5 Tips for Cooking for One

Have you noticed that many cookbooks and recipes are designed to feed four or more people?  I’m all for families being fed, but what about people who live alone?  Don’t we deserve to eat well too?

Of course we do!!!!  There are some cookbooks on the market intended for single-serving recipes and that’s great, but sometimes you don’t want to follow a specific recipe with a bunch of ingredients so here are a few tips on planning for, and preparing easy meals for one person:

TIP #1

Start by giving yourself some grace and cut yourself some slack.  It’s a lot of work to feed yourself 3 meals and snacks every day.  You are not Martha Stewart, and you don’t need to prepare elaborate, Instagram-worthy looking meals.  The important thing is that you get enough to eat of the things that you enjoy.

TIP #2

Try to keep some staples in your home that are easy go-to meals like rice, pasta, canned beans, frozen veggies, eggs, etc.  You can throw together easy pasta dishes or rice bowls with just a few simple ingredients.

TIP #3

Consider having a designed grocery shopping day.  Plan ahead and make a grocery list.  What meals and snacks will you need that week?  Don’t wait until your fridge is empty if you don’t have to.  And get enough food to last you long enough.  While I have definitely had microwave popcorn for dinner when I wasn’t adequately prepared, it’s not exactly sustainable.

TIP #4

Check out your local grocery’s already prepared meal section.  I love Aldi’s heat and serve entrees.  All I have to do is add a side and dinner is done in 10 minutes!

TIP #5

There is not a darn thing wrong with take-out, delivery, or frozen options.  Diet-culture will tell us that we can’t eat “processed foods” and that frozen meals or take out options are “bad” for us and that is just simply not true.  Food doesn’t have moral value and, unless you have a food allergy, there is no reason to avoid any food.  Also, processing foods doesn’t make it unhealthy, and guilt doesn’t taste good.  As a single person, feel free to utilize convenient options to feed yourself.

Still feeling a little stuck on how to prepare meals for yourself?  Laura Watson, RD, is here to help you feed yourself with compassion and flexibility!  Schedule a free Discovery video call now.