Preparing your own meals can help you take charge of your health. No matter what your age, living situation, or culinary skills, you can learn to cook tasty, healthy, and inexpensive meals.
As a single person, finding the motivation to cook for yourself can be difficult, especially after a long day.
There are many health benefits of cooking for one. Preparing your own healthy meals can reduce your risk of illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. It is much easier to ensure you are getting all the right food when you prepare and cook meals for yourself.
There are also emotional benefits. The simple process of cooking for yourself can be very empowering.
Taking charge of your diet can improve your mood and self-esteem. Adopting a diet of healthy, home-cooked meals can make you more resilient to stress, anxiety, and depression.
Cooking for one does not have to involve a large investment of time, either. A microwaved baked potato, filled with cheese or canned tuna, and served with steamed vegetables or a salad, for example, makes a healthy, balanced meal that is ready in minutes.
Loading a slow cooker with chicken, rice, and vegetables in the morning allows you to come home to a hot meal at night, with minimal preparation and little cleanup.
Cooking for one: the basics
- Make cooking fun. Turn on your favorite music, invite a friend over, try new foods.
- Cook once and eat twice (or more). Cook larger meals and freeze leftovers in single portions to eat another time. Write the date and contents on the packages and remember to eat the food in a timely manner (for most meals, within 1 to 3 months).
- Reinvent leftovers. If you do not want to eat the same meal a second time, having leftovers can be a great starting place for your next meal. For example, wrap leftover chicken, rice, and veggies in a tortilla, then add a little low-fat cheese and salsa—you have a brand-new meal
- Prepare one-dish meals. Choose dishes that serve as the whole meal, combining different food groups in one pot, like a vegetarian chili, chicken casserole or vegetable and beef stew. Slow cookers are great for these types of dishes.
- Cook your protein once a week. Roast a chicken or slow cook a turkey breast to quickly create different dishes during the week. Add the meat to a soup or salad, slice it in sandwiches, use tacos, burritos or combine with veggies and add to pasta or rice.
- Get your friends involved. Have everyone gather with individual dinners already prepared and ready to freeze. Then swap with each other. This would be an effective way to spend time with your friends and also get a variety of meals to enjoy when you want.
Here are a couple of recipes to get you started.
Couscous salad
1/3 cup couscous
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2-3/4 cup of chopped vegetables
1/4 cup shredded cheese
Italian salad dressing or vinegar and olive oil
Boil 1/2 cup of water and slowly stir in couscous and salt. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes. Prepare vegetables while waiting. Add all ingredients and dressing. Toss gently. Eat warm or refrigerate covered and serve cold
Optional: Add protein for a more filling meal (beans, canned tuna, etc.).
Healthy Fried Rice
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1 egg
1/2 cup veggies (frozen or fresh)
Seasoning (i.e., soy sauce, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, etc.)
Crack egg in a small bowl, beat and set aside. In a small frying pan on medium heat, cook/thaw the veggies you are using. Add the rice so it can begin to heat up. Add a tablespoon of water and cover for about 2 minutes to steam cook/heat them. Add the beaten egg and stir/cook the whole mixture until egg is done. Add soy sauce or other seasonings for flavor.
FREE NUTRITION PROGRAM
Interested in free nutrition education lessons from the OSU Extension Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program? Contact Nancy Lyons at 937-224-9654 or lyons.489@osu.edu.
Website: extension.osu.edu
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