Healthy Meal Ideas for One

Healthy Meal Ideas for One
Page content

What’s in your kitchen?

Always have a good complement of foodstuffs in the fridge such as dairy (eggs, cheeses, and yogurt) as well as produce that has a fairly long shelf life, like carrots, onions, celery, peppers for making a quick stir-fry or scramble. Buy salad from the bulk bin and only buy what you’ll eat in a couple of days to prevent spoiling. Stock up on condiments such as variety of salad dressings, sauces, olives, pickles and spreads. Keep vegetables, fruit, and single-servings of meat in the freezer. Always have oil and vinegar, herbs and spices, packaged broth, pasta and sauce in the pantry for quick and ready use.

Meal Combinations

Cooking solo allows for economy in all sorts of ways, from making enough to have leftovers for lunch the next day to only buying exactly the foods you like to eat and nothing more.

A favorite quick, nutritious meal that can be made easily for one is a good stir fry. These are prefect for one person, since you can add whatever you like at any given moment and serve it up over rice with soy-sauce or coconut milk for an Asian-themed dinner or over pasta with tomato sauce and herbs for something more Mediterranean. If you’re tired of chicken, try shrimp and when it’s time to move on from shellfish, cook thin slices of pork or beef as the main protein. Frozen packages of stir-fry style vegetables make this meal a 10-minute wonder from start to finish, but if you can add a few minutes of prep time to your evening routine, include fresh onions, carrots, bell pepper, zucchini and greens such as chard and kale to the mix.

Don’t be afraid to cook meats for one, since meat can often be sold in single servings straight from the meat counter, where it’s always freshest. Roasting a chicken breast takes 20 to 30 minutes and requires nothing more than a roasting pan and an oven that can get to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Roast a whole chicken in about an hour and have food for at least three or four meals over the next couple of days. You can also roast two chicken breasts instead of one and use the second breast for lunch or dinner the next day. Chicken breast meat is lean, a good source of protein and combines well with just about anything you can think of. The same can be applied for oven-baked steak, pork-chops, turkey or fish. Cooking techniques may vary slightly, but are worth learning to stay engaged in the kitchen and away from the take-and-bake meals.

Finally, try putting together several homemade soups or stews. Hearty, healthy and comforting, these provide an opportunity to get creative and put food aside for another time. Make a big batch of chili, beef stew or bean soup and freeze several portions for a later date. An aromatic, light vegetable soup goes great with salad and doesn’t tip the scale. Experiment with traditional and cultural favorites such as chicken noodle, clam chowder, gumbo, and gazpacho or miso soups to keep things interesting. Making your own soups gives you the advantage of controlling each ingredient and benefiting from the healthful, delicious result. Healthy meals for one is not hard, it just needs creativity!

Meal ideas are from the author’s own experience