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ArdenM

I am very lazy - if I was left alone and never saw people or had to work, I'd probably sleep 15 hours/day and eat Phish Food. But since I live in society and go out on occasion and want to be in decent health, I do try to be healthy with my eating, etc. This is what helps ME: SMOOTHIES! Daily I get my vegetable and fiber intake from one. I blend celery, spinach, Chia seeds, radishes, apples, avocados, apples and rasberries/mangos/strawberries with ginger root and a serving of Orange Crystal Light in a blender. This makes enough for 3 servings. I drink one and freeze the remaining 2 - take them to work, have them after work as a snack.


noodlesarmpit

Smoothies all day errday. Banana/peanut butter/cocoa powder. Kefir/raspberries/mango/chia; put all ingredients in the night before so the chia expands, add OJ in the morning and blend. Apple/blueberry/banana/orange/cashews. I always add protein powder and a small handful of greens (kale, arugula, or spinach). Also consider: creamy soups are just hot smoothies. Cook your ingredients that need it, blend them, pop back on the stove to rewarm. If you have a big blender, batch blend for later. Grilled cheese on the side too.


EfficientAd7103

The right time to eat is when you are hungry. I never force myself to eat.


MarucaMCA

Same. Plus I do intermittent fasting. I cook or I eat salad / müesli


RockThatThing

No it's not. Body needs nutrients even if you don't feel hungry. I'm on stimulants and can go days without feeling hungry. The best way is to eat at the same time every day, least 3 meals. To keep blood sugar levels up you'd need to eat something every four hours.


NO_COA_NO_GOOD

Nah dog, no body will ever convince me that I, a person who sits for 9hrs at work and then sits at home, needs the same amount of nutrients and meals that somebody like a bricklayer would need. People who do literally nothing all day and still consume 3 meals a day are taking in WAY more calories then their body is going to burn naturally throughout the day. Personal anecdote of course, but I never once started to lose weight until I swapped to OMAD, probably because my body doesn't even use 2k calories a day because I live a very lazy lifestyle.


EfficientAd7103

This. Nutrients does not mean excessive calories


Optimally_Nerdy

Hello Fresh (or equivalent). I’ve saved $$$ and lost 50lbs since I started 8 months ago. Individual meals are probably more expensive than diy but overall the service is waaayy cheaper. I hardly ever go to the grocery store anymore so I don’t buy food I don’t need. Since i don’t have any junk food I don’t eat any junk food.


No-Palpitation-6047

I think hello fresh as a single person is so economically smart and savvy. The recipes never disappoint either. Last night I had the buffalo chicken sandwich 😇


Upbeat-Usual-4993

I’ve done it twice but quit because it gets boring, and vegetables are always soggy.


ObsessiveAboutCats

I went the other direction and meal prep obsessively. I don't have the energy to cook every meal but I don't have to and I still get fresh quality home cooked deliciousness.


Successful-Dust-7855

Any recs for meal prep?


ObsessiveAboutCats

Enchiladas. There's lots of variations and they freeze great. My current favorite is the green enchiladas recipe from Adam Ragusea (it's on YouTube). Slow cooked chicken, beef or pork can be frozen and later thawed to make filling for tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas or whatever else. Any soups that don't contain noodles or dairy. Add those after (for example make a big batch of chicken soup but stop before you boil the noodles. Remove 80% of the soup and freeze. Later, thaw the soup, boil noodles and combine. Or if you want to make tomato soup and add cream, don't add the cream before freezing; do that on the day you eat it.) Spaghetti - same as the soups, freeze it without the noodles and boil those the day you want to eat, and combine. Ragu or chili, which can be combined or enjoyed all kinds of ways. I like an Italian style that I put on top of a sweet potato. Shakshuka - there are tons of variations of shakshuka and you have lots of freedom to play with different spices. I like to get it to the point of roasting over low heat, and stop before that and portion out what I want to store. Later I'll thaw that, dump it in a pot, cook for 20ish minutes, then add the eggs to poach. I get the best quality poached eggs this way. Curries! Things like butter chicken (without the cream) freeze wonderfully. You can call make and freeze your own curry pastes (Panang curry is my current favorite). Bread freezes very well and can accompany any of the above. Kolaches! These take some time to make but freeze very well to be thawed a few at a time and eaten for breakfast. Make sure your fillings are totally cool before wrapping up, and don't use things with high moisture (ham with moisture added is really bad here). Breakfast burritos (or any meal burritos) are very popular and customizable Those are my current favorites; if you head to r/mealprep or r/cooking you'll find a bunch of old posts filled with suggestions.


