EBy Jen Wead
Cooking
for one By Jen Wead
Thedivine
foodie
Each month Humana gives me a different topic to focus my
healthy cooking class on. Recently we focused on cooking for just
one or two people and since then, many of those participants,
as well as people that heard about that class have contacted me
to ask when I would be having another. With such an interest, I
decided to post my best tips for cooking for one.
• Use eggs! They aren’t just for breakfast and can add protein
to soups or salads, to make it a more viable dinner option.
They have a long shelf life and come individually packaged (by
Mother Nature).
• Use the same main ingredients in several different ways.
If you plan out the meals that you want
to prepare for the week before you go to the store, you will be
able to easily use like ingredients (see last tip) and write an effective
supply list.
These are not at every store, but locally,
we do have them at Publix. You can buy only what you need of
many grains, cereals and coffee. This will also ensure optimal
freshness.
that can be split into smaller portions
and saved (frozen) for later.
• User small meats, like Cornish hens or a single chicken
breast with the bone in. You can place these into a smaller baking
dish with just the right amount of potatoes and veggies for a mini
roasted meal for one or two.
that have 4-6 individually
wrapped pieces inside. These can easily be pulled out and
thawed in less than 20 minutes.
Larger portions
can be purchased or prepared and frozen for later use.
at all times in the kitchen
so that you can label and date everything that you store in the
freezer. A dry erase marker can be used to label the tops of your
plastic storage containers. It wipes right off!
out. When you put something in the freezer or fridge, move the
older items forward and place new in the back. This ensures that
such as
a toaster oven and/or a George Foreman type of countertop grill.
This is optional, of course, but many people don’t want to bother
cooking because they don’t want to heat the oven or grill up for
just one portion, so this eliminates that dilemma.
In class I showed them how we could utilize the same few
ingredients for three meals. We used frozen salmon, eggs, spring
mix, onions tomatoes and one small can of tomatillo salsa. We
one sweet potato and baked it for Meal 1, paired with one of the
-
ions, then topped with a squeeze of lime and drizzle of olive oil.
For
a small baking dish with a little chopped onion. I poured blended,
seasoned eggs over this and baked it for about 7 minutes
at 400. This made a beautiful “omelet,” which we topped with
spring mix, and some tomato. We drizzled a little olive oil and
the salsa over this and everyone in the room was a new fan of this
interesting dish.
We prepared Fish Tacos for . We topped them with
the remaining salsa and everyone was ready to add all three
dishes to their menu for the following week.
Easy Fish Tacos for One
2 Corn Tortillas; 1 Cup of Spring Mix; 1 Small Tomato; ½
Cup Red Cabbage (use the rest later in the week for soup or salads);
1 Cooked Fish Filet, Salmon or White Fish, cold or hot; Tomatillo
Salsa to taste; Squeeze of Lemon or Lime. Cook tortillas
per package instructions. I just lightly toast mine in a nonstick
-
sa to taste. Squeeze a little citrus.
44 • EXPO EDITION 2019 813.682.9364