Planning Healthy Meals for One or Two

Sometimes, it can be hard to get motivated when cooking a meal for just one or two people. Here are tips to help you get the most value for your time and money if you are cooking for two, or just you!

General Tips

• Maximize your nutrition!
• Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
• Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
• Make at least half of your grains whole grains.
• Cook once, eat twice.
• Plan two meals from the same entrée.
• Separate out extra food BEFORE serving.
• Eat extras in 3–4 days or freeze for longer storage.
• Many recipes can be cut in half or thirds. Learn how to reduce the size of recipes.

Shopping Tips

• Should you buy in bulk?
• Bulk foods may be half the cost but it's just as expensive if you toss half!
• Smaller package sizes help avoid eating the same food over and over again.
• Repackaging meat in freezer bags for smaller servings and freezing is a good way to get bulk prices.
• Consider individually packaged servings of items if you frequently have leftovers such as:
• String cheese or wrapped cheese slices
• Single containers of tuna, soup, or fruit
• Individual cartons of yogurt
• Buy a smaller number of servings from meat counter.
• Enjoy one pork chop.
• Purchase a single salmon filet.
• Explore a different cut of beef.
• Purchase fruit at varying stages of ripeness
• Buy some fruit to eat immediately and some to ripen for later.
• Apricots, bananas, cantaloupe, kiwi, nectarines, peaches, pears, and plums continue to ripen after purchase.
• Refrigerate fruit after it has ripened for longer storage.
• Buy frozen vegetables
  
• Pour only what you need from the bag and use within 8 months or per package guidelines.
• Toss into soups and casseroles.
• The taste and nutrition of frozen vegetables is comparable to fresh and often lower in salt than canned veggies.
• Can-do canned foods
• Nutrition is comparable to fresh or frozen.
• No refrigerator space needed.
• Helpful in emergency; have manual can opener handy.
• Remove from can when storing unused portions.
• Check the "use by date" on cans for best safety/quality. After can is opened, use within 3–4 days.
• Low sodium versions are available.
• Shop at supermarket salad bars
• Purchase small amounts of fruits and vegetables.
• Buy individual salads.
• Use foods within 1–2 days of purchase for best quality.

Storage Tips

• Refrigerator storage tips
• Refrigerate hot foods in a shallow pan — food should be no more than 2 inches deep.
• Eat perishable foods in 3–4 days. Heat until steaming hot (165°F).
• Thaw frozen packages on a plate near the bottom of the refrigerator so they do not drip on other foods.
• Freezer storage tips
• Store it, don't ignore it — food is "safe" indefinitely at 0°F but "quality" lowers over time.
• Use freezer quality containers for freezer storage.
• It is safest to thaw in fridge. It takes about 24 hours to thaw 5 pounds of food.
• Foods that don't freeze well include watery foods such as cabbage, celery, and lettuce, cream or custard fillings, milk sauces, sour cream, cheese or crumb toppings, mayonnaise, gelatin, and fried foods.
• Store bread in freezer. Remove a slice at a time and toast as needed.

Restaurant Tips

• Benefit from large restaurant portions
• Enjoy two meals for price of one!
• Divide meal in half BEFORE eating.
• Refrigerate perishables in shallow containers within 2 hours of service.