Cooking for one: Healthy advice for solo suppers

by Martha Edwards (Subscribe to Martha Edwards's posts)
Oct 9th 2008 6:00PM

Cooking for one is difficult, I know. My partner works nights, which means that Monday through Friday, I'm flying solo at home. It's a bit daunting to cook for one, and it would be all too easy to live on cereal or toaster waffles. Divine Caroline recently put together some nutritious solo dining tips:

Freeze it. Hesitant to put that yummy-looking recipe for six to use? Go for it -- and freeze the extras for future easy meals.
Buy some small appliances. A small George Forman grill is a staple in my kitchen. Other ones that will come in handy? A small food processor, blender or toaster oven.
Limit snack foods. After a long day at the office, it might seem like a good idea to have 25 crackers for dinner instead of a nutritious meal. Toss your favourite snack foods from the cupboards -- it'll force you to put together something that resembles a meal.
Be realistic. Are you really going to eat four red bell peppers this week? Probably not. Limit how much fresh produce you buy to reduce waste and cost -- you can always pick more up if need be. But make sure to buy some produce -- you won't eat it if it's not in your kitchen.

Want more tips? Click here, and be sure to let us know yours.

Source

Comments (2)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Melinda 10-09-2008 @ 7:57PM

This article could be SO much more informative. As someone who cooks for a single person myself, I know a few tricks of the trade.

How about individually portioning out meat so you don't have to thaw an entire package? Or how about simple foods that are easy to prepare alone, like spaghetti, tacos, lean burgers, salads?

How about buying smaller canned goods, like tomatoe paste to cook up one meal? Mini cans can cut back on a ton of waste (even though they may cost a little more per serving).

Having a freezer full of already made food can be pretty disgusting. With having taste buds, making a 6 serving portion would be a waste as it will freezer burn by the time I get around to left overs. Maybe suggesting 2 servings, or even 4 would be more wise.

Cooking 10-13-2008 @ 4:53AM

I agree with Melinda, it could have been more informative, i too cook for one most of the time and didn't agree with your suggestion of making a meal for 6 and freezing, would soon get bored of the same meal every night. but have found myself just eating a pack of crackers when i've been too lazy to cook