Quick and Clean eating for 1

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My boyfriend is going to be working away a lot this winter and when he isn't home is when I eat the crappiest.
Because, why spend hours cooking when no one is going to appreciate it?
So i end up eating pasta or toast for supper.. no good as I eat a lot of carbs
Even when he is home and I cook we have too many leftovers and a lot of food goes to waste
Does anyone have any quick clean eating recipes for 1 person?
Please no Lentil soups. I lived off lentil, quinoa, veggie soup for like a month!!!
The cheaper the better>>

Replies

  • claritarejoice
    claritarejoice Posts: 461 Member
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    Funny, I'm the opposite, it was easy for me to eat healthy when I was single because I only had to worry about and shop for myself, but my husband requires a whole different diet than me (he's an athlete), so I gained a lot of weight cooking for him and then eating the same thing he did.

    In any case, I would love to have your problem - cooking for one was so easy. I love canned salads - throw together any canned beans and veggies you have - black beans, chickpeas, corn, tomatoes and frozen peas. I love a filet of fish - it's so easy to poach - tilapia is inexpensive (or whatever is cheapest in your area of the country). You can poach it with no oil for a few minutes and add some veggies to the water to steam cook with the fish. Or do the same with a chicken breast instead. Any type of protein on top of a big salad (instead of over rice or pasta) is great - I love Trader Joe's sorrento arugula greens blend right now - it tastes so good just by itself. All of these recipes are extremely fast. I hope this helps.
  • katejkelley
    katejkelley Posts: 841 Member
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    Since I'm relatively new to clean eating, I'm enjoying cooking - even if it's just for me (husband works out of town during the week). I bought "The Vegetarian Bible", which has a lot of really good, fairly simple recipes. I just cut the recipe in half and have two days' worth of meals. (I LOVE leftovers!)
  • caseythelab
    caseythelab Posts: 25 Member
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    I love getting a big salad from Whole Foods - they have so many options that it's a treat. I love the carrot-ginger soup, too!
  • cersela
    cersela Posts: 160 Member
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    Whenever I'm cooking for just myself I usually throw some vegetables in the steamer basket of the rice cooker and let them steam while I'm making quinoa. Or I wrap up a sweet potato and throw it in the toaster oven, or throw an entire pumpkin or winter squash in the oven for an hour then quarter it eat it directly out of the rind after it's cooked. Occasionally I make an entire baking dish of black bean enchiladas and individually wrap and freeze them so I can reheat them in the toaster oven when I don't feel like cooking.
  • poisonjayde
    poisonjayde Posts: 5 Member
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    Hello :) im single and every sunday i have a cooking fest- i pre cook pack and stack all my meals for the week ahead and just add lots of salad :) my main meals consist of chicken and salad (add veggies tofu beans lite cheese etc) fruit salad for breakfast with yoghurt and lsa mix so these are things you can prepare and stack later, i have however had to invest in the tupperware fridge mates to keep all my veggies and fruit fresh:)
  • 2abnorth
    2abnorth Posts: 59 Member
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    I've found a day of planning makes it a lot easier. If you have a freezer, when you cook something, put it in leftovers in portion size freezer bags. Take it out & warm up as needed. I also will cook a few chicken breasts at a time, then chop them up and have chicken readily available in the a container to add to just about anything. Same with eggs, precut a bunch of veggies. Easier to grab a few and toss together, steam, in salads, etc. I find if I make about a week at a time, I'm eating more balanced meals & everythings ready. HTH!
  • reptilegrrl
    reptilegrrl Posts: 24 Member
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    I agree that planning is very important. It helps you to avoid that point where you are super-hungry suddenly and have nothing ready. I will cook a dinner and take leftovers from it for lunch the next day, for example.

    The other night I cooked a single 1/4 pound hamburger patty for myself. It took less than ten minutes and was delicious. I had that with some veggies and I was happy and well-fed.

    I personally think that food deteriorates in quality after a few days, so I wouldn't cook a whole week's worth of food at once just to stack it in the fridge. But I do like to freeze leftovers to eat later. I also find that frozen vegetables are great because you can cook a single serving or two at a time without a lot of prep.

    Chicken breasts pan-fried is quick (less than ten minutes) and yummy. Add some veg steamed in the microwave and you're good!

    For breakfast I keep it simple, a few eggs or some cheese on toast. Oh, and I like to have a smoothie for lunch sometimes. Fruit, almond milk, and whey protein!