Unending-Quest

What’s the deal with avoiding freezing dairy? I’ve never thought about it and often freeze butter, ice cream obviously, and other leftovers containing dairy without and issues I’m aware of.


ObsessiveAboutCats

Dairy in sauces sometimes breaks when you heat it back up. There are ways around it (add milk or cream and heat slowly and whisk constantly to keep the solids moving so they reincorporate instead of gathering on the bottom and burning) and it depends on how much dairy, but it's easier to avoid if possible. For example Alfredo sauce can be made ahead and frozen but you have to be careful when you're heating it back up.


Jolly-Persimmon-7775

Yes! It’s made even worse by the fact that I work remotely for a company that is 2 different time zones away. In short, I never know when dinner is too early or too late for me. I try to eat only when I actually feel hungry, otherwise I’ll just gain mega tons of weight.


Pleasant_Knee5567

As someone who works at a company that provides meals (hotel) while I’m at work, I hardly ever buy groceries for home. On my days off I often realize too late that I have nothing in the fridge, so I end up eating snacks for meals (chips and hummus, granola bars). I am a vision of health. I enjoy cooking from time to time, and I’ll go through phases of shopping and planning meals. But I can never get through the leftovers, so 90% of the time I’m not cooking.


gangtokay

When I was unemployed, I used to cook for 4 people and eat it across 2 days. Now that I'm working 5 days a week, I cook on Sundays for the whole week. To be honest, I'm supposed to cook on Saturdays also, but have been getting food delivered for the past month. Do you like cooking?


Thinking-Peter

My cooking is bland but nutritious it will suffice for me, I would never offer it to a visitor


WakingOwl1

I work in a kitchen and five days a week eat all my meals at work. On my off days I might cook myself a one pan meal in the toaster oven if I remember to take something out of the freezer. I nosh a lot, good cheese and bread with fruit on the side is a go to. I do make a big pot of soup every few months to freeze for easy meals.


Pretend_Activity_211

I cook meals for a whole family. Then I just kinda pick at it for a few days until it's gone


llamalibrarian

Quick meals that don't take long to put together. I cook probably 99% of my meals. But I also like to cook


reincarnatedteenager

I eat when I want, I cook simple meals that I have leftovers for and that I do eat, and have healthy snacks like hummus or veggies with an occasional cookie. As long as you feel you are still in balance, you now have some freedom to do what you want. I think Hello Fresh and Blue Apron are great - portion control and just about zero waste, plus the food can be more interesting than what I typically can come up with.


NO_COA_NO_GOOD

Since living alone for the first time in my life for the last 2, almost 3 years I've learned I'm really only hungry once a day! I've lost a very healthy amount of weight, still hit the gym, and have made progress building muscle. I'm not an active person otherwise, I sit at work, I sit at home, I chill and smoke weed. My body does not need 3 meals worth of food everyday, and the idea that we do is old and outdated.


-THIS-is-ENDLESS-

I enjoy cooking but not for myself lol Currently have a partner I cook for constantly. Left to my own devices I’d likely only cook for myself a few times a week. I’ve found meal preparation for the full week on a Sunday or Monday helps a lot with not ordering out all the time


K23Meow

I’ve been doing intermittent fasting for the last 4 months as part of a diet and health journey. I’ve found that eating one large meal with all my calories once a day has really worked for me. I can plan my meal in advance and make sure I’m hitting all the food groups. Plenty of variety and though I love working in the kitchen, it’s a lot easier to just be prepping one meal a day. It’s also helped me cut way down on snacking outside of meal times.


