Not all of these tips for making cooking for one easier will work for you. I hope at least one helps, and the rest gives you some ideas. Everyone is different. Thank goodness. When I started this blog, I knew four people cooking for one and they all ate very differently.
One ate one meal a day and snacked the rest of the time. One loved leftovers. One needed leftovers for lunches. And one didn’t use leftovers. And I have no doubt you have your own requirements.
So let’s dive in.
Planning is essential to make cooking for one easier….otherwise…
Has this ever happened to you? You decided you were going to eat healthier and bought a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables. And then a week later, everything was just gross hanging out in your crisper?
I’ll often overbuy especially if I go to a farmer’s market.
Despite what I know, I’ll still buy three baskets of strawberries even though I can’t possibly eat them all in three days.
And it’s okay. No guilt and no shame.
It’s best if you plan out your week rather than leaving the meals to chance or seeing what you feel like. Often what you may feel like is ordering in.
Prep your meals in advance
There are two ways you can do this. The first is cooking all of your meals on the weekend, and then reheating it during the week. Or you can prep a lot in advance such as making a large pot of rice to be used for meals during the week.
Some people cook a lot of chicken in advance and make different meals each night. Others roast a whole chicken or roast of pork or beef and repurpose the leftovers.
And don’t forget lunches. You’ll save time and money if you can repurpose food for your lunches as well.
Stick to simpler recipes
Selecting recipes that require fewer ingredients and steps can make cooking for one much more manageable.
You won’t have to worry about using an ingredient like seasoned rice wine vinegar once and then having it go bad.
Revisit classic comfort food recipes. Most of them were created with what was on hand. And you can find ways to make them healthier with fresh or frozen vegetables. Toss in a salad for one, and you’ve got a well balanced meal.
One bonus tip is to look into freezer containers. If you make a recipe that serves four, freeze half of it, and the enjoy the recipe twice during the week. Your frozen meals can last quite a long time.
You should keep a record of what’s in there, and when you put it in as well as have a plan for when to eat it.