Simple meals for singles - WSET.com - ABC13

By Jane Schwartz Harrison
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You are a single parent and your last child just left for college. Maybe you are newly divorced or widowed and living on your own. Or perhaps you are on your own for the first time after moving out of your parents' home. Do you take the time to prepare and cook healthy meals for yourself?

Some people living alone tend to skip meals, skimp on vegetables and thrive on snacks instead of eating a proper meal. Other singles live on processed or frozen food.

Cooking for one may feel like more trouble than it's worth, but what you choose to eat is vitally important for your health. Low energy, vitamin deficiencies and lower resistance to colds and flu are just some of the side effects of a poor diet.

You can avoid this trap without being a slave to the kitchen or ending up with wasted leftovers. Try these practical meal ideas:

Buy "fresh," precooked food

• Look for portion-controlled servings of lasagna, chicken or fish, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
• Pair one dish (e.g., prepared chicken or fish) with a fresh vegetable or salad.
• Buy small portions of fresh vegetables from salad bars.
 

Use healthy canned and frozen foods

• Stock up on individual frozen portions of fish, shrimp in a bag, individual chicken breasts, prepackaged turkey burgers, salmon burgers, veggie burgers, whole-grain waffles or stir-fry mixes.
• Use frozen dinners as a base and add fresh ingredients to them. Look for whole-grain entrees or brands that are organic or low in fat and salt. Include a salad and whole-grain roll to round out the meal.
• Enjoy a bowl of frozen fruit combined with fresh fruit. Top with low-fat vanilla yogurt. Or use canned fruit, packed in water or 100 percent fruit juice.
• Use a canned food as your base, and add fresh vegetables. Saute zucchini, onions and carrots. Then pour in a can of chili, either vegetarian or with ground turkey.
• Add pre-washed spinach or steamed leftover veggies to chicken or vegetable soup.
• Eat canned beans, which are packed with nutritious fiber and protein. Add to salads, or mix with quick brown rice and stewed tomatoes.
• Add fresh peppers, onions and mushrooms to a canned tomato sauce.

Love those leftovers 

• Cook in bulk and freeze in portions. This works well for soups, meatballs, chilies, turkey meat loaf or casseroles.
• Use leftovers in preparing meals the next day. Be creative!
  • Cut up leftover grilled or baked chicken and put over a salad for lunch.
  • Use extra chili to top a baked potato the next night.

 
Think outside the box

Meals don't have to be traditional. How about breakfast for dinner? Just make sure to get your vegetables in with other meals.  

• Scrambled eggs and whole-wheat toast
• Whole-grain cereal with skim milk and berries
• A warm bowl of oats with sliced banana
• Low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese with sliced fruit
• Smoothies with frozen berries added

Create atmosphere to enjoy your dinner. Don't eat standing up or on the run. You are as important as any guest. Set the table, use nice dishes, light a candle and put on music. Invite a friend over once a week to dine with you.

Don't skimp on nutrition because you live alone. Try a new recipe when you're solo in the kitchen and treat yourself to a special meal. You are worth it.

View the original "Simple meals for singles" article on myOptumHealth.com