Cooking can be tough when you’re only making meals for yourself. Don’t let family-sized recipes, large amounts of leftovers, or time-consuming food prep deter you from a nutritious meal for one. Consider our tips below to make cooking for one more tasty, affordable, and inspiring!
Cooking for one starts with a plan
Allow time to plan out your meals before heading to the grocery store. Start by planning 1-3 homemade meals a week and consider making extra helpings for leftovers that you can eat the next day or freeze for later.
Make a list of your favorite recipes
Having a list of quick and simple recipes on hand can make it easy to make a nutritious meal in a pinch! Do you like leftovers? If not, stick to recipes that make one or two servings. What are some of your favorite recipes? Ours are yogurt parfaits with fresh berries and sheet pan meals.
Shop at the meat, seafood, and deli counter
Did you know you can buy custom quantities of foods like chicken breast, deli meats, and prepared salads at your grocery counters? Two salmon filets? Coming right up!
Reinvent leftovers
If you’re not a fan of eating the same thing over and over again, try reinventing leftovers into sandwiches, soups, quesadillas, and more! Leftover chili? Try adding it to a baked potato with your favorite toppings for a chili-loaded baked potato.
Cook with frozen fruits & vegetables
Frozen fruits and vegetables save time, reduce waste, and pack the same nutritional value as fresh produce! Boil, steam or bake veggies and toss fruits into smoothies or oatmeal!
Make it fun
Cooking should be an enjoyable, fun, and possibly creative experience! Cooking for one means you can eat you can eat whatever you want, whenever you want! You don’t have to please anyone but yourself! Cook using the ingredients you enjoy, have breakfast for dinner, or try listening to music while making your meals.
Comments 31
Daphne Phillips
So many things you can do with a whole roasted chicken from Walmart. From chicken with rice, pasta, favorite salad, chicken with that other leftover or just by itself. This single person enjoys roasted chicken.
redie
good data. thanks
Freddie foxx
I never more than enough for 2days
because. i don’t like left overs
oscar. wrihgt. St
My cook skills or good says my Dentist
Linda
Very good article. I cook on Sunday for 3 people and usually have enough left over for me the next day. Then I’m on own for the rest of the week.
Mary Mulligan
Thanks for putting this together, very helpfull.
Carlyn Webber
Having previously cooked for a large extended family, I find it hard to cook for one so I’ve become quite creative using leftovers. I freeze the, create heat and serve meals and use them in new recipes. Your article was quite helpful!
laverne thompson
i love it
Elaine Wagoner
Always good to have input from a fresh set of eyes. I tend to go with the same old recipes & that gets tiresome after awhile. Appreciate the suggestions for variety. Thanks !
very educational
This s very educational keep me company while in hospital
Janet E. Ward
I am going to try some of the suggstions
judy otey
thanks for sharing. Have a blessed day.
William
I enjoyed the information and will use it.
Kathleen Collins
Excellent tips.
d mcdonald
thank’s for the help.
juanita church
Go reciepe ideals Thank You
donna w
Great advice.
Brenda Morgan
Thanks for all the imformation it is very helpful.
Patricia L.
Great suggestions!! Thanks!
Arlen Chaleff
Thank you !
Karen Soncasie
I’ve always enjoyed cooking but as I get older, it’s harder and harder so I think of things like soups and stews that make a big pot and then freeze them in individual portions so then on my worst days, I can just pull one of them out make a salad and have a wonderful meal soup such as stuffed pepper soup instead of individual stuffed peppers taste is the same and it goes my father. I love vegetable soup not as good but it’s good for us. Chili freezes very well. Chicken soup. I do not put the noodles in until I bring it back out, thought it out, heat it up and then add noodles, this is just some things that I use and thank you for the other advice
sandra dehaven
very interesting especially since i love soups n cassaroles, willuse some of your ideas
margaret M.Conners
i have always tried to plan my meals because it helps me with myhealthy eating
i also try to use rotisserie chickens to planseveral differentmeals a week.
Shirley Doze
This was great information and so helpful.
JACKIE SHELBY
The meals were healthy and easyc to prepare
Having left overs today.
left overs help you save on your groceries .
Shirley W
Helpful information. Thanks
Mary C Jefferson
…Good to see that others realize the advantage of of cooking ahead and feezing in portions…As well as being creative with leftovers…
Robert
Very creative, and thoughtful ideas.
Ken
some goo tips to use.
Thanks
Betty R.
very good.