Learn Tips on How to Cook for One - Healthy & Budget-Friendly
Healthy Eating Plans and Shopping Lists
A healthy eating plan should be considered when creating a shopping list. Your shopping list should include food for balanced meals containing carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Carbohydrates for a basic shopping list for one can include whole-wheat bread, brown rice, and oatmeal. Fruits like apples, cherries, limes, and oranges and vegetables like bok choy, broccoli, mushrooms, and squash.
Healthy fats for the solo shopping list can include canola oil, olive oil, and safflower oil for making garden salads and tossing on steamed vegetables. Healthy proteins to consider are small packages of deli chicken, tuna, or turkey for lunches and dinner to make quick healthy meals.
Grocery Shopping for One
Purchase fruits and vegetables in small batches and eat them before they can spoil. For instance, if you purchase apples, spinach, squash, and strawberries, you should eat the spinach and the strawberries which tend to spoil faster before eating the squash and apples. A good healthy eating tip is to purchase dried fruits, like prunes, which will not spoil quickly or freeze a tray of grapes for a healthy snack.
Large pieces of poultry can be purchased whole, sliced, and prepared for various dishes throughout the week. For example, a whole chicken can be used for a Sunday dinner, lunch meat for a sandwich, and as leftover protein for a small garden salad filled with chopped celery and onions.
Freezing Meals for One
It may seem unnecessary to cook a large meal because of the possible food waste, but it can be a good option. It you and a dinner guest decide not to eat an entire meal, you can choose to freeze the remaining dish. This is a common practice for working parents of large families and can work well for one-person households.
Once you have enjoyed your chicken stew filled with cauliflower, corn, and potatoes you can freeze leftovers in a sealed container with the name of the dish and the date for later eating. Likewise, a home-cooked pizza filled with mushrooms and pepperoni can be frozen for a future meal or snack.
Disclaimer:
Please read this disclaimer regarding the information you have just read.