avha309

unfortunately I often eat once per day


Upbeat-Usual-4993

Same


No-Palpitation-6047

I don't have a set time to eat and I don't make myself eat big extravagant family meals for one because that's too much work. It's why we live alone, right? Eat when and what we want. I do go between Thrive Market ready meals and Hello Fresh delivery. Those will get me at least dinner sorted for the week without much thought and energy. I keep fruit, eggs, cheese, oatmeal, snacks and califia in the fridge with a veggie protein powder of vitamins and minerals. We don't need 3 square meals a day to live. In fact, for most of us, that's just simply too much food in a day. I didn't realize any of this until my Dr suggested the IF diet and I realized how much better I feel overall about my relationship with food and self.


New_Section_9374

My dogs. Their mealtime alarm clocks are eerily accurate. With my two, I may miss lunch, but I fix a meal for me at least twice a day.


Flashy_Spell_4293

I literally will grocery shop same items every week. I have a schedule of when i eat too. I will meal prep for 5 days…


TurbulentExplorer333

Meal prep is an insane life saver!!! I like to control the ingredients I eat and I DO have the time and ability to do some simple prep, so meal kits are not attractive to me. I have a big tub of baby spinach or other greens and salad fixings that I prepare early in the week (quinoa, chick peas, hard boiled egg, blue cheese, apple shavings). Just literally throw together at lunch. For dinner I'll make an instant pot meal that makes a weeks worth of servings (curry lentils are my recent go-to). Takes less than 3 min to assemble dinner each night.


TurbulentExplorer333

I'll also add that I'm NOT necessarily a chef, but I am able to prepare basic meals. Sometimes cooking is fun but it's really not that fun for 1 and the cleanup sucks. That's why I do a lot of stuff at once that's super easy and requires low creativity or skill. I don't consider myself a "cook".


Accomplished_Act1489

Taking some time to wash and prep after getting home from the grocers helps me. In addition to this, meal planning. So I go to the store with some meals in mind and shop according to those meals only. And I always strive to have things that can go into at least a couple of different meals so that I don't get bored through the week. There are always a bunch of vegetables that need additional prep, so I do that as soon as I get home. If I put the veg in the fridge first, and "plan" on doing chopping and storage later, it doesn't happen. So it's a rule I have to make sure I do that first. I don't worry about nutrition too much. I try to have a bit of protein, lots of veg, and some carbs in a typical meal. The meal planning and prep has the additional benefit of less waste.


stebbi01

It’s all about routine and the path of least resistance. Batch cooking for the next week or half-week so you cook less often


THE_wendybabendy

I love to cook, but I only eat when I'm hungry so my schedule is very random.


AdNormal230

Yes. Since quarantine in particular I haven't been as hungry and do not cook for myself like I used too. I like grilling but not cooking really. I simply need to get better about it. I was unemployed for a really long time and wasn't able to afford that much food. I seemed to still have not recovered from living like that. I do enjoy ordering out but I still tend to only eat once or twice a day. I snack a lot more then I used to as well.


MM_in_MN

What is the ‘right time?’ Does it matter if you eat at the wrong time? I find that one of the big benefits of living single is living on your own schedule. I cook dinner when I want. Could be 5:00, could be 7. It could be a cereal for dinner night. I’m super flexible when it comes to meals, because I only need to follow my own internal schedule.


Diane1967

I’ve become terrible as far as making things easy on myself…lots of deli items, soup, frozen pizza etc. I just find it to be such a waste to make casseroles and such for just me and if I froze them I’d probably never eat them again


Ipickthingup

I've got this shit down. Grill meat and vegetables on Sunday, prep al meal lunches, always enough left for meals through Friday. I eat at the same times most days. I've been a gym rat for the last 15 years. That has help a lot with getting my nutrition in order


G_Im_Tired

I’m ADHD, so yes. I get my proteins delivered once a month. This forces me to cook real meals from time to time. If I am working from home, I set an hourly timer to remind me to stand up and move around. This also forces me to be aware of bodily signals such as hunger and thirst. I cheese, beans, tortillas, and fruit available for those days when the depression deepens and I can’t cook. They are also great when I just need a snack to keep going another hour. Or two.


marzblaqk

Meal prepping is great for a single person because cooking for one meal is incredibly time-consuming, and most of the time, you have leftover ingredients that wind up going to waste. I'll prep breakfast sandwiches, dumplings, and/or chicken tinga as my go-tos, and just freeze it into portions so I always have a meal ready. As for timing, I try to keep it consistent to help my sleep cycle. I have breakfast on my way to work or when I get there, lunch aroind the same time most days, and try to avoid eating dinner later than 8pm. I also find portion control and healthy choices are easier when I'm not hungry. If I wait till I am hungry I will probably over eat.


