I feel I should add some balance to my post about Chocolate Cupcake Day of a few days ago. Today is National Apple Day, and I say for every cupcake we eat, we should chow down two apples. Actually, a healthy diet would probably have us eating an apple a day and a cupcake no more than once a week, but I know myself better than that.
Still, I’d like to eat a healthier diet. It’s difficult when you’re cooking for one, or even two, because few recipes cater to the single eater and you end up with a lot of leftovers. And no appetite for the food by the time you finish eating all of it. I’ve bought a pound of ground beef before and thrown out half of it because two burgers in a row is enough for me.
That’s a distinct waste of food and I’ve sworn I won’t do it again, but right now I’ve got a pound of chicken breasts in my freezer with no plan for how to prepare them. I originally planned to separate them all before freezing and pull them out one by one, but I forgot to do that and now they’re all frozen together.
It’s too easy to rely on frozen pizza or other frozen meals, but those stop tasting good after awhile. Today I ate totally unhealthy food all day long and now I’m paying for it. My stomach aches and my head just feels icky. Yet at the grocery stores in my area, there aren’t any deli options, such as salad or (really wishful thinking here) soup. In fact, there aren’t any delis that I know of in the area.
Yes, there are some restaurants that have relatively healthy food, but they’re some distance from my apartment and expensive to boot. I have a limited budget and eating out is a luxury.
So, sorry about griping. I truly do want to eat healthier food (without denying myself the occasional cupcake), but I struggle with finding such food that fits into my lifestyle.
It’s a dilemma many single people face, this inability to cook for one. If you have any suggestions, I’m open to ideas. In the meantime, let’s all enjoy the single-serving apple!
Image credits: Basket of apples © voren1–stock.adobe.com, Row of apples © cooperr–stock.adobe.com
My World With Words 
I wish I could help. After the kids moved on, it is just husband and me. Even though I cut recipes in half, we still wind up with leftovers. I love to cook/bake so baked goods are easily frozen, but not so cooked items. I have frozen soup and chili, but there are only so many ways to change up pasta dishes before you are just tired of it. And we eat less, too, so yeah…..a dilemma.
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I hear you, Belinda. Eating healthier is more effort and when I slide down the path of eating what is tastier and easier – inevitably I feel lousy, too. I’m lucky there’s a Trader Joe’s near me. They have a lot of ideas for meals that are pretty decent. I’ll make soup by using one of their boxed mixes and adding some fresh vegetables to it. But it usually means having it for a few days and risking boredom.
Great post and thanks for sharing.
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Recently, our youngest daughter moved out, leaving us with what I guess is called an empty nest. Point is, it took a minute for us to learn how to cook just enough food for the two of us, as opposed to three or four. I can’t imagine cooking for one, so I empathize with you here.
I’ll also add a gripe: grocery store shopping. You’d think they’d figure out a way to economically package things for 1-2 people. Even we only one one hamburger, but we end up throwing the other two in the freezer, never to be thawed out again lol
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Glad to know I’m not alone!
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