Cooking for one can be a challenge. We’ve compiled some tips to make cooking for one more cost-effective and enjoyable.
1. Freeze fresh veggies. Vegetables with lower water content can be frozen for 8-10 months. This includes, but is not limited to, corn, peas, broccoli, carrots, spinach, kale, and chard. Simply clean, peel, de-stem your veggies first. Chop them into same size pieces. These frozen veggies are best used in cooked dishes since they do soften during the freezing and thawing process.
2. Use ice cube trays. Each ice cube holder is about 2 tablespoons. You can pre-portion foods such as chicken broth, Greek yogurt, and peanut butter into ice cube trays to use in soups or smoothies. You can also freeze herbs. Simply cover the chopped herbs with olive oil in the ice cube tray. Use as recipe starters.
3. Repurpose fresh foods on the verge of going bad. One example is to turn almost-stale bread into crispy croutons for salads. You can make a jam out of fruit that is about to go bad. Also, if you’ve got extra cucumbers, peppers, or onions, try pickling them. Check out this quick and easy pickling recipe: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/easy-refrigerator-pickles/.
4. Experiment with “mug meals”. Now these are the ultimate single-serve meals. There are countless recipes online for making your favorite dish inside of a mug. For example, lasagna, chicken pot pie, and cake can be made to serve one! Use any-sized mug, as long as it is microwaveable.
Information gathered & adapted from:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/voraciously/wp/2020/03/22/how-to-freeze-fresh-vegetables-while-preserving-their-best-qualities/
https://tasty.co/article/nataliebrown/cook-for-one-meals-for-one-small-batch-cooking
Veggie “Fried” Rice
Ingredients
2 large eggs
2/3 cup Minute brown rice (size of one single-cup container)
1/2 cup carrots, diced.
1/2 cup broccoli, chopped.
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon coconut aminos
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon black pepper
Preparation
1.Heat oil in a sauté pan. Add minced garlic and cook until light pink colored. Add black pepper.
2.Add broccoli and carrots to the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until veggies are cooked through but still crunchy.
3.While veggies are cooking, microwave your rice (you can also use freshly-cooked rice or leftover rice if you desire). Crack eggs into a bowl and scramble with a fork. Set aside.
4.Once veggies are cooked, add the rice and coconut aminos. Toss together.
5.If your pan is big enough, push the veggie and rice mixture to the side. Pour eggs into the opposite side of the pan and scramble until cooked through. (If you prefer, you can heat up a separate pan to cook the egg). Once eggs are cooked through, combine with the rice and veggies.
6.Enjoy!
Serving Size: 1
Nutrition Information per Serving: 25 grams total fat, 5 grams saturated fat, 61 grams carbohydrate, 5 gram fiber, 20 grams protein, 522 milligrams sodium, 577 milligrams potassium, 9 grams sugar
Recipe adapted from:
https://cookeatshare.com/recipes/chinese-fried-rice-veg-678964
