How to Make a Healthy Dinner for One
A healthy dinner can be difficult to make for just one person. Often, individuals settle for eating less health meals or for dining out constantly. Making a healthy dinner for one is easier to do once you understand how to shop smarter and store food so that excess is not wasted, and how to make food healthier. With a few tips, you can learn how to make tasty one-person meals for less. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Meats or other protein
- Starches
- Freezer bags
- Herbs and seasonings
- Pots and pans
Instructions
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Shop wisely by selecting smaller portions of perishable foods and foods that can be frozen or that do not need to be preserved. By shopping smarter, you can eliminate waste and avoid eating too many leftover meals. Go to the grocery store with a list of appetizing but healthy meal options and the ingredients needed for those meals.
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Choose foods that represent all of the major food groups to get a balanced nutritional meal. Vegetables, starches, grains and protein should all be present on your plate. Because you are only cooking for one person, cook large portions of food from all food groups and freeze or refrigerate the rest for later meals. Then, mix and match dishes from the food groups to get different, but nutritious meal options.
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Purchase frozen fruit that has no sugar added. Frozen fruit is easier to preserve and makes it available to you whenever you like. Fresh fruit may spoil before you can eat all of it. If you need to use up fruit before it spoils, blend fruits that you enjoy eating to make your own fruit juice for your meal.
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Season your food with healthy herbs and spices such as basil, garlic and onion, as well as fruits and vegetables like lime, pineapple, and peppers. Purchase dried and powdered seasonings and frozen or dried fruit so that they last longer.
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Purchase non-perishable food items such as dried pasta and rice, bread crumbs and canned food. Keep your pantry stocked with sandwich bags, food storage containers, foil paper and plastic wrap. This will make it easier to save leftovers when you make your healthy meal.
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Tips & Warnings
Avoid unhealthy cooking methods such as frying. Instead, bake, grill, boil, steam or saute your food.
Be careful when adding salt, oil and butter to your dinner. Too much of any of these can add unwanted quantities of sodium, fat or cholesterol.
References
- Photo Credit Thinkstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images
