Cooking for ONE

TonysMiss

Help! I am SO FREAKING BURNED OUT ON CHICKEN! I only have to cook for myself for half of the week and I struggle with WHAT to eat. I also work out those same nights so by the time I get home and work out it is getting pretty late. It's hard to stay on track sometimes because I am so burned out on the same ol' - same ol'. Know what I mean? Any suggestions on easy meals for one? Ones that won't be bad for a late(ish) dinner?

AshleyLauren589

Not sure if you've ever tried them, but I've recently become a huge fan of boca burgers. You pop em in the microwave if you want them fast, or you can cook them in a pan (which is what I usually do) and they're done. Super easy, super good for you (they're made from black beans). I was hesitant to try something labeled vegan, but they're totally delicious and super easy.

Procellifer

What I do is make big meals like chilli or bolognese or curry that serve 6 or so, on my free days, then divvy them up and freeze individual portions, which I can reheat when I'm feeling too lazy to cook.

smketchum

When I was single I struggled as well (was doing WW at the time) and I discovered soy products. I am not a vegetarian, but they are healthy, high in protein, low in fat, high in fiber, and actually taste fantastic (and I am not kidding!) I love the Morningstar "chicken" patties. I would eat them on a light bun with honey mustard and lettuce. I actually miss them now that I am cooking for my family! I also like the "chicken" nuggets and the Boca burgers are really good as well! I also shopped at Trader Joe's a lot. I don't know if you have one where you live, but the black bean taquitos are delicious! They have lots of really easy to prepare, healthy meals in their freezer section. It's not the same as cooking from scratch, but you can at least eat something healthy that doesn't take a long time to prepare and won't throw you off track. You can also make a pot of chili or some turkey meatballs and marinara or casseroles on the weekend and then freeze leftovers to heat up throughout the week.

I hope this helps!

Kminor67

What I do is make big meals like chilli or bolognese or curry that serve 6 or so, on my free days, then divvy them up and freeze individual portions, which I can reheat when I'm feeling too lazy to cook.

I agree. Also, find different ways to make chicken. I like to buy brown rice and cook the whole package, then freeze it in single serving sized containers. Then whenever I need it it's ready in 45 seconds in the microwave. I eat a lot of stir fry... you can buy plenty of sauceless blends in your frozen veggie section. Cook a bag of those, add some protein of your choice (shrimp, chicken, crab meat, tofu) and heath through, and serve it over a portion of brown rice with a little low sodium soy sauce. Makes for a great meal for around 450 calories.

I use this recipe for stuffed green peppers: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Stuffed-Peppers-with-Turkey-and-Vegetables/Detail.aspx I find that the stuffing actually makes 6 peppers instead of four, and it freezes well. Delicious!

wolfchild59

My hubby is an actor so I'm usually cooking for one since he's off at rehearsals or shows. I use chicken, ground turkey, lean pork chops, tofu, eggs and salmon patties from Trader joes and my most frequent proteins. I actualy find it more difficult to cook when he's home because when I cook for myself I make everything as a single serving so I never have to worry about portioning or weighing anything. When he's home, there are some meals that I'll actually cook in two seperate pans, just to make sure everything is divided equally. Lol

But I do all sorts of random stuff, mostly depending on how lazy I feel or what's in the fridge. But I do frittatas, stuffed peppers, stuffed portabella mushroom caps, tofu noodle one pan meals, and stuff like that. The only things I only make when we'll both be home are things like shepherd's pie or jambalaya since those are just naturally made as more than one serving size as the nature of the dish. Just play around and have fun. My food isn't usually worthy of being presented to anyone but myself, but as long as I find it filling and tasty, that's all I care about.