Cooking For One

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sceck
sceck Posts: 219
in Food and Nutrition
I love to cook! But I'm finding that I'm making meals that always have leftovers. I don't mind that at all but now they're backing up...and I hate to waste food. Does anyone have some good home cooked meals for one? I know I can make one chicken breast, but am trying to stay away from baked potatoes and packaged foods such as side dishes. Help me trim it back! Thanks.

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  • ellenangel
    ellenangel Posts: 106 Member
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    I cook for one too. And freeze a lot of things or use them in different ways- ie, I might make a lentil loaf which I eat for dinner hot with some homemade ratatouille. The next day, I might have a portion of lentil loaf cold, chopped onto a salad for lunch and use some ratatouille and a little mozzarella cheese to make a pasta bake for dinner (making 2 portions of pasta- saving the second to mix with a small can of tuna and some chopped vegetables/some sort of dressing to have as pasta salad for the next day's lunch!)

    Condiments can shake things up a lot too, or little changes- ie, if you grilled a few pieces of chicken for lunches, you could make a sandwich one day with some hummus, tomato and sprouts. The next day, you could throw one onto a salad with some salsa and a dollop of low fat greek yogurt. The next day, could chop and mix with Greek yogurt mixed with curry powder, a few raisins and chopped celery then top crackers with your homemade curried chicken salad.

    So many recipes that are for 4 can be halved pretty easily so you can either freeze a portion or use it in a different way a few days later.
  • 2monkeys
    2monkeys Posts: 17 Member
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    When I was single I would make a meal for 4 and freeze the rest, that way when I didn't feel like cooking I'd have no excuse. 2 weeks worth of cooking would provide another month and a half of meals. Most recipes can be made for one, just divide the ingredients by the number of servings.
  • sceck
    sceck Posts: 219
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    Good tips, thanks!
  • sdirbder
    sdirbder Posts: 159 Member
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    There was another thread a couple of days ago about this same topic.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/228067-food-meals-for-one-grocery-shopping-cooking-etc

    Hope this helps.
  • srp2011
    srp2011 Posts: 1,829 Member
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    I go for quick and simple - I love salmon (or any fish will work) steamed/baked in a tin foil packet (seal foil packet and bake in oven at 400 for 30-45 minutes), with a little lemon-pepper marinade on top (you can pour most of the marinade off), and then I'll steam some asparagus or broccoli in the microwave. Sometimes I'll boil some new potatoes or make up a single serving of couscous (extremely simple - just look at directions on container). You can get creative with the tin foil packets - you could put your veggies in with the fish and steam the whole thing together. What I love about this is there is no clean-up either, and it's all very healthy and yummy.

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