Grocery shopping for just yourself can be tough because the serving sizes are made to accommodate 2-6 people.
Don’t fret, there are ways to preserve your food, so you don’t have to throw food (and money!) away. We’re not talking TV dinners either. Here is your guide to cooking for one.
Buy smaller portions.
Did you know you can purchase a half carton of eggs? If you live alone and don’t think you can go through a dozen eggs before the expiration date, try six. This can cost about 99 cents and you won’t toss expired eggs in the trash on garbage day. Green Giant also offers single serve, frozen vegetables called “Just for One.” There’s no need to make a whole bag of steamed veggies when you can make one serving at a time. Ask for half pounds of meat and cheese at the deli instead of a whole pound for sandwiches. You can even place a special order at the meat section so you can get the exact amount of meat you need or have your butcher divide one of the packaged meats.
Your freezer is your friend.
Freeze all the meat you don’t plan on using before the sell by date. You can keep meat in the freezer for as long a year before having to toss it. If you do find yourself getting near the “best by” date on lunch meat, bacon or any other fresh item, you can freeze those as well. When you cook a meal with several servings, leave out what you plan to eat and freeze the rest in large Ziplock bags for later. These meals can remain frozen for a couple of months. On a busy day, you can come home, defrost and heat it.
It’s simple and allows you to preserve your food.Prep meals in advance.
Because you only have one person to worry about, meal prep can be easy and healthy! Use a whole pack of fresh chicken breast, a bag of veggies (or a few of your favorite fresh veggies) and your choice of grains, like rice, noodles or even sweet potatoes. Separate them into five containers and there’s lunch for a whole week. You didn’t have to go for smaller packages, you didn’t have to freeze anything and now you don’t have to worry about packing a lunch every day or buying lunch. This can be done for dinner as well—that is, if you don’t mind repetition.
Single diners aren’t a demographic a lot of food companies target too often, but with creativity, organization and spacious freezers, you’ll knock it out of the park! Your main goals are to stay healthy, be less wasteful and save money. Bon appetit!
Feature Photo via We Heart It