;..).
Fair enough. Ready-made meals here are of appalling quality, taste like drenched in maggie and super expensive, thus I don't know what options you have. Also being an introvert I don't have the urge to go out and socialize. This whole COVID *kitten* is perfect for me as I have all the nature areas just outside of town (4km cycling max from the centre) mostly for myself.
For me, not so much full ready-made-meals.. but I have recently bought pre-cooked frozen chicken (rather than taking the time lately to cut up and cook a pack of raw chicken breasts)(~$5/cooked lb versus ~$2/bulk-size raw lb); pre-cut, washed, blended salad greens; occasionally a pre-made salad (Bistro/ready-pac brand pre-packaged are ~$3). And trying out some of the various pre-flavored oatmeal/grits packets instead of the usual tubs of plain ones.0 -
swimmchick87 wrote: »I never cook anymore. I get all of my groceries from Trader Joe's, where I can buy a huge variety of things I just need to pop in the oven or maybe just throw a few things together. Discovering that store was a huge lifesaver for me. Honestly I don't know that I would have stuck to my weight loss goals this long without it.
I know how to cook and I'm decent at it, but I always felt it was a waste of time as a single person- often spending an hour plus, and then cleanup, only to be done eating in 10-15 minutes. I often really liked what I made the first night I had it, but I hate leftovers. Nothing ever tastes the same the next day, and since it's just me if I made a "regular sized" recipe, it wasn't uncommon to end up with 6 servings of something. I definitely don't want to eat something 6 meals in a row! Freezing didn't work too well for me either. My food seemed to get freezer burn quickly and even if didn't, again the food just didn't taste the same reheated.
With my Trader Joe's stuff I rarely end up with more than 2 servings of something. I enjoy everything I eat, I easily find things to fit into my calorie day, and I don't waste my time cooking and cleaning up cooking messes. It's also helped me cut way down on take out, since I know I can have something ready to eat pretty quickly after getting home from work, and I can't make excuses about getting take out because I'm too tired to cook.
With the whole pandemic thing I wondered if I should try cooking again just for something to do, but I've found even with tons of extra time available I still don't want to spend my time on cooking . And I really like what I'm eating now and doing a good job of sticking to my calorie goal, so why mess with it?
Isn't this massively expensive? Just curious as my dinners hardly ever cost more than 1.50 Euro. Cooking... today it took I don't even know how long. Peeled a big potato, cut into pieces, cooked, put half French smoked sausage into another pan, and did something else in the meantime. When nearly done I drained the water, smashed potatoes and added milk, sauerkraut and raisins. Put sausage on plate, mash into pan for a short moment, served. So I guess effective cooking was not even 10 minutes. Dishes go into dishwasher, which I'll put on when full.
It's not expensive at all. Trader Joe's is a very cheap store and I actually spend far less money than I used to. Most of the time back when I was making recipes and going to a regular store like Kroger, I spent tons of money on varied ingredients needed to make something. Then often some of the leftovers would go bad because I just couldn't bring myself to eat the same thing so many days in a row. Tonight I ate some orange chicken in vegetable rice. It comes out to $1.88 per serving if you want to get technical. It would be significantly more expensive for me to buy all of the ingredients to make a meal like that myself, god knows how much time and mess, and probably wouldn't taste nearly as good either.1 -
Overall my meals are fairly healthy, definitely single, and I cook a fair bit (can't afford to eat out all the time).
I hate a lot of clean up, so most of my meals are going to be one or two pan dishes. I make good use of sauces, herbs, curries, pesto, etc and just build it into my calories. I avoid carb specific foods (breads, rice, potatoes, etc), and opt for things like riced cauliflower instead.
Lunches are the hardest for me - salads or snacks, or I end up with those frozen meals (which, for a decent one, aren't particularly cheap).
I am NOT a fan of leftovers, so while I try to keep a couple leftover meals frozen for those days I simply do not want to cook but can't eat out, most of my meals are 1-2 servings.
When my groceries arrive, I weigh and portion my meats accordingly, put them in baggies, and freeze. That way I thaw something "fresh" each day, without the rest of it going bad.
Veggies I have to buy most weeks or go frozen.
Eating out and my waist line do not agree....neither does my wallet. It gets really expensive really fast.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.4K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 387 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 898 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.2K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions