One of my clients recently asked me for some advice about preparing healthy meals for one. I’ve been thinking about it a lot since our conversation and I reflected that it really doesn’t matter how many people you are preparing food for.

Your willpower is no match

for a poor food environment

From the moment we wake up till the moment we go to sleep we are constantly making decisions - we make 200 decisions about food each day, all of which are taxing our will power. If you have a goal of a more nourishing diet or the loss of unhealthy body fat, then you need to set up your food environment to support you. If you are surrounded by healthy food staples and if the foods that don’t serve your health aren’t in the cupboard, then there is no need to employ willpower and you can instead rely on habits. You don’t need willpower to brush your teeth in the morning, do you? It’s just a habit. Wouldn’t it be good if eating a nourishing breakfast, lunch and dinner felt like that too?

Stock your pantry with healthy ingredients

As part of setting up a healthy food environment, remove the ultra-processed foods such as commercially made biscuits and cakes, chips, lollies, chocolate, sugary breakfast cereals , ice-cream and soft drinks.

Once your pantry is stocked with a few food staples, it is really easy to throw together a quick and nutritious meal. Nutritionally, the two main things that tend to be missing from quick meals is a good source of protein and vegetables. Keeping a supply of tinned fish, tinned legumes or a few eggs on hand will ensure that you always have a couple of protein-rich options ready to go. Tinned tomatoes and frozen vegetables also keep for many months and can be incorporated into many dishes.

If you hate going to the shops on a Sunday then shop online. You’ll be ready to eat well each week, but also avoid needing to exercise willpower to avoid the temptation of buying extra foods that you might not want in your house.

Healthy pantry staple foods

• Tomato pasta sauce and tinned tomatoes

• Tinned salmon, tuna, tinned white beans/ lentils/black beans/chickpeas, marinated tofu

• Eggs

• Frozen vegetables

• Reduced sodium stock

• Grated cheese

• Onions, potatoes, carrots

• Pasta (pulse pasta is fab), quick cook rice

Just as I would say if you’re cooking for a couple or a family, whenever I cook I always aim to make leftovers. If you’ve got the oven on cook extra veggies and extra protein so you have dinner or lunch the next day sorted.

Here are my favourites when I’m cooking for one:

• My mushroom miso buddha bowl

• My super speedy thai quinoa salad

• Pulse pasta (barilla or san remo) , leggos pesto (much lower in fat than other options), some chopped up cherry tomatoes, a handful of baby spinach and some chopped up boccoccini.

• Tuna and white bean salad

• A wholegrain tortilla with refried beans

• Jamie Oliver has a stack of recipes for one person here - I love his “fish in a bag”

• Traybakes can be scaled down and are perfect to pop in the oven while you potter round. Here’s 6 of my favourites.

Quick and healthy supermarket finds

So what happens if the cupboard runs bare? The supermarkets have done some terrific work on developing quick meal solutions. So if you’re tired and can’t be bothered to cook here are some solutions:

• Woolworths Balanced Nutrition Range - “bowl style” foods such as a burrito bowl with a 4* health rating

• WW Healthy Kitchen - ready meals with a 4.5 * health star rating

• You can go for frozen solutions such as Birds Eye “Steam Fresh Parsley Citrus Steam Fish” served with their “Steam Fresh Quinoa & Brown Rice” and pick up a salad bowl from the fruit and veggie section

• Or try a honey/soy or teriyaki marinated tofu, pre cooked brown rice and a bag of prepped coleslaw mix

How about you? What’s your favourite meal for one?

Do you need help getting your healthy eating back on track?  My 6 week customised nutrition program is specially designed to help you establish healthy eating habits, gain or lose weight,  or recover from the diet cycle.  Find out more here.  

Rachel is a university qualified Clinical Nutritionist based in Balmain.  She is also the busy working mum of two teenagers, so is practical and realistic with her advice . Rachel offers private consultations to improve your family's health and well-being. You can find her on Facebook and Instagram for more healthy tips and tricks.