Five Tricks to Cooking for One

Are you single and cooking for one? Have you been trying to live healthfully by buying fresh produce or other healthy foods just to have them go rotten before you could eat them?...That’s money down the drain. Or do you try to avoid that fate by grocery shopping a few times every week? ...There’s time down the drain. It isn’t easy to cook nutritious meals for one without having to go shopping almost every day. So here five tips that I use personally and they work well... especially because I have to set an example as a mom to my daughter and also as a health and fitness leader. Here are my five tricks:

1. Buy individual portion sized tupperware or freezer bags and use them. It isn’t too expensive and if you look around, you can usually find some on sale somewhere. These can easily be put in the freezer with enough food for one properly portioned, healthy meal.

2. Cook a big batch of a go-to food to keep in the freezer in one-serving size containers like chilli, stew or lasagne. These are perfect to grab when you don’t feel like cooking and they can be easily re-heated on the stovetop, oven or if you must, the microwave. You can also make it fun by inviting other single friends to cook their own batch with you.

3. Cook versatile foods on the weekend. A couple chicken breasts, a few boiled russet potatoes, eggs, and corn on the cob are great for using all week. These things can be re-heated and eaten as they are or you can cut them up to make hashbrowns, home-baked fries, chicken ceasar salad, a chicken wrap, you can also shave off the cold corn and add that to a salad too.

4. Season after not before. Seasoning is a great way to bring a new flavour to the same food and if you are eating that same food a few times this week, like chicken, seasoning can make all the difference. The same goes for your frozen chilli. So cook your plain foods on the weekend, freeze or refrigerate what you don’t use then and season whats left as you re-heat it to eat.

5. Store your fresh berries and melons in the fridge as soon as you buy them. There are some fruits that lose some nutritional value when they are refrigerated but losing a little and still being able to enjoy the fruit and your investment is better than losing it all by having it go rotten before you can enjoy it and then throwing it out. So remember to refrigerate.

These tips took me a while to really stick to, especially when it is so easy to run out to the fast food place on the corner; so keep that in mind. And remind yourself that your wallet and your waist line will pay for that little fast food outing which is a high price to pay if you really think about it. With a little creativity and some dedication, you too can eat healthy while cooking for one. Cheers!

Be Fit. Be Strong. Be Healthy.
Meghan Gregory-Stephen
www.befit2play.ca