Cooking for One

Cooking for one can be a challenge. Let’s face it, most recipes are designed for multiple servings. This can sometimes make cooking at home seem daunting and time consuming. Family Food Registered Dietitian Elizabeth May, RDN, CSOWM, LDN has some tips for when you are cooking for one.

Tip #1: Select recipes that yield 2-3 servings, that way you won’t get sick of it.

• Acorn Squash Recipe
  • Serves 2
  • Ingredients-
    • 1 small granny smith apple, cut into small pieces
    • 2 oz plain goat cheese
    • Handful chopped pecans, toasted
    • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
    • Sea salt and pepper
  • Directions-
    • Cut the squash in half and lay on baking sheet (flesh up). Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bake at 400 F for 45-60 min. or until the insides are easy to pull out with a fork. While squash bakes, cook the apple (and sausage if you want) in a skillet. Once squash is ready, scoop out most of the insides of the squash and mix it with the cheese and apples. Refill each half of the squash and sprinkle pecans on top. Put it back in the oven on LOW broil for 3-5 minutes.
• Cinnamon Sweet Potato Chickpea Salad by Oh She Glows
• Southwestern Stuffed Spaghetti Squash by The Comfort of Cooking
• Chicken and Zucchini Noodle Caprese by Skinnytaste
• 10- Minute Cauliflower “Fried” Rice by Damn Delicious
• Sweet Potato Toast by Real Food RDs
• Brussel Sprout Tacos by Minimalist Baker

Tip #2: Choose recipes you can whip up quickly that serve one. 

• Avocado Toast – Sprinkle Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel Seasoning on it!
• Acai Bowls
  • Serves 1
  • Ingredients-
    • 1 acai berry packet (Trader Joes or Wegmans)
    • 1/2 frozen banana
    • Splash water/unsweetened almond milk
    • Toppings- Drippy peanutbutter, unsweetened coconut chips, granola, cacao nibs, berries and bananas, hemp seeds, etc.
  • Directions-
    • Blend the first three ingredients together. Pour into a big bowl. Decorate your bowl and add flavor/texture by sprinkling any of the toppings listed on top your bowl.
• Fish + microwave sweet potato + steam fresh bag of frozen veggies. Buy individually wrapped frozen fish!
• Baked potato + toppings. Top potato with diced tomatoes, black beans, avocado, 2% cheddar cheese and/or roasted corn. You can then use the leftover toppings to make quesadillas or salads.

Tip #3: Choose recipes you can make and freeze half for later.

• Soups- Make a big batch and freeze half for later.
• Black Bean Burgers or Turkey Burgers- Make the recipe and then freeze half. You can pull one burger out of the freezer at a time.
• Slow cooker chicken and rice- You can make many variations like chicken teriyaki, sweet and sour chicken, honey chicken, lime chicken, bbq chicken, etc. Throw some rice in the rice cooker or microwave brown minute rice.
• Casseroles- Once the casserole is baked, put half of it in the freezer for later.

Tip #4: Pick dessert recipes you can refridgerate so they last longer. These are now by go-to’s:

• Vegan GF Black Bean Brownies by Minimalist Baker
• Healthy Avocado Chocolate Cookies by Sprouted Fig
• No-bake Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cheerio Bars by Ambitious Kitchen
• Healthy Peanutbutter Buckeyes by Thug Kitchen
• Banana Ice Cream by Chocolate Covered Katie
• 5-Minute Vegan Hot Chocolate by Minimalist Baker
• No-bake Energy Bites by Gimme Some Oven

Tip #5: Last, get some ready-prepared foods for the nights you don’t feel like cooking (like Trader Joe’s salads or Amy’s soups with crackers) or get together with friends and cook together!

And as always, we have some more ideas on our Cooking for One Pinterest Board!