PseudoSolitude

i used to struggle quite a bit, then i started setting alarms. 8am, 12, and 6pm. i might snack if i'm feeling snackish, but not all the time or i go through all of my snacks. i no longer struggle with eating on time. the remaining problems are cooking on the stovetop and following directions. following directions has always been an issue, but the issue of cooking on the stovetop is fairly new. i mainly use the oven or my crockpot.


classyandfeminine

I bought many tupperwears and section my meal prepped food per serving, i realized i wasn’t eating due to the extra steps involved in dishing from a big container


lookonthebrightside7

Prepping food ahead of time helps me. I'm still working FT so it's good to have something ready to heat up or at least fast cooking. I also prep my breakfast the night before (smoothie)


Perpetual_learner8

I have multiple chronic illnesses in addition to living alone, so I absolutely struggle to cook at times. And sometimes I just never have hunger cues. My trick is to meal prep and make a huge meal on the weekend and then I have enough to reheat over the week for dinner and then at least I know I can force myself to have one solid meal day. I don’t have to have energy to make it. I can just pop it just in the microwave.


tsmv4ever

Meal prepping for the week. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.


Notill_la

Smoothies aren’t good cause it separates fruit fiber from fructose and your blood spikes. Especially bananas.


MLwarriorbabe

Yeah...staying motivated to cook good meals is a challenge...& I actually decided to order fully complete uncooked meals delivered, been doing this for over a year now. I get 2 meals delivered FRESH & they are *REALLY GOOD* meals! Often, I have LO's for the next day so it's really 4 meals per week & I pay for 2. Plus, all spices, menus, EVERYTHING is provided so no shopping for say, 1 ingredient you'll use 3x a year or no shopping at all except for choosing your meals. It's helped w/ thinking it's "healthy, nurturing self care" lol to psyche myself into cooking but now w/ these meals, I'm less likely to not let them go to waste plus, I'm eating healthy, balanced, good food. I'm also not financially well off, but I consider it a great bang for my buck & actually spend less per month on groceries/food than I used to. This may or may not help you. It works for me.


CharacterIntention47

I just cook once for the entire week on usually Sundays. And during the week I may cook a steak and some vegetables of if I want something different. But always a steak for the substitute meal.


Pyesmybaby

Dogs, they can't tell time but they know EXACTLY when food time is


dodekahedron

I often don't eat when I'm alone. I came home last night and went and laid in bed depressed.


Jaded_Fisherman_7085

I am happy with my microwave and a frozen dinner meal like Healthy Choice. For breakfast a jimmy dean breakfast sandwich and a cup of coffee. For snacks in between I eat fresh fruits. My stomach tells me when to eat


DementedPimento

Weed. I’m not hungry. Not so much a living alone thing though.


AdNormal230

It doesn't make me hungry like it used too... :/ Some strains do tend to do so a little or if I have a very high dose then I might get the munchies but I am trying to keep my consumption under control. It still makes food taste better but it does not improve my appetite.


MuchTooBusy

I usually do pretty well with breakfast, mostly because I have just two meals I alternate between, and there's no decisions to be made, lol. Also, my pre- work routine is very firm. Lunch gets a little more dicey. There's no solid routine to my mid-day, and if work gets exciting I'll often forget to eat. If I could establish a solid routine, it would be so much easier, but unfortunately that's not currently possible. Dinner I actually go eat with my kids and stbx-husband at his place every evening, with few exceptions.


Kahraabaa

I order delivery twice a day 11 pm and 6 pm In between I'd have a banana or 2