Easy Meals For One At 1st Lake Properties

Cooking for one doesn’t have to be difficult or depressing. Sure, there can be cooking constraints, but with planning, the right resources, and a few helpful tips, 1st Lake Properties aims to make cooking for one easy, healthy, and maybe a little fun!

 Economic Tips:

• Prepare one-dish meals. For simple cooking with little cleanup, choose a dish that is a whole meal. Look for dishes that include items from several food groups. Examples include chicken divan, vegetable lasagna, and vegetarian chili.
• Cook a batch and freeze single portions. Say you make a vegetable stew on Sunday but don’t want to spend the rest of the week eating it for lunch and dinner. No problem. Parcel out single-sized servings into small freezer bags (be sure to write the date and contents on the bag). Then take out only the amount of food you need. This is better than a store-bought frozen meal.
• Use extras wisely. Try to incorporate leftovers or extra food in new dishes. Use the leftover rice from one meal to make a vegetable and rice casserole the next night. Bake chicken for a meal and use the leftovers in a chicken salad or soup. Any uncooked, chopped vegetables left over from a recipe can be stored in a freezer bag (be sure to include the date and the contents on the bag) and used for a later recipe. This works great for onions, celery, and bell pepper.
• Cooking Light in Louisiana. It almost sounds like an oxymoron, but there are recipes that feature local ingredients in a healthy light. Save the heavy cooking for special occasions.
• Celebrate the Season with In-Season Produce. This keeps your palate from getting burned out on the same old weekly menu. Spring and summer are times for herbal iced teas, mixed lettuce salads, and grilled vegetables (some apartment complexes have an outdoor grilling area, so use them!).
• Plan Weekly Meals. Cooking solo takes planning and effort. There are plenty of sites dedicated to sample menus and recipes. Personalize your nutrition and physical activity plan in one place with the SuperTracker.

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