Sick of Lean Cuisine :-( Food suggestions for one person?

I keep chicken strips, and green giant steamers on hand. I bake the chicken strip in the toaster oven and microwave the veggies and it all comes out about the same time.

my husband travels and my kids are super picky, so a lot of nights it's just me.

i make pesto (i use basil but also baby spinach) and toast walnuts and use those instead of pricey pine nuts. also some evoo, lots of garlic, good parm, salt & pepper. freeze in ice cube trays. once frozen, pop out into a ziploc baggie. and store in freezer. 2 oz. of angel hair pasta, plus a thawed cube of pesto and tonight i threw in some frozen, precooked shrimp. just thawed them and threw in pasta water at the very end just to heat thru.

i also do a lot of stir fry, poached chicken breast and veggies. roasted brussel sprouts and roasted cauliflower. lots of asparagus and mushrooms. also omlettes are good. i used egg whites and stuff em full of veggies. also fish, i do lots of salmon filets. i ask my local grocer to cut a filet into 2 or 3 portions (unless they have smaller portions available). also grill a small steak. Pork loin tacos - i buy a pound of loin and cut into thin strips and portion into baggies and freeze. cooking light has got a great pork loin with lime and cilantro taco recipe.

hope these inspire you a little. i like to search eating well, cooking light, etc. and modify for one or two. if i have an extra serving i'll either try to get my kids to eat it or i save it for lunch or dinner on day 2. also check amazon (search healthy cooking for one) - i like to get ideas there and then see if my local library has them. i flip thru, pick a few, copy them at work :devil: and then i didn't have to buy the whole book for 2 or 3 recipes i'd actually use.

Make it "meat of the week" and cook on Sunday.

Example : Ground Chicken (12 oz) - brown and divide into 4 equal parts - 3oz of meat at each meal. Saute onions and green pepper and put in fridge with seal tight lid. That week, you can use the meat and onions/peppers with additional seasonings and fixings to have

1) tacos (lettuce, cheese, tomato, taco shells),
2) sloppy joes (divide a can of sloppy joe sauce and freeze rest, use good bread/buns),
3) chili (just add tomatoes and beans)
4) enchiladas (tortilla, sauce, cheese, lettuce tomato).
5) pasta and add your meat to your sauce.

Make Friday canned soup/sandwich night or eat out night.

All can be served with easy side of veggies - microwaved or stove top - or a salad. 20 minutes or less to dinner and it's fantastic!

Vary ground turkey, lean ground beef, steak, etc as the meat of the week.

You can also buy a small rotissere chicken and divide up the meat into 3-4 meals.

Also, as many said, make any meal for four to six servings, divide and freeze portions. Or plow through the same thing all week- leftovers for lunch at work.

Bump. And here I thought I was so clever with all the different ways I can make a stir-fry by varying the proteins, veggies, seasonings and types of oil. Lots of creative ideas here. Thanks!

I love asian soups and they are so easy and filling!

You can use a base of just about any flavours you like (miso, chicken broth) boil it up and add vegetables, meat and noodles.
If you are cooking with fish or seafood you can add it straight from the freezer. Add chilli, ginger, garlic or any other herbs you like.

You can buy pastes at the supermarket (watch the sodium count) or asian supermarkets are fantastic for new flavours. That way you just have a jar of paste and can add a teaspoon to your delicious soup for one!

Bump. Great question and lots of awesome food suggestions. Thanks for sharing!

Burrito:

Fiesta-Lime rice (I make it in a batch that lasts me atleast 4-5 days, I like rice alot. recipe is here: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/04/fiesta-lime-rice.html)
Chicken breast seasoned and cut in 1 inch cubes cooked
fat free cheese
pace salsa (I dont use salsa enough to warrant making my own batch)
1 whole wheat tortilla

Enjoy the burrito (or since I dont know how to wrap it properly...a big taco!)

I am always really rushed for time and I can't eat gluten or diary which makes it a bit more restricting.

I buy chinese napa cabbage and baby spinach both are which are really nice raw.
That particular cabbage is sweet (doesnt taste cabbagy ) and easy to cut (takes you seconds) and has lower sulphur content than regular white cabbage. (no wind!)

So I throw that into a bowl then I go to the freezer where I am prepackaged 100 or 200 gram bags of chicken thighs I bought 3 kilos yesterday which will last me for 20-30 meals. I also have precooked brown rice that I have put in freezer bags (1 cup a bag)

Quick thaw in the microwave for the chicken and rice and then into a nonstick pan. Takes a small handful of minutes to cook.
I end up with a basic chicken meal with baby spinach and Napa cabbage salad. It all goes into the same bowl and gets mixed up.
I eat this everday at least once sometimes twice. What makes it different is whatever else I have lying around mushrooms sweet peppers, sprouts. I tend to like my greens and veg raw although sometimes I have cooked sweet potato mash.

I went and bought a whole lot of different condiments to change the flavour as well. Soy sauce, Pad thai paste, Rice wine vinegar, A really low cal soy based non dairy cream "cheese". Lemon pepper, lime juice, fish sauce, Sweet chilli plum sauce. Coconut oil and Nandos periperi chilli sauce. You get the idea.

Been eating that everyday and it beats lean cuisine hands down. The raw baby spinach and Napa cabbage makes up a huge bowl so you will feel full.
You can play around with the calorie levels with how much rice & chicken you use.

Key is it doesnt take long to separate the stuff into individual portions and the brown rice is no hassle when you cook in bulk and make enough for the week. Ten minutes from walking in the door I am sitting down to my noms.

For breakfast (well one of them anyway) I grab frozen bananas protein powder cacao powder and almod or rice milk and throw it in a blender. Taste so amazing and rather addictive.

i use allrecipes.com and have tons of recipes under 300 calories to fix! great as leftovers.

Do you have a crockpot? I used to do the Lean Cuisine, Weight Watcher's, etc., but since I started using a crockpot, now I come home to a homemade, hot meal, ready to eat and I know exactly what's in it. I get several meals out of each dish plus leftovers that I put in the freezer for a later date. It's awesome!! Crockingirls.com is a great website and they're also on Facebook.

Love those gals!!