Cooking for One
Due to popular demand, we’ve designed a seven-day menu for those cooking for one. We’ve provided recipes and suggestions for every meal, but let us emphasize that this is a guide—you don’t have to follow this meal plan exactly. You’ll notice that we still have some recipes from the general menu, but we’ve either suggested cutting them in half or making the full recipe, depending on your preference. Also, check out Vegan Cooking for One by Leah Leneman for additional ideas of how to eat healthfully when cooking for one.
DAY 1
Breakfast: Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal: Make enough for the week. Adding fresh or dried fruit to your oatmeal throughout the week will vary the taste and texture.
Lunch: Quickie Quesadillas: Make just one or two of these, depending on how hungry you are or if you need a snack later; they store well. Save time, consider buying prepared hummus for this recipe.
Snack: Toast with apple butter and banana: For an easy option just eat the apple or banana.
Dinner: Carrot and Red Pepper Soup: Cut this recipe in half and add a side salad (if you are making your own side salad, think greens, such as romaine or red leaf lettuce topped with tomato, cucumber, onion, broccoli, and your favorite low-fat, vegan dressing; an easy pick is balsamic vinegar, which is very easy and a little goes a long way) or some steamed frozen veggies.
DAY 2
Breakfast: Oatmeal: Use leftover from yesterday and add plant milk and raisins.
Lunch: DIY Hummus and Veggie Sandwich: Use pita or whole-grain bread, spread with hummus, and top with lettuce, tomato, cucumbers, pickles, and any other veggies you wish) and cup of Carrot and Red Pepper Soup (leftover from yesterday's dinner).
Snack: Air-popped popcorn topped with curry powder or nutritional yeast
Dinner: DIY Stir-fry: Brown rice (use brand that is frozen in bag if you like), leftover veggies and half block of tofu (save other half in sealed container for tofu scramble this weekend)
DAY 3
Breakfast: Toast with jam and fruit or leftover oatmeal
Lunch: DIY Veggie Burrito with leftover veggies, salsa from quesadillas, and brown rice, if you like. For a variation, prepare Mockamole to add to your burrito.
Snack: Soy yogurt with berries
Dinner: Hoppin’ John Salad: Cut this recipe in half and use brown rice from your stir-fry or frozen brown rice. If you want to skip on chopping the tomatoes, just add some salsa.
DAY 4
Breakfast: Cereal with plant milk (your choice) and fresh or frozen berries
Lunch: Hoppin’ John Salad with Mockamole and Baked Tortilla Chips
Snack: Carrots and apple
Dinner: Pasta Primavera: Use whole-grain pasta, but cook enough for just one. Make your own sauce with leftover veggies and fresh or canned diced tomatoes. For a variation, try topping your pasta with nutritional yeast, it will add a cheese-like flavor to your meal.
DAY 5
Breakfast: Cereal, Oatmeal, or Smoothie Day: Fantastic Fruit Smoothie (cut the recipe in half or quarter to make enough for you)
Lunch: Leftover Pasta Primavera
Snack: Edamame: Bring a handful of frozen edamame to work and microwave
Dinner: Southern Beans and Greens: Cut this recipe in half.
DAY 6
Breakfast: Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes: Quarter this recipe. Or make Banana Oat French Toast using two pieces of bread.
Lunch: Leftover Southern Beans and Greens
Dinner: Dine Out or make Pita Pizzas using leftover spinach, kale, veggies, and marinara sauce.
Dessert: Chocolate Raspberry Mousse
DAY 7
Breakfast: Tofu Scramble: Use leftover tofu from earlier in the week and add any veggies you have and salsa.
Lunch: Spinach Salad with Orange Sesame Dressing: Add any beans you have.
Snack: Ambrosia
Dinner: Almost Instant Black Bean Chili and Easy Corn Bread Muffins: Either cut each recipe in half or make all of it and eat it throughout the week.
Kickstart DIY: DIY is short for a do-it-yourself recipe. We want you to get into the habit of going out on your own and making meals without a recipe. If you are not feeling ready for a DIY meal, stick to a recipe. But if you are, grab that can of beans, cook up some brown rice, and top with cooked greens or some frozen mixed vegetables. Or mix your favorite fruits together and toss with soy yogurt. Let your imagination run wild with Kickstart DIY meals.
Serving Sizes: Don’t worry too much about the serving sizes of beans, grains, fruits, and vegetables. Thanks to the high-fiber and low-fat content, you would be hard-pressed to consume more calories than you need from these four food groups. (Exceptions include avocados, olives, etc.)
Cereal: Look for around 5 grams of fiber per serving. Avoid those that add chemical preservatives, sugar, corn syrup, and/or cane juice.
Bread: Look for around 4 grams of fiber per slice/serving. Avoid additives such as whey, sugar, corn syrup, caramel colorings, etc.
Jam: Choose all-fruit jams. These are usually not sweetened with sugar.
Beans: All beans are great. Buying them dried may be more economical, but you have to plan for the rinsing, soaking, and draining process. Canned and frozen are every bit as good.
Grains: Whole grains are preferred, but as long as the ones you choose have some fiber you are fine.
Fruits: All fruits are good: whole fresh, frozen, or dried. Avoid those with added sugar and those that have the fiber removed, e.g., juiced.
Vegetables: All vegetables are good: whole fresh, frozen, or canned.
Check out the menu planner on NutritionMD.org for a lot of other ideas, including breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner ideas. |
